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Make it a truly New Year | Erwan Hesry — Unspash
Make it a truly New Year
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” Charles Dickens wrote A tale of Two Cities in 1859, yet for me this paragraph is a fairly apt description of the age we live in now, 2020 seems to share this same paradoxical signature. A year where so much happened, while nothing at all happened. Whatever your situation or circumstance was, you had the volume turned up full. It was the best or the worst, and almost nothing in between.
For all the downsides that Covid brought with it, something we did all experience is that things can be done in new and innovative ways. We were forced to examine the habitual way we had been thinking about the world and maybe acknowledge that we had been operating in that very dangerous territory of doing things in a certain way simply because that is “the way we have always done it”.
We learned to do just about everything differently, in some cases in a smarter and more efficient way than we might have been doing them before. And through this heightened state of uncertainty, mindset was the most powerful ally.
Now we stand on an imaginary finish line, where there is a collective wish for the year to end and a new one to begin. (To borrow a quote from Henry Ford) New Year provides the opportunity to start over — more intelligently. But, it isn’t truly starting over, unless you are prepared to examine your behaviour and intentionally do things differently.
This desire for change, combined with the particular time of year can lead us to make a bold commitment to a new goal or vision: The New Year’s Resolution. But we remain fixated on the target, often vague or intimidating, and forget to consider and articulate the steps that we need to take to get there. There are deliberate small behaviours that need to be actioned, and when added together result in a solid outcome. Until there is an actionable step, your resolution remains as just an idea.
The notion of change does not feel particularly comfortable though. In fact, human beings mostly resist it. So while the need or desire to change, and the action required to effect this, might be glaringly obvious, it is not necessarily easy to implement.
However, you don’t need to change everything — but you can change something. Often a shift in one area of your day can have a ripple effect into others. For example, if you improve your sleep you will have more energy to perform better at work or in your studies; limit your distractions (I’m looking at you social media…) and you will have more focus time with your family and strengthen your in-person relationships. Arianna Huffington, in her work at Thrive Global, suggests taking ‘microsteps’ toward your goal. These microsteps are essentially habits. A study at Duke University (Habits — a repeat performance. Neal; Wood; Quinn) showed that 45% of our everyday actions are done out of habit. Given this data, you can see that it’s possible that if you change your habits you can change your life.
How do you determine where to start incorporating healthy microsteps and habits into your life, and keep you on a path to your resolution?
Consider the slightly abstract “big goal” you might want to set for yourself, and then break it down into its smallest possible steps. These small steps are designed to set you up for success, and with each step you take, you change your trajectory to a version of yourself more aligned to your personal goals.
To help start this process I thought of some common resolutions and suggested an actionable ‘microstep’ which by implementing could set you up to thrive, rather than simply survive in the new year. You might also notice how they are fairly interconnected, and how one change might influence another. Once you have read these, I hope you are able to do a similar analysis of your chosen resolution.
Common resolutions:
Lose weight
Actionable micro step: cut dairy from coffee. Cutting one thing out of your “habit” eating might be the biggest shift. Perhaps it is cutting out milk from your coffee, or instead of two sugars, make it one… then none. Maybe it is limiting your alcohol consumption to certain days of the week. The ripple effect that this can have in the way you feel, will manifest in the way you look. It is a common goal to want to lose x amount of weight to look a particular way, but if you make feeling better the goal versus looking better, you might find one leads to the other anyway.
Get fit
Actionable micro step: do a set of star jumps/lunges/sit-ups while the kettle boils for your morning cup of coffee. Just move, it’s not lack of exercise that is dangerous for health, it’s being sedentary. The burst of energy might ultimately get you through some inertia, and this five minutes of something is five minutes closer to your goal.
Meditate
Actionable micro step: one minute of ‘box breathing’ as you wake up, and before you go to sleep. Dr Rangan Chatterjee (Physician and author) describes the process as nasal breathing: in for a count of four; hold in for four; out for a count of four; hold out for four. Repeat 5 times. This technique has been proven to calm the nervous system and take your mind away from distracting thoughts. It is reportedly a technique used by Navy Seals, and if it works for them, my guess is it’ll work for you.
Have more adventure
Actionable micro step: Take a different route to work. You don’t need to get on a plane to get out of your comfort zone. Turning down a different street, stopping in at a different coffee spot, will expose you to new people, new sights and new ideas.
More work/life balance
Actionable micro step: Declare an end to your work day, and stick to it. Commit to a “pens down” at 5pm (or whatever time you set for yourself). This challenge has been heightened in the work-from-home environment where it can be tempting to simply want to just finish one more thing. Compartmentalising your job and giving it a boundary will prevent work tasks eating into time needed for other valuable aspects of your life like family or exercise, which in turn help you work better. You will have to get comfortable with “unfinished business” but the ripple effect will be worthwhile.
Study more
Actionable micro step: remove distractions by turning off notifications on your phone. This decision removes temptations which pull our attention away when what we need to be is focussed. Tom Bilyeu CEO of Impact Theory and Quest nutrition says people should need to tap you on the shoulder to get your attention. If you start your day in an intentionally focussed way it flexes that muscle and allows you to develop your ability to stay focussed. By starting your day checking emails and attending to the requests of others you are always on the back foot.
There are many more audacious goals which can be achieved but will remain dreams until you commit to taking the smallest possible steps to get there. Whatever creative actions you think of, remember that they are new to your routine, and anticipate that there will be times you forget to do them, you are still creating the habit. When this happens — simply begin again. Failure is not the end of success, but the way toward it, if you are willing to learn from it.
Create the year you want. Will 2021 be the best of times or the worst of times? You decide. | https://medium.com/@lanastacey021/make-it-a-truly-new-year-d048bd552a11 | ['Lana Stacey'] | 2020-12-21 17:31:17.716000+00:00 | ['New Years Resolutions', 'Positive Change', 'Small Steps', 'Habits'] |
[GUIDE] — How to discover your new purpose in life and do what you love | As I have recently joined Medium, 10 days after starting my 90-day content creation challenge that my friend Patrick Farrell(A.K.A. The Ginger Nomad) brought to life starting 1st of January 2019, I am here to write my first article.
Don’t get me wrong, making money is good and fantastic. But you will never be happy and free when you don’t do what you love to do. I am not talking about Amazon Affiliates and OgAds or some other money making methods.
I am talking about the stuff that you really love to do, the things that bring a tear to your eye when you think about working for it. The thing that is a passion for you. That is what my first ever blog post is going to be focusing on. Once you have found your passion in life, you will never have to work one day in your life again. Why? Because when you work for something that you are passionate about then you won’t give up right away when you encounter failure (ie: your site gets hit by Google penalty or your Instagram account gets banned).
You know that it is something that you love to do and therefore you are willing to put in the extra work and the extra time to do it right.
Think about your current situation, is the job you are currently doing really the job that you wanna do for your whole life? If the answer is yes then fantastic. Congrats, you can move on from this blog post!
If the answer is no, then continue reading. Often times we tend to accept job offers that don’t suit us just because of peer pressure which means that we are taking the job offer because we have money problems or other problems that we think our new job might solve.
If we stay in a job that we are not passionate about or that we don’t really like then we don’t value or respect ourselves. We don’t feel that we are worth to take the job or deserve the job that we really like and we come up with excuses of why we can’t archive something.
It can be very difficult to figure out your purpose, mission, and passion in life if you have never really given it too much of a thought. That’s what I want to help you with today.
How to find your purpose?
1.) Focus only on yourself. Don’t care about what other people think especially what other people want you to do. It’s not about them, it is about you.
2.) Think back in time. What did you love to do as a child/teenager/etc — Did you like to fix your bike when you were younger, or did you love to cook?
3.) Think about the times when you were felt the happiest. When you were fulfilled and satisfied.
4.) Are there any topics that make you happy or get you fired up when you talk about them or think about them?
The key is to write all of the answers on a paper and read through them. Think about what could be the perfect job for you. You like writing and cooking? How about you write a cookbook and sell it over Amazon.
Ask yourself quality questions such as:
-What are my goals in life?
-What do I do most of my time? Do I enjoy that? If not, why do I not enjoy that, what would I rather do?
-If I could only do one thing for the rest of my life, what would it be?
-What are my hobbies? Is there a possibility that I can turn it into something profitable?
-What would I do, even if I don’t get a paycheck for it
Let's think even deeper: What is your dream job? What is the reason that you didn’t get into this dream job? Remember, there is always a way to get to where you want to be. It just takes a lot of courage, time and discipline, but you can certainly make it!
Take myself as an example: I worked several jobs by now but I have never found the right job for myself where I could say “I finally did it, that’s what I really wanna do my whole life”.
If your at this point in your life, keep searching!
If you found your passion then take a look at your competitors. Model their success, but put your own spin on it. Incorporate the things you love most about other peoples business models in addition to your own unique take on things.
Becoming the person you want to be, takes a lot of trial and error, failure and things that don’t work. But keep in mind, the only thing that matters is that you learn from those failures in order to move forward and get closer to discovering your full purpose.
Hope you enjoyed my first post, I will try to do it as often as I can, I’m not going to post here daily for the moment but I will try to post do it regularly. Your feedback will be greatly appreciated!
Follow my 90-day content creation challenge starting from scratch with a brand new Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/travelwithdiz/ | https://medium.com/@travelwithdiz/guide-how-to-discover-your-new-purpose-in-life-and-do-what-you-love-158aaa33b066 | ['Travel With Diz'] | 2019-01-11 09:13:45.253000+00:00 | ['Life Lessons', 'Jobs', 'Tips', 'Freelancers', 'Lifestyle'] |
Where can I open my laptop and work in Paphos, Cyprus? | Where can I open my laptop and work in Paphos, Cyprus?
We are all about exploring Paphos and finding cool spots to work together.
We know how daunting it can be to wander around and scope out venues that are happy with people working on their laptops. Not to worry, we have tried and tested some amazing venues and are super excited to be sharing them with you.
Here is a list of local venues we have tried and tested. Feel free to scroll through and enjoy the spaces.
We only showcase venues that are welcoming with excellent wifi, electrical plugs for charging and great coffee.
Chloraka, Paphos
BARACAS LOUNGE
Sea Views| Excellent Coffee| Great Wifi| Plugs for Charging
A picturesque lounge bar that provides the perfect setting to open up the laptop. Stay all day and treat yourself to an unforgettable sunset over the Mediterranean.
Location: Chloraka, Paphos
Opening Hours: Open 7 days from 9 am
https://www.facebook.com/baracaslounge/
MERAKI MARKET CAFE
Vegan|Outdoor Space| Great Wifi
A vegan cafe in the heart of Paphos. Chilled vibes, tasty food and friendly staff.
Location: Chloraka, Paphos
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 9.30 am — 5.30 pm. Sunday closed.
Peyia, Paphos
PEGGYS SECRET GARDEN CAFE & BAR
Outdoor Space| Cafe| Great Wifi
All-day cafe with coffee to keep you fueled for work. Take a moment to appreciate the view of Paphos from this hidden oasis.
Location: Peyia, Paphos
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 9–5 pm
Tala, Paphos
AMPHITHEATRE CAFE BAR
A Quite Spot|Great Wifi| Yummy Cakes
A beautiful hideaway in the Tala mountains with panoramic views. Immerse yourself in the local amphitheatre and stay for dinner.
Location: Tala, Paphos
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday- 10am — 4pm (closed Monday)
Káto Páfos
SUITE 48
Harbour views| Great Wifi| Brunch
Feel the breeze from right above the beach while you work. Let the atmosphere take your stress away and focus on what you love to do!
Location: Káto Páfos
Opening Hours: Mon — Sun, 9am — 2am
ALEA
Harbour views| Great Wifi| Tasty Smoothies
Set yourself up in the heart of the harbour at Alea, an all-day lounge bar with super chilled vibes to help you focus. If you need to cool off, take a break and go for a dip in the sea.
Location: Káto Páfos
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun from 8m till late
https://www.facebook.com/aleapaphos
Multiple Locations
CAFE NERO
Harbour views| Great Wifi| Outdoor and Indoor seating
Casual coffee shop with light food, coffee. A reliable go-to spot to work with the perks of an amazing view
Location: Káto Páfos, Tomb of the Kings Mall & Old Town
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun from 8m till late
Tell us about a venue you have discovered in Paphos that had great Wifi, Good Coffee, was welcoming and had plugs to stay charged! Fill in this form or email us at [email protected] | https://medium.com/@thecoworkconnective/where-can-i-open-my-laptop-and-work-in-paphos-cyprus-d75bb719f86b | ['The Cowork Connective'] | 2021-11-15 14:01:15.679000+00:00 | ['Coworking Space', 'Coworking', 'Paphos', 'Digital Nomads', 'Cyprus'] |
The Life of Things — Repair it | In our privileged world we have stuff. Lots of stuff. And all that stuff we buy has traditionally been designed to break. It truly was a light bulb moment when in the 1920s, representatives from top manufacturers worldwide, colluded to artificially reduce a bulb’s lifetime to 1,000 hours. And so planned obsolescence was born. And it’s not just products, fast fashion was created with the same motives — to get consumers to buy more, more frequently.
But if we buy something, we own it. It’s ours to do what we want with it. Use it, modify it, repair it, however we want. Right? Wrong. In so many cases while you own the physical hardware, you are merely a user of the technology. Manufacturers use glue, not screws, to stop you getting into a product and to protect their IP — under the pretext of defending you from hackers. You think you own it — you don’t.
All of this contributes to the accumulation of stuff, some of it working, some not, some ours, some not really. But things have been changing, spurred on by growing demand from consumers, community groups and enlightened brands. And now underwritten by the ‘right to repair’ law which comes into practice later this year.
For many years it’s been a grassroots movement campaigning for a new business model and for a repair economy which works from the ground up. Remade a network of repair social enterprises has been around since 2008, when the first Remakery was started in a block of disused garages in Brixton, UK. The Manchester Declaration demanding the right to repair was created in 2018. Incidentally it’s a great source of information on where to find your local repair shop, or Repair Cafe of which there are now over 1,500 worldwide. These are meeting places for the like-minded, providing the tools and materials to, with expert volunteers on hand, help you repair everything from toys to televisions.
Brands are now developing products to last, which includes thinking about how they can be repaired. Fashion brands are encouraging us to repair and keep wearing their clothing. Patagonia, a brand which leads the way in environmental activism has teamed up with ifixit providing step-by-step guidance on how to extend the life of your high-performance gear. This complements their Worn Wear initiative which encourages people to reduce consumption by buying second hand clothing. This is something that would be completely unimaginable a few years ago — a brand actually encouraging you not to buy new. Tech brands are also on board and it’s not just start-ups like our (much-loved) brand Previously. In March, Apple announced it was extending its Independent Repair Provider programme to over 200 countries. OK so YOU still can’t do it, but at least they are opening up repair of their products. Even Amazon (the brand we all love to hate — killing the high street, invading our privacy, etc…) has built their 4th Generation Echo Dot to be “generally” repairable according to a review by the The Guardian. And if you want to know how a product ranks on ‘repairability’ ifixit will tell you — in the world of phones it’s the Shift 6M, a German brand championing modular design.
Outside the world of tech we see another side to repair — a love for the object itself. It’s why Repair Shop — first aired in 2017 — is coming back in a prime time slot this year. It’s not just the history of the object we enjoy, there is real appreciation of the craftsmanship that goes into bringing each object, whether it’s a clock or a cup, back to life. Even to the extent of the repair itself being a thing of beauty. It’s a tradition that goes back to Kintsugi — the ancient Japanese technique — which uses lacquer to repair a crack in a piece of porcelain and then embellishes it with gold. A visible repair tells the story of the object and connects us with its past. In Brighton, textiles practitioner Tom van Deijnan has set up the Visible Mending Programme. It is intended to highlight the art and artisanship of clothes repair and reinforce the relationship between the wearer and garment. The darn, done beautifully, not only extends the life of a garment but becomes in Tom’s words a ‘badge of honour’.
So what does this mean for brands. Brands need to take action, not just talk about it. There is justified concern for our environment and recognition of the role we each need to play in protecting it — which is reflected in our purchasing choices and in the brands we choose to associate with. From consumers we see a desire for autonomy and individualism. Maybe it’s the survivalist coming out in us all during these extraordinary times, but increasingly we need to feel in control of our decisions and literally be able to get under the bonnet. When so much is ubiquitous and generic we are looking for ways to make things our own, to uniquely reflect who we are.
Finally, because I thought this was a perfect ending — Kin means gold, Tsugi means connect — connect to the world, connect to the generations. A sentiment which feels incredibly relevant today.
Frances Jackson
CEO OPX | https://medium.com/@opx-studio/the-life-of-things-repair-it-a3ee4333cbd3 | [] | 2021-04-27 09:46:56.227000+00:00 | ['Bränd', 'Right To Repair', 'DIY', 'Technology'] |
Blame it on the Ballerina | Listen to this week’s episode here: Episode 6
In this week’s episode, LILA conducts another interview for us. Her special guest is Joanna Fassl Penn, both a friend and an amazing woman on many levels. She is an Athlete, Pilates Instructor, Chiropractor, and has even been a Trapeze Artist!
LILA shares how Joanna was instrumental in helping her transform into the “Late in Life Athlete.” It all started with LILA wandering into a Pilates Studio — because that’s where one goes if you want to be a ballerina, right?! Whether sheer luck, or divine intervention, LILA and Joanna Fassl Penn were brought together and began their fitness adventure.
Joanna explains her professional approach and philosophies to maintaining our bodies. Focusing on the body as whole, she has found that a blend of different techniques is best when treating patients. These include Pilates, Chiropracty with Active Release Therapy (A.R.T.), Yoga Therapy, Myofascial Technique, and Craniosacral Therapy. Dr. Fassl Penn practices this unique approach at her office and studio in San Francisco, Touchpoints.
Joanna and LILA have an enduring and unusual friendship. One that revolves around laughter and fitness. Sit back, relax and enjoy a peak into their fun, open, and down-to-earth relationship.
Listen and subscribe to LILA on iTunes or Stitcher.
Show Notes
Introduction of guest, Dr. Joanna Fassl Penn [1:23]
Her unique approach to serving clients [2:27]
Circus career and the trapeze artist [5:57]
When LILA and Joanna first met [8:06]
Pilates and the “ballerina” [9:02]
Dr. Fassl’s techniques with clients [13:40]
Importance of balance in the body [17:07]
Our insecurities and “athletic boobs” [23:55]
Show Quotes
Joanna Fassl Penn:
“I am a lover of all things of the body” [1:41]
“I’m a great sprinter, but endurance has always been challenging” [21:19]
LILA:
“I want to be a ballerina, therefore I should do Pilates” [9:05]
“I rolled in as a giant butterball” [9:49]
“I remember your courageous attempt to help me do a cartwheel” [13:23]
“Everybody has slightly insane image problems about themselves” [23:09]
Join in the Discussion, too!
What questions do you have for Dr. Fassl Penn? Ask us on Facebook and Twitter.
Links Mentioned
Touchpoints
Did you miss last week’s episode? Catch up here: Episode 5
Next Episode: A discussion about technology and how to use it with your weight loss journey. | https://medium.com/@3DLILA/blame-it-on-the-ballerina-4fe92cfb4fa2 | [] | 2016-02-26 19:20:38.628000+00:00 | ['Health And Fitness', 'Pilates', '3D Printing'] |
Our system isn’t living. | Our system isn’t living. Going to school. Getting a job. Buying a house. Dying. That isn’t living, it’s simply surviving and if you don’t want your life to go like that then you’re weird and it’s too bad because you get fined and arrested for not going to school. Despite that school is toxic, despite that your mental health has never been worse, despite that everyday you want to kill yourself more then the day before and you struggle to do simple tasks like getting out of bed, you still have to go to school. Because we now live in a world where knowing how to find out what x3+7y-5x is has become more important then our mental health and having any will to live. When we talk about it, adults say “tough that’s life Theres nothing you can do about it” while in your mind is the very obvious solution of suicide. We get called crazy and stupid and disrespectful and ungrateful. Since when is it our fault that this world is a crap place and we don’t want to be here anymore. We have to ask if we can get up from a chair. We have to put our hand up just to speak. As if they aren’t wasting enough of our lives, we have to spend another hour there just because we spoke to our friend once during the lesson. The lesson full of subjects and topics that do not interest us. I don’t care about what happened in 1916. I don’t care about why the author chose to make the table red. I don’t know how to buy a house or pay rent or apply for uni or write my cv or raise a family or how to have a healthy relationship or how to deal with suicidal thoughts but it’s fine because at least I know how to find x. When you do attempt suicide and fail, you get put in a psychiatric ward because apparently you’re a psychopath for not wanting to live in this shitty world. Apparently if you don’t see a reason to live and if you feel like everything’s pointless because you’re going to die anyways, that makes you crazy. I’ve always hated the word crazy because it’s what society uses to describe you when you don’t fit in their perfect little box of expectations. When we say we want to die, we get told to stop being stupid and people will miss us and life is a blessing and our parents will get hurt. What about the teenagers who’s parents have told them they wouldn’t care if they died because they don’t care about them and if they’re suicidal and depressed then that’s their problem and they’ll live happily without them. Not everyone’s been blessed with a healthy, non toxic family. All I want is for the government and society to stop controlling every aspect of our lives. | https://medium.com/@fionahasrami1/our-system-isnt-living-b4125fc67382 | [] | 2020-12-21 11:35:51.439000+00:00 | ['Schools', 'Depression', 'Mental Health', 'Society', 'Suicide'] |
What is Edtech? +4 Ways AI Is Shaping Education | Edtech is a combination of modern technologies that helps to switch from the familiar studying process to an online or even personalized learning experience. Edtech includes all types of software and technological tools that influence the educational process at every level.
Let’s dig a little deeper into this question. EdTech is constantly pushing teachers and students towards new horizons. Here are four benefits of using educational technology for students of all ages, as well as four benefits specifically for teachers.
Check 4 reasons why students benefit from edtech below:
Round-the-clock learning
Educational technologies allow students to learn from anywhere and everywhere. All written materials and video content are available 24/7 and access to learning has never been easier for students. They can use their tablets, smartphones, and laptops wherever they are, whether they are on their way home or on holidays. The only thing that’s needed is a connection to the internet. The ability to study at any time and from any location motivates students to learn as it is no longer strictly necessary for them to be physically present in the classroom.
Read the full version: https://bit.ly/33PWWON | https://medium.com/@n-koltunova/what-is-edtech-4-ways-ai-is-shaping-education-197c375e86ef | ['Natalie Koltunova'] | 2020-12-07 14:26:05.197000+00:00 | ['Trends', 'Tech Trends', 'Edtech Tools', 'AI', 'Edtech'] |
How to Lose Weight Naturally? | Mr. Bean
Loosing weight has become a trend or fashion When we look like a plump pudding and we had to listen to all the comments people made at us. Everyone wants to look good, feel good, show the world of how good we look. So here we have found some answers for all who wants to lose weight autopilot. So let’s lose weight without wasting our energy in gym. Read and find out how we should do it
First we should know that, Are we Adding Protein to our Diet?
With regards to weight reduction, protein is the lord of supplements. Your body consumes calories while processing and utilizing the protein you eat, so a high-protein diet can help digestion by up to 80–100 calories for every day.
Mr. Bean Eating his Food
Keto After 50 is an amazing option for men and women over the age of 50 who want to transform their bodies!
A high-protein diet can likewise cause you to feel all the more full and lessen your craving. Indeed, a few investigations show that individuals eat more than 400 less calories for every day on a high-protein diet.
In any event, something as basic as having a high-protein breakfast (like eggs) can have an amazing impact.
ok now we know that protein is important, Did we ate Whole, or Single-Ingredient Foods today?
Probably the best thing you can do to become more advantageous is to put together your eating regimen with respect to entire, single-fixing nourishments. By doing this, you dispense with by far most of added sugar, added fat and handled food.
Mr. Bean Trying to make his day the best day
“I Can Have My Cake and Eat It Too”
THE MOMENT THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
Most entire nourishments are normally very filling, making it much simpler to keep inside sound calorie limits. Besides, eating entire nourishments likewise gives your body the numerous fundamental supplements that it needs to work appropriately. Weight reduction frequently follows as a characteristic result of eating entire nourishments.
We love processed foods. Why we should Avoid Processed Foods?
Mr. Bean Trying his cake
In the present occupied reality where everybody is using up all available time, some prepared nourishments are the guardian angels. Prepared nourishments that are invigorated with nutrients, minerals, and cell reinforcements can be helpful as far as giving basic supplements in an individual’s every day diet. There are numerous cases of gainful impacts of handled or invigorated nourishments. For instance, child nourishments strengthened with iron and nutrient B12 can forestall paleness; milk containing nutrient D can forestall rickets; salt containing iodine can forestall goiter, thus no.
Notwithstanding having some valuable ones, most of prepared nourishments are inconvenient for wellbeing as they contain a high measure of immersed fats, sugar, salt, and an unequaled measure of calories. A few logical examinations have guaranteed that utilization of a high measure of prepared food can expand the danger of cardiovascular problem, metabolic issues (stoutness and diabetes), coronary illness, and cerebrovascular infections.
Warm Warm Warm, Fluffy, Fresh-Baked Bread…100% Keto and More Delicious than any Store-Bought Bread
Ok we cut off processed food now. When to Limit our Intake of Added Sugar?
Our body doesn’t have to get any starch from added sugar. That is the reason the Healthy Eating Pyramid says sweet beverages and desserts should be utilized sparingly, if by any stretch of the imagination, and the Healthy Eating Plate does exclude nourishments with added sugars.
Mr. Bean enjoys his cake while His car is crashed
Sodas are a prime wellspring of additional calories that can add to weight pick up and give no dietary advantages. Studies demonstrate that fluid starches, for example, sugar-improved refreshments are less filling than the strong structures making individuals keep on inclination hungry in the wake of drinking them regardless of their high caloric worth. They are going under examination for their commitments to the improvement of type 2 diabetes, coronary illness, and other persistent conditions.
WE NEED TO DRINK WATER NOW!!!
Mr. Bean Hurry to go to work
Water is your body’s important substance part and makes up about half to 70% of your body weight. Your body relies upon water to endure. Each cell, tissue and organ in your body needs water to work appropriately. For instance, water:
Disposes of squanders through pee, sweat and solid discharges
Keeps your temperature ordinary
Greases up and pads joints
Ensures delicate tissues
Absence of water can prompt lack of hydration — a condition that happens when you need more water in your body to do typical capacities. Indeed, even gentle parchedness can deplete your energy and make you tired.
Mr. Bean enjoys the prawns
We LOVE FILLING UP FOOD ON OUR PLATE. Did We Use Smaller Plates?
A Cochrane survey discovered generally speaking moderate-quality proof supporting a decrease in serving vessel size. The specialists assessed that if a normal grown-up living in the UK changed to more modest serving plates and bowls, she would altogether lessen her energy admission.
How much “more modest” is “more modest”? Here’s the place where the numerical comes in and the rates get muddled. The majority of the investigations utilized a “typical” plate size and a “major” plate size, and indicated the amount they expanded “ordinary” to get “huge.” Most of the examinations utilized one of two increments: Little increment: something somewhere in the range of 120 and 159% of “ordinary” (on normal expanded energy admission by 7.7%) Huge increment: definitely 200% of “typical.” (on normal expanded energy consumption by 15.6%)
NIGHT TIME IS OUR BEST TIME VERY QUITE .DID WE Get Enough Sleep????
Mr. Bean is ready to sleep
Rest is an imperative, frequently disregarded, segment of each individual’s general wellbeing and prosperity. Rest is significant on the grounds that it empowers the body to fix and be fit and prepared for one more day. Getting satisfactory rest may likewise help forestall abundance weight pick up, coronary illness, and expanded sickness span.
So Basically it means when WE ARE tired take a rest. NOW Practice Mindful Eating So google says ‘’Mindful eating (i.e., paying attention to our food, on purpose, moment by moment, without judgment) is an approach to food that focuses on individuals’ sensual awareness of the food and their experience of the food. It has little to do with calories, carbohydrates, fat, or protein.’’
‘’WE ARE almost finished keep reading!! Why dont WE Do Some Sort of Cardio’’??
Here are some sets of workout
Mr. Bean enjoy his own company
Burpees. Jump Rope. Jumping Jacks. Squat Jumps. Kickboxing. Dancing. Running the Stairs. Jogging in Place Ok WE ARE done. Thanks for reading until the end. So today we learned
How to Lose Weight Naturally?
That moment when Mr. Bean knows what you are up to
WE can try anything and best thing is to keep doing. Consistency is the key. If YOU like US to write tomorrow as well just visit our website and drop a message or email US or just let US know on any social media platform.
VOS Logo
you can check more on our website. And there is a YouTube channel. Just hit the subscribe if you want us to disturb you. ok cool have a good day and stay safe.
This page was inspired by ~ VOICEOFSHARK | https://medium.com/@voiceofshark/how-to-lose-weight-naturally-8f078217dcf | [] | 2020-12-17 11:12:51.446000+00:00 | ['Personal Growth', 'Personal Development', 'Diet', 'Life Hacking', 'Weight Loss'] |
Getting into XR as designer | This article was originally published on my personal website.
Quite often, folks reach out to me asking how they can get into the VR/AR field. Usually, they’re design students or designers. I don’t believe that there is one short path to getting the title of XR designer. As I can see, everyone ended up here for different reasons and in different ways. Here I write what skills might be useful for you in pursuing an XR career.
This article should be helpful not only for designers but for coders, game designers, architects, philosophers, and just anyone else.
I should remind you that this guide is only my point of view, and doesn’t necessarily match with job descriptions or someone else’s recommendations.
1. UX skills
It’s not the most important skill for the majority, but it’s the one that brought me to VR in the first place. UX for VR (AR, MR, whatever XR) is a bit of a wild west in terms of interactions. There is so much to explore and invent.
In this section, I cover all the skills that help you understand why and how things work. I used the term UX, as it’s the closest to User eXperience for a flat UI.
“Wireframe” of VR scene
1.1. Flow
XR apps, the same as any other apps, have flows and user journeys. Being able to draw flowcharts or even better to visualize them is an excellent skill. Yeah, quite often the navigation will be different from that on a website, but the idea of flow is still the same.
To practice, try to draw flowcharts of experiences that you tried. Also, before working on any of your own experiences, draw the user journey diagram before jumping to development or design. It can be a diagram with sketches of environments, specific UI elements, or just names of scenes and states.
1.2 Interactions
When mobile came out, it took some time to figure out all the advantages of gesture-based input and nail down all interactions. Spatial interactions are even more different. Yeah, there is a lot to explore, but some norms and expected behaviours are critical to know.
To start with, try paying attention to the mechanics that different experiences use. I remember when Serious Sam for VR came out, I bought it right away because it had most of the locomotion options. I was changing settings and checking how each of them feels. Obviously, I got quite dizzy after it :)
Next, try to come up with new interactions. I’m sure that you’ve thought “I could do better” while playing VR. It might be easier than you think. Check #3 😉
Not very successful take on a new locomotion principle
2. Visual skills
This one is about what you would call UI design for flat interfaces. Everything that relates to what experience looks like.
But for VR and AR, it might be even more important than for flat UI. Look, you can just go into Figma, Sketch or whatever, draw a few rectangles, add a few lines of text and get the design of a website. For VR it’s not so easy, as instead of rectangles you should use cubes 😉
2.2 3D
You should know how 3D works. 3D modeling software is getting simpler and more approachable every day, but it’s still a long way from being as easy to get into as Figma. You could also use assets from Sketchfab for all your designs, but anyway sooner or later, you will need some custom assets.
I would advise starting with Blender, as it’s free. You don’t need to be a pro in shaders, but a basic understanding of 3D modeling and texturing will open the door to creating immersive experiences.
Also, you could model directly in VR. It might be even easier to get into, but eventually, you would need to have some desktop app to convert or texture stuff. For modeling in VR, I would recommend Gravity Sketch, which has recently become free.
A few other tools popular in the field: Cinema 4D, Maya, Houdini.
3D icons modeled in Cinema 4D
2.3. Video
The same as any other point in this list, it’s not a must-have, but a great contribution to your toolbox. I often use videos to quickly show ideas in high quality, without building a prototype, and when static pictures aren’t enough. Like this or this.
I use After Effects, which is a great, but kind of complicated tool. I wouldn’t advise you to learn it when you’re only starting out. For showing how UI components would work, even the Sketch + Principle would be enough.
2.4 Regular UI design
Having experience in traditional UI design is quite useful. First, because you get the idea of how different components can have different properties and affordances. Also, XR UI quite often has a similar set of components to NUI. I don’t think that just copying flat gesture-based interfaces into 3d space is a good thing in general, but definitely knowing how it works is crucial.
There is no need to go crazy here; any 2d design tool is good to go, prepare flat assets, design parts of the mockups, or just draft your ideas to share with coworkers or clients. You can use Figma, Sketch, Photoshop, Illustrator or even Keynote or Google Slides.
2.5. Shaders and textures UV
This is 3D-specific. As you might guess, 3d objects don’t just have colours, but a wider set of properties to describe their surface look. It’s a good idea to do research about how shaders and PBR materials work, and what UV mapping is for 3d models.
Just a few videos on YouTube is good enough to start with. Then you can practice creating and tuning materials and shades in your platform of choice. For texturing, I would advise trying Substance Painter. Just check out their video for inspiration:
3. Prototyping
And if you want to experience it, you should be able to build it. “What?”, I can hear you saying, “I’m a designer. I tell other people how to develop stuff”.
For me, this is the main difference between regular UI and spatial design. There is no way to know if something would work or not until you experience it. And the easiest way is to build it yourself. Yeah, large companies like Facebook pair designers and prototypers that work as a single unit, each bringing their own part of the expertise.
Of course, you can hire or just ask your Unity developer friend to help you build your ideas. But when starting (and I believe all the time), iterating fast is the key to growth. You should make your workflow loops as short as possible, as with each iteration you will keep growing and gaining more and more experience for the next one.
3.1 Coding
Let’s put it this way: without knowing how HTML/CSS works you wouldn’t be able to design a website that works fine on all platforms. It’s the same story here. You should have at least some basic ideas how 3D rendering, game engines, and surface recognition for AR work. It’s always better to be able to build things with your hands. And coding, in general, is a great skill that can be applicable to many other fields, for example after learning C# for Unity, you can get into the development of Snapchat lenses, or even web apps using JavaScript.
Before selecting a programming language, I would advise you to select a game engine. Using game engines is the easiest way to get things built, as they and all additional packages handle most of the basic stuff for you, leaving you to enjoy the building.
3.2 Unity
This is the most popular game engine. It means that there are countless paid and free course tutorials and how-to videos. It makes it quite easy to pick up. It’s the first to get all the integrations with new tech.
I would advise you to get a taste of building your own stuff as quickly as possible. After this you will be unstoppable ;). At first I would go through some basic tutorials on the official Unity website to get an idea how it works in general and the principles of 3D. Then jump into YouTube and try to repeat some simple tutorials on building anything for VR or AR.
Then you can go back and learn advanced coding techniques for Unity, but with a clear understanding of how to apply them. One more trick is to avoid building something new from scratch. Try to do a tutorial, and think about how you can modify it. Or how to combine a few tutorials or principles.
And don’t forget that it’s not about the destination, but about the journey. I believe my Unity skills are still poor, but I never aimed to become a Unity developer in the first place. I want to know Unity just enough for building prototypes that I want. There will always be some things that are confusing, or just don’t work, but the trick is just to figure them out and keep moving forward.
3.3 Unreal
This is the second most popular game engine. It doesn’t have such a huge community as Unity and is more difficult to pick up. But unsurprisingly it has something to offer that Unity does not. It has way better quality. So, if your goal is to make everything photorealistic, and just top-notch, you can have a look at Unreal.
I have to admit I don’t have much experience with Unreal. I used it a few years ago for building VR experiences of my wife’s interior designs, and believe me they looked awesome in Unreal. But I somehow didn’t have a reason to work in it more, as my focus was on quick interactions.
The same principle of getting your hands dirty first and figuring out the rest later applies here as well.
3.4 AR platforms
Augmented reality lenses in Instagram and Snapchat are becoming more and more advanced. You can build quite cool stuff using Lens Studio or Spark AR. It’s not the most flexible or scalable way of entering into XR as it’s locked into a single platform. But I’m sure that you can have plenty of fun working on AR lenses.
I would advise starting from official documentation and tutorials first (Lens studio, Spark AR)
3.5 Prototyping in VR
There are quite a few tools for 3D modeling directly in VR. They can be successfully used to create “mockups” of 3D environments, to get an idea of how it feels and looks. Of course, they are quite limited, as you can’t test any interactions, but sometimes it’s just enough to get the job done.
You can try Gravity sketch, Maquette, tvori, Minsar Studio etc.
4.Soft skills
Didn’t see it coming?
Obviously, they are important for any profession, but for XR it’s especially the case. Therefore I decided to add them as a bonus skills set. Here are the key ones:
4.1 Empathy
Each successful designer should have the empathy to understand users’ needs and goals, but for XR it’s even more important. VR and MR immerse users into their environments and provoke emotions. We should always keep in mind users’ feelings and intentions that make sure that the app is delivering exactly the experience that we planned.
Try to step into the user’s shoes every time you develop something and think about how the user feels. And then think about if it’s a good thing or not. For example, Facebook is good at connecting people, but making people scroll through a series of ads is a good thing for the company, not for the user. There is a saying that VR is the ultimate empathy machine. Couldn’t agree more. We should do our best to use it for good.
You will have days when Unity just won’t listen to you. And you will have weeks when each of your interaction ideas gets worse and worse. Also, you might have months when your projects won’t take off, whatever you do. And your excitement about how VR will change how people interact, live, or whatever won’t help you. In these times you need to have grit. It’ll help you to move forward and keep doing your stuff until you have a good day.
4.3 Communication
“I can talk,” you say. Sometimes, and quite often, it’s just not enough. Having clear communication is crucial for the XR field. A lot of concepts are new or still fuzzy. Therefore the ability to deliver your idea clearly is so important. | https://medium.com/inborn-experience/getting-into-xr-as-designer-632d4647271f | ['Volodymyr Kurbatov'] | 2021-04-12 14:34:38.189000+00:00 | ['Design', 'AR', 'VR', 'UI', 'UX'] |
Why science isn’t free | Last week, I heard an inspiring talk by a chief editor of a scientific journal, which was about where and how to publish your research. What was puzzling me for a long time was why published research is often not accessible for everyone, unless you pay a decent amount of money. Isn’t it a bit strange that research which is financed by governmental or charity institutions (and hence by you) ends up in journals that publish behind a paywall? Frankly, it is an intangible concept that research is published this way, but I will try to explain why and how it may change in the future.
As an example, let’s pretend there is an up and coming principal investigator (short: PI), who just started to setup her own lab. The most important resource to open up this lab is money. Science is a very expensive business and can only survive and thrive with a steady income of money. This money comes from you. Part of the taxes you pay are used by governmental institutions to finance research, e.g. the NIH in the USA. Furthermore, charity organisations get their money from donations and distribute this money to research labs. The big question is: which lab gets what kind of money?
Our fictional up and coming PI will apply for this money by writing grant applications. That is actually one of the main tasks of each and every PI, no matter how long he/she is in business. Writing grants not only takes up immense amount of time, but are frequently also rejected. If a grant is granted (apologies for this pun) depends on the novelty and quality of the research, and the reputation of the PI.
Reputation mainly comes down to publications, and not the quantity of publications, but the quality. Hence, our up and coming PI wants to publish in highly renowned journals to get a good reputation to get more money to do more and better research to publish in better journals to get more money to … you get the concept.
Prestigious journals include nature, science, cell, and others. These have very high impact factors, which describes the number of citations that one publication gets on average. More citations equals higher impact which means better reputation for the journal. Therefore, our PI therefore needs publications in these high impact journals, in order to get steady income from grants. This principle is pivotal because journals can demand basically anything, since scientists will publish there anyway. Thus, it is not surprising that journals can charge scientists for publishing, and charge the general public for reading the research.
Fortunately, open access options are gaining increasing attention. Open access publishing of research means that it is accessible at no charge for everyone. Just like open source software. However, since journals are businesses, they need to get an income somehow. Hence, publishing open access often comes with exorbitant charges for scientists (up to a few thousand euros), or for universities. Specific open access journals become increasingly popular, however, they usually have lower impact. Yet, universities are discussing open access options with journals more and more, which is why we will hopefully have free access to all science in the future.
Let’s hope that once our fictional up and coming PI makes it to the top, we will be able to read her research — and all other research — with pleasure, and for free. | https://medium.com/neurofy/why-science-isnt-free-4023548b24d0 | ['Malte Borggrewe'] | 2020-12-12 14:17:43.009000+00:00 | ['Academia', 'Research', 'Careers', 'Science', 'Publishing'] |
Integrating Zoom SDK into React Native iOS - by Stefan Majiros | by Stefan Majiros
What is this about
In this article written in December 2020 I will show you techniques for integrating Zoom SDK into iOS apps built with React Native. I decided to create this tutorial to help people save time and also because other Zoom wrappers for RN did not work as I would expect.
We will implement 3 methods: initZoom, joinMeeting and startMeeting.
NOTE: Link to repo with example app is in the end of this article.
Android Part
If you want to see how to download and setup API keys for Zoom SDK, or setup Android part, just read about it here:
Let’s start
So, let’s assume that you downloaded Zoom SDK (or cloned my repo with my example and SDKs).
Here is how downloaded Zoom iOS SDK look like: | https://medium.com/@stefanmajiros/integrating-zoom-sdk-into-react-native-tutorial-ios-12444a0f38fb | ['Stefan Majiros'] | 2020-12-21 21:01:11.800000+00:00 | ['Video Meetings', 'React Native', 'iOS', 'Mobile App Development', 'Zoom'] |
How to focus on the right metrics and avoid vanity metrics as a PM? | How to focus on the right metrics and avoid vanity metrics as a PM?
One of the most challenging tasks for a PM is finding the metrics that really matter to your product and avoiding vanity metrics. In this article, I will introduce a framework for PMs to understand better what they are building and set up more rational metrics for their products or functionalities. Tianran LI Follow Aug 6 · 6 min read
Photo by Luke Chesser on Unsplash
1 Do You Really Know What You Are Building?
Every PM knows what they are building. Every PM knows what their products are for. Every PM knows what problems they are trying to solve. (Hopefully:))
So, why do I ask this question?
Because PMs normally focus too much on their own products, they forget to stand high to have a bird-view of general products. Have you ever asked yourself a question as a PM that whether there will be a framework that might work for most of the products?
Here is the framework and philosophy; I call it the Value-Time-Matrix framework.
Firstly, where is the user value from? Is the value directly from your product mostly, or the value is from your product connecting others? For example, Google, as a search tool, the value to users is mostly from Google itself by its powerful searching engine. However, for most B2B, C2C, B2C platforms, the value is not from the product itself, but from connecting: connecting sellers and buyers(Amazon), connecting restaurants, delivery driver and users (Wolt), connecting merchants and employee users(Epassi).
Secondly, how do you expect your users to spend their time on your product? Do you expect to help your users save their time? Or, do you expect them to spend more time on your product? For example, TikTok definitely hopes their users can stay 24/7 in their App. However, if you are Amazon, you wouldn’t hope your users spend too much time during the check-out process because the longer they stay, the higher chance they will leave without finishing the transaction. But, of course, you do hope they browse your websites as long as possible.
Therefore, we can draw a matrix like this↓
1 Value-Time-Matrix
Each quadrant presents a typical product. For example, if your product can deliver value directly from itself, you hope to save your users time using your product. Then it can be called a tool. Likewise, we can summarize four typical product categories, and these four types can cover most of the products or functionalities.
Content. Value from the product; User’d better spend time.
Tool. Value from the product; User’d better save time.
Platform. Value from connecting; User’d better save time.
Community. Value from connecting; User’d better spend time.
Here are some examples of each category.
2 Examples of each product category
2 What Metrics You Should Focus On
By using the Value-Time-Matrix, we know there are four typical product categories.
So, how do we leverage them?
Here is the approach. If you only choose one metric for each of these categories, what you will choose? My answer is
Quantity and Quality for your Content.
Efficiency for your Tool.
Conversion Rate for your Platform.
Activeness for your Community.
3 Four typical products and their key metrics
You can have different answers on the most important metrics. However, in this way, it leads you to a direction that you know is correct. Furthermore, you can extend those metrics into something you can really focus on, rather than some vanity metrics that cannot guide your next move. For example, if you are building a Tool. Then what you should focus on can be times of usage (how many users use the tool), frequency (how often do they use? once per year or once per day?), success rate (is it easy enough for them?), time spent (less time means more efficiency). All of these derived metrics come from the ultimate metric you should measure: Efficiency. All you need to do to avoid vanity metrics is to plan, test and iterate how you measure the efficiency. The same principle goes to all the rest three categories. Let’s take another example of Medium. Some meaningful metrics would be the number of articles and how good these articles are by monitoring the views, time spent reading, and even the number of claps. No matter what they select, all of these metrics should eventually go to the same ultimate metric, which is the quantity and quality of content on their platform.
4 Product category and metrics
3 Three Common Mistakes
Firstly, you should either use this framework to see a product in general or use it for specific functionality because it can have multiple categories. No doubt, every company wants their users to spend as much time as possible on their Apps. However, when you look into specific functionality or process, it should have a clear category where it belongs to. For example, the payment process, in general, should be regarded as a tool, and you should expect your users spend as little time as possible to make sure the whole process is smooth enough. However, Aliexpress and Amazon would certainly hope their users can browse as long as possible on their websites, whether they want to buy something or not until they go to the checkout stage.
Secondly, the category of a product or functionality may change in different product lifecycles. For example, in an early stage, Meituan, originally a food delivery company in China, they are a tool. However, when they grow and expand, their product category may gradually transit to Content or even community, not entirely, but at least partially. The main reason is that they need to really let their users browse their App so that there is a higher chance for them to buy something other than only ordering food delivery. Eventually, they are in a fierce fight of users’ time against all the other Chinese Internet Giants.
Thirdly, setting up metrics that can tell you what to do next. GMV sometimes is a convenient and useful metric for Platforms. However, simply looking into GMV won’t tell you anything. You can blame Covid-19 for a less GMV, while you can also explain a higher GMV as a result of the recovery of Covid. However, it can only show that you cannot control or affect your GMV because you cannot control the Covid and the pandemic. A more actionable method would be tearing down GMV by the MECE principle and analysing what metrics influence mostly, or what factors you can influence mostly which can eventually affect GMV. | https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/how-to-focus-on-right-metrics-and-avoid-vanity-metrics-as-a-pm-1c3d0557a4fc | ['Tianran Li'] | 2021-08-07 00:30:35.289000+00:00 | ['Value Time Matrix', 'Product Owner', 'Metrics', 'Product Manager', 'Vanity Metrics'] |
Daowu’s Moon | Exploring my reality. “But from recognizing sadness you can put it aside and be happy and enjoy the happy side of life” — Townes Van Zandt | https://medium.com/@getbentmo/the-moon-64c270abab1d | ['Jesse Heller'] | 2021-02-27 20:50:58.769000+00:00 | ['LGBTQ', 'Haiku', 'Buddhism', 'Poetry', 'China'] |
Tic Tac Toe — An Object Oriented Design | Came across some dusty old school notebooks while cleaning today. Upon opening them, I wasn’t surprised to see random games of tic-tac-toe between notes.
And so, I got my “real world thing” for today.
Noughts and Crosses
A game for two players, X and O, who take turns marking the spaces in a 3×3 grid. The player who succeeds in placing three of their marks in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row is the winner.
Let’s get crackin’
Whenever it comes to board games, the first thing that comes to mind is ways to win.
To say it in one word; strategy.
In order to win, a player will have to choose a strategy and more often than not switch to another strategy based on the opponent’s move and board setting.
How might we play this game?
Play in an open square
Play to an open corner
How can we stay in the game?
Block the opponent from winning
How can we win the game?
Place a third piece in a row to win
Based on this behaviour of the system, we can incorporate the Strategy Pattern
Strategy Design Pattern
Strategy is a behavioural design pattern that lets you define a family of algorithms, put each of them into a separate class, and make their objects interchangeable.
Strategy pattern UML diagram
Context stories a reference to one of the concrete strategies and communicates with this object only via the strategy interface
stories a reference to one of the concrete strategies and communicates with this object only via the strategy interface Strategy interface is common to all concrete strategies. It declares a method the context uses to execute a strategy.
interface is common to all concrete strategies. It declares a method the context uses to execute a strategy. Concrete Strategies implement different variations of an algorithm the context uses
implement different variations of an algorithm the context uses Context calls the execution method on the linked strategy object each time it needs to run the algorithm and doesn’t know what type of strategy it works with or how the algorithm is executed
calls the execution method on the linked strategy object each time it needs to run the algorithm and doesn’t know what type of strategy it works with or how the algorithm is executed Client creates a specific strategy object and passes it to the context. The context exposes a setter which lets clients replace the strategy associated with the context at runtime
Classes and Objects
The classes for our design will be:
TicTacToeStrategy — The interface used by all strategies
The interface used by all strategies Player — The player serves as the context and executes the strategy
The player serves as the context and executes the strategy Classes for concrete strategies — AnyOpenSquare, AnyOpenCorner BlockOpponent, PlayToWin
TicTacToeBoard — Class to represent the game board state
Class to represent the game board state Position — Class to represent position of a piece
Class diagram for the system
The Code
Classes to represent the game board and piece position
Strategy interface and concrete classes for various game playing strategies
Player as context with the ability to set and execute strategies
This is how this system will function
# Create a game board
board = TicTacToeBoard.new # Create player and set strategy for their first moves
player1 = Player.new(AnyOpenCorner.new)
player2 = Player.new(AnyOpenSquare.new) # Players change strategies as the game progresses
player1.strategy = AnyOpenSquare.new
player1.execute_strategy(board) # ... game continues
# player1 at the verge of winning
player2 = Player.new(BlockOpponent.new)
References | https://medium.com/@sharma1nitish/tic-tac-toe-an-object-oriented-design-637b1b0b780e | ['Nitish Sharma'] | 2020-12-09 17:49:23.019000+00:00 | ['Tic Tac Toe', 'Design Patterns', 'Strategy Pattern', 'Object Oriented'] |
Jupiter and Saturn will be closest in 400 years in the Earth’s sky Monday night | Normally, Patrick Wiggins would be excited to have people come to the Stansbury Park Observatory in Tooele County to see a cosmic event.
However, coronavirus has ruined yet another opportunity.
“We haven’t done anything for the public at the observatory all year,” said Wiggins.
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No star parties. No comet viewings. Nothing.
“We’ve had star parties every year until this year,” said Wiggins, who is also NASA’s solar system ambassador to Utah. “It’s really unfortunate. But on the upside, you don’t need a telescope to see this,” he said, referring to a cosmic event that can be seen by the naked eye.
For the past few months, near the moon at night, Jupiter and Saturn have been getting closer.
This Monday they’ll appear closer than they have in nearly 400 years.
“It’s a rare event. I’ve been cautioning people don’t expect a really flashy event,” Wiggins said. “But it’s something that doesn’t happen that often. The last time was in 1623.”
Since the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, as Wiggins calls it, is happening so close to Christmas, many people are calling this event the “Christmas Star.”
That’s also why Wiggins is trying to caution expectations.
“It’s going to be fairly bright, but it’s not going to be like what people think of in biblical terms,” he said.
The conjunction will happen in the southwest part of the sky.
However, it could be tricky to see for those who are near western mountains because it’ll be low along the horizon.
“There’s already people I know I’ve heard from and they’re planning on going out to the Salt Flats because they get a nice flat horizon out there,” said Wiggins.
If you miss this one, the next conjunction of these two planets will be about 60 years from now, which means some people could see it twice in their lifetime.
“If you take your kid out to look at this event, have them draw a picture or something and keep it because they’re probably going to be around in 60 years,” said Wiggins. “They’ll be able to bring out this little paper that they drew when they were a little kid back in 2020 and say. ‘Hey, look what I did way back then and you’re getting to see it now.”
Wiggins loves talking about astronomy.
He also enjoys the feeling you get when looking at something in the sky that doesn’t happen very often.
“It’s a rare event. And how often can you go out and say, ‘Hey, I’m looking at something that no one alive today has ever seen before,” he said. | https://medium.com/@tactility/jupiter-and-saturn-will-be-closest-in-400-years-in-the-earths-sky-monday-night-b82969a1cc48 | [] | 2020-12-23 14:12:16.240000+00:00 | ['Astrology', 'Jupiter', 'Saturn', 'News'] |
SEO Company In Coimbatore | SEO Company In Coimbatore Website design enhancement is regularly called Site development. Everything revolves around positioning your site on top of the web crawlers like Google, yippee, and Bing. That is the reason individuals can without much of a stretch arrive at your site. If your site isn’t improved for web search tools implies, no guests will arrive at your site and no business. SEO Company In Coimbatore is an expert Web optimization organization in Coimbatore. Here we offer a lot of Webs based showcasing arrangements like Website improvement, Web-based Media Enhancement, Email Promoting, Web Advancement, Programming improvement, Web Facilitating, and then some. Keep mentally collected and read completely to be familiar with our organization and administrations. Advanced promoting is often called showcasing. These days everything is on the web. Individuals regularly utilize the Web to track down their requirements Thus, Web-based showcasing is quite possibly the main one to foster your business, administration, or organization .SEO Company In Coimbatore wants to do loads of specialized things to make our sites on top of Google. Without doing Web optimization for your site, the site will n the principal page of le. We want to do numerous enhancements to rank your site top. | https://medium.com/@vetriseoanalyst/seo-company-in-coimbatore-fc55e3b7ceb5 | ['Vetri Seo Analyst'] | 2021-12-30 10:33:29.729000+00:00 | ['Seo Services', 'Digital Marketing', 'Seo Training'] |
Shop Local & Fundraise Too | There is a lot of talk about shopping local during the holiday time. This is especially true during a pandemic where many small businesses face challenges. This year, while doing your shopping, think of asking if the businesses you support would consider supporting your school.
What to ask for?
Here are the most common items to ask for:
Item Donation. If it is a toy store, ask for a toy. If a salon, ask for a shampoo/conditioner combo. Whatever the store carries, they may have some extra goods that are set aside for donation. These items can be auctioned off in an online (or in person) auction for your school.
Gift Card. Whether a $5 card for coffee or a $50 card for a retail location, gift cards are valuable and really popular. No matter the amount, it can be auctioned off at a school auction or used to support local families in need.
Discount Code. You local business may want to offer a discount code — e.g. 10% off any purchase with the code. You can then offer that code to PTA members only thereby encouraging people to join your PTA. You can also offer it to anyone that volunteers their time or makes a monetary donation.
Percent of Proceeds. You can ask a local business to donate a percentage of their proceeds on a certain day to your school. The most common percentage is 10% but I have seen it range from 5%-20%. It is also typical to do all proceeds from a single day but I have also seen it over a longer period or only a percent of the sales where the customer asks for the proceeds to be donated. You can work with your local business on the format.
How to ask?
In Person, While Shopping. The best results are usually gotten when making the ask while you are shopping at the business. It shows your support and the business is then more willing to support you. Ask for the manager, share 2–3 sentences about your organization, and ask whether they are willing to support. You can mention the four different types of support (above) and see which they are willing to do.
In Writing or by Phone. You should address any communications to a manager. Here is a template you can use for making the ask.
Dear Store Manager, I am a ABC School PTA member and customer of your store that is writing to ask for your support of our local schools. The ABC School PTA supports and advocate for children in our school and families in our community. We could not enrich the children's educational experience without the generosity of businesses like yours. We hope that you will consider supporting our school by sending a gift card of any amount to [insert address] . All gift cards will be used to support a local family in need or raise money at our school auction. If you prefer, we are also open to designating a day where we ask people to visit your store and you donate a portion of the sales to our PTA . If you are interested in this , please call me at 555 - 555 - 5555. We hope we can count on you for your support and I look forward to my next visit to your store. Thank you for your consideration, PTA Parent
These are just a few tips that you can use during this holiday season. Happy holidays and best of luck with your PTA fundraising. | https://medium.com/@k12clothing/shop-local-fundraise-too-7f46b1c3c6c8 | [] | 2021-01-15 21:21:34.819000+00:00 | ['Parent Teacher Assoc', 'Schools', 'Fundraising'] |
Why does one need life coaching? | Before I answer this question, allow me to ask you a question. Why did you get the educational degree you have? Most of the time, the answer would be, you wanted to learn about a particular subject of interest. If you had wanted to learn software, then you would have done computer engineering. If you had wanted to study the law, then you would have done LLB. If you had wanted to grasp business management concepts, then you would have done an MBA. In essence, you opted for a degree that will help you learn subjects of your choice and make a career out of it. However, it does not matter which field you are in, there is one subject that is mandatory and precious to any individual, and that subject is LIFE.
You may contest that an educational degree was required before, and it is required now as well, but the same is not the case with life coaching. You may say that most of our elders spent their life happily without life coaching, and most of the people around us are also living their life without life coaching. Then why does one need life coaching? In my response, first, I would agree with what you have just said about people living without life coaching. But again, I would like to ask you a few questions. Are you sure everyone around you lived the best life that they could? Are you sure all of them lived up to the potential they had? And most importantly, are you sure everyone got happiness as per their definition? All these questions are essential to address and that is when the life coaching program comes into the picture.
Life Coaching brings self-awareness
Life coaching helps you know yourself better. It allows you to understand the meaning of happiness as per your definition. It is critical because all our life, we live by the definition of family, friends, and society and forget who we are and what matters to us. A life coaching program will bring self-awareness of who you are as a person and what matters to you.
Life Coaching helps you overcome your limiting beliefs
Over the years, we adopt beliefs that came to us through our family, friends, or our own experiences. We accept them without scrutinizing them. And even when we grow up, we do not question those beliefs. We do not realize that most of these beliefs are not serving us any longer. Forget about serving, they are limiting us from realizing our true potential and what we can become. And the worst part is, we do not even realize that such self-limiting beliefs are so ingrained now that we do not even think of questioning them. We see the world through the lenses of these beliefs which is not going to help us fulfill our purpose and live our life peacefully. The life coaching program helps you identify such limiting beliefs and gives you techniques to overcome them gradually.
Life Coaching empowers you to deal with your past
One of the major issues people face is that they remain the prisoner of their past. You might have experienced a fallout of a relationship or marriage, family feud, financial loss, career downfall, failed at an exam, backstabbed, some form of injustice, and many more. People get stuck at such experiences and can not move ahead because they see such events from only one and mostly negative perspective. A life coaching program gives you ways to deal with such past events so that they stop affecting your outlook towards life and take away your happiness.
Life Coaching guides you to become an achiever
People make a lot of resolutions at the beginning of the year. They want more income, improved health, more personal time, pursue hobbies, learn new things, go out on vacations, wake up early, eat healthily, get rid of procrastination, expand their network, and many more. But most of them cannot achieve these things, and even if they do, it takes way longer than what it actually should have taken. Many times, the pursuit does not even last for 2–3 weeks, and people get back to what they were before. The dominant reasons for such failures are lack of clarity, the right mindset, and respect for time. The lack of clarity means people do not know WHAT precisely they want to achieve and WHY they want to work towards it. Lack of the right mindset means your own beliefs and thinking blocks you from seeing that you can achieve your goals. The combination of both would restrict you from accomplishing your goals in a timely manner. A life coaching program helps you overcome all these barriers and gets you to result as per targets defined by you. The icing on the cake is that the program also gives you ways to sustain the momentum as it is understandable that starting something and maintaining something are two distinct challenges altogether.
So now we know why life coaching is vitally important. The next big question is, Who needs coaching?
The answer to this is simple. Anyone who wishes to improve his or her life can go for life coaching. Even the most skilled, successful people can benefit from coaching. Let’s accept the fact that all of has something in our life that we want to improve. And mostly, we don’t need to do something huge to improve. All we need to do is to bring clarity to life and make small mind shifts.
I hope this blog helped you to get clarity about coaching and how you can benefit from my life coaching program. Please drop your questions in the comment box. I will see you soon in my next blog. Take care. Stay happy. | https://medium.com/@coach-niket-gupta/why-does-one-need-life-coaching-6a63da75e755 | ['Niket Gupta'] | 2020-12-16 06:33:36.336000+00:00 | ['Life Coaching', 'Achievement', 'Purpose', 'Mindset Shift', 'Transformation'] |
Americans are ditching traditional New Year’s resolutions this year | According to a study by OnePoll on behalf of Affirm, 54% of Americans want to focus on budgeting more in 2021, and 49% want to pay down debt. Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
Seven in 10 Americans are tossing out their materialistic New Year’s resolutions for 2021, according to new research.
The survey asked 2,000 nationally-represented Americans about their plans for the new year in light of the stress from 2020 overall and found 71% shared they’ll be focusing on learning life skills or practical goals.
In fact, top planned New Year’s resolutions for 2021 aren’t focused on going to the gym or losing weight, but rather saving money for the future (62%) and learning a new skill (50%).
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Affirm, the survey also found that over half of respondents (54%) are planning to better budget in 2021 and another 49% are hoping to pay down debt.
Sixty-eight percent of respondents shared they want to move away from “traditional” resolutions to focus more on experiences — like spending more time with their family (53%) and traveling more (49%).
In fact, respondents plan to take an average of two road trips in the new year.
Nearly six in 10 (58%) of respondents also said their 2021 resolution will be having a more positive outlook at life.
Reflecting on such a difficult year, it makes sense that respondents are approaching their 2021 resolutions differently — in fact, 65% don’t even plan on looking at these as “resolutions” but rather “intentions” for the new year.
Seven in 10 respondents also shared they don’t plan on setting harsh deadlines to achieve their new goals, but they’ll rather be checking in with themselves throughout 2021.
Sixty-two percent of those polled also said they can’t wait to tackle the new year with a fresh mindset and renewed motivation after feeling stagnant all throughout 2020.
And with this renewed motivation, 63% of those polled believe their personal finances will be better off in 2021 than they were at the end of 2020.
This also may be connected to the 43% of respondents who shared they learned to be more intentional about their purchases in 2020 and plan to take these experiences with them in 2021.
“It is no surprise that people are focusing their upcoming New Year’s resolutions on taking control of their finances in 2021 given all the experiences that they had to put on hold in 2020,” said Silvija Martincevic, Chief Commercial Officer at Affirm. “We expect to see much more intentional spending in 2021 as people attempt to make up for what they missed out on this year!”
Even though respondents are feeling optimistic about 2021, 53% of respondents are worried they won’t be able to afford to pursue all of their new goals and resolutions.
However, the majority (58%) agreed that pay-over-time solutions allow them to better budget and one third (32%) plan on using one to fund their goals.
“We eliminate complexity, uncertainty, and hidden fees, and empower consumers to confidently buy the things they want and need while staying within their budgets. With Affirm, consumers know exactly how much they’ll pay and when they’ll be done making payments, enabling them to achieve their budgeting goals on their own timeline.” said Martincevic.
In order to stay committed to their goals for 2021, 45% of respondents plan to set checkpoints throughout the year to measure their progress and 44% will create a game plan of specific steps for each of their new goals.
The majority of those polled (70%) also shared they don’t plan on setting harsh deadlines to achieve their new goals, but they’ll rather be checking in with themselves throughout 2021.
TOP WAYS AMERICANS PLAN TO STAY COMMITTED TO THEIR 2021 NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
Check in throughout the year to measure their progress — 45% Create specific steps for each one — 44% Tell a friend or family member about them — 41% Write them down — 38% Download an app to help them track their progress — 37% Post about them publicly on social media –33%
TOP WAYS AMERICANS WILL PAY FOR THEIR 2021 NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
Debit card — 47% Cash — 45% Credit card — 40% Pay-over-time solution — 32% Using money that was gifted during the holidays — 21% Gift cards gifted during the holidays — 15%
TOP PLANNED NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2021
Improve their overall wellness — 63% Save more money for future expenses — 62% Have a more positive outlook — 58% Get in better physical shape — 56% Better budget their finances or create a monthly budget — 54% Create a new good habit — 53% Spend more time with family — 53% Improve their relationship with their family — 51% Learn a new skill — 50% Improve their relationship with their significant other — 49% Improve their relationships with their friends — 49% Pay down debt — 49% Read more — 49% Travel more — 49% Quit a harmful habit — 45% Less screen time — 43% Volunteer — 43% Create connections with people who have different views — 41% Get a new job — 38%
>> Download the video and infographic for this research story <<
NOTE: All news copy and multimedia on this SWNS account is free to use as you see fit. Where research has been conducted, we ask that you credit the company which commissioned it. | https://medium.com/@pitch-20575/americans-are-ditching-traditional-new-years-resolutions-this-year-4fddc9833ea2 | [] | 2020-12-10 17:30:25.092000+00:00 | ['Study', 'New Year', 'American', 'Research', 'Resolutions'] |
Febiven reportedly rejoins H2K in their quest to dominate all the lanes | Febiven reportedly rejoins H2K in their quest to dominate all the lanes
Febiven | Photo via Riot Games
Over the past two years, Fabian “Febiven” Diepstraten has become the face of European LCS team Fnatic. A fine mid laner before he joined the team, he turned into a star in 2015 and hasn’t looked back. Other star players have come, gone, and come back. But Febiven and ADC Martin “Rekkles” Larsson could be counted on to carry. Then came news that, coming off their worst split together, Febiven will leave Fnatic and rejoin H2K this offseason, as reported by ESPN.
His first turn with H2K was certainly successful. After dominating the European Challenger Series on a combination of assassins and control mages, Febiven led the charge as H2K qualified for the 2015 League Championship Series. He went a combined 24/6/33 in the finals of the LCS expansion tournament with disgusting creep score numbers to boot.
But right as they made it, Febiven jumped to a new Fnatic team that would feature a couple of unproven Korean imports. That move paid off tremendously. Alongside Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon and Kim “Reignover” Yeu-jin, Fnatic won the 2015 Spring Split, taking Europe’s seed to the Mid-Season Invitational.
It was at that tournament that Febiven truly arrived. In the semifinals, he went toe-to-toe with Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok in a close 2–3 series loss. The highlights included Febiven’s two solo kills on Faker’s Azir, something that had never been done to the “Unkillable Demon King” before.
Over the next year and a half, Febiven established himself as a true star, not only in Europe, but globally as well. Meanwhile, H2K retooled around the strong lanes of Andrei “Odoamne” Pascu, Korean import Ryu “Ryu” Sang-ook, and Konstantinos “FORG1VEN” Tzortziou. But unlike Febiven’s run with Fnatic, their high-pressure style rarely translated to tournament success.
Then Worlds 2016 happened. H2K rode those strong lanes and a favorable bracket stage draw all the way to the semifinals. That run and Fnatic’s retooling was apparently enough to convince their former mid laner to return. H2K will benefit from a mostly stable roster compared to the one they took to Worlds. Odoamne, jungler Marcin “Jankos” Jankowskit, and support Oskar “Vander” Bogdan all remain, and all are among the best at their positions in Europe. Integrating a star like Febiven shouldn’t be an issue as long as they can give him the resources he needs to carry.
It remains to be seen what H2K decides to do with their ADC spot, especially with a couple import slots open. But in terms of sheer star power, they’ve assembled one of the most well-regarded teams in all of Europe. | https://medium.com/@xingtheli/febiven-rejoins-h2k-in-their-quest-to-dominate-all-the-lanes-45e80390b852 | ['Xing Li'] | 2016-11-29 19:35:35.247000+00:00 | ['Esports', 'League of Legends'] |
How to buy POWR a.k.a Power Ledger | How to buy POWR a.k.a Power Ledger
Comprehensive guide on understanding what is Power Ledger, purpose and how to buy POWR coin from Binance.
An Introduction to Power ledger
I think it’s important to understand at least the very basics of what you’re purchasing, so this and all future articles will include a short introduction to get you started.
Power Ledger (POWR) Platform forms peer-to-peer energy transactions by recording both the generation and consumption of all platform participants in real time. Energy generation and use are transacted at predetermined rates.
Let’s get started
To begin with, we need to buy either Bitcoin or Ethereum to buy any Cryptocurrency on exchanges. So follow the link below to buy Ethereum on Coinbase and then follow the next steps to buy POWR on Binance. If you already have Ethereum with you — you can skip this step and go on to Binance registration.
Follow this step by step guide to buy Ethereum
Ethereum, a revolutionary platform on which more than 70% of coins are built. We explain here how to buy Ethereum…hackernoon.com
POWR can be bought with Bitcoin too — just that it takes more time to transfer to another exchange, I am suggesting to go with Ethereum as it takes only few minutes.
Register on Binance
Binance is a cryptocurrency exchange with relatively less transaction fees and been faring good so far without any issues and good support response. There are two options for trading platforms on Binance: Basic and Advanced. I’ll be primarily covering the Basic trading option in this article, but you can check out the Advanced view below. There are not many differences between the two views with the exception of being able to do more detailed technical analysis in the Advanced view.
Deposit your Ethereum to Binance
Once you’ve registered on Binance and logged in, you can see few menu items on top right corner. One of the is “Funds” which has a sub menu item named “Deposits Withdrawals”. This is the place where you can see all your coins(purchased on Binance and received from other addresses).
So in order to send Ethereum which we bought on Coinbase or Gemini to Binance, we need to have an Ethereum address — we can find this on this page.
Check out the following screenshots to learn how to deposit Ethereum to Binance from Coinbase | https://medium.com/hackernoon/how-to-buy-powr-aka-power-ledger-e84f33605dae | ['Vaz Reddy'] | 2018-04-30 19:29:04.957000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin', 'How To Buy Power Ledger', 'Ethereum', 'How To Buy Powr', 'Power Ledger'] |
Company Profile Series: Amazon | An e-commerce site, provider of cloud services, and a new face in the brick-and-mortar industry as of late, Amazon has become one of the world’s most influential companies. It appears in the daily lives of millions of people across the U.S. and beyond, and with a recent evaluation of $1.7 trillion, how Amazon chooses to donate and advocate has a huge impact.
As the first company in our series of profiles, Amazon has been known to spend millions of dollars towards the causes it believes in. With big tech companies, Amazon included, spending record amounts on lobbying and playing an increasingly prevalent role in the politics of America, it becomes more and more important for us as consumers to acknowledge their weight on the political playing field and learn about how they stand.
Here are Amazon’s opinions on the 16 VotingSmarter key issues:
Jobs/Economy
The federal minimum wage should be raised. Amazon pays a minimum wage of $15 per hour with benefits to its employees.
Climate change
Agreeing with climate scientists, Amazon believes that man-made climate change is real and pressing. Action must be taken from both the public and private sectors.
Amazon has created The Climate Pledge to try and reduce their carbon footprint by becoming net-zero carbon by 2040.
Diversity
There should be no discrimination in the workplace- this includes equal pay.
The rights of Black people and members of the LGBTQ+ community must be protected.
Black people are treated inequitably, and that is unacceptable.
Education
There should be more representation in the technology sector.
The Amazon Future Engineer program helps underprivileged students learn about computer science.
Immigration
Immigrants should be welcome in the US, and there should be immigration reform.
Crime
Counterfeiting and stealing intellectual property is unacceptable and should be persecuted with stronger penalties.
Taxes
Corporate taxation should be done in a way that benefits both the economy and the consumer and incentivizes investment and job growth.
Abortion
Amazon has indirectly supported Planned Parenthood through third-party donations.
COVID-19
Amazon has established a relief fund of $25 million for partners and associates.
Amazon is offering free masks at their brick and mortar stores, including Whole Foods Market stores.
Amazon has donated millions of dollars towards COVID-19 research and thousands of laptops for Seattle Public Schools students, worked with foodbanks to deliver millions of meals, and more.
Guns
Amazon prohibits the sale of firearms.
Customers can make donations to the NRA through AmazonSmile.
Military
Amazon provides job opportunities and training in cloud-computing for veterans and military spouses.
Amazon also aids veterans in their transition from the military to the Amazon workforce.
Drugs
Amazon runs a drug test on every potential warehouse worker.
Employees with a physician’s note and a medical marijuana card may use medical marijuana.
No comment:
Debt/Budget, Global Trade, Healthcare, Welfare/Poverty
So how does Amazon engage in politics? The company has a donation program, AmazonSmile, that allows Amazon users to pick a charity of their choice that the company will then donate to- this resulted in $215 million worth of donations over the past seven years.
Amazon also publicly supports many organizations that act upon their beliefs including Black Lives Matter and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
And as stated earlier, Amazon spends millions on lobbying efforts every year. According to Open Secrets, Amazon spent over $16 million toward lobbying expenditures in 2019 alone. These efforts primarily target consumer product safety and information technology.
Additionally, Amazon itself donates to many causes. Amazon played a big role in the Seattle elections after donating over a million dollars to the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce Super PAC in 2019. More recently, Amazon has donated to youth STEM programs as well as multiple COVID relief funds- including the Italian entertainment industry.
As consumers, we have the ability and the responsibility to inform ourselves on the companies we choose to surround ourselves with. By simply becoming aware of where we choose to get our weekly groceries from or what company’s services we subscribe to, we have the power to give to the causes we believe in while also purchasing products and services that we love. Elections come and go, but the vote that you place every time you make a purchase further enables a company to act upon their political stance. The vote that you make with your dollars on a daily basis, could very well be the decider of the future.
Interested in learning about the political stances of more companies? Follow the VotingSmarter blog and be the first to know about the next company profile in this series.
Stay updated through our Facebook and Instagram on the release of BuyingSmarter, a VotingSmarter affiliate.
Sources: https://www.aboutamazon.com/about-us/our-positions
(Contributed by Breanna Guo, Marketing Intern at VotingSmarter) | https://medium.com/@votingsmartersocial/company-profile-series-amazon-9d80a7e1d6f2 | ['Impartial - A Votingsmarter Blog'] | 2020-12-11 20:27:07.161000+00:00 | ['Amazon', 'Politics', 'Brick And Mortar', 'Voting'] |
How to Focus Better and realize where Focus Goes Energy Flows Secrets to Win the Day. | Wherever you are, I hope that you make an awesome day as I recently read a great quote that states: “Where focus goes, energy flows.” What this means is that your focus determines your reality, and it also determines your mindset and the energy that you bring to each day.
Each of us is an ongoing product of the world within us and around us simultaneously for that reason. This is exactly what shapes our energy, our thoughts, our behaviors, much like a warm sunny day can evoke warm emotions and happy emotions. But I also want to say it makes us more impatient if it’s beautiful and sunny out, you become more impatient because you want to enjoy the day around you. When it’s cold out, you’re more patient because your mindset and your emotions are affected by your reality and the world around you.
There is nothing wrong with that, as long as you recognize how this can affect you, and you can use that to your advantage. We can use that information to become or maximize our health and well being. It’s the holidays. Thanksgiving was a time of gratitude It may be a time of, “Oh my gosh, it’s Black Friday, we got to shop and we got to buy this and we got to get this food or we’ve got to get this table set and get this invite out and get the house clean.” Or it may be a mindset of gratitude.
Same thing with the holidays coming up, You have to have the time to realize that the seasons are there for you to enjoy, or for you to recognize how the time is going. Where we have different things around us every day that change our mindset and affect our mood and our emotions. And our mood and emotions are so affected by the surrounded area. I even read a study that said people are decorating for the holidays earlier this year. Before Thanksgiving, Christmas decorations were out or being sold, Christmas music was being played, because they found that people have something to look forward, and that that creates a positive emotion in our brain by being able to decorate and control that and be able to look forward to the holidays, have something to look forward to affects our psyche and our mindset.
So recognize that, that your focus determines your reality, and where your focus goes, energy flows. And if you focus on the right things, and instead of seeing things as obstacles but opportunities. The world around us is changing. Maybe not be a bad thing. See it as the opportunity to change and adapt and overcome. So realize that, where focus goes, energy flows, and that your reality is the world around you, is what you make of it is the most important thing and you control that. You can control and work your emotions to help you win the day. #Wintheday | https://medium.com/@keithgreiveldinger/how-to-focus-better-and-realize-where-focus-goes-energy-flows-secrets-to-win-the-day-1c7c5b3d987f | ['Keith Greiveldinger'] | 2020-12-11 13:47:56.118000+00:00 | ['Healthy Lifestyle', 'Positive Thinking', 'Self Improvement', 'Self Development', 'Mindset'] |
One Simple Way to Avoid Power Struggles with Your Kid | Hello! My name is Curt Jordan. I founded Kong Academy, a place for kids to thrive!
How many times (a day!) are we faced with a power struggle with our kids and are not sure how to react.
How are you supposed to deal with your kids, if they are constantly fighting with you over every single decision you make 😱?? I suggest you give them choices. If you don’t give them choices, they will constantly be looking for opportunities to take control over their lives and typically it’s not at a convenient time (you know, just before you have to leave the house).
So, if you want to avoid a power struggle, you overload them with choices they can make. They don’t have to be big and important decisions. It just has to be frequent enough to where they feel like they have control over their own lives. If they don’t feel like they have control in their own lives, they will find a way to get control and fight for it (like, just before you have to leave the house).
Small choices such as: Do you want the red cup or the blue cup? Do you want to play this game or that game? Do you want to do your homework first or go to the park first?
If we give them choices that are of little consequence to our own lives and we give them lots of time to make those choices, all we’re doing is giving them practice in making responsible decisions and growing their independence.
It feels good for a kid when they get to decide things in their own lives. So if you do that regularly, then when you do need to take control of the situation, they’re not going to fight you as much because they’ve already been given chances to make choices so frequently. Now, if everything is running smoothly, give them lots of choices. If things are not going well, cancel the choices. Take control. Say “You’ve been able to make a lot of choices around here and now it’s my turn. I get to decide what’s going to happen next and this is the way that it’s going to be.” It’s going to be much easier for you when you point out that they’ve been allowed to make choices and they’ve been behaving disrespectfully. You can point out that making choices is a privilege and is only for people who show respect.
By drawing a direct line between their behavior and the removal of a privilege (making a choice), it is going to be a lot easier for them to correlate their behavior to their choices.
Giving them choices is going to solve a lot of problems. You give them choices when things are going well, you don’t give them choices when things are going poorly.
One thing I would like to add is to give them a time window when it comes to making decisions. If you say, “Okay, would you like to go to the park or would you like to go to the aquarium?” Sometimes, they’re just like, “Hmm.” and then you’re sitting there for 10–15 minutes. So, give them a time window to make those choices. For example, “Hey, we’re running behind. You have 10 seconds to make a choice or I get to make the decision.” Give them a time window so you don’t have to wait forever. If you didn’t have enough time to let your kid make the decision, you can tell them that and: “Next time you’ll be able to decide. I’m going to make this choice now because we’re running out of time and we need to get moving.”
I guarantee you that if you give your kids choices, you’re going to find that you have a lot less power struggles and everyone’s going to be a lot happier.
In a nutshell:
Give your kids choices. LOTS of small choices.
Give them a time window to make that choice.
If your child is disrespectful, withdraw the privilege of making a choice.
If you are running out of time, tell them that you have to make the decision this time. They get their turn again next time.
I’m curious to know if anyone else has any other tips or tricks that they like to use. Please go ahead and send them over to me. I’m really excited to hear from everyone about things that they do to make life with kids more fun and less stressful!
Want to watch the video on YouTube? Here is the link: https://youtu.be/BPEdbgaQcBk | https://medium.com/@curtjordan/one-simple-way-to-avoid-power-struggles-with-your-kid-7bc0db1b0f22 | ['Curt Jordan'] | 2020-12-15 22:10:52.940000+00:00 | ['Parenting', 'Emotional Intelligence', 'Family', 'Children', 'Mindfulness'] |
Rethinking the Resume to Eliminate Bias | Rethinking the Resume to Eliminate Bias
Resumes are critical to positioning yourself for new positions. Yet, they vary widely. With variance, there’s preference. With preference, there’s bias.
If companies can spend ample time A/B testing button colors to optimize conversion rate, you’d be incorrect in believing small differences in resume layout get one qualified person picked over another similarly qualified person.
If I were to redesign resumes, I’d:
eliminate photos
It’s a breeding ground for unconscious and conscious bias.
eliminate names
It’s a breeding ground for unconscious and conscious bias. We all get unique identifier numbers and are emailed when we’ve been selected to move to the next round. At that point, demographic information will become apparent on that phone screen or first-round interview. It might be really uncomfortable to go into an interview not knowing the name, gender, or race of the person you’re going to speak with but I am infinitely more uncomfortable with people being denied access to a position because of their name, gender, or race.
eliminate address, location, and phone number
Where someone currently is doesn’t dictate where they’ll be tomorrow; if they are willing to take the job you’re offering wherever you’re offering it, that’s all that matters
eliminate summaries
Is one page of your entire work experience not enough of a summary? I should be able to scan your resume and come to the same summary without you providing it.
single column, .5 margin, 12 point black Arial font, bolded section names, single-spaced, filled circle bullets
Consistent formatting puts the focus on the content, not the styling. A portfolio can be the opportunity to show off your design skills.
education, professional experience, volunteer experience
Same 3 sections every time, in that order.
No skills section because your skills should be evident through the bullets of each experience.
No interests sections because building rapport and introducing bias are friendly cousins.
No graduation dates or class years because people of any age have what it takes to do the job.
Speaking of eliminating names, eliminating names of the educational institutions and places of employment is something that I could get around because that’s another layer of bias in interpreting how qualified someone is on the coattails of something other than their actual impact and demonstrated skills. Deciding if you’re worth moving forward with based on the names of the places that accepted you in the past creates a pipeline of inaccessibility which I wanted eliminated. | https://medium.com/@phyllisnjoroge/rethinking-the-resume-to-eliminate-bias-fcb3f32d64fd | [] | 2020-11-27 19:42:51.818000+00:00 | ['Resume', 'Discrimination', 'Bias', 'Hiring', 'Job Hunting'] |
9 React Testing Library Tips and Tricks | What Is React Testing Library? And Why Is It Different?
Note: This is not a “Getting Started with RTL” piece. This article assumes you already have a pretty good understanding of how to use the testing framework. My aim is to show you some additional tricks to make writing (and debugging) tests easier.
With that said, I will give a brief overview of the whys and hows of React Testing Library before I dive into the meat of this article.
The why
Kent C. Dodds created the React Testing Library to address one problem: Other testing libraries encouraged developers to write tests that were too tightly coupled to the implementation details of the components they were testing. Dodds believed that the tests should only verify the end results (the behavior) of the components.
It makes sense when you think about it, right?
Why don’t we write integration tests closer to the way we write end-to-end tests? Tests that focus on the user’s perspective (how the component looks and behaves in the DOM). Because that’s what ultimately matters in the end: Do the components do what they’re supposed to do when a user interacts with them?
We don’t necessarily care if it stores something in the Redux store or makes a particular API call to fetch data. Users don’t know or care about that — they care about if the screen shows the info they clicked on or the item they ordered is being shipped to them. And as developers, RTL’s stance is that we should care about that too.
To that end, Dodds recommends approaching testing in the following way:
Avoid dependencies on the implementation details of your components.
Make testing easy to maintain (i.e. refactoring the component implementation does not break the tests).
Avoid shallow mounting, as we want to test that the components integrate to solve a user problem (such as editing data in a form).
And this leads me to…
The how
The React Testing Library is a very lightweight solution for testing React components. It provides light utility functions on top of react-dom and react-dom/test-utils in a way that encourages better testing practices.
Here are some interesting aspects of React Testing Library:
It focuses on verifying actual DOM nodes rather than verifying instances of rendered React components.
It provides utilities for querying the DOM in the same way the user would.
It finds elements by their label text (just like a user would).
It finds links and buttons from their text (like a user would).
It provides a way to find elements by a data-testid as an “escape hatch” for elements where the text content and label do not make sense or are not practical or available.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff: the hot tips. | https://medium.com/better-programming/9-react-testing-library-tips-and-tricks-5cce3e458282 | ['Paige Niedringhaus'] | 2020-04-09 21:38:33.360000+00:00 | ['React', 'React Testing Library', 'Tdd', 'Programming', 'JavaScript'] |
50+ Java Collections Interview Questions for Beginners and Experienced Programmers | 50+ Java Collections Interview Questions for Beginners and Experienced Programmers javinpaul Follow Jun 26 · 9 min read
image_credit — Java collections Fundamentals by Pluralsight
Java Collection and Generic are a very important topic for Java Interviews. They also present some of the hardest questions to a programmer when it comes to interviews, especially Generics.
It’s not easy to first understand what a particular piece of code doing with those question marks and other signs and then the pressure of interviews also makes it hard to answer complex usage of Generics.
But, with proper preparation and paying attention to both Java Collection and Generic, you can solve that hurdle. If you are looking for Java job but haven’t done well in the interviews you have given so far then you have come to the right place.
In this article, I have shared a lot of Java interview questions on various topics and difficulty levels.
There are Java questions for beginners as well as expert programmers. They are theoretical questions based upon Java programming concepts as well as coding and data structure algorithms questions for programmers, and this article is only going to make that collection even more valuable.
In this article, I am going to share some of the frequently asked Java Collection and Generic questions from Interviews. These are the questions you have often seen on a telephonic round of Java interview as well as on face-to-face interviews.
It’s useful for both beginners having 2 to 3 years of experience as well as experienced Java programmers with 5 to 6 years of experience.
This list has a collection of questions which has both easy and tough questions in it but the most important thing is that most of the questions have already been asked on interviews. I am sure you might have also seen it in your interviews.
knowing the answers to these questions will not only help you to crack your Java interview but also understand Java Generics and Collection topic in-depth, which will eventually help you to write better Java programmers and code.
Btw, if you are new to Java or want to solidify your Java knowledge then you should check out a comprehensive course like The Complete Java Masterclass before attempting to solve these questions. It will help you immensely by filling gaps in your knowledge and going back and forth. It’s also the most up-to-date course and covers every new feature introduced in new Java releases
50+ Java Collection and Generic Interview Questions
Without wasting any more of your time, here is my list of 50+ Java interview questions on Collection and Generics.
If you have done some work in Java +then you should know the answer to these questions but if you don’t you can always see the answer.
Instead of writing answers here, I have linked them to relevant posts so that you can try to solve the problem by yourself here and if you need you can get an in-depth discussion on individual posts to learn the topic in depth.
1) What is the Java Collection Framework and How do you choose different collections? (answer)
Here is the diagram which answers this question:
2) What are Generics in Java? (answer)
hint: Java feature to ensure type safety at compile time.
3) Which are your favorites classes from Java Collection Framework? (answer)
hint: Collection, List , Set , Map , ArrayList , Vector , LinkedList , HashMap , etc
4) When do you use Set, List, and Map in Java? (answer)
hint — use set when you don’t need duplicates, use List when you need order with duplicates, and use Map when you need to store key-value pair.
5) Which Sorted Collection have you used? (answer)
hint — TreeSet is one example of a sorted Collection
6) How HashSet works in Java? (answer)
hint — same as HashMap, using hashing and equals() and hashCode() method. HashSet is actually backed by HashMap where keys are elements you store in HashSet and values are always null.
7) Which two methods you should override for an Object to be used as a key in hash-based Collections? (answer)
hint — equals and hashcode
8) Can you use HashMap in a concurrent application? (answer)
hint — Yes, but only if you are reading from the HashMap and its initialized by a single thread, otherwise no.
9) What is the difference between HashMap and Hashtable in Java? (answer)
hint — HashMap is fast but not threadsafe, Hashtable is slow but thread-safe
10) What is the difference between synchronized and concurrent Collection in Java? (answer)
11) How ConcurrentHashMap works in Java? (answer)
partitions map into segments and lock them individually instead of locking the whole map.
12) What is PriorityQueue in Java? (answer)
A data structure that always keeps the highest or lowest element at the head so that you can access or remove it in constant time.
13) What is type-erasure in Generics? (answer)
Its a part of Java compiler which removes all type related information after compilation from Java so that the generated code is the same as before Generics.
14) What is the difference between ArrayList and Vector in Java? (answer)
hint — ArrayList is not synchronized hence fast, Vector is synchronized hence slow
15) What is the difference between LinkedList and ArrayList in Java? (answer)
hint — ArrayList is backed by array while LinkedList is backed by a linked list which means search with index is only possible in ArrayList.
16) What is the difference between Hashtable and ConcurrentHashMap in Java? (answer)
hint — ConcurrentHashMap is a new concurrent class with better scalability as only a portion of the map called segment is locked while Hashtable is an old class where the whole map is Locke for synchronization. Seet Java Collections: Fundamentals course for more details.
By the way, you would need a Pluralsight membership to join this course which costs around $29 per month and $299 per annum (14% discount) but its completely worth it. Alternative. you can also use their 10-day-free-trial to watch this course FREE.
17) What is the difference between LinkedHashSet and TreeSet in Java? (answer)
hint — TreeSet is a sorted set where elements are stored in their natural or custom sorting order depending upon comparable and comparator while LinkedHashSet is just an ordered collection that maintains insertion order.
18) Difference between extends and super in Java Generics? (answer)
19) What do you mean by thread-safe collection? Give an example of 2 thread-safe Collection in Java? (answer)
20) What is the relationship between equals and compareTo in Java? (answer)
21) What is the default size of ArrayList and HashMap in Java? (answer)
22) What is the load factor, capacity, and Size of the Collection in Java? (answer)
23) What is the difference between Iterator and Enumeration in Java? (answer)
24) When does ConcurrentModificationException occur? (answer)
25) What is the difference between fail-safe and fail-fast Iterator in Java? (answer)
26) What is CopyOnWriteArrayList in Java? (answer)
27) When do you use BlockingQueue in Java? (answer)
28) What is the difference between the peek() and poll() method of the Queue interface? (answer)
29) How do you find if an ArrayList contains an Object or not? (answer)
30) Can we store Integer in an ArrayList<Number> in Java? (answer)
31) How get method of HashMap works in Java? (answer)
hint — hashing, hashcode method is used to find bucket location for putting the mapping and equals is used for retrieval.
32) How do you sort a Collection in Java? (answer)
33) What is the difference between ListIterator and Iterator in Java? (answer)
34) What is the difference between HashSet and LinkedHashSet in Java? (answer)
35) When do you use EnumSet in Java? (answer)
36) List down 4 ways to iterate over Map in Java? (answer)
hint —
using for loop using for each loop of JDK 5 using Iterator using ListIterator
You can further see The Complete Java Masterclass course for more details. It’s also the most up-to-date course and covers every new feature introduced in new Java releases
37) How to create read-only Collection in Java? (answer)
38) What is IdentityHashMap in Java? (answer)
39) Difference between IdentityHashMap and WeakHashMap in Java? (answer)
40) What is the difference between Comparator and Comparable in Java? (answer)
41) What is DeQueue? When do you use it? (answer)
42) How do you remove an Object from Collection? (answer)
43) What is the difference between the remove() method of Collection and Iterator in Java? (answer)
44) What is the difference between ArrayList and ArrayList<?> in Java? (answer)
45) What is the difference between PriorityQueue and TreeSet in Java? (answer)
46) How can I avoid “unchecked cast” warnings? (answer)
47) What is the “diamond” operator in Java? (answer)
48) What is the covariant method overriding in Java? (answer)
50) What is the difference between bounded and unbounded wildcards in Java generics? (answer)
That’s all in this list of 50 Java Generics and Collections Interview Questions. They are a very important topic from the Java Interview point of view, especially collections. Make sure you prepare them well before going for any interviews. If you need further preparation you can also check out these Java Interview books and courses:
Further Learning
Java Interview Guide: 200+ Interview Questions and Answers
Java Programming Interview Exposed by Markham
Cracking the Coding Interview — 189 Questions and Answers
Data Structure and Algorithms Analysis for Job Interviews
Other Interview Questions Articles you may like to explore
Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these Java Generics and Collections interview questions then please share with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback then please drop a note.
P. S. — If you are serious about mastering Java Collections — one of the most important Java API then I also suggest you check out the Java Collections: Fundamentals course by @Richrad Warburton, a Java Champion on Pluralsight. It’s a great course to learn why and which collections Java programmers should use.
P. P. S — Quick Update, Pluralsight free weekend is here and you can access all 7000+ Pluralsight courses and projects for FREE this weekend. Make this count and learn a new skill or level-up the existing one. Don’t miss this out, it’s only for this weekend. And here is the link again: | https://medium.com/javarevisited/50-java-collections-interview-questions-for-beginners-and-experienced-programmers-4d2c224cc5ab | [] | 2020-12-11 08:57:57.748000+00:00 | ['Algorithms', 'Software Development', 'Coding', 'Java', 'Programming'] |
A Founder’s Guide to Securing Manufacturing Partners | Over the past five years, Brinc has advised hundreds of hardware founders how to traverse the pitfalls of launching and scaling a custom hardware-based company. Beyond the fundamental requirements of financial viability, technical feasibility and market desirability, we emphasize the importance of securing robust supply chain partners.
For first time hardware founders, thousands of decisions are required to bring a concept into reality. With limited internal resources, one of the critical decision points will be who to partner with for external development and manufacturing support. To set clear expectations, founders first need to understand that creating custom hardware is a complicated process. Founders might have reviewed their design multiple times and have full confidence going into manufacturing but just one small issue can set a project back weeks or even months.
Having the right partners throughout the New Product Introduction (NPI) Process can immediately augment the team’s experience, reduce the time needed to get to market and clearly define a path to success. Likewise, choosing the wrong partners can have adverse effects, including costly project delays and challenges to scale production.
“Securing the right manufacturing partners is like sorting through a sea of puzzle pieces. From a distance most manufacturers will look similar but only upon careful inspection will you find partners that fit your specific needs.”
In this blog post we will be focusing on our collective learnings from over 100 founder engagements while also highlighting our top 5 tips and best practices when validating manufacturing partners in China to launch and scale production successfully.
Tip #1. Validate vendors ability to deliver
Every custom product comes with its own unique set of challenges and needs. Before settling on a manufacturer, make sure their technical expertise matches your requirements.
For manufacturers, writing a proposal and painting a picture that they are the ideal fit and able to achieve a majority or all project goals is easy. Validating what has been proposed is often the real challenge.
You should investigate a manufacturer’s experience carefully. Use due diligence to gain a better understanding of the work they have already carried out and their areas of expertise and qualified successes they have had with other clients. A demonstrative track record of quality, communication and the standard of equipment a potential supplier uses should provide you with a clearer picture of their suitability for your business.
Here are some of the things we inquire when validating a vendor’s ability to deliver:
1. Case Studies / Track Record: Are case studies provided in contextually relevant terms of how they would engage with you?
2. Past Client Referrals: Connect with past clients to learn what went well and challenges of engaging with specific vendors.
3. Quality Management System: Does the vendor have clear procedures and software tools in place to manage new projects effectively?
4. Capacity: Does the vendor have the resources or equipment when you need it?
Tip #2. One size does NOT fit all
It can be tempting to exaggerate your volume expectations to get the attention of your preferred manufacturer or lock in higher MOQ pricing. However, this approach will inevitably harm your relationship with the vendor long-term. Instead, have open discussions on your volume expectations with potential manufacturers. In most cases you will encounter two types vendors; those that are flexible and open to working with your projected volumes and others that require guaranteed commitments to engage.
Often overlooked, the size of your potential manufacturing partner is also an important consideration. It’s easy to get excited when you start engaging with larger vendors that have all the right capabilities, facilities, team and endless scaling capabilities. For these vendors, it’s important to consider where your company fits on the scale of their current client engagements. If your production scale requirements are low and your company would be one of the smallest clients with this vendor, you will be in a weaker position. In these scenarios you will often be assigned junior staff to lead the project and could find it hard to get the attention you require. Likewise, engaging with a small vendor that provides attractive pricing and attention is equally enticing. When considering partnering with these operations it’s important to understand the willingness and ability to scale in anticipation of future growth. Is the vendor willing to invest in the resources or equipment to scale? Is there a long lead-time required to scale up?
From our experience, engaging with vendors where your company sizes align usually results in better long-term engagements.
Tip #3. Don’t underestimate the importance & impact of communication
Often under-appreciated, communication is one of the key factors that can make or break your ability to successfully launch and scale.
Most vendor engagements in China start with a sales representative that can speak good to fluent English. This person will act as your key contact from initial interaction through to project kick-off. This is perfectly normal but be aware that this person doesn’t usually represent the team aligned to your project, who you will need to communicate with regularly.
As you start to engage with vendors, don’t be shy about asking for introductions to team members that would be assigned to your project. Set aside time to talk with them to test their ability to communicate as well as demonstrate their clear understanding of your project requirements and goals. Remember that you will be communicating with this team for several months, so minimizing the risk of misunderstanding is crucial.
“If you don’t know the communication ability of your assigned team before kickoff, your project is already at risk.”
This is often one of the final criteria that we use to differentiate between vendors with similar capabilities and solutions.
Tip #4. Don’t save Terms & Conditions for last
As a startup, it’s incredibly important that you understand the terms and conditions presented to you. While some vendors are more friendly towards startups, others consider young businesses a greater risk and offer more restrictive ‘standard’ terms.
To avoid surprises at the end of your vendor assessment process, work with them to understand their terms and conditions early on. T&C are also a good way to differentiate between vendors offering similar solutions as there can be major differences in payment terms, willingness to provide credit, IP ownership, quality assurance and indemnity.
Furthermore, it’s important to understand that it’s perfectly normal to question and negotiate on T&C but don’t set your expectations too high. Unless you are able guarantee significant production volume, vendors are not usually inclined to change standard T&C for new clients. It’s also worth noting that the most capable vendors have the ability to pick and choose which new clients with whom they want to engage. Attempting to coerce them into terms that they don’t normally accept could unintentionally quell their interest in partnering with you long-term.
Tip #5. Relationships build the foundation for long-term success
The relationship between a business and manufacturer is a balancing act that is critical to the success of a product. From the start, you should be actively seeking to build communications between your business and the decision-makers at your appointed manufacturing partners.
In many cases, vendors will also actively seek to build a personal relationship. This is expected in China particularly, where relationships are an integral part of all business dealings and often prioritized over other factors. This process is known as guanxi, which refers to having personal trust and a strong relationship. Guanxi can even involve moral obligations and the exchanging of personal information. It may be harder to build relationships this way, but once trust has been established, it can lead to a long-term trustworthy partnership that is mutually beneficial.
If you find you’re unable to contact the factory owner or decision-makers directly, it should be a point for concern. Rarely will you find manufacturers who simply want to transact and demonstrate a lack of personal interest in your project. Long-term this is not healthy for your business and while changing vendors is always an option, it is a costly and time-consuming process.
Conclusion
Choosing the right manufacturing vendors for your business is not always a straightforward decision. Proposals and pricing are often the primary focus but there are lots of factors to consider that will help determine the best partner, based on your unique needs.
Best practices we recommend to determine the right partners include:
· Probe for details of case studies and past client engagements.
· Find vendors that are the right size based on your production requirements.
· Get to know the execution team and validate communication abilities.
· Don’t overlook T&C alignment and start discussions early rather than the end process.
· Invest in building a relationship with vendors to yield meaningful long-term partnerships.
Moreover, before making your final decision, consider your current and long-term business goals. Seek partners who can support your current needs and grow with you when the time is right to expand. Changing vendors is costly, time consuming and should be avoided unless it’s absolutely required.
Brinc has helped hundreds of hardware founders navigate the manufacturing landscape in China and offers a range of solutions, including supply chain management from concept through to scale.
To learn more about our bespoke solutions, visit our website at: www.brinc.io/services | https://blog.brinc.io/a-founders-guide-to-securing-manufacturing-partners-2b77af487935 | ['Kevin Brisebois'] | 2020-05-27 13:16:04.121000+00:00 | ['Hardware', 'Startup', 'Manufacturing', 'Supply Chain', 'Guides And Tutorials'] |
Ele vai chegar | 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/bacia-de-jabuticabas/ele-vai-chegar-22fba33e2d74 | [] | 2020-12-24 16:49:55.549000+00:00 | ['Natal', 'Jesus', 'Balaio', 'Mangedoura'] |
Creating a Loyalty Program That Keeps Your Customers Coming Back! | Loyalty programs are everywhere. I’m willing to bet you have several loyalty cards in your wallet. You may even have loyalty memberships you’ve forgotten about. Customers love them — and with good reason.
A well-thought-out loyalty program provides benefits to customers that can range from reduced prices for products to giveaways to exclusive access to special events and offers. For businesses, they help with customer retention by incentivizing loyalty.
The trick, of course, is creating a loyalty program that does both. There are lots of different options, including referral programs.
So, with that in mind, let’s talk about loyalty programs. Should you create one? What benefits and features are best for your customers and you? Here’s what you need to know.
The Benefits of a Loyalty Program
Let’s start by talking about the benefits you’ll reap if you start a loyalty program that appeals to your customers. There are several that make loyalty programs a must for marketers and business owners.
They can help you retain customers. One study found that a 5% increase in customer retention led to an average 25% increase in profits. 60% of loyal customers say they buy more frequently and make more purchases from the brands they love. Surprisingly, loyalty programs don’t cost companies as much as you might think. It costs far more to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one. When you offset the cost of a loyalty program against the cost to attract new customers, it’s still a far less expensive option. Customers who participate in loyalty programs feel valued and that triggers a cognitive bias known as Reciprocity. That’s the instinct that makes us feel that we should return a favor when someone does something for us. Research shows that loyalty programs increase sales. According to one study, members of loyalty programs generated between 12% and 18% more revenue for businesses than non-members. Loyalty programs can help you learn about your customers. It may take a bit of trial and error but creating a loyalty program allows you to collect valuable data about your customers and their buying habits. You can use what you learn to fine-tune your loyalty program and to create offers that will appeal to your most loyal customers.
Loyalty programs offer benefits to you as a business owner while also giving your most loyal customers a reason to return to your business, increase their purchasing, and recommend your business to their friends and social media followers.
Features of a Successful Loyalty Program
What features should your loyalty program have? There’s no one correct answer, but there are some things that most successful loyalty programs offer. Here are the ones that you should seriously think about working into your program:
A structure that incentivizes customers to purchase frequently and spend more money than they normally would. A good example is the beauty supply store ULTA. Loyalty members earn one point for each dollar they spend and may redeem points for over 20,000 products. There are platinum and diamond levels with additional incentives.
Early access to special offers and products. A lot of loyalty programs offer members insider status where they get first access to new offers and a heads-up on the release of new products. It’s a good way to make your loyalty program members feel valued and special.
Ease of use. Providing a frictionless experience is a must if you want members to participate in your program. It shouldn’t be difficult to join, and you should make it simple to accrue rewards and use them.
Personalization. It’s a great idea to create a mailing list for your loyalty members and personalize what you send to them.
Freebies. Customers must accumulate points to earn rewards, but there’s nothing wrong with offering them something just for joining your program. A key example here is Sephora, which offers a free birthday gift to members every year. It’s a nice reminder that they care about their customers — and who doesn’t like a birthday present?
Brand relevance. Finally, your program should be relevant to your brand and deliver what your customers want.
“The key here is to think about your business, brand values, and customers and create a loyalty program that delivers on your customers’ expectations while helping your bottom line.”
Ideas for Loyalty Programs
Here are some suggestions for how to structure your loyalty program in a way that makes customers want to participate.
Use a simple point-based system. I’ve seen some loyalty programs that are convoluted. Here again, ULTA’s “one point for each dollar spent” is a role model. Nobody’s getting confused about how their system works.
Charge a fee for access. This option might seem counterintuitive but it’s often quite effective. Two examples are Amazon (Amazon Prime) and REI, which charges a $20 fee for lifetime access and pays dividends to customers based on how much they spend during the year.
Build your program around shared values. Not every reward needs to be monetary — and some can be both monetary and do good in the world. A great example is Patagonia, which offers a “Common Threads” program that allows members to resell their used clothing on the Patagonia website. Since their customers care deeply about sustainability, this offer makes sense for them.
Gamify your loyalty program. Everybody loves a game and there are lots of ways to make loyalty fun for your customers. For example. Safeway offers an annual Monopoly game that gives shoppers game pieces based on how much they spend. They can earn rewards including free groceries, prizes, and cash rewards.
Create a tiered system to further reward big spenders. It makes sense to give your most loyal customers — the ones who buy the most from you — additional rewards. Creating different reward levels (Gold, Silver and Bronze, for example) will incentivize people to buy more to earn the extra rewards you’re offering.
Different products require different structures. A restaurant owner might choose a straightforward “Buy 10 meals, get one free” approach, while a retailer might be more interested in a points program.
Once you get your loyalty program going, track the results and use what you learn to fine-tune your structure and rewards. Your customers will let you know if something’s working — and your bottom line will reflect their increased loyalty. | https://medium.com/roi-overload/creating-a-loyalty-program-that-keeps-your-customers-coming-back-6b7718cbebbd | ['Tabitha Jean Naylor'] | 2020-12-18 17:11:20.764000+00:00 | ['Loyalty Program', 'Loyalty Marketing', 'Digital Marketing'] |
Top 7 Stores to Buy Baking Supplies | Photo by William on Unsplash
Top 7 Stores to Buy Baking Supplies
The 70’s were legendary. It could’ve been the free love, the skyrocketing interest rates, or their sense of grit through political change.
I disagree. It was the music.
Because when I was in college, skipping meals to afford butter for my next cake, I’d listen to songs like “Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne and think, they knew what life was about.
I look back on those years with a sense of nostalgia. I feel for strapped students, struggling moms, or young teens counting their allowance in the palm of their hands.
Which is why I’ve compiled the seven best places to find baking supplies.
As Jackson would say, “You gotta do what you can just to keep your [baking] love alive.”
#1: The Dollar Store
The more green painted on the store, the more savings. Dollar Tree’s kitchen section is extensive, providing knives, spatulas, piping bags, baking pans, and most importantly, bench scrapers.
A bench scraper is a square metal tool with a ruler etched on one end and a grip on the other. For smoothing cakes, a bench scraper is essential.
Most metal bench scrapers cost between $6 to $15. While Dollar Tree’s version isn’t fancy, it’s only one dollar.
Dollar Tree also gets an assortment of new goods for each holiday.
On Halloween, I searched desperately for skeleton fondant molds online, to discover they cost $20 or more. I went to Dollar Tree and found skeleton ice trays. I bought one, and made perfect fondant skeletons. I will never pay more than a dollar for fondant molds again.
#2: Kitchen Supply Store
This is the secret no one talks about. Most cities have kitchen supply stores, places that sell bulk kitchen supplies for local restaurants. It’s like a Costco, but for restaurant owners.
Kitchen supply stores are the best places to buy cheap baking pans, rolling pins, disposable piping bags, and cake rounds.
Cake rounds are cardboard pieces used to stabilize cakes with multiple tiers. They also give a hard “bottom” to a cake so it can be transferred to different plates or tables.
Kitchen supply stores sell a dozen cake rounds for about a dollar or two, which is cheaper than anywhere.
#3: TJ Maxx
Sweep past the racks of clothes and see several isles of cookware. TJ Maxx sells high-end bake-ware at a discounted price. Look for red tags especially.
Calphalon baking sheets (cream of the crop) can be found between $7 to $9 each. Mini pie tins, tart pans, and muffin tins are also similarly priced.
#4: Amazon
A shopping listicle without Amazon is pointless.
For first-time cake decorators, I recommend buying a cake decorating kit on Amazon. They come with dozens of tips, piping bags, spatulas, and rotating cake stands.
The brand Cakebe sells the most items with the least amount of sketch. I still use their tips and cake stand today.
Of course, you can by everything else on Amazon as well, but their cheapest items are decorating kits, priced around $20. When buying individual items, make sure to price check.
#5: Hobby Lobby
I can hear the crowds protesting, but isn’t Hobby Lobby expensive?
At full price, yes, Hobby Lobby is one of the most expensive stores to shop for baking supplies. But Hobby Lobby has a way to get even the poorest people in it’s doors.
The One-Item 40% off coupon. What a beauty.
Every day, Hobby Lobby offer’s a 40% off coupon for one item. It can be anything in the store and it applies to the highest priced item in your cart. The only downside is you can use it only once per day.
If you’re willing to go to Hobby Lobby multiple times, you can get high-quality Wilton baking supplies, like fondant rollers, pans, and food coloring for a fraction of the cost.
#6: Costco
For baking, I buy one thing at Costco: butter.
It is the most expensive part of baking. Why? Cake batter is butter, sugar, and flour. Frosting is sweet butter whipped to oblivion. Cake is butter.
Costco packs their Kirkland Signature butter into five pound packages, priced between $10 to $12 dollars. With five pounds, you’re free to make as much frosting as you’d like.
You can also buy flour and sugar at Costco to save more money, but I wouldn’t recommend that unless you have a pantry to store them. As a college student, I stored my food in my puny room, so giant bags of flour were out of the question.
#7: Walmart
I’m sorry haters, I had to. Great Value is . . . well, a great value!
Great Value has a knockoff version for every brand you’re looking for. For rarer ingredients, shop at Winco. However, for flour, sugar, and chocolate, Walmart has the cheapest options.
Being poor sucks. Going to the store is a headache. But we aren’t alone.
Everyone is “Running into the sun,” chasing an American Dream, but some of us feel like we are “running behind.” Some of us feel like we are “running on empty.”
But even running on empty, you can do what you love. And that is all you need to feel full. | https://medium.com/@gibbpayt/top-7-places-to-buy-baking-supplies-ec84090a654f | ['Payton Gibbs'] | 2020-02-20 20:51:21.928000+00:00 | ['Cake Decorating Tools', 'Baking Supplies', 'Baking', 'Cake Decorating', 'Easy Baking'] |
The Benefits of Stress Control & Management at Workplaces | There are various situations that can be the reason for causing stress on the employees of an organization. Working under stress never turns out to be good and it affects the productivity and work quality of the employees. Eliminating stress at the workplace is not easily achievable, however; it is possible if the companies invest in stress control and management. In this article, we will explore the benefits that an organization can get from stress management and how it can impact the performance of their employees in a positive manner.
What is the effect of stress on the employees and the organization?
Before understanding why an organization should implement executive coaching for stress control, it’s important to know about the effect of stress on the employees and how it influences their performance.
Irritability, severe depression, insomnia, headaches, and anxiety are considered to be common symptoms of stress. However, there are other symptoms of stress as well. Some of them are constant fatigue, the problem in communication, trouble in learning, increased smoking, alcohol overtake, or drug usage.
So, you can understand if any of your employees are facing these symptoms, it would not positively affect your business. The impact will cost your business a lot. So, for the best productivity, you should focus on how to keep your employees happy and satisfied. Or at least arrange counseling or executive coaching for managing stress in the workplace so that they can resolve the issue.
Also, the relationship between stress and job performance is not a positive one. Your employees will have more missed days which will result in lower overall productivity and high employee turnover. You will have higher expenses for the compensation of the employees and moreover, the cost of medical insurance, and so on. It also becomes hard for the employer to acquire new talents for the organization so, it can be said that this will be a huge loss for the organization.
What are the benefits of managing stress in the workplace?
So, as we have already laid down the impact of stress on the employees and organization and what the importance of stress management is, we will tell you some of the benefits that the organization can get by maintaining a low-stress work environment.
Creates a positive work environment and work culture
Employees contribute to maintaining the work environment and organizational culture. Healthy employees who have their stress under control will maintain a positive work environment and that will contribute to the organization’s culture effectively. A positive work environment will keep them happy and encourage them to be creative. It will automatically increase their productivity as well.
Sick days will be lessen
Once you start working on managing the stress in the workplace, the stress won’t be the reason for your employees’ absence anymore. It will effectively reduce the sick leaves that are taken by the employees. Again, it will increase the productivity of your employees and the organization from a wider perspective.
Moreover, stress management within your organization will help you in retaining the employees and new talents. If you arrange counseling sessions or executive coaching for stress control and management, it will also show your concern about the health of your employees. | https://medium.com/@yourcoachingspace/the-benefits-of-stress-control-management-at-workplaces-5d73267a9eac | ['Your Coaching Space'] | 2020-12-05 12:26:15.547000+00:00 | ['Workplace', 'Stress Management', 'Stress', 'Resilience', 'Executive Coaching'] |
Astell&Kern KANN Alpha review: This digital audio player delivers the high-res goods | Astell&Kern KANN Alpha review: This digital audio player delivers the high-res goods Sarah Jan 15·11 min read
The KANN Alpha is the third model in Astell&Kern’s acclaimed KANN series, following the KANN (reviewed in 2018) and the KANN Cube (reviewed in 2019). These are high-end, high-res digital audio players (DAP) designed to deliver pristine audio to just about any headphone you might decide to pair it with—regardless of impedance.
The Alpha continues the KANN line’s superlative pedigree, but only a select audience will be willing to hand over $1,099 to attain its drool-worthy feature set and very high performance. This player is perfect for owners of difficult-to-drive headphones; music lovers who demand the latest advancements in wireless audio, including Bluetooth 5.0; people who demand broad high-res codec support; audiophiles who want to take full advantage of 4.4mm balanced audio support.
This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best mobile digital audio players, where you’ll find reviews of competing products, plus a buyer’s guide to the features you should consider when shopping for this type of product.Cutting-edge features, unrivaled codec supportHaving reviewed Astell&Kern’s previous two KANN models, it’s clear that each model has a specific focus. Whereas the KANN Cube was geared towards the audiophile demanding no-compromise performance and balanced audio connections to high-end audio gear, the KANN Alpha seems targeted towards the audiophile who demands the latest high tech features and wireless standards.
The KANN Alpha uses USB-C for all digital connectivity and charging. That’s a welcome sight given the original KANN’s dual-personality with both micro-USB and USB-C connectors—each with different purposes. Connect the USB-C to your computer and you can use the KANN Alpha as an all-in-one headphone amp and DAC.
Theo Nicolakis / IDGThe heart of the Alpha is an ESS Sabre ES9066AS DAC. The ES9066AS is a 32-bit stereo DAC with MQA rendering. The DAC will decode MQA, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, WAV, and every major legacy audio format, including native DSD256 decoding.
The KANN Alpha’s wireless codec support is unrivaled. The Alpha supports LDAC, MQA, aptX HD, aptX, AAC, and—of course—SBC Bluetooth codecs. The Alpha even supports MQA-CD playback when playing MQA-CD’s via Astell&Kern’s CD-Ripper.
Mentioned in this article Astell&Kern KANN Cube Read TechHive's reviewMSRP $1,499.00See it Codec support doesn’t stop there. The Alpha’s settings menu allows you to select a preferred codec for all your wireless connections. When it comes to LDAC, you have a choice between audio quality optimization or connection quality optimization. If one of the Alpha’s onboard codecs isn’t supported by your headphones or other Bluetooth receiver, then the Alpha will switch to a mutually supported codec.
Bluetooth 5.0 is on board, giving you a huge advantage in wireless operating range, speed, low power consumption, and security features. You’ll see a theoretical maximum of 800 feet in open spaces and about 130 feet in typical indoor spaces—that’s a far cry from the 33 or so feet in Bluetooth 4.2. Likewise, Bluetooth 5.0 delivers twice the speed of Bluetooth 4.2: 2Mbps vs. 1Mbps.
Astell&Kern touts the KANN Alpha’s quad-core CPU. In my testing, Astell&Kern either needs to bump the processor’s performance or optimize the underlying operating system a bit more. While the KANN Alpha is generally responsive, there were times where the player would just lag. I couldn’t find a consistent rhyme or reason. I sometimes found myself clicking things two or three times, unsure if the player had registered my input. While the lag is nowhere near the dog-awful performance of the now defunct AK Jr, for a player in this price range, performance should be snappy and precise.
It’s worth noting that the KANN Alpha retains the rich feature set of all Astell&Kern players, including DLNA network streaming. I’ll point you to my AK70 review for a more in-depth discussion of all those features.
Introducing 4.4mm balanced audio outputThe KANN Alpha sports familiar 3.5mm unbalanced and 2.5mm balanced outputs. The Alpha is the first Astell&Kern DAP to sport a 4.4mm balanced headphone connection. Astell&Kern says its 4.4mm implementation is unique and noise-free because the Alpha physically separates the 2.5mm and 4.4mm outputs using microrelays. The Alpha’s design prevents noise and interference from outputs that aren’t in use by switching them off. Smart.
Theo Nicolakis / IDG Detailed view of the KANN Alpha’s 2.5mm, 3.5mm, and 4.4mm headphone outputs.
Power and battery lifeClean power is the measure of any high-performance audio system, and the Alpha’s amplifiaction is superb. The Alpha’s internal amplifier has three gain settings—low, medium, and high—so you can match the amplifier’s output to your headphone’s impedance. Setting the amplifier to high and using the KANN’s balanced output, you’ll be able to take advantage of the Alpha’s 12Vrms output, which is the same output as the massive KANN Cube. Setting the amplifier to high will drain the battery quickly and Astell&Kern recommends connecting the USB-C charging cable if you use the amplifier in the high gain setting.
[ Further reading: The best headphones you can buy ]Draining the battery quickly is a relative term and will depend on several factors including the types of audio files you’re playing and volume levels you’re playing them at. Battery life is rate at 14.5 hours of continuous playback. You can get a full charge in about 3.5 hours. In real-world use, I sometimes went days without needing to recharge the KANN Alpha.
Protecting your hearingHearing is a precious gift. Thankfully, protecting our hearing is getting a bit easier. For the first time, an Astell&Kern DAP gave me a loudness warning. If I set the player above 50 with the 2.5mm balanced connection, or 60 with the 3.5mm output, the player warned me I could permanently damage my hearing. I had the option to defeat that warning message or enable volume limits in settings.
Doubles as an artistic statementThe KANN Alpha’s gorgeous design continues Astell&Kern’s seemingly endless play with geometric design and textures. When you buy an Astell&Kern high-res player, you’re buying a work of art as much as you are a DAP. To me, the KANN Alpha’s design is a synthesis of the KANN Cube and elements of the SA700.
The player’s all-aluminum casing has different finishes on each side. The back sports a black, brushed-aluminum finish with the words KANN machine engraved into the player’s body. The name Astell&Kern, with model and power requirements, are laser engraved. That lettering, however, only becomes visible when you shine a light on it, much like the One Ring’s Tengwar script from the Fellowship of the Ring, which appeared only when heated in fire.
Theo Nicolakis / IDGThe player’s sides and bottom are matte-finished and untextured. This time around, Astell&Kern chose to protrude the front glass ever so slightly from the player’s body and round the glass sides and edges. The tactile experience is amazing and the rounded edges create a singular line of light that complements the player’s beveled, aluminum edge.
Astell&Kern seems to be joining the 1980s throwback party by including a ceramic black, mirrored finish along the KANN Alpha’s top. Gold circular accents around the three heapdhone inputs complement the black mirrored finish. The gold color pallet reminded me of the similar black and gold color pallet on legendary high-end audio gear from Nakamichi and Pioneer Elite.
Astell&Kern says there is a special coating applied to the ceramic surface to prevent fingerprints and smudging, but I didn’t find it to be effective. In my hands, the KANN Alpha’s high gloss ceramic finish and front glass were far from oleophobic. They both collected fingerprints easily and at a far higher rate than my iPhone 12. I found myself wiping the high gloss finish and glass every now and then.
Ephe Nicolakis / IDG Top view of the KANN Alpha’s high gloss ceramic finish.
The KANN Alpha maintains the same mesmerizing LED illumination around the player’s volume knob that I first experienced in my review of Astell&Kern’s SA700 DAP. Unlike the SA700, where the LED ring took center stage, Astell&Kern has given it a more subdued role, recessing the LED ring almost inside the player’s casing. You’ll notice it if you look at the KANN Alpha from the side, but the LED ring is largely shielded from view when you look at the player head on.
Theo Nicolakis / IDG A recessed LED illuminates to tell you the resolution of the file you’re playing.
As with the SA700, the LED ring isn’t just a design element, it gives you a visual indication of the file format you’re playing. Red indicates you’re playing a 16-bit file; green, 24-bit; blue, 32-bit, and purple indicates DSD. If you don’t like the LED feature, you can turn it off through the settings menu. The LED temporarily changes to a red color pallet when you adjust the volume. The LED increases saturation to a light-saber red as you turn the volume louder, and it de-saturates towards a light rose color as you turn the volume down.
The LEDs worked as expected with local files and the Open APP version of Tidal, but I encountered an anomaly with Quobuz. With that service, both CD-quality and all high-res files up to 24-bit/192kHz showed only a red LED. Either Quobuz wasn’t streaming the high-res files advertised, or there’s a bug in the Quobuz app that isn’t registering properly with the Alpha.
Three rectangular buttons on the left side (in contrast to the KANN Cube, where the buttons sit below the volume knob on the right) are unmarked. By now, Astell&Kern assumes everyone knows the top button is previous track, the middle is play/pause, and the bottom is next track.
Open APP ServiceA valid criticism of Astell&Kern players over the years would have rightly been the dearth of apps and supported music services. In the past, I would have been paying more careful attention to the KANN Alpha’s 64GB internal storage and 1TB micro SD card support. But now, with the introduction of Astell&Kern’s Open APP feature and support for streaming services with high-res audio files, that’s less of a pressing issue.
Astell&Kern’s Open APP lets you install just about any major streaming service onto the player. I first experienced Open App in my Astell&Kern SR15 review. As of this writing, 10 Astell&Kern players support Open APP.
Ephe Nicolakis / IDG Rear view of the KANN Alpha’s multi-angled, multi-textured aluminum body and physical button controls.
I have a serious love-hate conflict with Open APP. The good news about Open APP is that you can install Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon Music, Spotify, and a dozen more streaming services to suit your taste or current subscription. The downside is that the Open APP installation process remains clunky and requires a computer. You can indulge yourself in the step-by-step installation process here.
I’m sure you’ll agree that you shouldn’t have to go through a nine-step installation process on a $1,000+ DAP. At some point in Open APP’s evolution, Astell&Kern should pre-load all these apps into the player as “ready to install,” and then provide the end user the ability to perform an over-the-air (OTA) installation over Wi-Fi. The other approach would be to pre-install a dozen or so of the most popular and allow the end user to turn them on or off. Astell&Kern just needs to make it easier for the user to get the music services they want.
While I’m truly thankful that Astell&Kern has Open APP, it’s clunky implementation sticks out like a sore thumb against the meticulous detail A&K pays to the rest of the user experience.
Effortless, musical blissI used Focal Clear, Bowers & Wilkins P9 Signature, Oppo PM-2, and Beyerdynamic Amiron Home headphones with the KANN Alpha. I used a Kimber Cable Axios 2.5mm balanced cable with the Focal Clear. Though I also paired the KANN Alpha with a pair of Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless headphones, my comments below pertain to my wired listening.
The KANN Alpha’s effortlessness is astonishing. The Alpha’s firm, unrelenting sonic grip on every single headphone was completely insane. The KANN Alpha’s control revealed ripples and textures on the classic bass lines in James Blake’s “Limit to your Love.” The Alpha articulated the details and decay of bass strings on Ingrid Michaelson’s “The Way I Am.” I noted deep, controlled, pulsating bass on Katie Melua’s “Sailing Ships from Heaven.” No matter the track, there was no smearing and no muddiness. It goes without saying that to get the most of the KANN Alpha’s bass performance, you’ll want to use closed-back headphones. The Focal Clear and Oppo PM-2 open-back headphones couldn’t deliver the deep bass performance their closed-back counterparts were capable of.
That sonic grip comes at a price: The KANN Alpha is a brutally honest customer. It won’t cuddle you or euphonize sub-par headphones. It will lay bare any shortcomings in your headphones and your source material.
Theo Nicolakis / IDG Detailed view of the KANN’s knurled volume and multi-angled industrial design.
I shook my head again and again, track after track at the attack, detail, and bass control on anything I threw at it. Music seems to emanate from a velvety black background with this player. The noise floor and channel separation are superb, allowing you to peer deeply into the music. Rebecca Pidgeon’s “Spanish Harlem,” by Chesky Records, is a reference-grade recording. It was easy to follow the subtlest decays of Ms. Pidgeon’s vocals through the KANN Alpha.
Ephe Nicolakis / IDG The KANN Alpha’s display is bright, but it’s UI exhibited some lag at times.
In fact, the KANN Alpha’s sound is so clean and distortion-free that you’ll be tempted to bathe yourself in sound for hours. You can easily lose track of how loud you’re listening to it.
The KANN Alpha’s presentation is consistent with other ESS Sabre-based players I’ve reviewed. The presentation won’t woo you with warmth; rather, the music is clean, transparent, and detailed with airy highs and tight, controlled bass. Astell&Kern hasn’t added any artificial bumps or overemphasis.
I will note that during my review period, the KANN Alpha’s body had a tendency to get warm to quite warm. How warm will depend on your headphone’s impedance and if you’re decoding DSD and high-res files.
A grand slamAstell&Kern’s KANN Alpha hits a grand slam—though not without a few stumbles around the bases. The Alpha earns its place among the finest high-res audio players I’ve reviewed. By any measure, the KANN Alpha is a superlative high-res DAP.
If you’re an audiophile who wants the freedom to connect any high-end headphone, you also want to connect your high-res DAP to your stand-alone setup, you might find the KANN Cube a better fit. If portability in a slimmer form factor is a higher priority, then you should add the SA700 to your short list.
But if you’re looking for a middle ground, something that can drive any headphone, fit in the palm of your hand, and deliver cutting-edge wireless audio tech, the Alpha is your ticket.
The Alpha’s gorgeous design; high-powered amplification; 40-meter wireless range with Bluetooth 5.0; unparalleled high-res wireless codec support; generous battery life; 2.5 and 4.4mm balanced audio connections; and effortless sound with dual ESS ES9068AS DACs are just the introduction to a long list of specs and features that truly make this the “Alpha” player among its peers. Its occasional sluggishness, clunky Open APP architecture, and fingerprint-prone surfaces are minor annoyances; they certainly aren’t enough to dampen my spirits about this superlative-sounding high-res DAP.
Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details. | https://medium.com/@sarah38475631/astell-kern-kann-alpha-review-this-digital-audio-player-delivers-the-high-res-goods-75965a00e7df | [] | 2021-01-15 05:40:26.743000+00:00 | ['Cord', 'Home Tech', 'Entertainment'] |
Astell&Kern KANN Alpha review: This digital audio player delivers the high-res goods | The KANN Alpha is the third model in Astell&Kern’s acclaimed KANN series, following the KANN (reviewed in 2018) and the KANN Cube (reviewed in 2019). These are high-end, high-res digital audio players (DAP) designed to deliver pristine audio to just about any headphone you might decide to pair it with—regardless of impedance.
The Alpha continues the KANN line’s superlative pedigree, but only a select audience will be willing to hand over $1,099 to attain its drool-worthy feature set and very high performance. This player is perfect for owners of difficult-to-drive headphones; music lovers who demand the latest advancements in wireless audio, including Bluetooth 5.0; people who demand broad high-res codec support; audiophiles who want to take full advantage of 4.4mm balanced audio support.
This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best mobile digital audio players, where you’ll find reviews of competing products, plus a buyer’s guide to the features you should consider when shopping for this type of product.Cutting-edge features, unrivaled codec supportHaving reviewed Astell&Kern’s previous two KANN models, it’s clear that each model has a specific focus. Whereas the KANN Cube was geared towards the audiophile demanding no-compromise performance and balanced audio connections to high-end audio gear, the KANN Alpha seems targeted towards the audiophile who demands the latest high tech features and wireless standards.
The KANN Alpha uses USB-C for all digital connectivity and charging. That’s a welcome sight given the original KANN’s dual-personality with both micro-USB and USB-C connectors—each with different purposes. Connect the USB-C to your computer and you can use the KANN Alpha as an all-in-one headphone amp and DAC.
Theo Nicolakis / IDGThe heart of the Alpha is an ESS Sabre ES9066AS DAC. The ES9066AS is a 32-bit stereo DAC with MQA rendering. The DAC will decode MQA, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, WAV, and every major legacy audio format, including native DSD256 decoding.
The KANN Alpha’s wireless codec support is unrivaled. The Alpha supports LDAC, MQA, aptX HD, aptX, AAC, and—of course—SBC Bluetooth codecs. The Alpha even supports MQA-CD playback when playing MQA-CD’s via Astell&Kern’s CD-Ripper.
Mentioned in this article Astell&Kern KANN Cube Read TechHive's reviewMSRP $1,499.00See it Codec support doesn’t stop there. The Alpha’s settings menu allows you to select a preferred codec for all your wireless connections. When it comes to LDAC, you have a choice between audio quality optimization or connection quality optimization. If one of the Alpha’s onboard codecs isn’t supported by your headphones or other Bluetooth receiver, then the Alpha will switch to a mutually supported codec.
Bluetooth 5.0 is on board, giving you a huge advantage in wireless operating range, speed, low power consumption, and security features. You’ll see a theoretical maximum of 800 feet in open spaces and about 130 feet in typical indoor spaces—that’s a far cry from the 33 or so feet in Bluetooth 4.2. Likewise, Bluetooth 5.0 delivers twice the speed of Bluetooth 4.2: 2Mbps vs. 1Mbps.
Astell&Kern touts the KANN Alpha’s quad-core CPU. In my testing, Astell&Kern either needs to bump the processor’s performance or optimize the underlying operating system a bit more. While the KANN Alpha is generally responsive, there were times where the player would just lag. I couldn’t find a consistent rhyme or reason. I sometimes found myself clicking things two or three times, unsure if the player had registered my input. While the lag is nowhere near the dog-awful performance of the now defunct AK Jr, for a player in this price range, performance should be snappy and precise.
It’s worth noting that the KANN Alpha retains the rich feature set of all Astell&Kern players, including DLNA network streaming. I’ll point you to my AK70 review for a more in-depth discussion of all those features.
Introducing 4.4mm balanced audio outputThe KANN Alpha sports familiar 3.5mm unbalanced and 2.5mm balanced outputs. The Alpha is the first Astell&Kern DAP to sport a 4.4mm balanced headphone connection. Astell&Kern says its 4.4mm implementation is unique and noise-free because the Alpha physically separates the 2.5mm and 4.4mm outputs using microrelays. The Alpha’s design prevents noise and interference from outputs that aren’t in use by switching them off. Smart.
Theo Nicolakis / IDG Detailed view of the KANN Alpha’s 2.5mm, 3.5mm, and 4.4mm headphone outputs.
Power and battery lifeClean power is the measure of any high-performance audio system, and the Alpha’s amplifiaction is superb. The Alpha’s internal amplifier has three gain settings—low, medium, and high—so you can match the amplifier’s output to your headphone’s impedance. Setting the amplifier to high and using the KANN’s balanced output, you’ll be able to take advantage of the Alpha’s 12Vrms output, which is the same output as the massive KANN Cube. Setting the amplifier to high will drain the battery quickly and Astell&Kern recommends connecting the USB-C charging cable if you use the amplifier in the high gain setting.
[ Further reading: The best headphones you can buy ]Draining the battery quickly is a relative term and will depend on several factors including the types of audio files you’re playing and volume levels you’re playing them at. Battery life is rate at 14.5 hours of continuous playback. You can get a full charge in about 3.5 hours. In real-world use, I sometimes went days without needing to recharge the KANN Alpha.
Protecting your hearingHearing is a precious gift. Thankfully, protecting our hearing is getting a bit easier. For the first time, an Astell&Kern DAP gave me a loudness warning. If I set the player above 50 with the 2.5mm balanced connection, or 60 with the 3.5mm output, the player warned me I could permanently damage my hearing. I had the option to defeat that warning message or enable volume limits in settings.
Doubles as an artistic statementThe KANN Alpha’s gorgeous design continues Astell&Kern’s seemingly endless play with geometric design and textures. When you buy an Astell&Kern high-res player, you’re buying a work of art as much as you are a DAP. To me, the KANN Alpha’s design is a synthesis of the KANN Cube and elements of the SA700.
The player’s all-aluminum casing has different finishes on each side. The back sports a black, brushed-aluminum finish with the words KANN machine engraved into the player’s body. The name Astell&Kern, with model and power requirements, are laser engraved. That lettering, however, only becomes visible when you shine a light on it, much like the One Ring’s Tengwar script from the Fellowship of the Ring, which appeared only when heated in fire.
Theo Nicolakis / IDGThe player’s sides and bottom are matte-finished and untextured. This time around, Astell&Kern chose to protrude the front glass ever so slightly from the player’s body and round the glass sides and edges. The tactile experience is amazing and the rounded edges create a singular line of light that complements the player’s beveled, aluminum edge.
Astell&Kern seems to be joining the 1980s throwback party by including a ceramic black, mirrored finish along the KANN Alpha’s top. Gold circular accents around the three heapdhone inputs complement the black mirrored finish. The gold color pallet reminded me of the similar black and gold color pallet on legendary high-end audio gear from Nakamichi and Pioneer Elite.
Astell&Kern says there is a special coating applied to the ceramic surface to prevent fingerprints and smudging, but I didn’t find it to be effective. In my hands, the KANN Alpha’s high gloss ceramic finish and front glass were far from oleophobic. They both collected fingerprints easily and at a far higher rate than my iPhone 12. I found myself wiping the high gloss finish and glass every now and then.
Ephe Nicolakis / IDG Top view of the KANN Alpha’s high gloss ceramic finish.
The KANN Alpha maintains the same mesmerizing LED illumination around the player’s volume knob that I first experienced in my review of Astell&Kern’s SA700 DAP. Unlike the SA700, where the LED ring took center stage, Astell&Kern has given it a more subdued role, recessing the LED ring almost inside the player’s casing. You’ll notice it if you look at the KANN Alpha from the side, but the LED ring is largely shielded from view when you look at the player head on.
Theo Nicolakis / IDG A recessed LED illuminates to tell you the resolution of the file you’re playing.
As with the SA700, the LED ring isn’t just a design element, it gives you a visual indication of the file format you’re playing. Red indicates you’re playing a 16-bit file; green, 24-bit; blue, 32-bit, and purple indicates DSD. If you don’t like the LED feature, you can turn it off through the settings menu. The LED temporarily changes to a red color pallet when you adjust the volume. The LED increases saturation to a light-saber red as you turn the volume louder, and it de-saturates towards a light rose color as you turn the volume down.
The LEDs worked as expected with local files and the Open APP version of Tidal, but I encountered an anomaly with Quobuz. With that service, both CD-quality and all high-res files up to 24-bit/192kHz showed only a red LED. Either Quobuz wasn’t streaming the high-res files advertised, or there’s a bug in the Quobuz app that isn’t registering properly with the Alpha.
Three rectangular buttons on the left side (in contrast to the KANN Cube, where the buttons sit below the volume knob on the right) are unmarked. By now, Astell&Kern assumes everyone knows the top button is previous track, the middle is play/pause, and the bottom is next track.
Open APP ServiceA valid criticism of Astell&Kern players over the years would have rightly been the dearth of apps and supported music services. In the past, I would have been paying more careful attention to the KANN Alpha’s 64GB internal storage and 1TB micro SD card support. But now, with the introduction of Astell&Kern’s Open APP feature and support for streaming services with high-res audio files, that’s less of a pressing issue.
Astell&Kern’s Open APP lets you install just about any major streaming service onto the player. I first experienced Open App in my Astell&Kern SR15 review. As of this writing, 10 Astell&Kern players support Open APP.
Ephe Nicolakis / IDG Rear view of the KANN Alpha’s multi-angled, multi-textured aluminum body and physical button controls.
I have a serious love-hate conflict with Open APP. The good news about Open APP is that you can install Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon Music, Spotify, and a dozen more streaming services to suit your taste or current subscription. The downside is that the Open APP installation process remains clunky and requires a computer. You can indulge yourself in the step-by-step installation process here.
I’m sure you’ll agree that you shouldn’t have to go through a nine-step installation process on a $1,000+ DAP. At some point in Open APP’s evolution, Astell&Kern should pre-load all these apps into the player as “ready to install,” and then provide the end user the ability to perform an over-the-air (OTA) installation over Wi-Fi. The other approach would be to pre-install a dozen or so of the most popular and allow the end user to turn them on or off. Astell&Kern just needs to make it easier for the user to get the music services they want.
While I’m truly thankful that Astell&Kern has Open APP, it’s clunky implementation sticks out like a sore thumb against the meticulous detail A&K pays to the rest of the user experience.
Effortless, musical blissI used Focal Clear, Bowers & Wilkins P9 Signature, Oppo PM-2, and Beyerdynamic Amiron Home headphones with the KANN Alpha. I used a Kimber Cable Axios 2.5mm balanced cable with the Focal Clear. Though I also paired the KANN Alpha with a pair of Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless headphones, my comments below pertain to my wired listening.
The KANN Alpha’s effortlessness is astonishing. The Alpha’s firm, unrelenting sonic grip on every single headphone was completely insane. The KANN Alpha’s control revealed ripples and textures on the classic bass lines in James Blake’s “Limit to your Love.” The Alpha articulated the details and decay of bass strings on Ingrid Michaelson’s “The Way I Am.” I noted deep, controlled, pulsating bass on Katie Melua’s “Sailing Ships from Heaven.” No matter the track, there was no smearing and no muddiness. It goes without saying that to get the most of the KANN Alpha’s bass performance, you’ll want to use closed-back headphones. The Focal Clear and Oppo PM-2 open-back headphones couldn’t deliver the deep bass performance their closed-back counterparts were capable of.
That sonic grip comes at a price: The KANN Alpha is a brutally honest customer. It won’t cuddle you or euphonize sub-par headphones. It will lay bare any shortcomings in your headphones and your source material.
Theo Nicolakis / IDG Detailed view of the KANN’s knurled volume and multi-angled industrial design.
I shook my head again and again, track after track at the attack, detail, and bass control on anything I threw at it. Music seems to emanate from a velvety black background with this player. The noise floor and channel separation are superb, allowing you to peer deeply into the music. Rebecca Pidgeon’s “Spanish Harlem,” by Chesky Records, is a reference-grade recording. It was easy to follow the subtlest decays of Ms. Pidgeon’s vocals through the KANN Alpha.
Ephe Nicolakis / IDG The KANN Alpha’s display is bright, but it’s UI exhibited some lag at times.
In fact, the KANN Alpha’s sound is so clean and distortion-free that you’ll be tempted to bathe yourself in sound for hours. You can easily lose track of how loud you’re listening to it.
The KANN Alpha’s presentation is consistent with other ESS Sabre-based players I’ve reviewed. The presentation won’t woo you with warmth; rather, the music is clean, transparent, and detailed with airy highs and tight, controlled bass. Astell&Kern hasn’t added any artificial bumps or overemphasis.
I will note that during my review period, the KANN Alpha’s body had a tendency to get warm to quite warm. How warm will depend on your headphone’s impedance and if you’re decoding DSD and high-res files.
A grand slamAstell&Kern’s KANN Alpha hits a grand slam—though not without a few stumbles around the bases. The Alpha earns its place among the finest high-res audio players I’ve reviewed. By any measure, the KANN Alpha is a superlative high-res DAP.
If you’re an audiophile who wants the freedom to connect any high-end headphone, you also want to connect your high-res DAP to your stand-alone setup, you might find the KANN Cube a better fit. If portability in a slimmer form factor is a higher priority, then you should add the SA700 to your short list.
But if you’re looking for a middle ground, something that can drive any headphone, fit in the palm of your hand, and deliver cutting-edge wireless audio tech, the Alpha is your ticket.
The Alpha’s gorgeous design; high-powered amplification; 40-meter wireless range with Bluetooth 5.0; unparalleled high-res wireless codec support; generous battery life; 2.5 and 4.4mm balanced audio connections; and effortless sound with dual ESS ES9068AS DACs are just the introduction to a long list of specs and features that truly make this the “Alpha” player among its peers. Its occasional sluggishness, clunky Open APP architecture, and fingerprint-prone surfaces are minor annoyances; they certainly aren’t enough to dampen my spirits about this superlative-sounding high-res DAP.
Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details. | https://medium.com/@natasha62147596/astell-kern-kann-alpha-review-this-digital-audio-player-delivers-the-high-res-goods-e903a32cd0fa | [] | 2020-12-24 02:13:26.341000+00:00 | ['Security Cameras', 'Consumer Electronics', 'Audio', 'Cord'] |
I Got An E In My Chemistry Exam, Should I quit? | Few days before my Chemistry exam I kept telling myself that I could do this, so instead of saying I decided to get into action just like the proverb ‘’action speaks louder than words’’. 5 days before the exam I studied really really hard just so I could make it and finally, the D-day came I wasn’t bothered Neither was I nervous I just wanted to pass! Mind you I am In my IGCSE which means a lot of hard work which I did. I came into my exam class with full hope that I could pass the exams but as soon as I stepped into my exam class, my mode changed perhaps it was the weather I said in doubt!
As soon as I came into the class the teacher had told me that I had only 25 minutes to practice and remember what I had studied so I spent my time checking out papa Cambridge- according to my Chemistry teacher one of the best ways to study for chemistry is by re-doing past papers I knew this was the only chance I had left, however, this wasn’t my first time checking out past papers from the website in fact that was the studying I was telling you guys all along! yes I was Indeed Stupid! a few minutes later my studying had to stop and it was time to prove if it was really worth it, the paper was only 1hour long so I thought it wouldn't be too hard!
This was how my initial question paper looked like!
I opened the question paper with full courage- it started with about 18 multiple questions and 5 objective questions which weren’t too much of a big deal, I decided I had to get going regardless as soon as I started answering the question it seemed to get a little bit harder, in fact, most of the question was about the periodic table and ions/compounds! I was genuinely good at the periodic table but not the others and the biggest coma attacked me at that point so I decided to guess my way through and started doubting my first answers unknowingly that those answers I first picked were correct! in fact, I would have gotten a pure 12/18 if I had confidence in myself and had read the book rather than spending 5 days on the past papers.
#THE BIG DAY!#
Due to the pandemic, I wasn’t able to attend school, So my Principle decided that GCSE-A levels had to do online classes which was my biggest nightmare and I hated it more than I hate broccoli! but I had to endure just like they say patience is another key to success. I was in English class when I received a scanned document from my science teacher and guess what it was! it was my marked chemistry paper, before opening it I prayed as hard as I could ever do on earth, but as I opened it I wished I would have gone blind for that moment It was a shocking scream ‘’An E-’’ I broke down into tears at that moment I was thinking and saying all to my self ‘’HOW DO I TELL THEM’’ I meant my parents I was devastated I decided to wipe my tears off before my mum showed up whilst I was heading to the next class my mum rang the bell and I was the only one in the house so I had to open up the door, after seeing my face she asked why my eyes were red so I had to create a lie ‘’I accidentally poked my eyes’’ I replied in shock!
my full out mode!
in conclusion: The past papers didn’t cause my failure, I did. I knew the answers to my exam and would have probably gotten a B-C in the exam If I had read the actual book instead of past papers do you guys have any other ideas of how I could study in the future?, or should I quit chemistry? hopefully, people learn from my mistake sometimes we cannot cram everything we just have to memorize it and practice makes perfect, Next time, I would not be afraid of writing an answer I think is right! | https://medium.com/@habibatibrahim2006/i-got-an-e-in-my-chemistry-exam-should-i-quit-dff4eefc427d | [] | 2020-12-20 18:55:04.297000+00:00 | ['Failure', 'Quitting', 'Chemistry', 'Storytelling', 'Education'] |
Work is Timeless, Stake is Not | Proof of Stake is Proof of Temporary Stake
Proof-of-Stake is a misnomer. The correct, fully descriptive name for Proof-of-Stake should be Proof-of-Temporary-Stake (PoTS). This name is more accurate because it captures the time element, or lack thereof, of PoS.
To understand the effects of Time, let’s first analyze how Time plays a role in PoW.
The ongoing energy expenditure in PoW contributes to network security in 2 ways:
Energy expended per block not only secures the UTXOs belonging in that block but also retroactively secures all global UTXOs that occurred in past blocks. The reason for this is because it would be impossible to revert past UTXOs without reverting the current block first. Each new block effectively “buries” all existing UTXOs under its weight.
Investment in specialized mining equipment, in essence, represents the potential stream of rewards earned in the future, discounted back to the present. When a miner invests in a new piece of mining equipment, it is akin to buying a share of stock that pays regular dividends. What that means is that mining hardware in totality roughly represents potential energy expenditure of future blocks.
One way to visualize this is to imagine a timeline. Units of work expended in the past accumulate in the ledger. Units of work expended in the future accumulate in the current mining hardware.
Ledger accumulates past work; Mining hardware accumulates future work.
As time moves forward, units of work on the right side materialize and move to the left side. Mining hardware can also be seen as a “buffer”, a place where units of work deposit before making their way to their final destination: the ledger [4].
The official term to describe this sort of time-based accumulation phenomenon is stock & flow, which occurs often in nature. Bitcoin is essentially protected by high stock-to-flow ratios in 2 areas: the ledger, and the mining hardware. (Go here for a detailed discussion of stock & flow.)
In contrast, PoS has no equivalent of this.
Past stakes (left side of the timeline) do not accumulate in the ledger, as stake is released after some arbitrary bonding period [5]. Long-range attack is the manifestation of this weakness: it works because of PoS’s inability to secure the past. Long range attack is at the heart of the problems with PoS, because it shows that in the long run PoS fails to guarantee the integrity of the ledger — the most important asset of all this innovation.
Future stakes (right side of the timeline) also do not accumulate in the validators in the present time, as again the act of staking only has meaning within the short window that it occurs — what happens in the future does not count today. Current-private-keys-theft is the manifestation of this weakness: it works because of PoS’s inability to secure the future. Keys theft sidesteps altogether the financial cost supposedly required to acquire controlling stake — whereas in PoW there’s no sidestepping the fact that an attacker needs to overcome the mining hardware and ongoing energy costs to pull off and sustain a majority attack [6].
(There is one form of accumulation in PoS. That is, the periodic staking rewards that accrue to the validators. However, unlike accumulation in PoW, rewards accumulation is only beneficial to the individual PoS validators, not to overall network security.)
In summary: the further one moves away from the present time in PoS, the faster stake loses its meaning, until stake becomes meaningless.
Work is robust against the ravages of time [7]. Stake is not.
The fact that the cost of PoW mining is irretrievably sunk and accumulates both in the ledger and the mining hardware, is an important feature, not a bug. PoS research is often based on the fundamental misconception that this is a bug and a source of inefficiency.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Vijay Boyapati, Bob McElrath, LaurentMT, Nic Carter and Steve Lee for their valuable feedback.
*Note: Another major criticism of PoS is that PoS pretty much guarantees a plutocracy system (rich getting richer). That is not discussed here as it is not related to security strength per se, and deserves its own separate discussion.
[1] Some might confuse unforgeable costliness with the labor theory of value, but they are not the same thing. Energy cost alone is not enough, the asset must be unforgeable.
[2] Dollar is only used as a unit here for convenience, it could be any other unit of account.
[3] For a PoS currency, relying on an external source of randomness involves circular reasoning fallacy. Therefore it is highly desirable that PoS generates randomness internally, using the content of its own ledger. However, this proves to be a difficult problem that has its own trade-offs.
[4] Not all units of work make it all the way to the ledger. Some are thrown away, but even thrown-away work are necessary to keep the network decentralized.
[5] The concept of “finality” does not change the (lack of) accumulation aspect of PoS, as new/long-dormant/partitioned nodes can see different “finalities”.
[6] Hardware seizure (e.g. by a state actor) is a risk in PoW, however this risk can be mitigated as long as mining is sufficiently decentralized. Disperse hardware, however, is not a defensive option for PoS, as PoS validators are just software nodes — which can be targeted from anywhere remotely. More importantly, even with seized hardware, an attacker still can’t avoid ongoing energy costs.
[7] Work is timeless / robust in terms of number of hashes, not energy required. New hardware technologies could improve mining efficiency — although at some point the efficiency gains will slow down as we run into hard physical limits. The robustness of Bitcoin’s PoW also relies on SHA256 not being broken. | https://hugonguyen.medium.com/work-is-timeless-stake-is-not-554c4450ce18 | ['Hugo Nguyen'] | 2018-11-04 18:31:42.069000+00:00 | ['Proof Of Stake', 'Proof Of Work', 'Blockchain', 'Time', 'Bitcoin'] |
What is ETH 2.0 and What is Happening in Phase 0? | When it comes to the cryptocurrency space, there are arguably no blockchain projects more important than Ethereum. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap was also the mother of ‘Generation 2’ for blockchain’s as it introduced smart contracts and the notion of a ‘World Computer.’
The potential and possibility that Ethereum introduced to the technology have since been taken up by a number of other projects and platforms, but Ethereum still remains an integral part of the evolution of blockchain. Thus, when it was announced that Ethereum 2.0 would be coming, a lot of people took note.
Now, Ethereum 2.0 is launched, and this all begins with ETH2.0 Phase 0 Beacon Chain, set for completion next year. This will kick off the major upgrade for Ethereum in order for it to attempt to reach its goal of being a ‘World Computer.’
Those who have followed Ethereum since its creation would have seen how far it has come, but also picked up on the numerous shortfalls — including its scalability and the speed of its development. The hope is in Ethereum 2.0, via three important upgrades (The Casper Consensus, Sharding and eWASM Virtual Machine) this programmable blockchain will once again burst forward into the next evolution of blockchain technology.
🔹What is Ethereum 2.0 — and why?
As with any technology, the prefix ‘2.0’ hints at a major upgrade to the previous version — and this is exactly what Ethereum 2.0 is. The blockchain has been created, realised the path of its potential, but not been able to reach that in its current form calling for major upgrades in its next step.
But, ETH 2.0 is regarded as building a new generation of Ethereum blockchain more than just upgrading the existing network. The important goal of ETH 2.0 is to complete the transformation of the consensus mechanism of the main network from Proof Of Work to Proof Of Stake; greatly improve the performance of the blockchain network with sharding technology, and improve the execution speed of the smart contract by advanced virtual machines.
The biggest change is clearly the change in consensus mechanism, but this is not a decision that has been taken lightly or quickly as the co-founder of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, began to study the switch of Ethereum to PoS network in 2015, and officially proposed the 2.0 plan in the speech of Devcon 4 conference in 2018.
Already we have seen important hard fork phases such as Frontier, Homestead, Metropolis Byzantium, and Metropolis Constantinople to prepare for the final Serenity PoS network upgrade.
But why change from PoW — the same consensus mechanism that Bitcoin uses — to PoS? To begin, Ethereum’s Ethash PoW mining algorithm ensured the authority and non-tamperability of block data, but it also sacrificed the transaction throughput and scalability of the network. Any transaction requires all nodes to spend computing resources to hash, which is the ‘common fault’ of all blockchain projects with PoW as the consensus mechanism.
The current transaction processing speed of the Ethereum main chain is still between 15–20 tps, while most competitors have given up the PoW mechanism allowing them to surpass Ethereum in terms of performance.
For Ethereum to realize its goal of being the ‘World Computer’ there is just no way it can go on with 15–20 tps and this is why the change to The Casper Consensus has become necessary.
The other big changes that will go along with this consensus change include the use of sharding to also help with scaling and performance, as well as the new virtual machine eWASM. Many believe that eWASM will help create an ecosystem that’s fast, scalable, and flexible, encouraging developers to build complex smart contracts on top of Ethereum 2.0.
🔹A long way to go
So it is clear that Ethereum 2.0 is a major upgrade to the network, in fact, more of an evolution. We have also understood the need for the changes that are going to be implemented. It has also alluded that this is not an overnight process, and the completion of Ethereum 2.0 will not be rapid either. There is a lot of work that needs to happen to make this new implementation happen.
For starters, Ethereum 1.0 is a single main chain that processes all transaction information of the network. All nodes participating in the network process the transactions in order (including the transactions in the smart contract). The processing order is completely packaged in blocks and then serially processed. The final node reaches a consensus but the process efficiency is low.
However, starting from ETH 2.0, Ethereum will establish a three-layer network structure, as shown below, including the existing PoW Main Chain, Beacon Chain, and Sharding Chain. It will also incorporate a new cryptocurrency, called BETH that will have to coexist with ETH for some time.
This is why Ethereum 2.0 is taking this process in phases, and it starts with Phase 0. Phase 0 is the first phase of the Ethereum 2.0 launch. This will release the proof-of-stake network, which will come online this year. This will see ETH 2.0 begin as an independent PoS network with the additional phases: sharding, eWASM, and the direction of subsequent continuous innovation, still being dynamically formulated.
Beacon Chain will be launched in Serenity Phase 0. The Beacon Chain is the one that will be based on PoS. At this stage, the Beacon Chain PoS anchors the current PoW main chain, registers the verifier management contract on the main chain, manages the security deposit pledge of the verification node, verification node addition, and election. The main work of the Beacon Chain network stage is to launch Casper PoS consensus.
At Phase 0, ETH2.0 is not equipped with sharding technology and smart contracts, so it does not support on-chain transfers.
🔹An ambitious approach
There is no getting away from the fact that Ethereum is looking to undertake an ambitious upgrade with Ethereum 2.0. It has been one in the works for some time and will continue to be worked upon for years to come. Technologically, it makes a lot of sense and looks to be pushing Ethereum in the direction to reach its goal, but only time will tell.
There have been some controversy, criticism, and issues already before Phase 0 has even been enacted with this upgrade, and there will continue to be major concerns along the way. However, blockchain technology is still very nascent and is still finding a way to ingrain itself into the next technological evolution, so Ethereum could help grease the rails towards this.
Thanks for reading, make sure to follow us on our Huobi Twitter, and join our official Telegram. | https://medium.com/huobi-global/what-is-eth-2-0-and-what-is-happening-in-phase-0-401bfdc91604 | ['Huobi Global'] | 2020-12-04 06:31:18.025000+00:00 | ['Huobi', 'Ethereum 2', 'Ethereum', 'Proof Of Stake', 'Buyeth'] |
The truth behind a viral video — poverty and dysfunctional education system in Cambodia | Learning center of CTEP in Siem Reap Province (Image by Huiyu Huang)
Remember the Cambodia boy selling souvenirs at Angkor Wat who speaks sixteen languages? Thuch Salik’s life has dramatically changed after a video of him peddling souvenirs while making conversation with a tourist in different languages went viral. Donations come from all over the world and he is now sponsored to study in China with a full-ride scholarship. When the Internet was amazed by his language skills, what is behind this lifestyle and why this little boy had to acquire such skill to impress, or amuse tourists, into buying cheap souvenirs is often overlooked.
Thuch was only one of the thousands of kids who dropped out of school for selling souvenirs at tourist spots to support their families. As you walk in Angkor Archaeological Park, you will undoubtedly be petitioned by children to buy postcards, magnets, or other handcrafted souvenirs. They often approach with the question of where you are from and start making conversation, usually persuading you buying things from them, in your language, that’s how kids like Thuch make their livings. However, visitors who buy from street children, or simply give them money, might perpetuate a system that keeps the children out of school.
Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (%) (Source: World Bank)
Cambodia’s poverty and loan crisis
According to Asian Development Bank Statistics, 12.9% of the population lives below the national poverty line of US$0.93 per capita per day in 2018. Almost 8.27% of employees are paid below US$1.9 for their daily wages, which is far below the Cambodian living wage of 761200 KHR (US$190) per month. With many families struggling to make ends meet, they have no choice but to turn to microfinance — a financial unit with high interest, to make living. From the record of the Cambodian Microfinance Association, almost 2.2 million adult Cambodians of the total population of 16 million have a microcredit loan with an average debt is $3,320 — roughly twice the country’s annual GDP per person. This has caused a vicious circle and makes Cambodia the country with the highest debt rate in Southeastern Asia.
Such a burden falls on the shoulders of all family members. Parents in rural Cambodia are not aware of the importance of their kids receiving education, as they have a bigger reality to worried about — the next meal. In the Cambodian primary system, students only need to attend half-day in class and spend the other half-day helping with family finance. Some help on the farm while some sell stuff to tourists on the streets.
A fundamental fragility in the education sector
Children ages 7–14 in employment, study, and work (%) (Source: World Bank)
Children selling souvenirs at tourist spots make way more money than adult employees, as tourists tend to buy a souvenir from street kids rather than adult vendors, and some even give them money out of sympathy. This makes Cambodian parents send their kids to sell things or beg from tourists instead of sending them to school.
Despite the data shows most of the children are documented as “part-timers,” Net Channarith, education manager of CTEP, a local NGO, pointed out that most kids are taught by their parents to tell tourists and NGO workers that they are receiving education just to get out of trouble. Many NGOs have been offering after-school education for those who want to improve other skills, for instance, English or French, or computer, however, from their observation, the drop-out rate remains very high as the same problem compulsory education institution is facing.
Population of official entering age for primary school and the actual enroll number (Source: World Bank)
Cambodians are deeply wounded in various aspects after Khmer Rouge. Since Pol Pot declared 1975 as “Year Zero” in the country. He resettled hundreds of thousands of the country’s city-dwellers to labor camps in the countryside and abolish the country’s currency, aiming to push Cambodia to an extrema Communism. The intellectuals were brutally murdered, and children are forcing out of school. The regime resulted in the deaths of nearly a quarter of Cambodia and was ended as the Vietnamese Army invaded Cambodia in 1979.
A typical Cambodian classroom in Battambong Province (Image by Huiyu Huang)
With no proper education for school kids and the low survival rate of educated Cambodians, the country’s education level was set back almost decades only within four years. After Khmer Rouge, enrollment peaked in 1980, showing that children at school age gradually going back to school. However, the life of Cambodians didn’t go back to peace but remain chaotic. After the Khmer Rouge regime was overthrown, the country experienced political turbulence between the current prime minister Hun Sen and Norodom Ranariddh, the half brother of the current king. United Nations took over the administration of Cambodia as a peacekeeping operation from 1992 to 1993, until the new government was elected. This war-ridden kingdom has since receiving foreign aids from International organizations up until today. The local community largely depends on foreign aids for every sector of social development.
Improvements and ways forwards
According to statistics, there are about 3500 registered NGOs in Cambodia, which is the second-highest number of NGOs per capita in the world, after only Rwanda.
Drop-out rate of primary education, both sexes (%) (Source: World Bank)
After years of reconstruction by International institutions and NGOs, Cambodia has been getting back on its feet. The dropout rate of primary education has steadily decreased and enrollment number at the official age is reaching a plateau. However, the gross enrolment ratio is still low in comparison to other Southeastern Asian countries. There is still a long way to go for this kingdom nation, and its government should take up the responsibility in maintaining the country on its own, rather than heavily depending on foreign organizations to fill up the gaps in the government’s social and economic policies. | https://medium.com/@magshuang/the-truth-behind-a-viral-video-poverty-and-dysfunctional-education-system-778170d1f735 | ['Mags Huang'] | 2020-12-14 12:35:23.626000+00:00 | ['Education', 'Cambodia', 'Poverty', 'Viral Video', 'Education Reform'] |
Live shopping isn’t coming — it’s already here | Singles Day, the annual Chinese shopping festival that happens on November 11th, kicked off this year on October 21st. It might sound strange for a one day festival to start 3 weeks early, but Singles Day has grown into a nearly month long shopping season with multiple presales events that are celebrated throughout China and even in Southeast Asia and parts of Europe.
And in regions where it’s not celebrated, Singles Day is still closely watched because of the record setting sales volumes it generates. For example in 2019, Singles Day resulted in more parcels shipped (1.66 billion) than there are people in China. Alibaba alone sold over $38 billion worth of merchandise on Singles Day. That was more than 4 times the volume that every company in the US generated on Cyber Monday combined, which added up to a comparatively meager $9.4 billion in sales.
2020 will be no exception with Singles Day sure to post all sorts of eye popping numbers. In fact, Singles Day has already produced one remarkable stat from October 21st: Alibaba sold a staggering $1.1 billion in merchandise in 30 minutes through its Taobao Live video service. That’s $36.7 million in sales happening every minute through live video shopping streams from internet celebrity influencers. To put that number in perspective, Qurate (owners of QVC and HSN who originated the live shopping format in the US) generated $3.4 billion in revenue in its most recent quarter. Alibaba did almost a third of that entire 3 month haul in only half an hour.
Star live shopping influencers Viya Huang and Li Jiaqi have generated a combined $150 million in sales for Singles Day already
Last year’s Singles Day event was already a coming out party for live shopping in China as Alibaba disclosed impressive stats from Taobao Live for the first time, which included:
$2.8 billion in total live shopping sales
17,000 brands who live streamed during the event to more than a 500 million viewers
And even one live shopping stream that sold 55 cars in 1 second
But somehow, 2020 is poised to be an even bigger moment for video ecommerce. Covid-19 has boosted live shopping to even new heights in 2020 as Alibaba reported a 7x increase in new merchants live streaming on their platform this year, and 126 million more viewers of those live shopping streams. The overall live shopping industry is forecasted to grow more than 100% YoY to reach $129 billion this year. And coming back to Singles Day, Alibaba Vice President Liu Bo expects live shopping to “take center stage” on November 11th. At the current growth rate, we may see live shopping account for a full 25% of all Singles Day sales this year, up from zero just a few years ago.
So as live shopping is poised to breakout again during China’s biggest ecommerce event of the year, what’s the outlook for online live shopping in the US? When will we see the format have a similarly significant, multibillion dollar impact in this country. After all, we are responsible for the offline combination of video and commerce when HSN first began broadcasting in 1982. Given our nearly 40 year head start, why hasn’t online live shopping broken out yet in the US?
Maybe it already has.
Storytelling, Intimacy, and Authenticity
So what is it that makes live shopping special in the first place? The format, which combines video and commerce, has three important benefits:
Storytelling. Video itself, the combination of sight + sound + motion, has no peer in its ability to tell rich stories. This applies to live shopping as well, where products can be shown off in engaging, attention grabbing ways that often involve debuts or “first looks”. Intimacy. At QVC, the goal for the host is to create an “over the backyard fence” feeling to their broadcasts that draws viewers in as if they are listening to a conversation with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable friend. This same type of personal feel is even more pronounced online as hosts can interact with viewers to create an even more intimate relationship. Authenticity. It’s harder to fake things in video, compared to text and images. When a host shows a specific product doing a specific task in a live shopping stream, they most likely are in possession of that product and it is indeed doing that task. Video is simply more authentic than other media formats.
And these 3 benefits match exactly to a traditional purchasing funnel that maps out the steps a customer goes through when conducting commerce:
Awareness: the customer becomes aware that a product or service exists. Compelling video storytelling allows new products to stand out and be noticed by customers. Consideration: the customer learns more about the product or service to inform their decision. Intimacy with the shopping host who is explaining and endorsing a product gives the customer conviction around their purchase decision. Transaction: the customer decides to buy the product or service. Seeing the host they trust use the product in a video creates authenticity that the product is safe and legitimate to buy.
As commerce consultant Rick Watson eloquently says, online live shopping represents “the entire purchase funnel in one place”. It certainly does in China, where Alibaba will drive billions of dollars in online live shopping sales next week. But what about in the US, where the digital successor to QVC has yet to fully emerge?
Sure you can argue that online live shopping hasn’t had a defining moment yet stateside. But if you break down online live shopping into its individual benefits of storytelling, intimacy, and authenticity, there are actually clear examples of breakout momentum already happening in the US.
For storytelling, take Apple’s annual WWDC conference, which drew an online audience of 22 million this past June. That’s 22 million people (almost twice the number who tuned into the championship clinching Game 6 of the MLB World Series) that watched what was effectively a live commercial promoting Apple products through news and narrative. Every year, Apple brilliantly uses live video at WWDC to drive awareness of their products and services (as does Google with I/O, Facebook with Connect, Amazon with Alexa Live, and more).
Apple CEO Tim Cook at WWDC 2020
For intimacy, take the unboxing video category on YouTube and other video platforms, which is arguably the closest online reimagination of QVC with charismatic social media influencers expertly playing the role of shopping host as they open, use, review, and opine on products. While the unboxing happen both through live streams and ondemand videos, the effect is the same: users can listen and participate in conversations about products in an intimate setting that helps them develop conviction to buy or not. This has led to 68% of YouTube users reporting that they watch YouTube videos to help them make a purchase decision.
Recent live streams from YouTube tech unboxing star Linus Tech Tips
And that brings us to authenticity and the key difference currently between the China market and the US market for online live shopping: authenticity doesn’t solve an acute problem in the US. In both China and the US, live shopping provides tremendous user value with its storytelling and intimacy benefits. But only in China has the the authenticity benefit proven invaluable because of the greater prevalence of counterfeit and fraud with online transactions. This has led customers in China to purchase billions of dollars worth of products directly from live shopping videos, which offer a higher degree of authenticity. However in the US, where we have buyer protection programs, credit card disputes, and other ways to safeguard the purchaser, we don’t need live shopping’s authenticity to provide another solution. US shoppers are therefore perfectly comfortable completing the transaction and buying the product elsewhere, even though they may have discovered and developed conviction for that product from live shopping.
While online live shopping spans the full purchase funnel in China (awareness, consideration, and transaction steps), it’s an upper funnel experience in the US. Again that doesn’t mean that live shopping hasn’t seen big success in this country. It just means that success has been mostly within the awareness and consideration steps, instead of generating the kind of big sales numbers that China can tout which happen lower funnel.
The lower funnel is there, just indirect
As the world has been sheltering in place, video games have seen a spike in popularity as a way to both keep ourselves entertained and interact with others. Two games have enjoyed particularly noteworthy popularity during Covid-19: Fall Guys and Among Us.
Fall Guys became the number one game on Steam selling 7 million copies, and also became the most downloaded game of all time on PlayStation Plus — and that was all in its first month of release. Since September 1st, Among Us has been the number one overall iPhone app in the App Store for 52 days (and the past 42 consecutive days), making it more popular than Zoom, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube over that period. The app had over 84 million phone downloads in September alone. Combined, the two games have generated more than $200 million in revenue this fall.
In addition to both being created by independent game studios, Fall Guys and Among Us also shared another common characteristic: they both owe their breakout success to live shopping. Immediately upon its debut, Fall Guys became the most streamed party game with viewers watching as much as 6 million hours per day. Not to be outdone, Among Us took over the top position in September hitting a peak of 9 million hours watched per day. That’s hundreds of millions of hours watching live video streams of gamers playing and talking about Fall Guys and Among Us. Hundreds of millions of hours watching a host use and discuss a product over live video. Sound familiar?
Still don’t see the connection? Then take the hit game Fortnite, which earned nearly $1.8 billion in revenue last year, mostly from selling in-game virtual goods like character outfits (or skins). Early this year, Fortnite partnered with popular streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins on a custom skin, which Ninja promoted to his fans during his game streams. Ninja was literally selling a $15 product via a live video stream just like a live shopping host might.
For Among Us and Fall Guys, the live streams also functioned just like live shopping videos. The game streams are packed with engaging storytelling, creating tremendous awareness of those games. The streamers connect with their viewers through close, intimate conversations, which informs consideration on whether the games are worth owning and playing. And then those viewers, after watching those video streams, went off and purchased Fall Guys and Among Us in record numbers. Even though that transaction occurred on Steam instead of Twitch, it still occurred because of the live stream on Twitch.
This is just one of countless examples of awareness and consideration from online live shopping driving transactions. Apple generates huge sales in the weeks following WWDC and their other product events. Purchases. Toy company Zuru recently shared that unboxing videos that they posted on TikTok led to significant increases in their toy sales. More purchases. The lower funnel transactions do end up eventually happening even in the US market from online live shopping. They just end up happening later, indirectly, and mostly outside of the video experience.
But this will change. Although analog live shopping on TV is mature in the US, remember that online live shopping and the blending of video and ecommerce in general is still in its infancy. And with more time, there will sure to be more innovations that grow live shopping and video ecommerce to cover the entire purchase funnel.
Live shopping is here, but it’s also coming. | https://efeng.medium.com/live-shopping-isnt-coming-it-s-already-here-5f5b2230e5b2 | ['Eric Feng'] | 2020-11-09 00:13:54.523000+00:00 | ['Shopping', 'Live Streaming', 'Ecommerce', 'Alibaba', 'Live'] |
Video Formats, Codecs and Containers (Explained) | Video Formats, Codecs and Containers (Explained)
Since the start of digital video in 1988, new video formats are developed every year in an attempt to provide improvements in quality, file size and video playback. The popularity of video continues to grow rapidly, with 78% of people watching at least one digital video on one of their devices every single day; However video formats and how they work is still a subject of much confusion for most people. Whether you need to convert your video file to play in a specific browser or device, or you’re an editor looking to build your knowledge on video formats in general, we’ll teach you the basics you need to understand video files and how to use them to your advantage. In this video you’ll learn about the most popular formats, codecs and containers for the web today, which parts they consist of, and what format will be best for your situation.
Read More About Hotstar Mod Apk
First we need to understand what a video format is. Usually people refer to the file’s extension as the video file’s format, but this isn’t entirely correct. Some formats consist as a combination of files, folders and even playlists, all of which are needed to play the video properly. To better understand video formats, let’s take a look at one specific video file and understand how all of it’s parts work together to display the videos you see on your screen. The file extension is actually a representation of what’s called the Container. A Container for a video file is the part that contains all of the other files needed to play back a specific video. These files include the video stream, the audio stream, and the meta data. This works with the video stream telling the player what needs to appear on the screen while the audio stream tells the player which sounds needs to be played alongside the video. The meta data, which means “data about data”, includes all of the other information about the video, including things like the bit-rate type, resolution, subtitles, device and time of creation, and more. One of the most important pieces of meta data which you may have run into if you’ve worked with video files, is the codec. The word codec is a combination of the words, coder and decoder. As the title suggests it creates an encoded video or audio stream, making it smaller and easier to manage.
The player or target software then decodes it based on the rules set by that codec, and plays back the video with similar quality to the original. Just like containers, there are hundreds of different codecs used on various audio and video files. Companies like Qencode allow you to convert your videos to the all latest codecs. Let’s cover the most important codecs for you to use, as well as their advantages and disadvantages. Let’s start with the video codecs. A good place to begin is H.264, or AVC as it’s commonly referred to. H.264 is by far the most commonly used video codec, mostly because it provides a significantly better bitrate over it’s predecessors for the same file size. For this reason, it is very widely supported and you can be confident you will rarely run into any support issues using the H.264. It’s successor, H.265 is referred to as HEVC which stands for High Efficiency Video Coding. This codec delivers on it’s name, with a compression rate that is almost double that of H.264. This means the a file encoded with HEVC is going to be at least 50% smaller than a file encoded in AVC. This is extremely beneficial for resolutions above 2k as well as video streaming. The flip side of HEVC is that it’s much more complicated to encode, requiring triple the resources for the video to be prepared for playback. And just like H.264, H.265 is a proprietary codec and has a royalty associated with it’s usage. Although adoption of HEVC is growing, after 3 years it’s still not nearly as popular it’s predecessor. Apple has recently announced that they will support HEVC video, however there are some new codecs on the rise which give doubts as to whether it will become dominant. For example, VP9 was developed by Google to be a royalty free and open source codec. Originally it was used for YouTube, because it also reduced bitrate 50% more that it’s predecessor, VP8. Just like H.265, it’s good for high resolutions and live streaming, but is harder to decode and less supported than H.264. However, the technology behind VP9 generally makes streams more consistent and reliable, while H.265 usually provides a better overall image quality. It’s also important to note that VP9 commonly uses the WebM or IVF containers, which we don’t have time to cover as part of this video. A new royalty-free codec, called AV1, is currently in development. Although it is still officially unreleased, people who have started to use it say it shows a lot of promise. If wanna learn more, check out the link in our description. We just covered the main video codecs you need to think about, but audio codecs are a different story and also very important to your video. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular codecs for audio, to help you better understand which one best fits your needs. MP3 is one of the most famous audio codecs out there. Developed by the Moving Pictures Experts Group in 1993, this lossy audio codec takes advantage of the limitations of human hearing, often referred to as auditory masking. An example of this is that an MP3 often is reduced to 128 kbs, which sounds almost like the original CD but is only 9% of the size. 24 years later, mp3 continues to be a popular format for sharing and playing back audio content, but it has limited functionality for video and there are a few other audio codecs that have become increasingly popular over the years.
For example AAC, which stands for Advanced Audio Coding, is a proprietary audio codec developed shortly after MP3. The main benefits of AAC are that it’s widely supported and that you get better sound for the same bitrate. This has made AAC the most popular codec to use for videos today. There are little support issues and most of the time the is the best codec to use for your video, however AAC does have a limit on audio channels, which means we will need another codec to handle more robust video experiences. If you need surround sound or backwards compatibility with Dolby products, AC3 may be the codec for you as it has a full range of channels, allowing it to fully preserve surround sound settings. But aside from DVD players and digital television, AC3 doesn’t have nearly the device support of AAC. There are other codecs as well, but currently those are the most important for audio and video. Now that we know the basics, we can finally talk about video file formats. File Formats are standardized rules for storing the containers, codecs, meta data and sometimes even folder structure of video files, so that it’s easier to support them across a large number of different devices and players. Since the very first digital video formats became popular, new formats have been developed every year in an attempt to take their place — aiming for improvements in image quality, file size, video playback, and the addition of special features. A video format can become popular when a large platform decides to support content with that format in their product, usually because of a technological breakthrough or special use case. This often creates a self perpetuating adoption cycle where creators produce more content in that format so that they can be compatible with the large platform, which then makes other platforms support that format because now there is so much more content being produced in that format. In this video we will teach you which video formats are most popular today and which formats are best to use in certain situations. First of all, there are some formats that are popular for video editing and others that are popular for online distribution. This is because editing videos generally demands higher quality files while online distribution focuses on smaller file sizes and smoother playback. For the purposes of this video, we’re mainly covering online distribution to address the growing demand of on the internet. Also, stick around until the end of this video for special tips getting the best quality from your YouTube uploads, by using the right formats, codecs and settings. Let’s start by covering some of the most popular formats. That first format we’ll look at is MP4, more specifically MPEG-4, and even more specifically MPEG-4 Part 14. The name MPEG-4 can be very confusing because different people use it for dozens of completely different things. The three most common things people mean when they say MPEG-4 are: The MP4 Container (MPEG-4 Part 14), which we are currently discussing The ISO Base Media File Format (MPEG-4 Part 12) used for video streams. The H.264 codec (MPEG-4 Part 10) is used to compress video files. For the purposes of this video, we are talking about the MP4 format, which is virtually synonymous with the container. MP4 is a great container for exporting videos for the web, because of it exists in a single container and has wide support across devices and operating systems. Due to the unpredictability of a user’s internet speed and growing demand of live streaming, a newer video technology, called adaptive bitrate segmentation, has been growing in popularity of the last few years. Adaptive bitrate, commonly referred to as ABR, works by converting a video stream into multiple resolutions, and splitting into several smaller second clips with different bitrates. This clips can then be swapped between each other if there are changes to the wifi or mobile network, preventing interruption of playback while the user’s internet catches up. In 2009, Apple developed HLS also known as HTTP live streaming. It quickly became the most popular format built on adaptive bitrate since delivering the clips over HTTP made it compatible with a wide range of devices and firewalls. Unlike MP4, one of the key files in HLS is the m3u playlist file, often called the manifest, with the extension .m3u8. which brings all of these parts together. MPEG-DASH is another adaptive bitrate format developed by the Motion Pictures Experts Group, and similar to HLS it uses the HTTP protocol. The main difference with DASH is that it’s an open-source format and it was developed for global standardization, which it achieved in 2012 when it officially became the first International Standard for adaptive streaming. Although HLS is still the most popular online streaming format, MPEG-DASH is quickly catching up. The royalty-free approach was made it popular initially, however this is still very good format to explore.
This covers the most important formats, containers and codecs for audio and video today. Let us know which combinations of formats and codecs you’re thinking of using in the comments below! Do you already have a setup that is working well for you? We’d love to hear from you. And now, on to our special tip: What video settings are best to upload a video to YouTube to get the very result? If you have the option to export your videos with any settings you choose, these are the settings you need to get the highest quality from your videos on YouTube. First of all, the best format for a YouTube upload is the MP4 container using the H.264 codec. Set the audio channel to Stereo or Stereo 5.1 with a sample rate of 96khz. Make sure your Aspect Ratio is 16:9 and your frame rate is set to 60fps. If you can’t set your framerate that high, choose the highest between 50, 48, 30, 25, or 24 frames per second. For bitrate, the best settings will depend on a combination of resolution, frame rate and whether or not the video is HDR. Please use this graph to find the bitrate setting ideal for your video. You can pause the video while you do so {short pause} The audio bitrate will depend on your channel settings. For Stereo 5.1, set it to 512 kbps, for just just stereo, set it to 384, and for Mono use 128 kbps. You can find all of this information, as well as some more advanced settings in the Google Help Center. We’ll post a direct link in the description. If this video was helpful to you, please hit the like button and subscribe to our channel for more interesting videos about digital media technology. This video is brought to you by Qencode — the better cloud video transcoding solution. Get 500 minutes free by visiting qencode.com and utilize our highly scalable, low-cost, and fully customizable transcoding platform for your business today. Also, be sure to check out some of our other videos. | https://medium.com/@adxxzsdad/video-formats-codecs-and-containers-explained-ebe0b947b9 | [] | 2020-12-21 08:38:04.433000+00:00 | ['Hotstar', 'Disney', 'Video', 'Video Streaming', 'Online Streaming'] |
TNDL: “CHRIST, OUR ETERNAL FUTURE RIGHTEOUS KING OF KINGS, REIGNS OVER THE WHOLE WORLD! SEE ISAIAH 11.” | Isaiah 11 New International Version
The Branch From Jesse
11 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him —
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord —
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. 11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush,[b] from Elam, from Babylonia,[c] from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean.
12 He will raise a banner for the nations
and gather the exiles of Israel;
he will assemble the scattered people of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,
and Judah’s enemies[d] will be destroyed;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.
14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west;
together they will plunder the people to the east.
They will subdue Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites will be subject to them.
15 The Lord will dry up
the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand
over the Euphrates River.
He will break it up into seven streams
so that anyone can cross over in sandals.
16 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people
that is left from Assyria,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from Egypt.
Footnotes
Isaiah 11:6 Hebrew; Septuagint lion will feed
Isaiah 11:11 That is, the upper Nile region
Isaiah 11:11 Hebrew Shinar
Isaiah 11:13 Or hostility | https://medium.com/yahweh-elyon-yeshuas-teachings/tndl-christ-our-eternal-future-righteous-king-of-kings-reigns-over-the-whole-world-eb5d68978e6a | ['J. K. Woods'] | 2020-08-11 00:55:43.022000+00:00 | ['Jesus', 'Religion', 'Spirituality', 'Christianity', 'Love'] |
Best Freddie Mercury Videos: 10 Essential Pop Epics | Martin Chilton
Photo: Simon Fowler © Mercury Songs Ltd
Long before he started his solo work with theand albums, Freddie Mercury understood the power of music videos. His work with Queen included two of rock’s most groundbreaking promos: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘I Want To Break Free’, and the best Freddie Mercury videos show how he used the power of visuals to enhance his solo recordings.
Mercury said that music videos were useful for fans because they sometimes provided “so much more insight into the song”. He also said that it offered “a feel of maybe how the artist wanted it”. He strove to be original in his video work. This run-down of the best Freddie Mercury videos, which have recently been remastered from 35mm originals into high-definition ultra HD 4k versions, will remind you what a charismatic star he was in front of the camera.
Listen to the best Freddie Mercury songs on Apple Music and Spotify, and scroll down for our best Freddie Mercury videos.
Best Freddie Mercury Videos: 10 Essential Pop Epics
10: ‘Love Kills’
‘Love Kills’ was a Freddie Mercury solo song that was originally used in Giorgio Moroder’s re-edited version of the 1927 silent movie classic Metropolis. The song, which featured Reinhold Mack on synthesisers, reached №10 in the UK singles chart in 1984. An official lyric video for the song was created in 2019.
9: ‘Living On My Own’
“If you listen to my song ‘Living On My Own’, that is very me. It’s living on my own, but having fun,” said Mercury. He had fun in outlandish, outrageous style in September 1985, just a few months after Queen’s Live Aid triumph, when he threw a wild party for his 39th birthday. “Freddie rang me saying, ‘Come to my birthday party in Munich! Everybody’s dressing in drag. Everybody,’” recalled Queen photographer Richard Young. The party was held at Old Mrs Henderson night club (now Paradiso Tanzbar) and, the following day, Mercury returned to the venue to shoot the video for his 1985 single ‘Living On My Own’, a track on his solo album Mr Bad Guy. The video was directed by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher, and features a segment of Mercury scat singing in homage to Ella Fitzgerald.
8: ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow’
Freddie Mercury was extremely proud of his song ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow’, which was first released in November 1985 as a single from his Mr Bad Guy album. “I like all the songs on the album, but in the end one of my favourite tracks is ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow’, because of the way it came out,” said Mercury. “It was a very personal thing. I wrote it in five minutes and everything just gelled into place. It was just very emotional, very strong. I love that track.”
His very personal song was given a new visual vision in September 2019, with a video created by directors Esteban Bravo and Beth David, with animation from Woodblock.
Bravo and David said of making this short film, “We wanted to tell a story that was relevant to Freddie’s life, but not explicitly about him. The AIDS crisis of the 1980s is a huge part of LGBT+ history, and it’s something that we knew needed to be handled with care.”
7: ‘In My Defence’
Austrian filmmaker Rudi Dolezal was 17 when he first met Mercury to interview him in the bar of the Munich Hilton. Dolezal went on to make a documentary about his friend Mercury. The filmmaker said that, despite being such a flamboyant performer, the rock star could also be “like a shy deer, hopping away into the snow”. After Mercury’s death in 1991, Dolezal directed the montage video for the song ‘In My Defence’, which was from the 1986 musical Time by drummer Dave Clark. The video featured outtakes, photographs and footage showing an exuberant Mercury.
6: ‘How Can I Go On’
The moving footage of Mercury and operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé singing ‘How Can I Go On’ (a track co-written by Mercury and Mike Moran) was filmed at La Nit festival at Montjurich Castle in Barcelona, in October 1988, by Gavin Taylor. ‘How Can I Go On’ was the third and last single to be released from the Barcelona album. Mercury, who was wearing a tuxedo, was proud to have collaborated with the famous Spanish singer. “A Montserrat Caballé performance is sensational,” said Mercury. “She has that same kind of emotion as Aretha Franklin. The way she delivers a song is so very natural, and it’s a very different gift. It was fantastic singing on stage with her. What an experience! It really was a dream come true.”
5: ‘Time Waits For No One’
After finding a musical gem that had spent four decades in the vaults, Dave Clark played a key role in restoring the footage of Mercury singing a stripped-down version of ‘Time Waits For No One’ that was made in 1986. The newly restored video was released in 2019.
The original video of Mercury was filmed at London’s Dominion Theatre with a four-camera shoot, using high-quality 35mm film. Clark told uDiscover Music that the singer asked, “How do you want me to perform this?” just before shooting started at the theatre. Clark told him he wanted “a cross between Edith Piaf, Jennifer Holliday and Shirley Bassey”. There is some sweet interview footage from 1986, in which Mercury is filmed recalling his response: “Well, dear. I have all the dresses. I can do it perfectly,” he joked. The video of ‘Time Waits for No One’ brilliantly captures Mercury’s ability to passionately deliver emotional lyrics.
4: ‘Barcelona’
Mercury said that singing with Caballé was always “a fantastic rush” and he recalled fondly their duet at The Ibiza Festival, which took place at the Ku nightclub (now Privilege Ibiza). Mercury, such an active performer, said he gave some temperate guidance to the opera star about how they should behave as they sang their most celebrated song, ‘Barcelona’, for the first time in public.
“She asked me how we should do it and I said, ‘Oh, we should just stand there and deliver the song,’ which is how operatic recitals are done. I had to sort of restrain myself, too. I had to keep in mind that I couldn’t do all my usual balletic stuff, none of those prancy poses, and all that. No, I had to just deliver it — in a f__king tuxedo — which I’d never done in front of an audience before, and just go for it! The atmosphere was amazing.”
3: ‘The Great Pretender’
Mercury’s 1987 music video for ‘The Great Pretender’, directed by longtime Queen collaborator David Mallet, parodied some of the Queen videos down the years. It also featured Queen drummer Roger Taylor and Doctor Who actor Peter Straker in drag, as backing singers.
Mercury had shaved his trademark moustache by the time the video was filmed. “Most of the stuff I do is pretending. It’s like acting… I go on stage and pretend to be a macho man and all those things. I think ‘The Great Pretender’ is a great title for what I do, because I am The Great Pretender! I’ve always had that in the back of my mind. In that video, I go through some of the different characters from previous videos, and I’m pretending again. I’ve always believed that, in the end, in terms of videos, that no matter how good your image is, the song has to be good, too.”
2: ‘I Was Born To Love You’
Arlene Phillips, who was the choreographer for the 1985 video ‘I Was Born To Love You’, described Mercury as a man who was “so physically creative”. His dazzling movement was instrumental in the success of the video for ‘I Was Born To Love You’, another song from Mr Bad Guy. Mercury wanted “to take ballet to the masses”, added Phillips.
The video was also directed by Mallet and filmed at the now demolished Limehouse Studios in London. It shows Mercury dancing in front of a wall of mirrors, then running through a house with Debbie Ash, from Hot Gossip, before dancing on a podium. “When it comes to videos, I like to have fun in them,” said Mercury. “‘I Was Born To Love You’ is basically a romp through my house. That’s what I do every night, so that came very easily. The dancing is quite heavy and some of the outtakes are even heavier than the parts you see.”
Mercury said he came up with the idea of people standing behind the mirrors and shaking them. “It was a very cheap way of getting the effect,” he joked.
1: ‘Made In Heaven’
“Videos are more important than radio,” said Mercury, about the changes to the music landscape he had seen in the 70s and 80s. One of his most spectacular videos was again directed by Mallet: the single ‘Made In Heaven’, from the album Mr Bad Guy. The production was impressive. They had to hire a warehouse in north London and build a replica of the Royal Opera House. There were dozens of nude extras who helped recreate scenes from Dante’s Inferno. Mercury wore a red-and-black outfit and was holding a red satin sheet. In a bold sequence near the end, the singer stood on top of a 67-foot rotating globe.
The career-spanning Freddie Mercury box set, Never Boring, is out now. Order it here.
Join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @uDiscoverMusic | https://medium.com/udiscover-music/best-freddie-mercury-videos-10-essential-pop-epics-fff6617bacef | ['Udiscover Music'] | 2019-12-01 18:40:58.472000+00:00 | ['Pop Culture', 'Culture', 'Lists', 'Videos', 'Music'] |
System design paradigm: Distributed source of truth storage | Source of truth
In designing distributed applications, it’s a good practice to separate the concern of serving latency and scaling out data storage as a source of truth. Serving latency is mostly handled by in-memory index or cache. The source of truth storage problem instead focuses on scale, durability and consistency.
Below is a typical design pattern for distributed application. I will explain this pattern in detail in another post. The focus of this post is the source of truth storage.
I will use the Key-Value data model in this discussion for simplicity. There are two main branches of designing a horizontally scalable distributed storage.
Two layer structure: Sharding + replication
The first one is sharding + replication. Sharding solves the problem that data is too big to store in one host. Replication solves the durability and availability problem. Each shard is replicated as a Paxos or Raft cluster, so the shard will function as long as a majority of the nodes in the cluster is available.
Write requests can only be handled by the leader and the contents are replicated to all followers. Read could be handled by a follower if the client doesn’t care about consistency or there’s a special mechanism to ensure linearizability, like TrueTime from Google.
One challenge of this design is adding shards. Resharding is usually not an option because that requires moving all data. One common solution is having a large enough shard number and assigning multiple shards to physical servers in the beginning. Then the load is dynamically adjusted. Google Spanner constantly adjusts the load across shards.
The most mature system using this hierarchical structure is Google Spanner.
Flat structure: consistent hashing
The second branch of distributed source of truth storage uses a single layer structure based on consistent hashing. In this structure, the same key is also replicated to several hosts. Consistent hashing is used to specify the keys assignment to hosts. Each key is hashed to an integer. Each host is consistently hashed with the same function.
Let me use a concrete example to illustrate. Assume the hash range is [0, 65535]. Each key is assigned to the next three hosts in the ‘ring’. In the graph above, the key whose hash is 41780 is assigned to host X, Y and Z. Keys whose hash is in (50170, 63937] will be assigned to host Z, A and B.
This replication scheme was first published by Amazon Dynamo and made more popular by Cassendra.
The rest of this post talks about how the key operations could be implemented under this scheme, including write, read, host restart under an unreliable network. The design is one way to implement them. Many ideas are borrowed from Cassandra. I would encourage the readers to think about alternatives and tradeoffs between availability and consistency.
Read and Write
Clients can specify the number of hosts to read from(R) for a read request and the number of hosts a write must be replicated to(W) before a write request if returned. Each write has a timestamp.
If less than W is replicated during a write, failure is returned to the client.
If there is conflict between the R nodes in a read, return the value with the latest timestamp.
Partial write failure
If the total number of replications is N, a common belief is that R + W > N implies ‘consistency’. This is not precise because value from a failed write is also possible to be observed by following reads. For example, N = 3, R = W = 2. If a write request is only successful on one node, then the value returned from the next read will depend on which two nodes it reads from. Remember read will return the value with the latest timestamp when different values are returned from R nodes.
Such inconsistency is temporary and will eventually be fixed by read repair.
Read repair
When inconsistency is detected during a read request, a background process will begin to heal the inconsistency by fetching value from all N replicas. It will force a write of the value with the latest timestamp.
Client interaction
All the hosts are identical from the client’s perspective. The client can connect to any host who will serve as the coordinator for the request. This greatly simplified the design and made the system more fault tolerant.
The coordinator needs to know the configuration of the consistent hash ring. This information will be externally maintained by a distributed strong consistency system like Zookeeper. Each host will cache it locally and query when conflict is detected during RPC interaction with other hosts.
Host membership
The hosts on the hash ring are virtual nodes. There will be a mapping from virtual nodes to physical server. This information will also be stored in Zookeeper. This design will make load balancing easier among physical servers.
When a host is down
Read and write will continue as long as R and W hosts responded respectively.
When a new physical machine is added
The new machine will be responsible for several keys, but initially it doesn’t have any data. Before making the service available, it needs to copy data from other replications to populate itself. It’s OK that the data is stale or inconsistent because read repair will fix it.
Load balancing(LB)
Virtual nodes level LB is easier. We will have a process that monitors the load on each physical server and assign virtual nodes from overloaded servers to servers that are less loaded. This will also need background data transfer and read repair to reach consistency. Assume A is overloaded and B is under loaded, the process of transferring virtual node V1 from A to B is:
Copy V1’s data from A to B. Notice this will be inconsistent data if there’re updates during the copy. Update the virtual nodes mapping in Zookeeper. B will begin serving requests on V1. Delete V1’s data from A. The inconsistency introduced in 1) will be eventually fixed during read repairs.
Key level LB is more complex and requires adding virtual nodes in the hash ring, after that the procedure will be similar.
Conclusion
The consistent hash based distributed storage introduced in this post is shared by most NoSQL systems. NoSQL became popular around 2010. But at that time, those DBs are not stable, hard to operate and usually very slow. Many companies, including Facebook chose to use a simplified version of the sharding+replication solution. They don’t have a Raft cluster and trade consistency for higher speed.
In recent years, NoSQL(for example, Cassandra) became mature and proved in production with superior horizontal scalability power and ease of maintenance. In my mind the benefit of choosing Cassendra over manually sharding DB is the reduced complexity in SRE operation and simpler application infra. With sharding, you are essentially pretending that the system is not distributed. You have to expose sharding to the application in the process. The advantage is the ability to execute relational query within each shard. | https://medium.com/@luanjunyi/system-design-paradigm-distributed-source-of-truth-storage-3c1d688be474 | [] | 2021-01-25 23:54:05.270000+00:00 | ['Dynamodb', 'Distributed Systems', 'System Design Interview', 'Spanner', 'Consistent Hashing'] |
C# Design Patterns — Singleton. Providing one instance for the whole… | C# Design Patterns
C# Design Patterns — Singleton
Providing one instance for the whole application
Photo by Hitesh Choudhary on Unsplash
Design patterns are common coding practices defined to solve common software development problems.
The Singleton pattern was developed to provide a common way of providing a single instance of an object throughout the whole application lifetime. So, as long as the application is not restarted, this instance must be the same regardless of how many times you instantiate it.
Usage and Drawbacks
Examples
Some examples of singletons are objects that need to share resources between classes or threads, like:
Global state management
Logging service
.NET Core AppSettings
And others…
Drawbacks
Sometimes, with poor implementation, the Singleton pattern can actually become an anti-pattern , the reasons are:
It is really difficult to test if you are not using Dependency Injection , because it is statically created, so you can’t manually control it, as a result, you can’t mock it.
, because it is statically created, so you can’t manually control it, as a result, you can’t mock it. It can lead to memory leaks if dependencies are not properly disposed after usage
Let’s build it
Let’s imagine that we have a service interface IGreetingService.cs :
Now it was required that this service should not change throughout the whole application.
The classic approach
There are many ways to implement the Singleton pattern in C#.
Here I’ll show you three approaches and which one I would use.
Double-Checked Locking
I didn’t consider showing this approach without thread lock because it is very unsafe to use in multithreaded applications that way.
Here we have
Two private variables: a static variable that is the service instance, a read-only object that is going to work as the thread lock.
instance, a read-only object that is going to work as the thread lock. A private constructor to prevent a new service from being manually instantiated.
constructor to prevent a new service from being manually instantiated. A public and static property that is how we can access our singleton instance.
You can note that we have two null checks. The inner check is to prevent the instance from being recreated and the outer null check is for preventing lock every time we need to access the instance, thus increasing performance.
Also, we have the lock for preventing this code from being run by more than one thread at the same time, making it thread-safe .
Now if you execute it like this:
IGreetingService service = DoubleCheckedLockingGreetingService.Instance;
IGreetingService service_2 = DoubleCheckedLockingGreetingService.Instance; service.Greet("Singleton");
service_2.Greet("Singleton");
You will get the same output for both methods.
Lazy<T>
A second approach is letting the instance be created for the first time it is requested.
.NET has the Lazy<T> class, which provides a lazy initialization of objects for us.
Now if you execute it like this:
IGreetingService service = LazyObjectGreetingService.Instance;
IGreetingService service_2 = LazyObjectGreetingService.Instance; service.Greet("Singleton");
service_2.Greet("Singleton");
You will get the same output for both methods.
Object Eager Initialization
In C# there’s an option of assigning the instance for the static variable, making it possible for the object to be initialized when it is first needed.
We can go even further and not use a private variable anymore and use Auto-Property , which assigns a value for the property if it doesn’t have a value yet.
Note the static constructor. This is needed so the C# compiler will not mark the type as beforefieldinit . This will guarantee the class laziness.
Now if you execute it like this:
IGreetingService service = SimpleGreetingService.Instance;
IGreetingService service_2 = SimpleGreetingService.Instance; service.Greet("Singleton");
service_2.Greet("Singleton");
You will get the same output for both methods.
Modern .NET Dependency Injection
Modern .NET/.NET Core applications already come with a built-in dependency injection mechanism that automatically injects services with the respective life-cycle they need.
Transient — Injects a new instance every time it is created and lives as long as the parent
Scoped — Injected once per request and lives as long as the request lives
Singleton — Injected once per application and lives as long as the application lives
So, in a .NET Core WebAPI, for example, you only need to register the IGreetingService with the GreetingService as a Singleton in the ConfigureServices method in your Startup.cs file. Like:
services.AddSingleton<IGreetingService,GreetingService>();
And for the implementation of this service we have:
Note that we don’t need an Instance accessor property to access our singleton. This happens because we delegate the job of assigning this instance to the framework, so all you need to do is inject the IGreetingService where you need it and .NET will provide you the only instance it created. For example:
public MyClass (IGreetingService service)
{
// Do something or assign to a class member
}
Conclusion
You could see how easy is to implement the Singleton pattern from scratch with C#. Even though it is a pattern and has its applicabilities, it needs to be used with care because it can lead to many system issues like memory leaks. Also, due to many drawbacks, it is often recommended to not use the Singleton pattern because it can become an anti-pattern.
Thankfully, with the .NET dependency injection mechanism, many drawbacks can be avoided, like the difficulty of implementing unit tests.
I uploaded the code for the normal implementation in this repository. | https://medium.com/swlh/c-design-patterns-singleton-36d746bd7b6e | ['Andre Lopes'] | 2020-08-05 16:32:18.660000+00:00 | ['Singleton', 'Dotnet Core', 'Dotnet', 'Csharp', 'Design Patterns'] |
How to connect your Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure Virtual Private Networks (VPN) | Introduction
Let’s say that you have spent the last 2 years developing your enterprise services in either of the two cloud providers and now you decide to start using the other one. A possible scenario that would bring about such a requirement would be a migration from one cloud service provided to the other. Or maybe you’ve heard about that brand new AWS or Azure service that is not available in the competing provider and you want to integrate it into your workflow no matter what. Another scenario could be if you would like to combine services between the providers, but still keep everything behind your well protected and highly secure private network gateway. For all of the above cases, you should consider establishing a secure link between your two private networks. There is a variety of options available to achieve that, but probably the most straightforward is to connect your AWS VPC with the Azure Virtual Network using a VPN Gateway and site-to-site connectivity.
Underlying infrastructure
This guide assumes that you have already setup correctly the following resources in the cloud providers:
AWS VPC with a public and private subnet (default configuration) Azure Virtual Network Azure Virtual Network Gateway
If you haven’t yet created any of the previous resources, you may use the service provider’s documentation guides to do that.
For AWS VPC use this: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/userguide/working-with-vpcs.html#Create-VPC
For Azure Virtual Network and VPN Gateway use this: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/vpn-gateway/create-routebased-vpn-gateway-portal
Note down the IP address range for each one of your cloud networks, you will need it later when setting up the routing table.
You can find AWS VPC network range if you open the VPC service under the Networking & Content Delivery category. Then from “Your VPCs” you can check the IPv4 CIDR column in screen 1. In our depicted example you can see that the IP range is 10.101.0.0/16
Screen 1: AWS VPC IPv4 CIDR
For Azure Virtual Network, you can find the address range if you open Azure Services | Virtual Networks and then you select the Virtual Network that you want to connect to AWS. Then you can review the address range as shown in screen 2. We’ve set the range 10.0.0.0/16
Screen 2: Azure Virtual Network IPv4 address space
It is important not to have overlapping addresses between the two cloud networks or else the routing won’t work properly. So now it is high time to change any of the network ranges if needed. You need to ensure that there aren’t any overlapping ranges. In our example the AWS network uses the address 10.101.0.0–10.101.255.255 and the Azure network uses 10.0.0.0–10.0.255.255, so we are good to go.
AWS Configuration
If your AWS VPC was created using best-practices, it ought to have at least 2 different subnets, the private and the public. Any EC2 instance that resides in the private subnet is cut off from the Internet and is only accessible from inside the Virtual Network (note that you can attach a NAT gateway to your private subnet in order to allow outgoing traffic, but is not something to discuss now). In contrast, any EC2 instance inside the public subnet has Internet access through an Internet gateway. Public IPs can be assigned to instances in the public subnet, so these instances can communicate with the outside world. In our example in screen 3, you can see that our VPC has one public subnet and two private subnets that lie in different availability zones. You can also see the routing table of the public subnet. The default route sends all traffic that does not belong to the private network to the Internet gateway. (Notice that there is also a route that bridges two AWS VPCs together, but this is not relevant to our task).
Screen 3: AWS VPC subnets and routing table
You need to create one Linux-based instance with a public IP assignment in your public subnet. It will be used as a Gateway in our VPN Site to Site connection between AWS and Azure. You can give it a public IP either at creation time or associate it with an elastic IP. The former method has a drawback; if you ever need to restart the instance it will get a new public IP assignment, so you’ll have to reconfigure everything. So, it is strongly advised to use the latter method: associate a fixed elastic IP with the instance. If you don’t know how to do it, the following guide can be of help https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/elastic-ip-addresses-eip.html
The instance will be accessible from the Internet, as it will have a public IP, and also will have access to your VPC, so make sure that you have secured it accordingly. Don’t forget to deny access to SSH, VNC or any other possible vulnerable service for connections that have source IP addresses that do not belong to your private network. You can do this by utilising a suitable security group for this purpose (more info about security groups is available here: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/userguide/VPC_SecurityGroups.html).
Having created the EC2 in a public subnet, go ahead and modify the routing table of the private subnet. Add a route towards the Azure Virtual Network via the recently created Public IP instance that will run the VPN connection on the AWS side. In our example, all destinations in the IP range 10.0.0.0/16 are routed through the instance network interface as shown in screen 4.
Screen 4: AWS to Azure routing
AWS EC2 Instances have enabled source/destination checks by default in the networking settings. So, it’s not possible to relay any network traffic that does not have either the source or the destination set to the instance address. This means that you won’t be able to use the EC2 instance to establish a tunnel between the AWS and Azure Virtual Network unless you disable the checks. You can do this by selecting the EC2 instance in the AWS Web Console EC2 Tab and then from Actions | Networking | Change Source/Destination Checks and disable it as shown in screen 5.
Now open a remote terminal in you EC2 instance with SSH.
Screen 5: Disable Source/Destination Check in AWS
Azure Configuration
It is assumed you have already created a Virtual Network and a VPN gateway in Azure cloud. If you haven’t done it already, check the following guide https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/vpn-gateway/create-routebased-vpn-gateway-portal.
Next from Azure portal we proceed with the configuration of the site-to-site VPN connection. In the Virtual Network Gateways service, first select the Virtual Network that you plan to connect, then go to Settings | Connections and Add a new connection as shown in screen 6.
Screen 6: Add new site to site VPN connection from Azure Virtual Network to AWS VPC
In the pop-up window you can set various parameters of the network tunnel. The connection type must be set to Site-to-Site (IPSec). The Virtual Network Gateway is usually pre-selected for you, but you can verify it is associated with the network that you want to connect to. A Shared key (PSK) must be set that will be shared with the other end on the AWS. Make sure you note down the key and have it handy for the final part of this guide where we set up the VPN on AWS. Also make sure the protocol is set to IKEv2. All configuration settings described above can be seen in screen 7.
Screen 7: Azure to AWS Site to Site connection configuration
Next, you need to set the local network gateway for the connection. It is essentially the corresponding configuration that will point to the AWS network. When you click the Local network gateway (Choose a local network gateway), an additional window opens as in screen 8. You can add a name for the connection in there, fill in the IP address of the AWS gateway and finally the address space of the AWS VPC that you want to connect to. The name can be anything that is accepted by Azure. The IP address has to be the public IP address of the AWS instance created in the previous section. Do you remember that you also had to note down the AWS VPC address range? Now it’s time to enter it here to let Azure know the range of addresses used on the remote Virtual Network.
Screen 8: Set remote AWS gateway and subnet in Azure
Lastly, you are almost ready to save everything and close, but before doing that note down the public IP given to the Azure VPN gateway. You are all set on the Azure side. Now you will need to log in to the AWS instance to set up the VPN connection on the AWS side.
IPSec Configuration on AWS Gateway
There are various implementations of the IPSec VPN protocol out there, but in this guide we will use Libreswan (https://libreswan.org) “a free software implementation of the most widely supported and standardized VPN protocol using IPsec and the Internet Key Exchange (IKE)”. There are binary packages of Libreswan for all major Linux distributions, meaning that you won’t need much effort to install it in the AWS EC2 instance we created in the “AWS Configuration” part of this guide.
Before that, you need to go back for a moment to your AWS web console and add an exception to the network security group that is associated with the instance. Make sure that you open UDP ports 500 and 4500 to connections originating from the public IP of the Azure VPN Gateway as shown in screen 9.
Screen 9: Allow incoming VPN from Azure to AWS
Now open a remote terminal on the EC2 instance using SSH and install Libreswan using the package manager.
Let’s start editing some configuration files in the instance itself. One important step is to change the default IPv4 linux kernel behaviour of IP packet forwarding. Usually linux will not allow packet forwarding, but we want the EC2 instance to act as a gateway for the whole AWS Virtual Network, so edit the file /etc/sysctl.conf and uncomment the line net.ipv4.ip_forward=1. To enable this change without restarting the machine, enter the following command run sysctl -p.
Next step is to configure the IPSec files that will establish the VPN connection to Azure Gateway and activate the site to site network. The following snippet is the default configuration file /etc/ipsec.conf usually distributed with the Libreswan package of ubuntu.
Default ipsec.conf file
In the last line it includes any configuration file that’s found under /etc/ipsec.d/ directory and has the extension .conf. Let’s add a new file in path /etc/ipsec.d/azure.conf with the following content
Azure configuration for ipsec
Let me talk you through some important configuration parameters of this file:
authby: This parameter sets the authentication method between the two gateways. We will use pre-shared key authentication due to limitations of the Azure setup.
ike: The IKE algorithm to use for the connection. In our case we use AES-256 combined with SHA-1 hashing and modp1024.
ikev2: Use this flag to choose between IKEv1 and IKEv2
keyingtries: How many retries to attempt before the connection fails.
leftid: How the left participant of the connection is identified. Use the AWS instance public IP address.
left: The IP address or DNS hostname of the left participant. Use the AWS private IP address of the gateway instance.
leftsubnet: The virtual private subnet that you want to connect. Use the AWS VPC subnet here.
right: The right side participant IP address or DNS hostname. Use the Azure VPN gateway public IP address
rightsubnet: The respective right side participant subnet. Use Azure Virtual Network subnet here.
For a detailed overview of all the available options you can refer to the libreswan manual page https://libreswan.org/man/ipsec.conf.5.html.
Set the pre-shared key as the secret for the connection, the same one that you used when you created the Azure VPN Connection in the previous section. The default configuration file for the secrets, includes any files under /etc/ipsec.d with the .secrets extension as you can see in the following snippet.
Default ipsec.secrets file
Add a new file /etc/ipsec.d/azure.secrets with the following content
Azure secrets configuration file
Replace the following placeholder labels with actual values:
AWS_EC2_PUBLIC_IP
AZURE_VPN_GW_PUBLIC_IP
PRESHARED KEY
Having completed the confuguration part, restart the ipsec service using the command sudo ipsec restart. This will trigger a re-read of the configuration and ultimately start the VPN connection . Check the VPN connection status in the AWS instance using the command sudo ipsec status and expect to see something like the following in the tail:
000 #1: “AwsAzureNet”:4500 STATE_PARENT_I3 (PARENT SA established); EVENT_SA_REPLACE in 9925s; newest ISAKMP; idle; import:admin initiate 000 #2: “AwsAzureNet”:4500 STATE_V2_IPSEC_I (IPsec SA established); EVENT_SA_REPLACE in 2515s; newest IPSEC; eroute owner; isakm p#1; idle; import:admin initiate 000 #2: “AwsAzureNet” esp.adc7a220@Azure_IP_here [email protected] ref=0 refhim=0 Traffic: ESPin=0B ESPout=0B! ESPmax=0 B 000
You can also verify that the connection is active with the Azure portal, if you open the VPN Gateway and check the connection status as shown in screen 10.
Screen 10: Verify VPN connection status
Now you can share resources between you Virtual networks in AWS and Azure clouds as if they were in the same Virtual Network. For example try to connect via SSH from one VM of Azure to an EC2 instance in AWS and vice versa. Or if you have an internal http or file server in one cloud provider, you can try to access it from the virtual network of the other provider.
Traffic monitoring and cost
One thing you might keep in mind though is to monitor the amount of traffic that is interchanged between the gateways. Both cloud providers will charge you per GB of traffic transferred out of their clouds, but incoming traffic is free of charge. For example prices in the US West cloud region, as of June 2020, are for Azure: 0–5GB free, 5GB-10TB $0.087/GB and for AWS: 0–1GB free, 1GB-10TB $0.09/GB. Assuming that your overall monthly traffic to the Internet in both services is below 10TB each, we can ignore the free GB tier for the sake of simplicity and calculate the total cost of data transfer between the Virtual Networks. We need to know the transferred data size to do that and one easy way to find out is to use the Azure portal as shown in screen 11. By opening the AWSAzureLink connection created previously, in the overview pane it shows that size of data in and out. The in data is the data that was sent from the AWS gateway, so you multiply this with the cost of the AWS data out. The out data is the data sent from the Azure gateway, so you multiply with the respective cost per unit of data. The general formula for traffic < 10TB is
Total cost = DataIn(GB) * AWSCost + DataOut(GB) * AzureCost
In our example the cost so far is:
Total cost = 0. 372 * $0.09 + 0.045 * $0.087 = $0.037
Screen 11: In/Out data traffic counter
Conclusion — Main points
We have established a private secure tunnel between AWS and Azure Virtual networks
We have used free IPSec VPN software tools in combination to Azure’s Site to Site VPN gateway connectivity.
We have learned how to monitor the data traffic size passing through the tunnel and calculated the imposed costs. | https://medium.com/behavioral-signals-ai/how-to-connect-your-amazon-web-services-aws-and-microsoft-azure-virtual-private-networks-vpn-6425ab1c05a5 | ['Spiros Dimopoulos'] | 2020-10-19 19:24:35.257000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'AWS', 'Azure', 'VPN', 'Ipsec'] |
How I Made $300 By Giving My Writing a Chance | Photo by Sabine Peters on Unsplash
I struggle with putting a value on my words. Writing is a vulnerable practice: it shares the way we think with readers and asks, “do you understand me?” When we sell our writing, the question we ask isn’t only if the reader understands us, but how much is that understanding worth? It’s a difficult thing to put in financial terms. Maybe that’s why so many writers allow themselves to be underpaid or in many cases, not paid at all.
Writers deserve to be paid for their work. That shouldn’t need to be said. The reality is we all need money to live in society and artists are not exempt from this need. We still need to pay rent, eat, and buy a half-decent cup of coffee to remind ourselves we’re humans who can leave the house. When you can quantify your writing in the face of that — of whether or not your art can afford you to live — it makes the money aspect easier to figure out.
Setting a Goal Bigger Than My Fears
My insecurities about my writing were keeping me from making a full-time income from it. I was telling myself “I’m not good enough” before I even tried and both my income and creativity were suffering from it. Some people suffer from Imposter Syndrome, and this felt like Self-Rejection Syndrome. Don’t worry editor, I’ll go ahead and save you the rejection letter. So, I decided to change my submissions mindset.
I stopped approaching submissions with the idea of: “Is my writing good enough?” Instead, I asked, “Will this publication pay me?” To help shift my mindset, I set a goal to make $2,200 from writing in one month. It was a big jump from what I’d been pulling in (~$600 on a good month). But, I have access to google and writing groups and thanks to them, I knew it was an achievable number. Based on my own financial needs, it seemed like both a practical and viable target, if a bit reaching from my comfort zone.
I spent a month perusing Facebook writing groups for advice and job opportunities, journaling ideas, and pitching places I never would have pitched if I were basing my action on whether I thought I was good enough. Turns out there was a lot of variety in where I could pitch. By changing my qualifier to whether the job would pay me, I was able to separate myself from my words and treat writing like the job it is.
Setting my goal at a number that was achievable but not easy helped me step away from the vulnerability of applying. If I wanted to make that much money, I knew I was going to have to face a lot of rejection so I might as well try everything. I was also going to need to pitch to higher-paying publications. That goal gave me permission to reach, and as a result, I stopped limiting myself. Instead of waiting to apply for jobs that felt like a perfect fit, I started applying for anything I felt I could vaguely fit. I started viewing opportunity where previously I had feared rejection.
Success in Small Steps and the Power of One Yes
An editor accepted an essay pitch and offered to pay me $300 for it. A lot didn’t. Most didn’t even respond or responded months later with nos. But one editor said yes, and in doing so raised the bar of what I believed myself capable of.
To be perfectly honest, I didn’t love the essay I sold. But as a writer, my opinion really isn’t the one that matters at the end of the day. It’s the reader’s opinion that matters, and if that reader happens to be a paying editor, I’m not going to argue that my flow was off or my intro wasn’t strong enough. I’m going to trust that if they see value in the piece, there’s value in the piece — and then I’m going to use the cash value that comes with it to order myself a pizza.
Photo by gbarkz on Unsplash
Writing success doesn’t come all at once, at least not for most people. It comes in little yeses, here and there. A reach-out from an old connection who remembered you were interested in writing and offers you some of their extra work. A small business that loves your enthusiasm and wants to give you a shot. A new publication that wants to curate new voices and perceptions. An editor who knows nothing about you but really loves your poem.
If you don’t give people a chance to see your work, you don’t give them a chance to accept it. It can feel safe to self-reject before anyone else gets the chance, but it won’t get you ahead. Don’t wait until you think your writing is good enough. Tell yourself that it is and pitch like you believe it. | https://blog.penmob.com/how-i-made-300-by-giving-my-writing-a-chance-679e15d738eb | ['Emily Tyler'] | 2020-01-06 04:01:28.215000+00:00 | ['Writing', 'Getting Published', 'Personal Essay', 'Submitting'] |
“Shri Manache Shlok” — Shloka/Verse 146 — a Dialogue With Our Mind | Introduction
Samarth Ramdas Swami teaches us how our mind is our friend, our enemy, and how it can be our Guru.
Note that this is focused on our own internal dialogue, with ourselves, with our mind, so wherever there are references of God, it will still apply to every human being, irrespective of religions and beliefs about God. Just replace the name of God with the one from your own religion, and if you don’t believe in one, talk with your mind.
Marathi Language Phonetics Transliteration
Refer to my article on the Marathi language phonetics transliteration — which is being used in these shloka explanation articles.
Shlok/ Verse # 146 from “Shri Manache Shlok”
Shloka in Marathi (Verse in the Marathi language)
दिसे लोचनी ते नसे कल्पकोडी।
अकस्मात आकारले काळ मोडी॥
पुढे सर्व जाईल कांही न राहे।
मना संत आनंत शोधुनि पाहे॥१४६॥
Shloka/verse in English
Dise locanī te nase kalpakodī
Akasmāta ākārale kāḷa modī
Puḍhe sar̥va jāīla kāhī na rāhe
Manā saṅta ānaṅta śodhuni pāhe — 146
Meaning
Whatever we see with our eyes, is not going to last for millions of eons. Whatever has come into existence, will get suddenly destroyed over time.
Everything will go away, nothing will remain. Hence oh my mind, search for that which the saints have described as infinite and all-pervading truth.
Keywords and their meanings
दिसे — Dise— appears; लोचनी —locanī — to the eyes; ते — te— that; नसे — nase— not be; कल्पकोडी —kalpakodī — millions of aeons
अकस्मात — Akasmāta— unexpectedly; आकारले —ākārale — took form; काळ —kāḷa — death/time; मोडी — modī— destroys
पुढे —Puḍhe — later; सर्व — sar̥va— all; जाईल — jāīla— disappear; काही — kāhī— whatever; न — na— not; राहे — rāhe— stays
मना — Manā— oh my mind!; संत — saṅta— sages; आनंत —ānaṅta — infinite; शोधूनि — śodhuni— search; पाहे —pāhe — see.
निरूपण — Explanation or conceptualization
For the next five shlokas including this one, Samarth Ramdas Swami asks our minds to search for the infinite truth. He repeats the last line — मना संत आनंत शोधुनि पाहे — Manā saṅta ānaṅta śodhuni pāhe — in every shloka until the 150th shloka.
In this world, whatever we can see, is not going to last forever. As it is said, change is the only permanent thing in this world. Everything will either change, or get destroyed.
Everything has a life — a term, a duration, after which it no more exists, whether that is a place, an object, or a living being.
The mother nature has caused sudden changes and damages numerous times, with earthquakes, huge fires, tornadoes, tsunamis, storms and the likes.
Who would have thought at the start of 2020, that the year will change the world as we were used to see it before. Many lost their lives suddenly.
If we have attachment towards anything which exists or lives, there will be one day when all of that will impact us. Suffering in the life is caused by the attachments.
Hence Samarth Ramdas Swami is asking our minds, to search for the eternal truth, which is infinite, and then devote ourselves towards it, the God.
Vedas describe Brahman as सत्यम ज्ञानं अनंतम — Satyam, Dhnyanam, Anantam. Many saints and Swami’s have explained this in detail.
अंत — aṅta— means limit, and आनंत — ānaṅta — means that which does not have a limit, which is infinite.
The limits can be of three kinds: space, time and objects.
Something which exists at a particular location, does not exist elsewhere. We have divided the universe into stars, planets, galaxies. The Earth has been divided into continents, countries, states or provinces, cities. Even the oceans have been divided into multiple oceans and bays and so on.
But Brahman is everywhere, it is not limited by space. There is no place in this universe where it does not exist. It is all — pervading, omnipresent.
Something which has a start and an end, has the limit of time, duration. Living beings are born and they have limited life. Objects are created and destroyed over time. The existence of those is with that period of birth and death, or creation and destruction.
But Brahman was, is and will always be there — without any limit of time — infinite. It is eternal.
Something which has a shape or a form, is limited by that shape and form. Every entity is different — a building, a lake, trees, palaces, living beings.
But Brahman is in all entities, there is no entity separate from it. It is non-dual.
Let us have a quest to search for this eternal truth and we will have a long-lasting happiness instead of temporary pleasures which are the result of satisfaction of our desires. | https://medium.com/dialogue-with-the-mind/shri-manache-shlok-shloka-verse-146-a-dialogue-with-our-mind-fc9eede3b6b9 | ['Shashi Kulkarni'] | 2021-01-01 05:50:27.951000+00:00 | ['Spirituality', 'God', 'Lifestyle', 'Mindfulness', 'Life'] |
From A Black Perspective, Trump Is A Problem Only White Americans Can Fix | Why it’s important White voters do the right thing for our democracy
Pixabay — John Hain
When comedian and late-night host Trevor Noah mentioned the 2020 presidential election during his standup routine the audience roared with applause as if to say, “Yeah! We’re getting rid of Donald Trump!” This prompted Noah to ask, “Oh, so you’re taking the election seriously this time?”
The implication is obvious: If we were serious about the 2016 election our democracy would not be in peril. We wouldn’t be arguing about a constitutional crisis, we wouldn’t feel under siege by our own president, or be pitted against one another as if we were enemies.
Naturally as Americans we’re all in this mess together. All of us are impacted by what this president does. But from a black perspective, candidate Trump directed his appeal to white Americans — and they responded. Therefore the consequences of Trump’s presidency on our democracy rests with white voters.
According to Edison Research, in 2016 Trump won white women (+9) and white men (+31). He won white voters without college degrees (+37) and white voters with them (+3). He won whites from age 18–29 (+4), age 30–44 (+17), 45–64 (+28), and 65 and older (+19). Trump won whites in mid-Atlantic New Jersey, whites in midwestern Illinois, and whites in the Sun Belt of New Mexico. In total, 57% of white voters supported Donald Trump. He won the white popular vote. He was elected for and by white Americans.
Whereas past Republican presidential candidates made direct appeals to blacks for their support, Trump’s message to black voters was to say simply, “What have you got to lose?” His vision of America is coded to resonate with the white American experience. Make America great again? For black Americans it’s difficult to talk about making America great “again” because from a black perspective, America’s “greatness” lies ahead, not in the past.
On election day 2020, enthusiastically or reluctantly, blacks will vote for the Democratic candidate — whomever s/he may be, as most people of color will do. The Republican promise of a “big tent” marked by diversity and inclusion never materialized for us to have a better choice. Our fate is tied to the Democrats. That means Trump’s reelection hinges on what white voters do.
From a black perspective, the question confronting white voters in the leadup to the next election is this: Can democratic norms, values and institutions that withstood the test of time withstand the test of Donald Trump?
We’ve all heard the story of our nation’s founding. It goes something like this: Brave men and women left Europe in search of a place free of restrictions on ideas, religion and the pursuit of personal liberty. Despite setback, tragedy, and an unrelenting British government they prevailed in this new land. Among them select men established a framework for social order and governance that’s revealed in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
At its core the story of America is less about brave men and women and more about ideas and concepts like popular sovereignty that undergird our democracy, as well as norms and values like honesty, fairness, and respect for a free press. As compelling as these precepts are, so is our commitment to hold true to them for over 200 years.
Donald Trump tests our commitment. He’s crass, dishonest, and attacks individuals and institutions with equal disregard for consequence and decorum. Yet he offers something of value to nearly every segment of the white population that supports him: more money, less government, moral superiority, racial superiority, or just plain schadenfreude.
So is this the rewrite of the American story? Have the offspring of those brave men and women abandoned the ideals of their forebearers in exchange for the favor of Donald Trump? Are norms and values once deemed indispensable now disposable? Is this the future of America or simply the latest test of our will and commitment to centuries-held beliefs?
Through his words and deeds it’s clear Donald Trump knows little of our past and therefore cares little about our future. The question becomes, do you? | https://xzbishop.medium.com/from-a-black-perspective-trump-is-a-problem-only-white-americans-can-fix-fc5f75906772 | ['Xavier Z. Bishop'] | 2019-05-23 21:24:52.088000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'Race', 'Elections', 'Election 2020'] |
Landlady is full of land-dudes | Last year, the band Landlady released their first full studio album “The World Is A Loud Place.” Their eclectic music is described as strange and soulful alternative rock. As a band, Landlady is still relatively new to the music scene, but their fanbase is slowly gaining momentum.
Most of the songs in the album contain lyrics that are left fairly ambiguous and in need of some deep interpretation. Because of this (and the fact that many of their songs aren’t even on Genius yet), I could be completely missing the point, but for me, their songs are very poetic and romantic, and the speaker often appears to be serenading a distant lover.
Forced to realize
There is thunder in her eyes Nina won’t you let me
Be a servant to your every breath
These lyrics give a sense of submission on the part of the speaker to a woman named Nina. In some ways, it’s a bit progressive and contradictory to the typical stereotypes we have of men and women. This form of (what I’m calling) genuine masculine endearment is a unique message that is not usually communicated in Western culture, and it’s a trend throughout several of their songs.
One of the things that strikes me most is the fact that this band is composed of five guys. Five millennial men, four of which are white. I am sure their band name is some hipster reference I will never understand, but it is nonetheless a bit paradoxical. Perhaps their band is actually a tribute to some unnamed landlady they all knew. Or maybe it’s meant to be some grand ironic statement. Either way, they have a distinct and quirky presence that definitely resonates with the male-hispters-in-a-basement-venue-band trope.
Check them out on NPR’s Tiny Desk here! | https://medium.com/comm430gu/landlady-is-full-of-land-dudes-4fe3ae44b888 | ['Maci Sepp'] | 2018-04-19 16:58:54.736000+00:00 | ['Hipster', 'Music', 'Men'] |
日劇《危險維納斯》東野圭吾方程式 | 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/%E5%AF%AB-%E5%AF%AB%E4%BD%9C/crimefiction-a5f2c9e1fa99 | ['言 問'] | 2020-12-22 01:41:40.976000+00:00 | ['日劇', 'Drama', 'Japan'] |
Why Finance Is Made For Women and What Men Are Missing That Will For Sure Make Them More Returns | Image by Brooke Lark
As we all know, the financial field is still predominantly made up of white, Hampton beach weekend goer golf fanatic Wolf of Wall Street type men. When you think of finance, it is usually through these unrealistic scenes in films blowing up money on yachts and partying with strippers. I’m sure some bankers or hedge fund managers still act this way because they can and unfortunately want to, but what you don’t see 99% of the time are the 80-hour grueling workweeks, unpredictable firings, or late night unexpected phone calls that lead to burnout and health problems that can never be solved by a steep paycheck or fancy title.
Congratulations, you work hard 10 hours a day and now are promoted to manager where you work 12. As finance and business are traditionally very quantitative-driven statistical-based fields, they are also very lucrative fields that require a lot of money up front to invest in for a degree, tutors, and lost time which only a select number of individuals to date are able to afford. Business is a selective, competitive, feisty, and sardine-packed field because there are big decisions on the line, gaining insight to direct the largest companies in the world towards launching an IPO, M&A transaction or solving the wealthiest business leaders in the world, by no surprise most likely men. As a result, the rewards are spectacular until you realize the heavy toll it takes on the rest of your life and how little you really know about your own personal financial situation.
I first became enthralled by these two emergent fields of finance and technology back in middle school. I knew they were extremely expansive and innovative, something I wanted to explore as a 16-year-old kid collecting every Nintendo DS I could find! I was introduced to economics and programming at this age where I attended 10–20 person classes as the only girl in sight. To this day, it happens most of the time still in college and to tell you the truth, it really does feel awkward and annoying when you know your friends want to be involved in these fields but are too shy to try something because they are worried they will make mistakes. Something you have to get over earlier the better if you want to actually advance in this world.
Image by Unsplash
Real Reason: Why More Men?
I’m not going to stir the debate on who works harder or who goes through more because I’m sure the men reading this don’t even realize what we ladies deal with on a daily, more specifically monthly basis, if you know what I mean. But the real answer to this question is understanding that there is no answer in itself.
It is all based on history, family, and influence, not your gender or the amount of effort you put in to get accepted into business school or land that interview. What I can tell you is that when it comes to managing money according to countless studies that you can find anywhere online, despite an immense gender gap in the financial and STEM field with a lack of financial literacy for women and stereotypes against them, historically, women’s investments outperform those of men by 1% according to a joint study from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Davis.
There are several reasons behind these secrets that are rarely spoken about that make all the difference:
Live Longer
With an average of 5 years added to their life and in investing terms, that is an asset. Time = Money. Everyone wants more time because you cannot buy back time. A longer time horizon also means more opportunities and options. More diversity = the better.
More Graduates
More degrees, more luck in life along with knowledge but still a difficult time getting into these fields due to connections, family, and inheritance. In 2019, there were 1.35 females for every male who graduated from a four-year university. 33% of women have an advanced academic degree, compared to 32% percent of men, according to a 2016 Census Bureau report.
Women Have Less Debt
A 2016 analysis by Experian shows that women carry an average of 3.7% less debt than men overall, and their average mortgage loan is 7.9% smaller. The Vanguard report found that men had borrowed an average of $10,424 to women’s $8,755, a difference of about 16%. And a 2017 study by GoBankingRates found that men had an average of $95,057 in debt compared to $31,037 for women — more than three times as much despite fewer women working in the financial industry.
More Men Invest In The Stock Market
The stock market is all about volatility. Men are known to be less patient which means they take investing as a game instead of a long-term goal-oriented approach. They invest more but lose more unstrategically.
Women Are Less Confident About Investing
This is actually a good thing because if they were excited and enthusiastic to it like men, they wouldn’t take it seriously. Women weigh their options more carefully because they are more risk-averse, which is your best friend in the stock market. As you get older, this is also a rule you must follow in order to prevent bankruptcy and financial ruin during a pandemic with not enough cash on hand for example.
Women Earn Higher Returns
Believe it or not, with more mutual funds and long-term index fund investing, women are more strategic, slow-paced but thoughtful about their decisions leading them to more success down the road. Men might dominate the field but in their personal lives, they struggle more than women.
Men Are More Comfortable with Risk
The older you get, your risk tolerance must be lower because #1: you have less of a time span to live so your gains cannot offset your losses as quickly anymore and #2: you need more cash since you are gearing up for retirement as you are older and have less energy for a full-time job. As with sports, men typically see investing as gambling. This explains why there are more men that trade options (riskiest bets in the market) than women.
Women Are More Patient
Women trade on average 27% less frequently than men. This explains outperformance because the stock market always outperforms. The worst intention is to get rich quick because short term investing is only for losers.
Women Are Open To Seek Financial Guidance
As there are more women counselors, therapists, and nurses, the typical professions that work with patients or clients and need to be great listeners, women are also more open to doing the same for themselves. They aren’t scared about letting out their emotions, something that comes in handy with investing while men keep it to themselves trying to act macho and tough assuming they are making the best decisions, rarely considering consulting anyone with a different perspective that can really help them.
Women Are Historically Better Savers
No one can predict the future. What is certain is only uncertainty. No matter how much insider trading (illegal) you could possibly obtain or innovative Python algorithm on your terminal you may have, that is part of the thrill of finance and exactly what men have wrong. They play it as a game. Your finances shouldn’t be something fun, they are serious and determine if you will live a financially free life and be able to achieve your goals. For further confirmation, 12.4% is the average amount of their paycheck that women contributed into their retirement accounts, compared to 11.6% of their paycheck for men. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.
Women Are Forward Future Looking
A 2017 study by Fidelity found that women save a slightly larger percentage of their income than men do, both in workplace retirement accounts and in outside accounts like IRAs. Similarly, a 2017 Vanguard survey found that women are more likely to take part in workplace retirement plans, such as 401k and 403b plans, than men earning the same level of income. Women also put more of their pretax earnings into these plans: between 2% and 8% more than their male coworkers.
Women Spend Less
A 2015–2016 Consumer Expenditure Survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics highlights several differences in spending choices between single women and single men.
Here’s how the sexes stack up in different areas:
Total Spending: Single men spent slightly more than single women overall — $35,018 as opposed to $33,786 but because men earned roughly $10k more per year than women.
Food: Single men spent more on food than single women. Their annual food bill was $4,173, as opposed to $3,680 for the ladies. They also spent much more on alcoholic beverages — $537 per year compared to the women’s $234.
Clothing: Not surprisingly, women spent more on “apparel and services” than men. Their annual cost came to $1,140, while the men spent only $813. Women also spent $595 a year on personal care products and services like skin and hair care — more than twice as much as the men’s $233 per year.
Cars: Men spent more than women on personal transportation — a total of $5,507 per year as opposed to $4,273.
Entertainment: Men and women spent roughly the same amount each year on entertainment. However, they split up their entertainment budget in different ways. Men spent an average of $835 on “audio and visual equipment and services” but only $206 caring for pets. Women, by contrast, spent $725 on their home theaters and $488 on their pets.
Image by Unsplash
Misconception
You would think that if you work in finance, you would be an expert in your own personal financial journey. At the end of the day, it’s not about how much you make, but how much you pay yourself and keep in the bank. There is no evidence that men spend more or less than women because we all have our own preferences and desires, but when it comes to our financial health, the most important thing we can control in our lives, men are surprisingly lacking which can all be controlled due to their lack of self-control and impulse to outperform other investors. Never believe you are the smartest in the room because it will haunt you and turn you into the dumbest.
So Is It Really For The Money?
As much as the financial industry seems enticing with the lavish weekends bankers have and what they buy their kids, once again, what you see is usually never the case. Just like with social media, no one will show you their struggles because that will get no likes, even though I thought reliability is more popular but regardless, you get my point. More often than not those who are showing off are going through a miserable divorce, needing to pay lawyers up to 1 million to gain custody over their assets and children, maybe dealing with family and health problems, and feeling miserable at work, only for the money to one day retire in peace but how much peace after a hectic life?
I’m not saying all men do this but according to a Harvard study when it comes to who will work for the love of their job, not for the paycheck, women are in the long haul once again. According to the study, 50% more women between the ages of 60 and 64 compared to their male counterparts who retired were still working in 2013 — not necessarily for the money, but rather because they were invested in their careers.
That says a lot.
Image by Unsplash
Men Myths
Don’t worry, I won’t be diving into the obstetrician ancient history side of things with Adam and Eve, this is instead going into why men dominate the STEM and finance fields.
First off, let’s debunk the classic myths on why we assume men rule these fields:
Myth #1: Men deal with money better
Myth #2: There are more statisticians, mathematicians in the quant field
Myth #3: Men have more money
Myth #4: Men are able to deal with harder challenges than women
Myth #5: Men are more addicted to money than women
Now a few of these may be swayed more in 1 direction than in the other, but what is for sure is that it has nothing to do with putting more effort in their work or men’s fascination with money.
Image by Unsplash
It’s simply Influence, Family and Inheritance that play the biggest factor.
Drive
Whether it’s on social media or in your personal life, who are the people you follow? It can be for any reason, maybe fashion inspo or how to seem more professional. Whoever it may be, the people you’ve really followed the most in your life are your parents even if you moved out at 17. With influence, comes money and greed, something only the wealthy had to set the ball rolling in these lucrative fields in history.
Wall Street got its official start on May 17the, 1792 by Peter Stuyvesant, of course, no other than a wealthy billionaire. This kickstarted the job market and in every field since the economy runs behind it all. This is where men got their start. Peter was a father to a son and as a result, passed it down through inheritance. Business is a part of every industry, from farming to nail salons and during this time, women were known to be the housemaids and mothers to the children as the men were the breadwinners.
This didn’t change until the feminist movement roughly 200 years later in the 1960s when women began to enter the workforce as a high labor market participation grew during World War II when many male soldiers were dying or away, women had to take up mundane and often painful, grueling hourly jobs such as hammering nails to produce cardboard boxes to working with dangerous sewing machines at large to support their family in the states. Yet, since women were only allowed in the industries that no one wanted, similarly to the way slaves were treated, men still kept dominance in the lucrative, fantastical, over the top fields of finance and STEM where real and important real-world decisions were made.
As a Polack, I have to shout out Marie Curie for breaking barriers as the inventor of the X-Ray. Without that, I wouldn’t have had a successful implementation of stitches in my first and hopefully last big cut when I was 10 in a swimming pool and during this pandemic, we couldn’t be more grateful her the X-Ray since a lot of that same technology used in X-Rays are for cat scans and to produce defibrillators to keep people alive!
Influence
Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Peter Stuyvesant to name a few of the greatest business pioneers (men if you haven’t noticed) of all time became successful mainly due to the influence, discipline and boost from their parents. I’m not saying that rich people don’t work hard at all. They certainly do but it doesn’t help when you are already born into wealth. That’s a leg up in itself.
We’ve all heard at least once in our lifetime from our parents whether it was an expectation or stern family chat before attending college about their expectations on what we should do about our lives. When you have a child, you always want the best intentions for your kid to grow up and become more successful than you. That not only means you have to invest more money than it took your parents to raise you but constant dedication, nurturing sacrifice, and a heck of a lot of money betting on a return.
Exactly how much does it cost to have a child? This is a debate that I’m specifically intrigued and curious by especially being the fact that I live in the wealthiest country in the world where the poverty rate is 11%. The poorest people tend to have the most children, that makes sense. Okay, I was certainly sarcastic there but I guess I can see where those folks are coming from. You either want more love or bet that 1 out of your 5 newborns will become a billionaire so they can support the whole family and the rest of the siblings and parents not work a day in their life. Sad to say but there is a less than 0.003% chance you will become a Musk.
Image by Unsplash
Real Price of A Child
Due to inflation and the 3% rise in public education each year, I would recommend allocating roughly half a million until they move out of the house. Yes, I said $5000k. Some students are ambitious and get jobs here and there like I did at 15 to feel good about myself, but as we’ve always discussed, a job won’t move the needle in your life and cover the expenses. Allocating more than what you expect is better than running out what most Americans with too many children do.
With taxes and being that young working at McDonalds, kids tend to spend all their hard-earned money because they’re just too young to understand about how that money could be used better or how to budget properly. All they want to do is brag they made $10 per hour after school which is exciting but won’t help in the grand scheme of things if not managed properly.
According to New York Life, the cost of raising a child until age 17 in 2020 is on average $435,610. Low-income couples spend $174,690 on average to raise a child and depending on where you live, if you are a self-conscious family that wants to show off buying luxury goods that the child will grow out of 3 months later, expect to allocate 1 million till college.
Now that is a lot. I get it. Most Americans don’t even have a net worth of a million and the average cost of a house in the states is a child till their 17 but that explains the poverty rate. Families are not weighing their options. Have kids when you are in a better financial situation. Don’t put more stress and costs on your plate. You have to deal with your situation now before it gets better.
Personally, I’m truly grateful I’m an only child. I’ve always said that and forever will. And no, just because I’m alone doesn’t’ mean I’m lonely. I’m the last person to get bored and I’m also thankful I don’t have siblings. But the reason being is not because I don’t want to deal with unmotivated annoying sisters and brothers or have to share my ice cream cone or room but rather because it is the best decision my family ever made and anyone else.
If my family had another child, my life would be turned around. I would not only get less attention, but we would also have to live in a smaller place, eat cheaper less organic healthy food, not have that much peace and everything would be different!
Sole Child
This reminds me of what they did in China which I don’t think is crazy for once. In the 1970s the Chinese government initiated a one-child policy due to the overpopulation after WW II in 1949 as this would bring more money to the country, build a better stronger army and more food supply. China, the most populated country in the world needed a break from all the crying babies and although unrealistic families were angry, the government was right and saved millions from going into debt and bankruptcy on the streets.
Unfortunately it was relaxed in November of 2013 due to the slower economy and more job openings feeling that it was unfair to instill such commands ruled by the government which makes sense but should still be recommended, especially in the US.
With the exposure to education and experience, the wealthy tend to have fewer children so they could make the financially responsible choice to put in more money to supply tutors, babysitters, the best boot camps, private schools, donations to IVY leagues, a nice easy referral to land that position at daddy’s office or $250k to bootstrap for your child’s next venture, cough cough, Bezos. The more kids you have, the less you can give all of your children these opportunities. For Bezos, that amount of money could have been spent on another child but his parents knew he was destined for greatness.
More doesn’t always mean better, especially financially but of course, it is your choice, just my recommendation.
Image by Unsplash
Take It or Leave It
Influence is all over you and depending on how much you want to listen to it (parents, mentors, family members, etc.), it can help guide your career on the right path. But no matter what direction you take, your parents will only help you so much. Yes, they can babysit you into bringing you the best programs in the world, but unless you take the initiative to do so yourself, they won’t guide you forever.
That is why the rich get richer and the poorer tend to get poorer or stay the same. With no access to investing or tax-advantageous opportunities, it is hard to break out of that gap. As with women, men see what their family has been up to for generations in their family business and have more confidence and reliance in this field as opposed to women who just trust that they will be treated fairly and it is also made for them.
It is much easier to become wealthier born as a trust fund baby than start from scratch. Parents have a big effect on the way we live our lives, whether we listen to them or not, if we learn from them and see the lifestyle they provide us, we usually want to follow in their footsteps as the easy route. I’ve seen far too often at school that boys want to get into the finance industry because of the lifestyle dad provides. It is upsetting that most people choose money > career which soon leads to burnout, most common in the financial industry.
If you saw your dad in finance and you were his son in the 80’s till today, you most likely are working in finance today. Less work is done on your part to apply since your dad helped cut the corners to land this job that you hope you have for the rest of your life. Then that son will pass that sentiment on to his children and it continues as an inheritance, male-dominated cycle. Now I’m finally seeing more stay-at-home dads than moms, but still, the lack of diversity and gender gap is still there.
My Opinion
I don’t know if it’s because women realize that money isn’t everything in this world or that it is hard to sustain yourself in the financial industry, something I’ve noticed the men in my life at least learned later on in life, but I believe women are more strategic, realistically pessimistic and better planers that make them perfect candidates for this industry.
Pay Gap
Many people don’t realize why women get paid less than men. It has nothing to do with work ethic or the quality of results they produce. First off, money is a taboo subject so we never know enough on how much less women make than men if not at all but I’m sure they do since we never speak about it since men are comfortable and women just have to take or leave what they are offered. But with sports, there is a left reason. There is simply less of an audience to watch women than men play football, soccer, tennis virtually any sport. Sports is entertainment and fewer viewers = fewer paychecks for female players. Simple as that. It is the sad truth about the entertainment and advertising industry.
Image by Unsplash
The Financial Truth
So if sports isn’t made for us financially, why is finance? Well, how could that be? If there is a larger pay gap and less inclusion in the most lucrative field in the world, how is it made for us?
As mentioned earlier, women have different psychological cues and they use their emotions more than men. Finance is the most personalized field because we all have to deal with money, whether or not we studied it in school or buy things on a daily basis. It impacts every human on earth that pays bills or needs to have a roof over their head.
Women also tap into their emotions more. This could be a good or bad thing especially since the stock market is known for being volatile and unpredictable, something that usually sparks high fear and uncertainly having your emotions go through the roof. Although that might happen, with men, they take more chances and act as if it is a game instead of for the long term. Women are known to not only take their time and have patience through weighing out options, they use their emotions to their benefit and don’t let them take control as men seem to do as this is a Las Vegas casino.
Now disclaimer, everyone is different but what I’ve encountered from working on the trading floor at 16 and with dozens of personal advisors myself, men rush the game. The other day, my mother and I were at the bank. We always prefer to be extra conservative, especially during a pandemic and have 2 years of cash in case of an emergency. I know I know. It’s only recommended for 6–12 months but in the long run, better be safe than sorry. The critics out there will say that is such a waste of money and cash is just devaluing your worth. Every day you are losing money. Guess who says that? Men do and women agree 2 years. Who ends up more financially stable and lives longer? Women!
The last thing you want to do is scramble to find a job and work at McDonald’s while broke during a pandemic trying not to get evicted. Yes, sure, men who work in the financial industry know how to prepare for uncertainly as the stock market presents itself like this all the time, but women weigh it differently and they view all options producing more cash flow returns.
Toy Check
I could remember as a child when I wanted a toy my dad would buy it immediately for me not waiting the traditional 72 hours for big to mediocre size purchases, let’s say over $1k and my mother would extend it to a few days of weighing the options if it is really worth it. She asked me to go through my toy box, see if I can donate something and get money for to buy a new toy and see how much I really wanted it. After this pondering and time, I saved thousands over my childhood that I’ve now grown immensely stashed into a ROTH IRA. These little techniques that women utilize and who knows where it comes from, are saviors in the financial world that men need to learn more of.
Image by Unsplash
Take Away
As there are more women counselors and therapists, I believe financial advisors/brokers, traders, and financial analysts are a perfect fit for women. Women don’t rush things as quickly as men and show more empathy according to the data above presented. The worst thing you can do is rush over a decision with your money because then you have to pay taxes to withdraw your money, deal with penalties and annoying rules in the process! Gambling is not investing and planning for the future is not for tomorrow but in 2–3 years. Quality > Quantity. As a female in this industry, I look forward to not changing what I’ve been doing right this whole time. Being in an industry that was made for me.
The fox never wins the race, the calculated, patient, strategic and smarter tortoise always does. Men, be a tortoise and women, never be afraid to be slower and more confident in the best way possible because it always ends up beating any strategy in the long run. | https://medium.com/@miagradelski/why-finance-is-made-for-women-and-what-men-are-missing-that-will-for-sure-make-them-more-returns-804b0d3d96ae | ['Mia Gradelski'] | 2020-12-19 21:11:49.747000+00:00 | ['Wealth', 'Economy', 'Business', 'Women', 'Finance'] |
The house always wins : Monte Carlo Simulation | Now, let’s simulate different scenarios in Python to visualize the different outcomes if the player kept betting continuously.
1.Import the required libraries
#Import libraries
import random
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
2.We need a dice simulator which throws a value from 1–100 with uniform probability distribution. Let’s create a function in Python which returns ‘True’ if the player wins and ‘False’ if the Casino wins.
#Create function for simulating die roll
#The die can take values from 1 to 100. If the number is between 1 #and 51, the house wins.
#If the number is between 52 and 100, the player wins. def rolldice():
dice = random.randint(1,100)
if dice <=51:
return False
elif dice >51 & dice <=100:
return True
3.Create a function that simulates the bets. We need to provide three arguments for the function :
i. Total funds : The money the player is starting with ($10,000)
ii. Wager Amount : The amount the player bets in each game ($100)
iii. Total plays : The number of times the player plays the game (This value is changed for creating different scenarios)
#Define a function for the play which takes 3 arguments :
#1. total_funds = total money in hand the player is starting with
#2. wager_amount = the betting amount each time the player plays
#3. total_plays = the number of times the player bets on this game def play(total_funds, wager_amount, total_plays):
#Create empty lists for :
# 1.Play_number and
# 2.Funds available
# 3.Final Fund
Play_num = []
Funds = [] #Start with play number 1
play = 1
#If number of plays is less than the max number of plays we have set
while play < total_plays:
#If we win
if rolldice():
#Add the money to our funds
total_funds = total_funds + wager_amount
#Append the play number
Play_num.append(play)
#Append the new fund amount
Funds.append(total_funds)
#If the house wins
else:
#Add the money to our funds
total_funds = total_funds - wager_amount
#Append the play number
Play_num.append(play)
#Append the new fund amount
Funds.append(total_funds)
#Increase the play number by 1
play = play + 1
#Line plot of funds over time
plt.plot(Play_num,Funds)
Final_funds.append(Funds[-1])
return(Final_funds)
4. Finally, run a loop to call the above functions and simulate the game for multiple scenarios. To be confident of the end results of our game, each scenario will be simulated 100 times.
#Call the function to simulate the plays and calculate the remaining #funds of the player after all the bets
#Intialize the scenario number to 1
x=1
#Create a list for calculating final funds
Final_funds= [] while x<=100:
ending_fund = play(10000,100,5)
x=x+1 #Plot the line plot of "Account Value" vs "The number of plays"
plt.ylabel('Player Money in $')
plt.xlabel('Number of bets')
plt.show() #Print the money the player ends with
print("The player starts the game with $10,000 and ends with $" + str(sum(ending_fund)/len(ending_fund)))
5. Let’s visualize 7 different scenarios using the following graphs. In each scenario Jack bets n number of times.
For generating multiple scenarios, use the above block of code (#4), but only modify the highlighted code (shown below) to tweak the number of bets the player makes.
ending_fund = play(10000,100,5)
x-axis : The number of bets Jack makes
y-axis : Jack’s account balance after each bet
Each graph shows Jack’s account balance as he continues to play the game. Also, to find out Jack’s ending balance, we would be averaging out the balance from the 100 different simulations.
The aim of this experiment is to answer a simple question- “if a person starts with $10,000 and plays this game n number of times (and places a bet of $100 in each game), on an average, how much money would the player end up with ?”
Scenario 1 -> No. of bets : 5
Scenario 2 -> No. of bets : 10
Scenario 3 -> No. of bets : 50
Scenario 4 -> No. of bets: 100
Scenario 5 -> No. of bets : 500
Scenario 6 -> No. of bets : 1000
Scenario 7 -> No. of bets : 10000
From the simulation experiment, we can observe that Jack has a better chance of making a profit (or minimize loss), if he places fewer bets.
It can also be observed that the amount lost in every scenario is approximately 2% of the betting amount (same as the house edge). For example, in our final scenario — Jack made 10,000 bets, each for $100. So we would expect Jack to lose approximately (10,000)*(0.02*100), which amounts to $20,000.
Moreover, in the last scenario when he plays 10,000 times, the funds have become negative, i.e Jack has lost more money than what he started with (In real life, it means Jack lost all his money).
In short, THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS ! | https://towardsdatascience.com/the-house-always-wins-monte-carlo-simulation-eb82787da2a3 | ['Rohan Joseph'] | 2018-12-24 16:53:01.436000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Deep Learning', 'Visualization', 'Data Science', 'Data'] |
Know Your Ideal Customer!!! | It’s all about Customer Avatar
Well knowing your ideal Customer that ain’t no rocket science. And so the second class of my Digital Marketing Internship program was no rocket science. To sum it up, Get your basics right.Period.
This model speaks for itself as this model is a scale to measure the progress made.
We learn a million things in a lifetime but we remember only the ones we do and we get better by doing them so much so so that we can teach them and when we teach them we become more confident and keen on learning more about what we feel could have more dimensions to it. And as I’m writing this article, I am on the scale of doing what I have learnt.
Marketing is about good conversations and good communication.
The basics to good communication starts with you being authentic. That’s the difference between primary and spam mails. Authenticity. you don’t want every next thing. You see a potential in genuineness of a person or content or product or even services because of how authentic you find it.
Be authenticate to communicate better. Trust your audience. They’re smart and they can very well distinguish between real and fake and no one likes fake. They’re tired of fake and attracted to real. Moreover, you won’t get tired being real ever.
How to Communicate Better?
Be authentic with people and with yourself to communicate better.
People are tired of fake people with social personas. Everyone is attracted to someone real.
So read the article of Digital Deepak Sir on
“How to Become a Great Public Speaker” to learn to be authentic in life and gain more insight in becoming a better communicator who beams authentic powers.
Being yourself is very important to becoming a better marketer, so whatever you think, whatever you feel, share it with people as it builds authenticity.
Who Will Become A Better Marketer?
People with more life experiences are better marketers. So involve yourself in travel, learn new languages, skills that will challenge your wit and push your personality out of the comfort zone.
So basically do new things and create opportunities to do whatever you always wanted to do, but were afraid to try in the past due to limiting beliefs.
How to Communicate Well With Your Audience?
· You need to know your audience
· If everyone is an audience then no one is your audience
· Go ahead and carve out a niche, as we know that riches are in the niches.
Action Steps to Know Your Audience
· Go and talk to people directly in your niche.
· Figure out the exact persona or the exact audience you have.
· Make this particular customized audience into a customer avatar.
Customer Avatar
What Is Customer Avatar?
It’s a bunch of people who you have communicated and took opinions about themselves and their needs, and boiling it down to a single individual of whom you keep in mind while communicating through your content is known as a customer avatar.
You cannot sell a car to person who wants a bread. You need to get your audience right to get your right audience.
How to define your target customer?
Simple. Learn more about their Demographics and Psychographics.
DEMOGRAPHICS: Age, place, gender etc
PSYCHO-GRAPHICS: Interests, fears, likes, dislikes etc
and to understand my audience better I’ve created a Survey form for which you need to click on the link. I request everyone reading this article to fill this form as well.
Click here:
https://guhanajay96.typeform.com/to/hxFQVC
all this helps you build a customer avatar.
My Niche : People Who Seeking for Passive Income.
My Ideal Customer Avatar survey result until now is:
My Ideal Customer Avatar:
His name is Ravi.
Age group is 35–44.
% He Spend for Savings or Inverstment 51–75%.
He’s Annual Income 15–25 Lakhs.
He is a Working Professional.
His Investment risk level is High .
And He’s used to invest most of them in Mutual Fund as well as Stock Market.
And He’s Ready to Paid for Financial advisor/consultant to make his money work for him.
2. His name is Joe.
Age group is 35–44.
% He Spend for Savings or Inverstment 10–25%.
He’s Annual Income 11–15Lakhs.
He is a Business Person.
His Investment risk level is Moderate.
And He’s used to invest most of them in Mutual Fund as well as Stock Market,Gold,Real Estate.
And He’s Ready to Paid for Financial advisor/consultant to make his money work for him.
So having a customer avatar is a truly valuable information for any marketer or content creator I came to realize.
To reach ones target audience without wasting much time and money, creating a customer avatar is essential to gain clarity about one’s target audience.
So go ahead and research your market, you will definitely gain insight, which will be highly valuable in creating tailor made content for your audience with a friendly approach.
so that is my customer avatar. What is yours? Do tell.
Leaving on this note.Hope you enjoyed reading this article.
@ Guhan. | https://medium.com/@guhanajay96/know-your-ideal-customer-d0589e24a5d1 | [] | 2020-05-26 21:38:47.596000+00:00 | ['Passive Income'] |
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DAA Manager Insights: Steven Reynolds | The Chinese general Sun Tzu said that “All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.” This principle is aligned with the achievements of our DAA manager Steven Reynolds, from the tokenization of his GEM DAA to his fascinating predictions for 2018.
Many common sayings apply to both the military and to finance, from decision-making to making sacrifices. Tell us how a former US Army officer got involved in the financial services industry and the crypto world. What would you outline as a financial edge the army gave you?
I separated from the military in 2004 and was given the opportunity to put my experience in operations to work with a startup focused on assisting clients in obtaining economic security through traditional financial products.
What I discovered was that clients are similar to soldiers in that if you treat them with respect, ensure that their needs are met, and act in their best interests, you can build relationships that matter.
It was those relationships that led me into the crypto world after a former employee introduced me to this “crazy” thing called Bitcoin. I bought some bitcoin early, and sold way (way) too soon, but the technology fascinated me, so I stayed abreast of projects and developments as the technology matured. Up until 2016, I had considered crypto-projects a hobby, but my friends and family recognized the value in what I was doing and began to ask me how I could help them. It had not occurred to me that I could do what I love and make it a business at the same time, and I began to explore ways to make that happen. It was during this phase that I discovered ICONOMI and fell in love with its vision. Here was a platform where I could do everything my friends and family were asking of me without having to hold custody of funds, where I could focus on what I loved doing and still provide a valuable service.
Recently, we have seen quite a few countries stating that they will create their own cryptocurrencies. What effect do you expect this to have on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies that are meant for value transfers and payments?
I am a strong believer in the crypto ecosystem, and I view government-backed crypto with extreme skepticism. That being said, a fungible token that gives the average investor an easy onramp to crypto can only benefit the entire space.
Your GEM DAA focuses on projects that will bring financial services to the unbanked and other financially disconnected communities of the world through credit, cashless transactions, identification, and other projects with ancillary effects. The projects you have included in your DAA will have a huge effect on our society. Do you believe those projects will also have the highest returns when it comes to cryptocurrencies?
The entire crypto space is the internet in 1990, when you may have known one person with an email address. There was no Google, and there was certainly no Amazon. The reality is that most of the projects in crypto are going to fail, but I believe the projects I have included in GEM have the greatest chance to succeed in their missions to change and disrupt. Every single project has implications for the way people use, exchange, and think about value. I fully expect a few of the projects in GEM to become companies that bring significant returns to early adopters and investors.
Your mileage in crypto is almost ten years. With your excellent understanding of trends and crypto dynamics, what do you expect in 2018?
I fully expect 2018 to be the year of the privacy coin and of high-quality Chinese projects. With unstable regimes and uncertain regulatory environments, the demand for privacy in digital assets will continue to grow. I expect the demand for blockchain technology and solutions to explode in China over the next year as the Chinese government provides clearer guidance regarding tokens, technology, and ICOs.
Follow our official channels for more updates and news:
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or log into our platform to explore more DAA strategies. | https://medium.com/iconominet/daa-manager-insights-steven-reynolds-606998480bfc | ['Matej Tomazin'] | 2018-01-12 15:58:28.313000+00:00 | ['Insights', 'Interview', 'Ethereum', 'Bitcoin', 'Iconomi'] |
AHASPOKUNA SRI LANKA | On the verge of succumbing to the relentless agitation of the rebels, the colonial rulers unleashed a ruthless campaign to murder every man, burn down every home and destroy all the farmlands in the rebel areas. Munwatta, which was just 12.4km away from Walapane, where there were 3 rebel leaders of 18 did not have any mercy from the rulers. The rebels were left with no choice but to retreat to the safety of the uninhabited southern hills.
After weeks of traversing harsh conditions and searching for a location to settle down in, the rebels found a safe haven with enough natural cover, a healthy supply of water and fertile grounds for cultivation. This sanctuary was called “Ahaspokuna”. Though only three families survived the treacherous journey, they had finally found their refuge.
A few years later, once the threat of genocide had subsided, these families moved further south and settled in a more open valley. Since it was the first village they established since their great passage, they named the village ‘Mul Gama’ which literally translates as ‘First Village’.
The three great houses of the village were named ‘Ihala Walawwa’, ‘Meda Walawwa’ and ‘Phala Walawwa’. Even though they had founded a new village, they still kept the Ahaspokunna settlement for cultivation purposes. Generation later however, Ahaspokuna was forgotten and was only used occasionally for Chena cultivation.
More than 100 years later, Karunarathne Abeykoon, the founder’s father, rediscovered his pahala walawwa roots and traced his family history back to this settlement after 12 years of arduous research. He was able to trace all the land that belonged to his family and his relatives in Ahaspokuna. The land settlement published in the gazettes of January, 1957 on Ahaspokuna, helped him a great deal and he was further able to trace the historical records of the property utilizing the plans obtained from the Surveyor General’s office.
The present era of development meant that almost everyone who owned other blocks of land in the Ahaspokuna area had migrated to bigger cities and were more than willing to hand their lands over to Karunarathne.
After years of laborious research, tracking family roots, interviewing hundreds of people and gaining legal clearances, Karunarathne and his son Anuruddha Abeykoon Bandara, were finally able to establish Sri Lanka’s first-ever private wildlife reserve refuge of Ahaspokuna on 16th December 2016 at the auspicious time of 8.52 a.m. | https://medium.com/@charli256/ahaspokuna-sri-lanka-26280e19b7ad | ['Charles Dayananda'] | 2021-07-07 21:55:21.261000+00:00 | ['Sri Lanka Hotels', 'Tourism', 'Sri Lanka Tourism', 'Hotel'] |
How To Create A Small Garden Best Decorative Guide | Need For Garden | How To Create A Small Garden
The possibility of creating a place where plant species coexist opens a world of creative opportunities, a place to connect with nature, relax, and take care of the living beings that grow inside. It does not matter if it is a small space, if you have in mind that how to create a small garden or do not know how to decorate yours, follow these steps to get inspired and give shape to a project full of life in your home
Define the goal of your Small garden
Will your garden be a space for relaxation, with silence and a natural environment, or for the meeting, where you can spend quality time with other people and share food or a weekend? Can you walk and play in it, or will it be a space for contemplation?
Will you dedicate a lot of time and resources to its maintenance, or do you prefer a less demanding garden? You can also use amazon coupons to get tools used for gardening at cheap prices.
Take some time to answer these questions and you will have a clear project in mind that will help you better choose from the type of grass to the furniture, the layout, and the plants that will be part of your small garden.
A garden is a living and changing space
If you plant your garden during the spring and summer you may have a radiant combination of intense colors for a couple of months, but if you don’t take into account the flowering conditions and the lifespan of each plant, your garden will likely look exactly right.
opposite of your original intention during the fall and winter months. You can also use polytunnels to keep your garden safe.
The best landscapers in the world pay special attention to the different faces that a garden will have throughout the year and you should do the same to avoid being disappointed.
Think about the type of weather and the species that you find on the street, in the parks, and in other gardens around you and how the colors change during each season. This will give you a clear idea of how you want your space to look from January to December.
Not everything is flowers
Although most people immediately think of flowers when the image of a garden comes to mind, in reality, species with large flowers occupy less space in any green area. One of the trends in gardening is to use more and more plants without flowers and pay more attention to the foliage. Foliage plants will be more visible than flowers, while large bushes, ferns, and cacti will help bulk up.
If your garden is surrounded by walls, you can choose vines such as bougainvillea, ivy, or Alamanda, species that you will have to guide with cuttings and artificial supports until you get the desired channel. You can also choose perennial flowers, which are kept alive throughout the year and are less demanding than other species, such as geranium or lavender.
Outdoor furniture and materials
The furniture will depend on the use that you will give to your garden. A bench near a shady spot is a safe bet, while a set of lounge chairs under a porch or a spacious dining room are ideal if you plan on entertaining.
If you are wondering what are the best materials for your garden furniture, the most popular for its durability is teak, a type of heavy wood that is very resistant to humidity and other climatic conditions.
There are other lighter plastic materials that vary in durabilities such as Polywood, Textilene (with which most lounge chairs are made), or artificial rattan, while some natural fibers such as bamboo or wicker are effective and give a touch of the country. anywhere, but they can suffer rapid wear and tear.
The blacksmith is also an element to consider, although its direct exposure to the elements can cause it to lose its color and on very hot days, the sun can overheat chairs and tables, making it impossible to use them.
Fences, stones, and other decorative elements in your Small Garden
No garden is complete without the small details that make it unique and different from the rest. From wooden fences, river stones, or marble, choosing between a pond or a natural carpet grass clearing will be part of the character of your garden.
Get inspired by the different types of garden, such as the Japanese with bodies of water, bushes, fountains, and large stones or the desert, with all kinds of succulents and cacti, as well as paths.
Dedicate a couple of hours each week and soon you will have a green place where you can relax your senses, spend time with your loved ones or grow your favorite fruits and vegetables.
Author Selena is a blogger and a guest contributor for a well-known brand that includes & The Ordinary. In her leisure time, she plays tennis. | https://medium.com/@needforgarden/how-to-create-a-small-garden-best-decorative-guide-need-for-gar-2a8a77ef912d | ['Need For Garden'] | 2021-02-13 15:01:01.503000+00:00 | ['Landscaping', 'Small Garden Ideas', 'Gardening', 'Small Garden', 'Small Garden Design'] |
How Blockchain Implementation will Impact Accounting | The remarkable growth of the blockchain technology has raised both excitement and concerns for the global accounting industry. Is blockchain implementation and accounting going to have a symbiotic relationship or as suggested by some experts, should the accountants start to look for a new line of job? Like the blockchain technology itself, the answer to these questions is complex. Blockchain is one of the hottest and fastest rising technologies in 2018, and for good reasons. As a kind of incorruptible and indestructible ledger, the blockchain offers a novel way to save and share data in a way that it becomes simultaneously inter-operable. This may reduce the demand for accountants to save data in disparate locations without any need to consolidate and validate it. Will the blockchain implementation increase the efficiency of the accounting functions and result in improved performance parameters, is another debatable question. This post discusses the potential of the blockchain technology for the global accountancy industry and the probable ways it can be implemented within this domain. The post also includes the future of the accounting and auditing in the same context.
The Blockchain & Accountancy — Where They Meet
Many experts argue that the blockchain is an accountancy-based technology[1], which seems true up to some extent. After all, while the blockchain is mostly known to us as the technology underpinning bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, it, in fact, underpins them by reconciling the accounts. When we talk about other industries like automotive and real estate, blockchain is mostly implemented to track the assets value and ownership at which they were purchased and sold [2]. That’s also the reason why this technology bears high potential for the accounting. It offers a much more durable and transparent framework for the accounting firms to measure and track their assets. It can make it easier for them to understand and recognize which assets are available in the real-time, their values and other commitments that may impact potential cashflows.
The impact of the blockchain implementation on accounting is evident. Rich de Moll, the Vice President of the Blockchain Solutions for Finance at IBM explains that how the blockchain technology allows the accountants, financial experts and auditors to trust the data it provides[3]. Since the data is absolute and unchallengeable, these people can save considerable time and decrease cost. He states that, from the audit point of view, using technologies like blockchain technology, cognitive tools and artificial intelligence, can enhance audit volume to help examine massive amount of data. The blockchain technology also helps accounting businesses prevent collusion and fraud both internally and externally.
Blockchain Implementation in Accounting & the Role of the Accountants
Will blockchain replace the accountants, is a million-dollar question.
The good news is that the answer is no. One of the very first things that we start worrying about if a disruptive technology rises is its possibility of replacing people. With accountancy, the blockchain is expected to massively impact almost everything, ranging from auditing to cybersecurity and everything in between and to the way information is stored, accessed and interpreted.
Blockchain presents a huge opportunity. The accountants and the accountancy firms that embrace the technology and understand its underlying concepts would be the ones most highly sought after in the coming years. With every day passing, a blockchain-oriented future is looking even more likely. Accountants are usually experts in terms of record-keeping and the blockchain can effectively help records to be reserved on an interoperable system that the auditors and authorized third parties can access safely and securely. In this prevailing period, accountants should oversee the blockchain implementation and maintenance as well as other modern technologies.
Blockchain Implementation in Accounting & the Role of the Auditors
Blockchain also bears implications in audit. Performing auditing of the company’s financial position would be less essential if some or all the transactions that make up that position are visible or stored on the blockchains. This means a huge change in the way auditors work. A blockchain, when combined with suitable data analytics, can facilitate the transactional level assertions in the audit, and the skills of the auditors will be better used answering higher level questions.
For instance, auditing is not only assessing the details of whom a specific transaction was between and the monetary value, but it is also about how it was classified and recorded. If the transaction credits the cash, is this outflow because of the expenses or sales, or is it paying off a creditor or making an asset? These judgmental factors usually need the content that is not available to public and rather necessitate the business knowledge, and with blockchain implementation, the auditors would have more time for focusing on such questions.
Potential Uses for Blockchain In Accounting and Audit
Traceable audit trails
An audit trial investigates the way a source document has been translated into the account entry and inserted into the financial statement of the company. It presents the documented flow of the transaction. Blockchain keeps records on the interoperable system, making it easier and safer for the auditors to access the data and ensure everything is complied with the standards[4]. Businesses will just need to maintain a single, joint register rather than multiple distinct records. Thus, apart from protecting the record from corruption and eliminating the chances of errors, the process makes a concrete traceable audit trial. The transparency of the blockchain provides visibility to all the transactions for the approved users, decreasing the work of the auditors for sampling and verifying the transactions.
Automated audit processes
In the coming years, the finance teams would use distributed ledgers, along with artificial intelligence, for automating multiple processes, ranging from payments to foreign exchange to tax returns fillings[5]. As the data is saved in the distributed ledgers and authenticated by the multiple parties as well as updated on a continuous basis, it provides the teams a possibility of real time reporting to the management as well as auditors, and thus being able to work in a more effective way with the external auditors as well as tax providers.
Authentication of transactions
Blockchain forms the basis for an online P2P network that utilizes computer-powered cryptography to help exchange of value. The computers linked to the network, called nodes, verify and save the transactions simultaneously, letting parties who don’t know each other to execute transactions without the need of any trusted third-party intermediary like a bank or a financial network.
Tracking ownership of assets
The market for the fake goods makes businesses bear loss worth of trillions of dollars per year. Currently, this is incredibly hard to prove that an asset is fake. However, if the businesses were to begin recording their assets on the blockchain, it would become far harder for the counterfeiter to prove his or her assets as authentic. One of the fundamental features of the blockchain is that if something once put on the blockchain, it cannot be counterfeited or altered[6]. And a use case that has risen to pop up for the blockchain technology is the ownership verification tool. Once the asset gets listed over the blockchain, the ownership of it becomes immutable unless any change is verified by the asset’s owner.
Development of ‘smart contracts’
The blockchain-based smart contracts are rapidly rising as a disruptive tool that can transform the way the financial statement audits are carried out and delivered. With their high potential ability to execute the audit processes autonomously on the behalf of the auditors and show the outcomes of these processes, the blockchain based smart contracts can greatly enhance the audit quality and meet the reporting needs of different vested parties for more transparent, accurate and faster audit reporting[7].
Smart audit processes are basically the autonomous audit processes, including the autonomous internal control tests as well as analytical processes, deployed on the auditor’s blockchain. This deployment in the distributed blockchain ledger leads to real-time reporting for many stakeholders like major investors, suppliers, the SEC, audit inspectors, and the audit committee. As the blockchain offers a platform for the implementation of smart audit processes, these processes can be distributed to the participating nodes, thereby meeting the needs for timelier and more transparent audit reporting.
Registry and inventory system for any assets, ranging from raw materials to intellectual property
The blockchain solutions can be used to capture the information regarding the assets as it is registered in the inventory system, passes from one party to another within a supply chain, and as the position of the asset is modified, for instance, capitalized. Capturing the information about the assets including raw materials and intellectual property on the blockchain chain gives accountants and their company’s supply chain partners as well as external auditors a sole source of truth about the core asset information[8]. This also provides the value as stakeholders use only one system to obtain all the information about an asset.
Transaction processing
Apart from automation trends like machine learning, the blockchain technology leads to more transactional-level accounting. Successful accountants will work on examining the real economic interpretation of the blockchain records and match them to economic valuation and reality.
Reconciliation and control
Blockchain has the potential to replace reconciliation work, manual control and bookkeeping. Elimination of reconciliation and offering certainty over the transaction history, the blockchain can increase the scope of accounting, highlighting areas that are presently seem too hard or uncertain to measure, like the value of the data held by the company.
The Impact of Blockchain on Audit Practices
Blockchain streamlines audit processes. The accounts reconciliations, journal entries, trial balances, sub-ledger extracts and spreadsheet files are given to auditors in various manual and electronic formats today. In presence of blockchain, the auditor will give near real-time access to this data through read-only nodes over the blockchains, letting him obtain the information required for the auditing in a recurring, consistent format. Blockchain-based digitization lets auditors deploy more analytics, automation and machine learning abilities like automatically pinging relevant parties regarding unusual transactions on almost real time basis[9].
Digital Identities
Using a blockchain ledger for managing identities makes it extremely hard for the fraudsters to intervene the system without leaving an evident digital trial. A blockchain’s immutable record empowers the accountants to take control of their data tied to their identity and make sure its accuracy with time. With blockchain decentralized identifiers (DiDs), users can regain full control over their record. DiDs are the secret URL saved on the blockchain ledger, with each being allocated to diverse parts of the user’s identity like their name, social security number or birthdate[10].
Conclusion
For accountancy and auditing, the blockchain-based systems will keep the functions and professionals on their toes by enhancing transparency and making it easier for the accountants and auditors to streamline and speed up the processes while reducing costs and make sure that everything is in line on a real-time basis.
[1] https://www.inc.com/john-white/9-industries-that-will-soon-be-disrupted-by-blockchain.html
[2] https://www.inc.com/james-paine/top-real-estate-tech-trends-to-watch-in-2018.html
[3] https://www.ifac.org/global-knowledge-gateway/audit-assurance/discussion/blockchain-will-impact-accounting
[4] http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/news/2017/nov/blockchain-opportunity-for-accountants-201717900.html
[5] https://www.ey.com/en_gl/assurance/how-blockchain-could-introduce-real-time-auditing
[6] https://coincentral.com/why-blockchain-asset-tracking-is-not-just-for-the-super-rich/
[7] BARTOLETTI, M.; POMPIANU, L. (2017): “An empirical analysis of smart contracts: platforms, applications, and design patterns”. https://arxiv.org/pdf/ 1703.06322.pdf. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70278-0_31
[8] https://www.blockchain-council.org/blockchain/blockchain-within-asset-registry-how-it-works/
[9] https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/audit/us-audit-blockchain-technology-and-its-potential-impact-on-the-audit-and-assurance-profession.pdf
[10] http://fintechnews.sg/20937/blockchain/xenchain-digital-identity-kyc/ | https://medium.com/the-blockchain-academy/how-blockchain-implementation-will-impact-accounting-c79ac3563f66 | ['Bryant Nielson'] | 2018-09-19 15:57:05.286000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Accounting', 'Blockchain Technology'] |
Settling In | Settling In
A visualization poem
Photo by Levi XU on Unsplash
In this moment
settling in
like a smooth stone
sunk in sand.
In this moment
settling in
like a warm egg
cupped in down.
In this moment
settling in
like a soft dove
wrapped in silk.
Nothing else you have to do.
Nowhere else you have to be.
In this moment…
**************************************************
With gratitude to my wonderful teacher, Leanne. Namaste! | https://medium.com/illumination-curated/settling-in-31cc179089aa | ['Deborah Barchi'] | 2020-09-19 07:19:27.970000+00:00 | ['Mindfulness', 'Poetry', 'Meditation', 'Health', 'Self'] |
Why Over-communication Matters for Project Management And 5 Tips For Doing It Right | Why Over-communication Matters for Project Management And 5 Tips For Doing It Right ProofHub Follow Jul 6 · 9 min read
Over-communication is a double-edged sword. Its managerial benefits are clear and scientifically proven — a Harvard study found out that redundant communication contributed by notifications or transactional emails helps push projects much faster.
On the other hand, over-communicative bosses are usually the “bad cops” of the entire team. By now, you must’ve heard someone saying (or said so yourself) “Why do we need another meeting about this?” or “Why does this guy never shut up?”.
As team leaders, we want to be heard. However, we hate to be annoying. This write-up is a reflection of our team’s journey towards overcommunication without being overbearing.
Why Should You Over-Communicate?
At first glance, over-communication is a waste of time. Onboarding emails and meetings take time to host and write and eat up your team’s productive hours. And yet, top-tier team leaders (the likes of the CEO of Hilton Worldwide) swear by the benefits of over-communication, claiming that there’s no such thing as saying too much.
Source
“Even when you think you are communicating an idea too much and think no one wants to hear it anymore, you can’t stop”
Christopher Nassetta, CEO of Hilton Worldwide
Why do team leaders have to speak up as much as possible? Here are a few convincing reasons:
We assume others know things better than they do . At the root of miscommunication at most workplaces (especially remote), there’s a chain of false assumptions. Not knowing what others are working on or not understanding expectations clearly peaks in excuses such as “I thought you did that so I didn’t” or “I thought it’s not important”. To avoid teammates passing the blame on each other, a team leader has to voice agendas and expectations clearly (and repeatedly). Similarly, teammates should keep each other in the loop by sharing minutes of meeting and discussion pointers on the regular.
. At the root of miscommunication at most workplaces (especially remote), there’s a chain of false assumptions. Not knowing what others are working on or not understanding expectations clearly peaks in excuses such as “I thought you did that so I didn’t” or “I thought it’s not important”. To avoid teammates passing the blame on each other, a team leader has to voice agendas and expectations clearly (and repeatedly). Similarly, teammates should keep each other in the loop by sharing minutes of meeting and discussion pointers on the regular. Losing concentration and forgetting things is normal. If you only tell the team things once, it means people will only get one shot at processing and remembering that information. This strategy has dead ends — for one, it’s hard to get everyone to show up to every meeting. Also, attending and being “present” don’t necessarily align. By giving the team the benefit of the doubt and re-iterating the key points of past meetings, leaders give everyone an opportunity to successfully retain important ideas.
If you only tell the team things once, it means people will only get one shot at processing and remembering that information. This strategy has dead ends — for one, it’s hard to get everyone to show up to every meeting. Also, attending and being “present” don’t necessarily align. By giving the team the benefit of the doubt and re-iterating the key points of past meetings, leaders give everyone an opportunity to successfully retain important ideas. We get lost with no direction. As groups of individuals with distinct personalities, teams often struggle to follow a common course of action. The truth is unless steered in one definite direction, each of your employees will move on different paths. To an extent, this autonomy creates a healthy influx of new ideas. However, to paraphrase the Byzantine Generals Problem, teams need a clear, orchestrated strategy to manage a crisis. Aligning a team’s personal goals to organizational vision is a leader’s job and a key objective of over-communication. Only through speaking up persistently, leaders will be able to transmit the rationale behind decisions and everyone on the team will reap from moving in the same direction.
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Burn-out flags are easy to miss in silence . Letting teammates “do their own thing” is risky because team leaders lose the hunch for how stressed, overwhelmed, or unmotivated the top performers might be. Then blows like sudden resignations show up to put processes in jeopardy and add to the pile of things that cause the manager stress. Burnout is a quiet crisis — teammates can bottle frustrations up for months before speaking up. That’s why team leaders should be one step ahead and consistently check in on employees’ mental health using a solid internal communication strategy.
. Letting teammates “do their own thing” is risky because team leaders lose the hunch for how stressed, overwhelmed, or unmotivated the top performers might be. Then blows like sudden resignations show up to put processes in jeopardy and add to the pile of things that cause the manager stress. Burnout is a quiet crisis — teammates can bottle frustrations up for months before speaking up. That’s why team leaders should be one step ahead and consistently check in on employees’ mental health using a solid internal communication strategy. Appreciation gets lost in translation. You feel like you are appreciative and supportive of your team. Chances are, these feelings don’t reach people on the team — statistically, 59% of employees feel undervalued at work. Over-communication is a way to let teammates know how much they mean to you and the organization as a whole. Don’t shy away from repeatedly praising an employee for a job well done. Similarly, it’s a good idea to re-iterate feedback — this way you make sure that the person this review is aimed at, takes the feedback in a positive light.
Over-Communicating Too Much? 5 Rules For Not Being an All-Talk Boss
There’s no “bad” timing for over-communication. However, that doesn’t redeem team leaders who shove peers in emails and redundant meetings.
The line between efficiently transmitting ideas and being an overbearing chatterbox is blurry. To make sure you don’t cross it, develop a set of guidelines you and other managers should follow when communicating with your teams.
These are 5 easy-to-follow tips that’ll help you level up project management with over-communication:
Tip #1. Keep communication a two-way street
Over-communication does not stand for being the only talker in the room. While leaders must speak up and articulate their vision clearly, it’s equally important to listen to others and build a task management system and an email architecture that encourages teammates to share thoughts.
Over time, project managers naturally arrive at the balance between talking and listening in meetings. If you struggle to use both equally efficiently, start tracking how much you speak and how much you let others talk.
Hack: when a teammate asks you a question, ask the rest of the team what they think about it after sharing your answer. This way, you’ll promote knowledge exchange and include everyone in the meeting.
Tip #2. Don’t kill the flow
Before you send an email or schedule a midday meeting, be mindful of teammates’ schedules. Ideally, you want to avoid distracting people when they are working on high-concentration tasks. Once they are out of the flow, refocusing will take effort and time (statistically, it takes 30 minutes to get back into the “zone”).
How can you combine communication and non-invasiveness? Leaders usually find balance by scheduling meetings in the morning — at the start of the workday, when no one on the team is engaged in a challenging task yet.
Hack: Use meeting scheduling software for planning so that meetings don’t show up on everyone’s calendars uninvited. By being consistent, you shape your workday and eliminate uncertainty from the team’s workflows.
NASA is an avid ProofHub user. Get access to all the amazing features of this tool by signing up today.
Tip #3. Keep meetings short
Catching up with your team face-to-face (even via Zoom) keeps everyone on the same page. Also, meetings and standup calls help teammates socialize or, at the very least, match each other’s names to faces. That’s why we are not in the “no conference calls” camp.
On the other hand, people hate dragged meetings for many reasons, namely:
When we are stuck on a long conference call, our brains deplete glucose and oxygen. That’s why, by the end of the meeting, the ability to retain data is at its lowest.
For 50% of Americans, long meetings are a huge time-sucker, cutting short the number of things the team can get done.
No one is listening anyway. Reports show that 60% of meeting participants take notes to feign presence while 73% sort out work tasks during conference calls.
Statistically, a recommended meeting duration is 18 minutes. Feels short? To get things done this quickly, add these hacks to your routine:
Have an agenda . Meetings will be shorter if you host them with one clear goal in mind. Whether it’s a discussion on the latest news in the company or monthly metrics review — agenda is always a must.
. Meetings will be shorter if you host them with one clear goal in mind. Whether it’s a discussion on the latest news in the company or monthly metrics review — agenda is always a must. Invite only decision-makers . This way, you won’t have to get people who don’t actively contribute to the project up to speed, wasting everyone’s time. If you want other teammates to stay in the loop, use a screen recorder to save the call and share it with others.
. This way, you won’t have to get people who don’t actively contribute to the project up to speed, wasting everyone’s time. If you want other teammates to stay in the loop, use a screen recorder to save the call and share it with others. Prepare for conclusive endings. When they don’t know how to wrap up a conversation, people tend to drag meetings. As a team leader, consider creating an efficient way to finish a talk. Three questions like: “What is your biggest takeaway from the meeting”, “What ideas should we discuss during the next meeting?”, and “Describe how you feel about the meeting in a sentence” will give conference calls a beautiful closure.
Tip #4. Make communication personal
Justin Rosenstein (the co-founder of Asana) once said something along the lines of:
“You spend a lot of time looking for amazing people — it’s worth helping them become the best versions of themselves”.
Nurturing talent and helping teammates mature under your guidance is the objective of one-on-one meetings. To not overwhelm yourself with a day full of 1-on-1s, spread them over a month. For example, on one day, you’ll spend thirty minutes or an hour catching up with a teammate.
To make the most out of personal sit-downs, schedule them in advance. This way, you give teammates time to prepare their questions, ideas, and feedback.
Source
Hack: set a clear structure for one-on-one meetings. For example, you can start a session by asking a teammate several open-ended questions (“What’s on your mind”, “What has recently excited you?”, “What are you worried about?”).
These ice-breakers encourage team leaders to be considerate and let teammates steer the conversation in a comfortable direction. To help others share concerns, managers often use questions like “Name one thing that frustrated you at work recently”. By being direct, you inspire candor and openness within the team.
Tip #5. Don’t expect instant replies
In times of change or crisis, it’s easy to give in to panic. When important decisions are on the line, you might want to move ASAP.
But, as far as the team is concerned, life always gets in the way, so no one is unfailingly available exactly when you want them.
As you promote over-communication within the team, lead by example. Don’t expect teammates to reciprocate from Day 1 — be considerate of personal emergencies.
Source
An excerpt from a 2010 research that proved the impact of gratitude in emails
If teammates keep ignoring emails and Slack texts, this could be a red flag for inefficient communication. Here are a few ways to make things better:
Before asking a teammate for a favor, think : “What’s in it for them?”. Include incentives (interesting projects, promotions, an extra day off) in messages to motivate people to cooperate.
: “What’s in it for them?”. Include incentives (interesting projects, promotions, an extra day off) in messages to motivate people to cooperate. Say “please” and “thank you” . As basic as it may sound, you might find yourself forgetting about basic politeness when there’s a lot going on in the team. A few words of appreciation and gratitude are simple but powerful ways to improve your writing show consideration to the team. Once valued, your peers will likely get at least a tad more cooperative.
. As basic as it may sound, you might find yourself forgetting about basic politeness when there’s a lot going on in the team. A few words of appreciation and gratitude are simple but powerful ways to improve your writing show consideration to the team. Once valued, your peers will likely get at least a tad more cooperative. Validate teammates in front of executives. If you are reporting about your work to the CEO, it’s a good idea to give the rest of the team credit for individual contributions. Doing as much helps leaders make sure no one thinks you are using others to make yourself look good.
Use Announcements in ProofHub to appreciate employees and notify them about the big events on the go. Try for yourself.
The Bottom Line
Statistics and experience point managers to the idea that there’s no such thing as saying “too much”. Regularly syncing with teammates and articulating your vision clearly is key to efficient unified communication (especially for remote organizations).
As for considerations, keep in mind that overcommunication does not cancel clarity and verbal efficiency. Before you speak up, make sure your message is precise and easy to understand. Through efficient and consistent (over)communication, you will be able to keep everyone on the same page and build high-quality projects. | https://blog.proofhub.com/why-over-communication-matters-for-project-management-and-5-tips-for-doing-it-right-596eafe7074d | [] | 2021-07-06 10:29:18.830000+00:00 | ['Communications Strategy', 'Communication Skills', 'Communication', 'Over Communication', 'Communication At Work'] |
RSS feed for for twitter | A simple question that for some reason does not have a simple answer:
“I want to follow someone’s twitter feed using an RSS reader, where is it?”
Well it seems that for some reason Twitter has quite hidden it but as a public service I will share the results of my research with you.
You will find it at:
So, for my twitter feed it is:
Of course, users of BlogBridge have a much easier time and have many more options. With BlogBridge you can subscribe to a person, to a list, or even to a general Twitter query, like “Object Oriented Marketing”.
Watch this brief video to see how you would do it in BlogBridge: | https://medium.com/pito-s-blog/rss-feed-for-for-twitter-e88d1f01cd77 | ['Pito Salas'] | 2017-06-08 19:19:59.972000+00:00 | ['Geeky', 'Blogbridge', 'RSS', 'Subscribe', 'Feed'] |
My Journey to becoming a Google Cloud Certified — Professional Cloud Architect 2021 | My Journey to becoming a Google Cloud Certified — Professional Cloud Architect 2021 Adarsh Prabhu Jul 30·5 min read
Background
25th July, 2021… Finally!!! I am Google Cloud Certified — Professional Cloud Architect. Almost two months ago I decided that I should get certified. It was also a job requirement as I had joined a Google Cloud partner in India around the same time. The certification would be a “win-win”.
I had never worked on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) when I started at my current job. But I had worked on AWS and also successfully given my AWS Certified Cloud Architect — Associate last year. AWS and GCP have very similar service offerings, so it gave me a head start to prepare for the exam.
So here is my journey to becoming a Professional Cloud Architect. I hope this helps anyone who wants the same things in work life as me.
The Journey
Google recommends 3+ years of industry experience including 1+ years designing and managing solutions using GCP. But I think my experience with AWS and the confidence of clearing a certification last year convinced me that I can ignore Google’s recommendation :smirk:
I completely underestimated Google Cloud Certified — Professional Architect exam. This was the most difficult exam that I had given. I had the same feeling when I was preparing for AWS certification. But half way through GCP prep I realized that this was going to be much more harder.
How did I prepare
I started with a visit to the Google Certification page. Exam guide gives you a blue print for the exam. At that moment I realized I knew zilch and that I am going to have some sleepless nights and busy weekends ahead.
Next, I went to Google and started researching on the courses that I can subscribe to cover the topics in the exam guide.
I started with a course on Udemy that had good ratings and decent feedback. Halfway through the course I realized it was not as good. I still completed it as I got to know the basics of all the services. But then I remembered what helped me for AWS certification — The JayendraPatil blog. To my luck, he also had a section on Google Cloud certifications.
The courses
The courses from Linux academy and Coursera were suggested by Jayendra Patil. These were also the courses recommended by few others who cleared the exams. So I had to select one of them and I went for Coursera. These are paid courses, but from my years of learning online I have realized that free is not always good when it comes to knowledge. So I went ahead and subscribed to Coursera.
Coursera also provides an option to “audit the course” that lets you go through the videos but restricts access to labs and tests. Working with a Google cloud partner gave me some additional access to partner portals and courses with Quicklabs.
Practice makes a man perfect
I knew that completing the courses and labs will only take me halfway there. I had to prepare myself with some practice tests. Google does provide a 20 question practice test, but that may not be enough. As I did for my AWS certification and also suggested by Jayendra Patil, I went for Braincert. This was my best decision. The $30 spent on the 6 practice tests was something that helped me cross the border.
No course can prepare you as best as a practice test. I scored less than 70 in the first 4 tests and with only 2 more left I had to do something. Though my scores were improving, I knew that I won’t pass the exam unless I start scoring close to 90%.
Two weeks before the exam I was up for a shock. I felt foolish not to realize that Google had updated the certification from May 2021. This meant that the Udemy and Coursera courses were not upto date. The Practice tests were also in the old format. Case studies which form a big part of the GCP certification were either replaced or updated.
The Exam
I had booked my exam for 20th July. With less than 10 days to the exam there was no way I could cover all the new topics without any help or information out there. I thought I will give my first attempt and then give my second one 15 days later. This way I would know the kind of questions that were being asked and give me enough time to prepare for the new topics.
Fate was on my side. I only had the option for remote proctored exam because of the Covid-19 lockdown. 2 hours after my scheduled start of the exam I came out of my room without even attempting a single question. I wasn’t admitted into the exam as my photo biometric did not succeed. I reached out to proctor support and they asked me to either try on a new laptop or reschedule or wait for a proctor center to open. I wasn’t ready because I had prepared so much and just wanted to get over with it. Finally I had to give up and reschedule it to 25th July.
Practice makes a man perfect — 2
After rescheduling, I went out for coffee with my wife. I was not happy, but I was not sad either. I knew it deep down that I wouldn’t have made it.
Next day there was a nice surprise in my inbox. Braincert sent me an email that they have included a new Practice test — IN THE NEW EXAM FORMAT and covering the new topics. That was all I needed. The exam was 3 days later, so with the new practice test and some more last minute revision I was ready for 25th July.
Day “zero”
First 13 questions were on the case studies, which I breezed through (because I didn’t understand what to answer). Next 37 questions also were a breeze. This time it was because of the topics covered in the new practice test. I did fail the practice test, but going through the topics did help a lot. I think I should send them a thank you note.
Destination
I am a Google Cloud Certified — Professional Cloud Architect.. Yayyyy!!
As the name suggests, the exam certifies that you are a Professional Cloud Architect. What makes this exam tough compared to others? It doesn’t just test your knowledge of Google’s cloud services. It also tests your reasoning skills and sets you on a path to become a true Cloud Architect. Today I have a better understanding of Google Cloud offerings and confidence that I am an even better Cloud Architect than before.
PS: I will share some details on my (frustrating) experience on the 20th of July and the first hour the exam on 25th July. | https://medium.com/@adarsh.prabhu/my-journey-to-becoming-a-google-cloud-certified-professional-cloud-architect-2021-be2b9eba4b4b | ['Adarsh Prabhu'] | 2021-08-20 08:22:01.397000+00:00 | ['Gcp', 'AWS', 'Gcp Certification', 'Professional Cloud Exams', 'Google Cloud Platform'] |
Innovation in Outsourcing Software Development | With the rapidly changing business scenario and cut-throat competition, innovation has become the only way to survive and make your presence felt in the marketplace. For a business, this could mean constantly toying with new ideas, creating dynamic products, and offering exceptional services.
In fact, successful innovation should be an integral part of every business strategy, that can enable you to create more efficient processes for enhanced productivity and improved performance.
Today, companies in almost every industry are moving towards software innovation. As per a 2018 global innovation study, most of the companies will make a shift and allocate a big chunk of their R&D budgets towards innovative software and service setups by 2020.
Are you ready to innovate?
If you’re also a software dependent company struggling to manage software development needs with your internal IT team overloaded with work, the simple solution is to think innovatively and outsource software development to an expert.
Is it a good idea, you wonder?
Absolutely! There are more than enough examples of successful companies which began as small level start-ups and took a leap of faith by outsourcing software development to achieve their goals much sooner than expected.
So, what exactly is software outsourcing, you ask? Read on.
When you offshore software development, you basically hire a third-party software provider to manage all the software related work which are generally done in-house.
It is an excellent alternative for businesses looking for ways to achieve their ongoing goals while maintaining a cost-effective approach and reducing risks.
If you come to think of the benefits of partnering up with a software developer outside your own firm, there are many, as discussed in the next section.
Benefits of Outsourcing Software Development
If implemented correctly, software outsourcing can be extremely valuable for companies.
Here are some benefits you get when you outsource software development to a qualified company -
Advantage of leveraging outside talent pool
As per a recent survey, finding the best IT talent is among the most difficult jobs for CIOs. On the contrary, outsourcing software development to a third party gives you access to a well-qualified and talented pool of candidates from the IT sector. This translates to a quicker application development process and high-quality software products that you can make available to your intended users in much lesser time.
Cost-efficient and flexible
Outsourcing to an experienced software development company is an extremely cost-efficient option. The overall product development cost for a third-party service provider is much less as compared to internal expenses. This option also helps you eliminate your IT recruiting budget and get your work done at rather reasonable rates.
It also offers you certain flexibility by saving time in recruiting, training, and housing employees for IT projects. Additionally, you don’t have to make any upfront investment in this option, which makes projects much more attractive.
Better management of customer expectations
When you outsource software development to an expert, you get the advantage of structured assistance in researching and identifying your target customer audience. This, in turn, allows you to manage customer expectations better by building the software project that they desire.
Access to expert domain knowledge
If you want to reap the benefit of working with innovative software experts with robust domain knowledge, the perfect solution is to outsource software development. Qualified and talented software outsourcing companies are equipped with multidisciplinary software competencies such as .NET, JavaScript, React Native, etc. to help your organisation grow and expand in the right direction.
Strategies for Outsourcing Software Development
So, you’re convinced that software outsourcing is indeed a brilliant idea and you want to go for it too.
What’s next is to strategize and plan before you outsource software development for your business. Here are some strategies that you need to be aware of before outsourcing to another service provider.
1. Identify the software function you need to outsource
First and foremost, you need to identify the business (software) function that you need to outsource. It could be either of the following-
App development
The process of application development consists of developing a fresh application, quality assurance, system architecture design, or adding additional features within an existing application
Database management
In this function, the third-party service provider basically owns the organization and maintenance of data.
System integration
System integration is largely the process of connecting an existing app or physical and virtual components to create a more unified system in order to achieve better functionality.
2. Identify the outsourcing model
Once the function is chosen, the next step is to identify the outsourcing model that best suits your requirements. This could be either of the following-
Offsite
In this model, the offsite service provider works outside the organisation premises. However, their office is located near the client. This type of model best suits the companies where the project requirements are not comprehensively defined.
Onsite
As the name suggests, the onsite model involves a team of skilled software developers working on the client’s premises and work closely with the client from start to end of the project.
Offshore
In this model, the software development work is done outside the country at service providers’ own premises. You only need to provide detailed project requirements and the development team will work accordingly.
Global delivery
One of the complex models for software outsourcing, where the client has both onsite as well as an offsite team of developers who work at various locations in different parts of the globe.
Parting Thoughts
It won’t be wrong to say that outsourcing software development is now the primary key to a company’s success. It is, in fact, the best alternative in the age of rapid technological advances. From staff training to payroll software, outsourcing can take care of it all.
Although there are enough and more reasons to choose software outsourcing as your path to innovation, the challenges that businesses face today is finding the right team to implement those innovative ideas or learning how to outsource the task to the most innovative software development provider.
The need here is to overcome these challenges systematically using the strategies discussed above and consciously pursue innovations and new ideas that can make your enterprise competitive.
As per a recent Gensler survey, there is a direct connection between innovation and a high-performing workplace. Through outsourcing, you can take advantage of excellent workplace quality as a positive success factor without worrying about the budgets and costs required in setting up a high performing in-house software team.
Source: Cuelogic Blog | https://medium.com/cuelogic-technologies/innovation-in-outsourcing-software-development-f40740940914 | ['Harsh Binani'] | 2019-08-28 10:17:31.613000+00:00 | ['Outsourcing', 'Offshore Software Company', 'Software Outsourcing', 'Outsourced Software Dev', 'Software Development'] |
Donut Media Presents — Surfshark VPN 82% Discount | Donut Media is a well known Youtube channel, with more than 3 million subscribers. Here all types of car people meet to enjoy the history of cars, see how they are made, and enjoy extraordinary vehicles.
Donut Media
Besides being car geeks, the Donut Media crew enjoys discussing many more topics than cars. One of which is security online. Since Donut Media recently partnered up with Surfshark VPN, they started talking about the importance of safety and anonymity online and how the internet could be much more full than we know it with the help of a VPN.
Here you will find out why Donut Media recommends using VPN and the recommend using Surfshark and how to get their discount.
How to get the discount
Go to Surfshark website, you can follow this link Insert the coupon code donut Create an account and continue the purchase
When you go to the Surfshark homepage, you will see a red button inviting you to get Surfshark or buy the VPN, press the button, and you will be landed on their subscription page with three different plans, find a window below the plans to insert the coupon. When you enter the voucher, you will see a unique two-years deal with an 82% discount and one extra month for free. Enjoy.
Why you need a VPN
VPN is a simple to use software that usually you can easily set up on your device or browser. With the VPN, you connect to servers in different countries, and your traffic online is then encrypted so nobody online can know your real location or identity. When you connect to the VPN, your IP address changes, and this helps to keep your identity anonymous and also bypass geographical restrictions since you mask your location and pretend to be from another country.
Usually, people use VPNs for security reasons. To secure their social media account and banking accounts, to be secure while connected to public wi-fi and traveling. Also, VPNs provide anonymity, which is especially needed while torrenting or visiting the dark web. Another massive use case of VPN is bypassing geographical restrictions. VPN mask your device location by changing its IP address and helps you to pretend to be from any other country than you are physically in. This hack helps to bypass restrictions on the streaming platform, access them when they are not available in your country, access different libraries on Netflix.
And lastly, one of the VPN use cases is buying things cheaper online. VPN helps to bypass price discrimination online and purchase such items as subscriptions, plane tickets, book hotels at a lower price.
Why Surfshark
Surfshark
Surfshark provides security and anonymity for its users by using secure encryption and protocols. They also have a strict no-logs policy and are based in a country with no data collection laws. Also, they offer a DNS and IP leak protection and a built-in kill-switch that will ensure zero data leaks if the VPN connection drops.
Surfshark security
Moving from security, Surfshark offers fast servers worldwide and also P2P servers for those who want to use torrents anonymously with a VPN. They provide such features as built-in ad-blocker, GPS spoofing, supports an unlimited number of devices, is easy to use, unblocks major streaming platforms. Also, they offer 24/7 customer support and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Get Surfshark with an 82% discount here and enjoy anonymity online. | https://medium.com/@macgeeevelyn/donut-media-presents-surfshark-vpn-83-discount-f819f211cc68 | ['Evelyn Macgee'] | 2020-09-10 13:30:28.190000+00:00 | ['Coupon', 'Discount', 'Deals And Discounts', 'Privacy', 'VPN'] |
On Being a Social Entrepreneur — Why Risk Taking and Truth Telling is Essential to Success with Suzanne Smith, Serial Social Entrepreneur and CEO/Founder — Social Impact Architects | On Being a Social Entrepreneur — Why Risk Taking and Truth Telling is Essential to Success with Suzanne Smith, Serial Social Entrepreneur and CEO/Founder — Social Impact Architects Cassi Lowe Follow Jul 10, 2019 · 13 min read
What does it take to be an effective social entrepreneur? Suzanne Smith provides deep insights into what it really means to be a social entrepreneur. If you want to create change in your community and the world, it all comes down to two main qualities: being a risk-taker and a truth-teller.
In this interview, Suzanne describes how we can make the systemic changes that are needed in the world.
Tell me about your business and the work that you do.
I am currently running two companies, but have started more than eight social ventures. The first is a 10-year-old business that works with nonprofits, governments and foundations to create large scale social change. That change can come in the form of strategic planning for a single organization or multiple organizations, or through collaboration or for a system. For example, an early childhood system or healthcare system. We typically come in when an organization or community is stuck, or it feels like it wants to go to the next level. We help them with transformative change, and try to work with them on how to create that change over time.
We look at the engagement from two different perspectives. We jokingly say we’re half-mechanic, half-therapist. We look at it from a mechanic’s perspective, asking what the organization needs, what operating structure is needed, and what are some of the specific best practices they should be utilizing. We want to make sure the organization is both high impact and high performance. But, we also recognize that the people dynamics often get in the way, particularly in the social sector. We use entrepreneurial mindset: the ability to take on the right kind of risk, to shift culture to get the community or organization ready for change, etc.
That’s where the therapy comes in, understanding what’s holding the organization or community back. Is it not able to understand the challenge at hand? Is it a culture issue? Is it the board/staff interaction? All those things that are considered “soft,” but make a big difference in whether an organization is successful or not.
I’ve been doing that for 10 years since business school, and it really was an outgrowth of my experience in the nonprofit space, where I fired more consultants than I hired, because there weren’t people who were doing what I needed them to be doing. I felt like there was a real void in the marketplace for talented consultants who knew the community, had a business toolkit, and brought deep experience across many sectors.
My second business is a group that started about two years ago, but officially launched in soft pilot mode this summer, called Changemaker Interactive. I’m partial owner of the business, and the majority stakeholder in it. Essentially we believe that the social sector needs to harness technology to make their difficult jobs easier to accomplish.
eLearning is the first step that we’re taking. We have one course available online now — Storytelling. We’re currently working on another course, which is on Grants. And then we’re also looking for additional equity investment to build out a platform similar to Amazon or Google for and by nonprofits and other changemakers where we’re able to provide the social sector with a lot of the resources.
What was your background originally, how did you get started with both businesses?
I grew up as a social activist. Both of my parents were very involved in social change. They were administrators of schools. My dad started out as a football coach, and my mom was a counselor. We talked about social issues at the dinner table, so I oftentimes say I was an activist from a very young age. I’ve always just felt like the way we make change is being part of the solution. I see a problem and want to dive in and try to help make a difference. That’s just one of those things that has always been part of my ethos.
Did you start your business straight out of business school, or did you have other experiences before that?
When I was in the nonprofit space, I had pretty high-level positions, both at the regional office of Phoenix House and the national office of the American Heart Association. I recognized that one of the big gaps is access to high-quality information. During this time, I recognized that that was going to be a sizable shift in the sector. I went to business school specifically to study social entrepreneurship, which was a new way of bringing the best that business had to offer to the social sector.
After business school, I spent a year working for Community Wealth Ventures, a consulting firm out of D.C., to make sure that I wanted to do the work, and not just that I wanted to do it, but that I was meant to do it. Through that experience I developed a hunger to come back to my own community in Middle America, which often gets overlooked when it comes to social change. A lot of people think about Boston or San Francisco or even Washington, D.C. But no one really thinks about Iowa, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Utah, and I felt like those were my people. Those were the people who I know to be incredibly innovative. In fact, they’re the ones that have actually settled this country and instinctively have a pioneer mentality.
I felt like part of my theory of change was that I wanted to make sure the folks that I knew and loved had access to the same information that was happening on MBA campuses. I wanted to convey this concept idea of social entrepreneurship, and also translate business practices into the social space. I’ve been doing that for the past 10 years.
I’m fortunate to be an adjunct professor at a couple of universities. One of the things I teach my students is that in order to really have a life of significance, which is very different from a life of success, you want to look for the thing that you’re the most passionate about, where you have that light within you that burns brightly. But also the thing that you’re better than anybody else. That’s what I’ve been practicing for the last 10 years, and I’ve never really looked back. It’s been an amazing ride to live a life of purpose.
What would you say is the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far throughout your whole journey?
A couple of things: Being a risk-taker and being a truth-teller. I think that we’ve got to take great risks in the social space to create change, which sometimes means that we have to shake up the existing system. There are uncomfortable moments associated with that, but there’s a great return associated with it, too. I’m the person that asks why the system is built the way it is? Why do we have to accept the existing model?
With all the seismic shifts that are happening in the world, some of those models have become outdated. People are different. Technology has created differences. So I think I’m a truth-teller and a risk-taker in that way. I would say my lesson learned is that those are very important roles to play in a community. I’m fortunate in that I get to play those roles because I’m issue-agnostic — my only loyalty is to the community. In fact, one of the first conversations that I have with prospective clients, even though a client is paying my paycheck, is that my real client is the community. I’m not going to do anything that will cause harm, and I only take on projects that I believe will be beneficial to the community.
I’ve put all of my effort into creating sizable social change. If people are looking for a cookie-cutter solution, that’s not me. To do this work, you must be a truth-teller and a risk-taker, and have faith that if you’re putting good out in the world and you’re putting your best product out there, that people will take notice and you will always have a market for what you do.
What advice would you give to other social entrepreneurs?
I have spent a lot of time thinking about this over the summer. I’ve actually got a provocative article that I’m honored to be working on right now with a first-generation social entrepreneur. (I’m a second-generation social entrepreneur, and I’m teaching third-generation social entrepreneurs.) Unfortunately, our thesis is that social entrepreneurship has been watered down. It’s just like a game of telephone. It gets manipulated and changed based on who’s telling the story and what people hear.
I think the thing I would say as advice to social entrepreneurs is before you call yourself a social entrepreneur, learn the essence of who we really are and why we exist. This is one of the things the article will talk about — there is an important origin story around why the first generation invented social entrepreneurship. Because our current model didn’t work. There’s a lot of people who are using the word social entrepreneurship carelessly. Don’t get me wrong — I’m a “big tent” person, but I think the people who are under the tent need to realize why the tent is there in the first place.
There are some fundamental principles of how social entrepreneurs see the world differently. It doesn’t make you a social entrepreneur just because you’re trying to do something social and you’re doing it an entrepreneurial way. I would just encourage people who are social entrepreneurs to read the origin story and understand that it is a discipline that you practice every single day.
Can you go a little bit deeper into that idea?
The original social entrepreneurs started out with this idea that the charitable model is broken, and it’s broken for two reasons. First, it disempowers people. Essentially, when you give a man a fish, they keep needing fish. When we talk about the man, though, we’re not just talking about the individual. We’re also talking about nonprofits. Unfortunately, nonprofits are often chasing the money instead of chasing the mission. The system we have created has led to these and many other issues.
When you are disempowered, people become risk-averse. It also means that they become dependent, and sometimes they’re more dependent on what the funder wants rather than being risk-takers and truth-tellers around what the community really needs. That’s why social entrepreneurship came into existence. It’s because we’re only at the edges of most problems. We’re not actually changing the game altogether.
Instead, social entrepreneurs wanted to harness the entire marketplace to create change — that includes nonprofits acting more entrepreneurial, that includes for-profits acting more social. It also is the advent of people like me who believe in market-based solutions and start hybrid corporations, such as B Corporations.
It generated a lot of buzz and enthusiasm, but it’s also been manipulated through the translation of it. So, the first reason for why the system is broken is about disempowerment. The second is about the focus on market-based solutions without an emphasis on legal structure.
The third reason — and this is one I added — is that in the beginning, we assumed that social entrepreneurism was similar to traditional entrepreneurism, meaning that you could only be a social entrepreneur if you started something. That led to an outgrowth of a lot of new nonprofits and a lot of new businesses, which essentially defeated the purpose of market-based solutions. Because if you continue to create competition, it means that you create a system that has so many different connection points and so much complexity that it is actually harder for the system to work together toward the greater good.
To that end, one of the things I’ve been really pushing is the idea that people unfortunately interpreted social entrepreneurship as requiring you to start something on your own rather than becoming an intrapreneur. Intrapreneurs work for existing organizations, so cities or existing nonprofits, and practice social entrepreneurship within those organizations. I actually encourage my students to be intrapreneur before they’re entrepreneurs for a variety of reasons. In my experience, it is much easier to work within an existing system and change it for the better than to start your own business.
The final thing gets into our ethos. Social entrepreneurs never seek credit or limelight. It’s about the community winning. They also believe that multiple viewpoints are more important. They also believe that they’re co-creating alongside whoever it is that they’re serving, so they don’t come in in a paternalistic way and say, “I think this is what you need.” They’re there walking alongside the people they’re serving, being among them, and essentially unlocking doors for individuals that are in need, unlocking access to opportunity, unlocking solutions. But there have been far too many well-intentioned people with very good intentions, who have unfortunately created a cycle of dependency rather than unlocking doors.
Another thing that we talk a lot about, and this is the hardest one I think for people to understand, is that everything is interrelated and there are no silver bullets. You can’t really get a good education if you have asthma and you have to stay home from school multiple days a month. It’s hard to actually get a job if you have a criminal record, particularly a living wage job. All these issues that have become their own industries: criminal justice, education, health, poverty, workforce, exist in isolation, when in reality, for the people that we’re serving, everything is closely connected.
When social entrepreneurs talk about “systems thinking” — we are talking about the “bigger” system. For example, how do we create ladders up for individuals, so that we can solve for what their needs are at a holistic level, whether we help them solve it themselves or we knit together a network of people that the community can go through?
Those are just some of the different things that the original social entrepreneurs believed, and then over time people like myself, who have built multiple social ventures, have advised people who have been social entrepreneurs. It’s really an ethos of putting the community above all other things and recognizing that no one person has the solution. The best solutions come from the bottom up, and there should be no intellectual property associated with those solutions. It’s a very utopian view of social change in many ways.
What’s your vision for the future, either for your own business or for the world or both?
In the future, I would love for us to know why we’re put on earth, and to understand our unique skill sets and our self-confidence. When we don’t let that self-confidence be so all-consuming that we believe that we’re the only ones that have the answer. Some people have advantages and others don’t, by virtue of birth or opportunity or circumstances. It doesn’t matter what religion you follow, or if you even follow religion at all, but I hope there is a time when we all follow the basic tenet of “do unto others as you’d want done unto you”
I think in some ways we’ve lost our moral compass as a world. You can see that playing out in so many different things, and every issue area, whether it’s immigration or climate change or poverty alleviation or affordable housing. It creates this barbell effect where there are the haves and the have-nots. Part of what I try to do with the people I work with is not only help them listen to the people who they’re trying to serve, but also help them have a larger worldview than their little corner of the earth. I’ve been blessed to have traveled so much internationally. I wish everybody could move away from their own circumstances and walk in the shoes of someone else, in another country, so they can stretch their worldview. To really see how people in poverty can be extremely happy, and people who have a lot of money can be extremely sad. You never know who a person is by appearances.
I would love for us to move back to something like that. I do think the pendulum is shifting back. It’s slower than I think a lot of people would like, but I’m already seeing some early signs of that on a macro level. I think the United States has so much to give to the rest of the world, but I think it also has a lot to learn from the rest of the world. I would look for us to move beyond our natural hubris, and recognize that we now are united in the fact that we live side-by-side on the Earth and we now can connect with one another so quickly by flights and the internet. We can work with other superpowers to bring people together around common causes.
For me, I just want to spread the word as much as I possibly can. The word that defines me is illumination. This doesn’t mean that I have the answers, but it’s a chance for me to share my knowledge and share my experience in a mutual exchange with other people, where their knowledge and their experience is equally valued, and both of us come together to learn and grow together. Whether that plays out in consulting or in coaching or in teaching, it plays out multiple ways in my life. That’s my purpose, to illuminate, and just be an example of a life that is well-lived. And to lift up the other people who are also the examples of a life well-lived. Not perfect, but a life well-lived. I would say, if I could continue to achieve that over the next 40 years, I’ll continue to be happy as I am today.
What action would you want readers to take?
I did a TEDx Talk that was called, “Everyone Can Be a Changemaker.” (Click here to watch) I would say watch that TEDx Talk. I put some very specific action steps of how you can be a changemaker, no matter what your circumstances are.
Then, they can dig deeper into a life strategy that is about service and creating change, whether it’s on their block, whether it’s in their community, whether it’s in the world, or whether it’s just in their own lives. That will hopefully spur them into a series of actions or challenges that are unique to their gifts and skill set as they try to improve their lives and the lives of those they love.
Find Suzanne Online
Social Impact Architects: https://socialimpactarchitects.com
Changemaker Interactive: https://www.changemakerinteractive.com/ — special reader offer: $100 off Storytelling course until 08.31 with code IMPACT100.
Videos: https://vimeo.com/socialimpactarchitects
Twitter: @socialtrendspot / @snstexas
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SocialImpactArchitects
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannesmithtx or https://www.linkedin.com/company/social-impact-architects/ | https://medium.com/good-press/on-being-a-social-entrepreneur-why-risk-taking-and-truth-telling-is-essential-to-success-with-2d1aa8b01f78 | ['Cassi Lowe'] | 2019-07-10 15:18:24.332000+00:00 | ['Successful Entrepreneurs', 'Social Impact', 'Social Enterprise', 'Social Entrepreneurship', 'Entrepreneurship'] |
2020 Job Hunting Reflections | Here are some reflections of mine going through job hunting in 2020. It’s kind of a self reminder for the future.
Some hard lessons
You gotta sacrifice some extend of social life
In order to be focused and move toward your goal, you will sacrifice your social life. Setup a timeframe of your milestone, and within that period of time, be selfish, protect your time and get to work.
You can come back and re-build(fix) your relationships when you get to major check points. At least for me it’s like this, cause I’m the type of person who burns a lot of energy dealing with people. (Energy is valuable in this crucial moment!)
Trust me, when you work on yourself, you’ll become a person who can bring more values to the people beside you, I think it’s much healthier in a long run.
Don’t be greedy, don’t be full of yourself
When it comes to ‘Being good at something’, don’t be greedy and think too much of yourself. You’re not that good (nor that bad), you just need to calm down and work consistently. You got limited time, to be able to expert in some domain you’ll definitely sacrifice something else.
Make sure that you’re choosing this path all for yourself, not for others’ expectation.
Don’t open LinkedIn during early preparation
Just don’t. Cause there will definitely be tempting job opportunities sent from the head hunters, and you’ll be tempted to send out your resume and start a random interview process, which will break your preparation tempo and schedule.
I think it’s better to go out there and play the interview games after you’re at least 80% ready on your study list. (And of course, you gotta have your study list. Which I always do. I love to make plans.)
The key is to have a ‘long enough period of time‘ burying yourself in study mode. I think the interview process nowadays is so formulated (Pre-test -> LeetCode/Whiteboard round -> Technical/Behavioral round -> System design -> Offer negotiation) and all of these have nothing to do with your actual ability as a software engineer! It’s like hard-coding some standard format into your brain, and try not to mind blank during interview. Kind of ridiculous, yet that’s the game.
Some goods
Becoming better at something
It feels great knowing that you’re good at something that is not that easy to copy from, which is accumulated over time and effort and thinking process of yourself. It your most solid assets that will follow you your entire life.
Going through the mill
Loneliness builds character. I believe that a successful person definitely need to go through this kind of process several times in their life. This process build confidence, and then destroy confidence repeatedly. Just like the process of working out, you need to break the muscle tissue in order to get stronger.
Miscellaneous Cheat Sheet
Quit social media, quit gaming (Zero dopamine addiction)
Don’t overthink about the future, try to enjoy the process (It’s hard)
Keep your workout routine (Which I always failed)
Keep recording your daily progress | https://medium.com/sailor-spaceship/2020-job-hunting-reflections-d862ba2c7c75 | ['Dave Huang'] | 2021-01-11 13:46:59.809000+00:00 | ['Job Hunting', 'Thoughts'] |
TERRA + Columbus-5 and IBC | Imagine if the blockchain could connect seamlessly with other blockchains transferring data and value, Imagine if the blockchain nodes could sync in minutes than days, Imagine if the blockchain could be upgraded in minutes than hours, Imagine if the transaction speeds could be increased up to 100x, and Imagine if the technical risks on the blockchain could be mitigated through Insurance policies. Imagine if we could transport ourselves to different dimensions of the universe through a portal gun. Does it all sound too good to be true?
Maybe yes, maybe not. The only way of knowing for sure is to wait for the Columbus 5 upgrade to happen. Maybe the only thing restricting is our imagination. I wonder why Columbus though. Maybe because he found America but that was accidental. Wasn’t it?
Taking a dive into Columbus 5 Mainnet Upgrade
These few months have/will be a witness to some important upgrades in the blockchain world whether it was the London HardFork or the Alonzo HardFork or Terra’s Columbus 5 Upgrade.
Columbus-5 is the new system that will inherit Columbus-4. If I would want to define Columbus 5 upgrade through my poetic calling, “I would call it a breeze of fresh air that will fill you with a new life”. But for now, let’s try understanding it from a little more technical perspective.
Seigniorage burning — Columbus 5 upgrade will see a major change in terms of Seigniorage. When LUNA is burned to mint new Terra stablecoins, Seigniorage is created. Presently, only a portion of LUNA is burned with the minting of UST. The remaining goes to the community pool and the oracle reward pools. With the upgrade, the entire Seigniorage will be burned. The amount of extra burn will be significant that will push more adoption of UST and further increase the price of LUNA.
Stargate Upgrade — Stargate Upgrade is the largest Cosmos upgrade to date. This will enable higher transaction throughput, cross-chain transactions, accelerate UI development, amongst other developments. Let’s understand these -
I. IBC enablement — IBC is Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol that enables Cosmos SDK-based sovereign blockchains or zones to communicate with each other and is set to launch with the Stargate update. It will help to achieve interoperability of the Cosmos Network. IBC will enable value transfer across sovereign chains that enable IBC. With more and more zones enabling IBC (Osmosis) or having announced intentions of enabling IBC (Gravity DEX, Secret Network), it will allow Terra to benefit in the form of increased UST adoption on different chains.
If two chains are sovereign, how can tokens from one be transferred to another?
Chain A locks the tokens and relays proof to Chain B. Once verified, Chain B mints its own representative tokens (sort of like vouchers), which can later be destroyed to unlock the original tokens on Chain A. So the value that tokens represent can be transferred across chains, but the token itself cannot.
It will also help to connect non-tendermint blockchains like BTC and ETH through the peg-zones thus connecting the different silos of the blockchain world.
II. Protobuf Migration — Protobuf as a name seems so lackluster given the kind of magic it will do with the incredible changes. Stargate upgrade implementation will make a transition from Amino to Protobuf that will see significant improvements to performance, compatibility, interoperability, operability, and developer ease-of-use. Protobuf is expected to clear the biggest bottleneck in Cosmos network to make the applications way faster, reliable, easy to create with much lower gas costs. The blockchain performance will see an improvement of 10x to 100x in throughput that will enable Cosmos to handle the increasing volume of cross-chain transactions. Protobuf will introduce a standard for composability that will enable developers to develop reliable front-end UI that works with other UI.
III. State Sync — Tendermint makes new blocks at 6 or 7 seconds per block which is great for blockchain performance. However, it takes days for participants to synchronize a new node and is a challenge for a validator operator that needs to replace a failed validator. The current practice is downloading a public snapshot, which makes syncing much faster, but it’s a security risk for the validator and the network. State Sync solves this issue that will enable new nodes to sync in minutes than days.
IV. Chain Upgrade Module During the Cosmoshub-2 and Cosmoshub-3 upgrade there was an hour of disruption. This issue will be solved by changing to a new auto-upgrade system powered by Regen Network, which reduces the coordination complexity, human error, etc. This will enable validators to upgrade the chain software asynchronously in minutes rather than an hour or more.
Wormhole Launch — Wormhole will be launched with the Columbus-5 upgrade. Wormhole is a bridge that connects Terra to Solana. As of now, only the ERC-20 version of UST can be ported to Solana which creates friction and with Wormhole, UST can be bridged directly to Solana. This will help in the increased adoption of UST by Solana projects leading to further integration and collaboration between the two ecosystems and enable a large deflationary pressure on LUNA’s supply. Saber and Mercurial (stableswap projects on Solana) already have UST pools and multiple other projects are also hinting at future collaborations. The coming together of these two ecosystems would mean unimaginable possibilities with varied use cases and integrations.
Ozone Insurance v2.1 — Ozone is a Defi protocol from Terraform Labs. It’s an insurance mutual protocol that facilitates levered coverage of technical failure risks in the Terra DeFi ecosystem. This will see the lock-up of a considerable amount of UST to safeguard the ecosystem and thus driving more adoption of UST and the growth of Terra. Ozone over time can be expected to be the cheapest and more reliable than most of the other available policies on Terra.
Other Upgrades — Columbus 5 upgrade will see various other upgrades listed below -
Swap fees as dividends instead of burns — to increase staking rewards (will only result in ~2% less burn happening, while staking yield will increase above 10%).
— to increase staking rewards (will only result in ~2% less burn happening, while staking yield will increase above 10%). Optimize gas efficiency of oracle voting — achieved through seigniorage burning.
— achieved through seigniorage burning. Charge gas fees for log size — to prevent spamming of local storage.
— to prevent spamming of local storage. Separate mint/burn swap base pools in the Market Module — to reduce arbitrage opportunities by simulation of a virtual AMM.
Portal Gun Access — Anyone staking UST or LUNA will have access to a portal gun that can transport you to different realms of the universe, just like Rick’s. Maybe not exactly that but with IBC, it can surely take you to different realms of chain metaverse. Just not Rick’s portal gun though. | https://medium.com/@everythingblockchain/terra-columbus-5-and-ibc-f5a7da68973a | ['Everything Blockchain'] | 2021-09-10 19:17:12.933000+00:00 | ['Coinmarketcap', 'Blockchain', 'Terraform', 'Terra', 'Cosmos'] |
White People Love Racism More Than They Love Humanity | White People Will Let You Down Every Time
I knew it. I told you so.
Black people, per usual, have saved this shithole country from the grips of fascism and Jim Crow. We voted for overwhelmingly Joe Biden on election night, despite having better, more progressive options, because we knew enough White people wouldn’t do the right thing to save Black and Brown folks from hate, fascism, tyranny, and White domestic terrorism. I’m thankful for Trump’s presidency because White people can no longer deny racism doesn’t exist. Trump’s presidency also revealed racism, white rage, and White domestic terrorism are alive, well and thriving.
The results of the 2020 Election revealed White America is moderately to extremely conservative and incoherently racist in ways that have yet to be examined. Racism, White Supremacy, and righting the ship was on the ballot this election cycle, and a large majority of White people overwhelmingly chose Donald J. Trump and his brash style of racism. Seventy million people voted for that dumb asshole.
We have problems, Houston. Serious problems.
Exit polls have shown the number of White women voting for Tangy boots increased by 3% from 2016 to 2020. White and a few Black Evangelicals hung in for a second term of Satan, too. It’s not that Black people didn’t know how racist a lot of White, Black, and Brown people were, but it’s nice to have my Black experiences finally validated. America is racist as fuck, and White people can’t deny it anymore. I know not all White people, but it’s so many that we can’t continue ignoring it. For those of you pissed all me and other Black women talk about race so much, now you see why. White people are a fucking situation for us all the time!
White nationalism is a pandemic and a national security risk. This country is about to have a problem, because Black people realize that White folks don’t have our backs.
When you White folks have the freedom to choose, you’ll choose White and yourselves every time, no matter what it is. If not you, it’s your friends or your mama and them. Meemaw and pawpaw, and your cousin Bob. It’s your co-worker Susan, your fishing buddy Greg, White Christian denominations and faux-holy religious leaders. It’s nauseating to think about. I’m still stewing about Election Night 2020.
This shit should have been a decisive landslide, but White people…
All, and I mean all the Black people I know are disgusted by this election. Yes, there are many Black folks happy about Senator Kamala Harris being the first Black female Vice-President (VP), the first woman VP, and the first biracial woman of color to hold the position, but we keep coming back to White people, and fucking Cubans in Florida.
The fucking betrayal. How does a country have so many racist and stupid people?
Black folks built this country. We fought so immigrants could come to this shithole and prosper. Black people made it possible for refugees and political dissidents to settle here free from duress. We live for this country, Black folks sign up to go into the military and die for this shithole country, and it never wants to do anything in return for us except be racist and oppressive. America can’t move forward because White people and the People of Color they recruit for their White Supremacy quotas insist on being anti-Black so they can hold us back. White people can lie, cheat, and steal elections from Black people every election cycle, and half of White people are fine with it.
This country needs to collapse because it is beyond rehabilitation. When anything has been allowed to live inside its host this long, it’s not dying without a fight. Sometimes you can’t kill it and it won’t die. That’s us! We can’t kill racism, and racism will not die. America is too corrupt and too entrenched in its White terrorism gang-culture to divest from White Supremacy. Racism rewards participants, regardless of their race.
White People Still Can’t Talk About Racism With Conviction
White pundits and talking heads still cannot say White folks voted for racism. When you can’t get White people to acknowledge there was no reason on earth to vote for Trump except racism, there’s no way in hell you can address the problem. There is nothing a Joe Biden presidency will do to restore or heal us. His presence is nothing more than an ode to Whiteness, a pacifier for immature and scary White people incapable of sharing with others. Biden’s not the White savior and healer White people think he’s going to be, because White people are the problem, and Joe can’t fix White people.
Biden has Black blood on his hands too, and many of us can’t forget the past. Without justice, there can be no reconciliation. He’s promised to make things right. We’ll see
Source: Twitter.com/@Delo_Taylor
The Past Is The Present
White Supremacy needs a group to hold down and exploit, and America’s chosen people are Black people, specifically descendants of American slaves. We’ve had 55 years of progress eroded because White people can’t stand for Black people to have nice things — you know, like rights, peace, freedom, safe communities, fair policing, and laws that work for us. You know, the nice things White people have because White America ensures they always have them.
And while more sane people voted for Joe Biden than any other president in the history of this nation, there is something extremely troubling about his election. We had some many better, younger candidates, relics from our racist past consistently the politician of choices for most White people. Both parties must finally admit America has a thing for old White men leading them. Even if there is a person of color on the major national ticket, it must include a White man to comfort White people who love white power and who believe the only people who can rule over them (good or bad) are White men.
America loves White Supremacy. They love it so much the damned election wasn’t the blow out Black folks expected.We should never be forced to go against our convictions to save a nation and people who will not do the same for us. It’s another right White people indirectly take away from us.
The cruelty of it all has been hard to digest.
Nothing Trump Did Was Bad Enough For Half of White America
White people and a large majority of Latinx, Black, Jewish, and immigrant folk didn’t think Covid was bad enough to get rid of Trump. Having 20 million people unemployed because of his handling of the pandemic wasn’t enough to vote against Trump. Lying about how deadly the pandemic was and not ensuring we had personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect ourselves wasn’t enough for White people to vote against him. Setting up and having a journalist killed wasn’t enough, using American soldiers against peaceful protestors, or even how he handled any of the many wretched natural disaster responses wasn’t enough to fire Trump. Plotting to kill a sitting female governor because she cared about the health of the public of her state wasn’t enough to get rid of Tang.
The “build the wall” lie didn’t cause White people to make seventy-million people Misappropriating federal tax dollars and redirecting money the military didn’t turn off White and Brown patriots. Paying off a porn star so his wife wouldn’t find out to win the presidency wasn’t enough either. Republicans not providing support for households suffering financial losses because of Covid didn’t make White folks vote against Trump. Trump’s lying wasn’t bad enough to convince White folk not to vote for him or the corrupt syndicate GOP. Our national security and standing in the world didn’t matter enough to convince half of our White electorate to vote for liberty and life. Bounties on the heads of soldiers wasn’t enough.
There was nothing “American” about Election 2020. White America’s moral compass is broken and we have irreconcilable differences. White folks’ repudiation of evil and racism should have been greater. More obstructionist Republicans should have been sent packing, but they weren’t. How could this be? Was I looking at the same President and were we all not living in the same time period?
As I thought about the devastating election results rolling in all week, I remembered White people voting to kill Black and Brown people is very American.
Killing Black people is American. Using Black people is American. Disrespecting Black people is American. Ignoring Black people is American. Hating Black people is very American. Stealing from Black people is American. White people being racist and lying about it is American.
I’ve been sitting up nauseated half the night watching election results come in, dumbfounded and disgusted. I used to think maybe 2016 wasn’t a fluke. White people didn’t want a decent White person doing politics as usual. Closeted White folks wanted that Southern fried racism Trump had been serving up since birtherism in 2008. Clinton was the better candidate, but a racist conman bested her. White people lied about not knowing better. It’s the same lying and gaslighting White folks do to us about not knowing they are racist.
It’s hard to celebrate Biden’s victory knowing half of America is racist.
Racist White people knew what they were doing back then, and they know better now. They always know better, they just play dumb, and they expect us to play their stupid little games. If you gotta sneak to do it, you know it’s wrong. The fact White Trump voters felt the need to lie to pollsters about how they were voting highlights they know it’s wrong and shameful.
I have been saying racism was on the ballot since 2015, and White people have proven me right each election cycle. Half of the White people in America voted for their racists interests. Where do we go from here? What are we going to do? Reading books and social media fighting isn’t enough.
It’s official today, four days after the election, Biden has won [thank God] and Trump will soon be gone. I am going to take a moment to celebrate this historic win. I can breathe a little easier knowing Trump will not be in office tormenting us for another 4-years. But Trump, like White Supremacy, won’t go away quietly. In his typical outrageous fashion, Trump is attempting to sue to stop the will of the people on the right side of history because he’s losing, and we all know how much he hates losing. We are at the end of domestic violence relationship, and this is the most dangerous time of the breakup. He will be violent, he will incite violence, and it will get ugly.
Seventy-million people supported this monster, wanting his reign of terror to continue because they loved racism more than they loved humanity. How do we move forward when America insists on moving quickly towards reconciliation without finally having a reckoning on our racism? There can be no justice unless we address xenophobia, populism, neoliberalism, capitalism, racism, protectionism, and nativism. If White people are allowed to continue getting away with these tactics to maintain their social order, nothing will ever change.
Trump’s presidency hurt and killed many people, and those were his intentions. He expressed them when he announced his run for President. The same applies to the seventy-million people who voted for him. Half of America is racist. Half of America enjoys White rage and hurting people. Half of America thinks it’s okay to forsake children in detention centers. Half of America is fine with the other half of us dying from Covid, police killings, or White nationalism. We are a sick nation. It’s not normal This ain’t right.
Once again, White America has shown Black people who they are, and we must believe them. This genie isn’t going back into the bottle. Once the newness of the Biden-Harris win settles in, there is going to be an expectation that something be done about racism. You can’t tell me you care about me yet you allow people to harm me, my children, and my grandchildren because America hates exacting justice on White people. You can’t expect me to trust White America when White America is infamous for letting White people get away with murder. You can’t say you care about Black lives when you’re not ready to address racists police or support protestors. I have yet to hear any sensible plans from White people that don’t specifically concentrate on Black people, and that’s a red flag.
White People Will Never Change
America is as racist as they were when Harriet Tubman was helping slaves escape on the Underground Railroad. White people still posses the same White rage they had during the Boston Tea Party when they were bitching about taxes. White people still are as violent and as evil as they were when they bombed Black Wall Street. America’s White police are same deviant, evil bastards they were slave catchers. They evolved into Bull Connors, Bill Barrs, and Derrick Chauvins. President Trump is as evil today as President Andrew Jackson was back in 1829. The Republican Party in 2020 is as evil, racist, and concerned with money as the Democratic Party was when it was first founded. No matter how much Black people fight to evolve from a society that oppresses them with White rage, White people insist on being about that kind of life.
What is there to be happy about?
Yes, Trump is gone, but there will be another one in the next 50–100-years. He’s already being groomed somewhere right now by White people. And this racism and white rage, it’s here to stay. White people haven’t given Black folks any sign they are ready to move on. I’ll reiterate, seventy-fucking million people voted for Donald Trump to be the president again, despite he’s literally almost killed us on over one occasion for almost four-years. Most of those people were White.
Source: Author’s photo of her television as she sits watching the results come in on MSNBC. 11/07/2020
The rest of Trump’s supporters are Blacks and People of Color who subscribe to colonialism, neoliberalism, racism. White folks created those backwards monsters too. How am I supposed to sleep knowing this nation is inherently racist? How do you White folks continue to demand Blacks be nice and patient with you when you don’t change?
That’s the very nature of domestic violence people! Black people are in a domestic violence situation with America, and no matter who wins an election, White people don’t change. America will still beat us up, take our money, won’t believe our allegations, and won’t stop our abusers, because the abusers control everything. We have nowhere to run. There is nowhere to hide.
I have almost no faith in White people. When there is a choice and racism, White rage, segregation, fear, White victimhood and cruelty are in the cards as options for them, they’ll overwhelmingly choose those things. It’s impossible to describe the shock and disappointment.
Black ancestors and elders warned us about White folks, and their warnings continue to ring true. You cannot trust many White people.
This election reveals White people in America haven’t changed one bit in nearly 500-years. It’s been thousands of years if you count how they colonized most of the globe. With all the history White folks have access to, you’d think they’d use it to avoid being the same old raging, ugly, menacing, terrorizing citizenry they’ve always been, but clearly that’s not the case. Nothing changes in America because White people don’t change.
There can be only two reasons they possibly don’t change. White people must be born racist, and it’s in their DNA, or their born into racism, and it’s reinforced from cradle to the grave directly or otherwise.
Whatever the reason, I don’t have the time or energy to figure out why White people can’t control their evil urges. I’ve gotta navigate racism, deal with discrimination and microaggressions, teach my children and those close to me how to navigate it, and watch my back. For Black people, we cannot go back to our old ways of being comfortable in White things and expecting White people to stand with us. They just won’t. Most White people are going to be racist, fascists, obstructionists, aggressors, apathetic, vote suppressors, environmental terrorists, stealers of Black rights, ignorers of racism, scary, and always on the wrong side of justice. Let that soak in.
I had my one day of joy. Trump’s ass loss, and I get great satisfaction from that. I also know if White people had their way and didn’t have so much experience with voter suppression, we could have easily had Trump for another 4-years.
Black and Brown people stood in the rain. We lost days of work we couldn’t afford; we voted early and did the electric slide in line waiting to vote. Black and Brown folks took ballots to nursing homes, took our 100-year-old elders to the polls, and registered millions of new voters to counter the voter suppression during a pandemic. Many of us didn’t vote for Joe, we just voted against Trump. We weren’t voting to save America and White people as much as we were voting to save ourselves. Joe Biden even had to admit he owes his presidency to Black people. If it were left up to White people, we’d be reelecting the Trump crime syndicate for more of the same.
But make no mistake, America hasn’t changed.
White people aren’t doing enough, and they damned sure aren’t changing. They are still seeing shit too slowly, not changing fast enough, and not raising the next generation of global citizens. White people are as racist as they’ve ever been, and most are still in denial about. Most are ready to move on, just like nothing ever happened. There are no major plans to combat racism, and no plans to stop being racist. No one is discussing dismantling racist institutions and systems. White people aren’t calling for reparations to begin the justice process so we can move towards reconciliation.
White people are just happy to be, with no demands for America to do something about White domestic terrorism and nativism. No war on that. In fact, White women in the Democratic Party have already instructed the party to not talk about defunding the police or other things that well make White folks comfortable again. White people are already moving on, ready to ignore our petitions after we’ve saved this shithole nation.
Flip-flopping White liberals, independents, moderates, and progressives are just as bad as the racist GOP. This is casual racism. White party heads in the Democratic Party are already engaging in microaggressions against Black people so they can win power. Too many White people are fine with using Black folks to protect White power. I’m sick and tired of White people. It’s hard to find joy in this hour when White folks continue to show us who they are. Most are racist to their bones and they are too arrogant and contest focused to see it. As long as White people keep White power by any means, they are as pleased as pigs in slop. This isn’t a Democrat or Republican thing. It’s a White people thing.
America showed the world it loves racism more than it loves humanity, and I’m never forgetting it. If this is the best you got for us White people, your best will never be good enough for me. It’s been almost 500-years.
You are who you show us you are. Some things never change.
Marley K in Grieving in Quarantine 2020 | https://medium.com/marleyisms/white-people-love-racism-more-than-they-love-humanity-f78aa0a00aca | ['Marley K.'] | 2020-11-08 17:14:41.995000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'Life Lessons', 'Racism', 'Election 2020', 'White Supremacy'] |
Is Evan McMullin’s presidential candidacy just a protest, or something bigger? | Is Evan McMullin’s presidential candidacy just a protest, or something bigger?
It’s difficult to imagine Evan McMullin as an undercover CIA operative lurking in the shadows of South and Central Asia a decade ago, at the height of the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He doesn’t really look the part. McMullin, the 40-year-old previously unknown Capitol Hill staffer who is the surprise presidential candidate of 2016, is everlastingly polite and remarkably normal-looking. He has a shaved head. That can sometimes imply toughness. But on McMullin, it simply plays up how follicularly challenged he is.
“Can you grow a beard?” I asked him one day recently during the second of two conversations we had at his campaign headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“My beard is really spotty,” McMullin admitted. But, he added, “with a shaved head and a spotty beard … I’d make a very good Chechen.”
McMullin was only 27 when he first deployed as a spy in 2003. He entered the agency through an unconventional route.
As a high school student living in the Seattle suburbs, McMullin called 411 — the information line that people used to call before smartphones and the Internet — and asked to be connected with the CIA. He’d wanted to work for the agency ever since as a kid he’d watched “Three Days of the Condor” with Robert Redford.
McMullin had read enough about the CIA to ask for their recruitment center. And surprisingly, his doggedness led to a phone conversation with a man “who would call himself Arthur Delaney, and I’m certain that’s not what his real name was,” McMullin said. The two kept in touch over several years, and after McMullin graduated high school and completed two years as a Mormon missionary in Brazil, he did a semester internship at the CIA each year he was a student at Brigham Young University. He may have entered the CIA early, but the agency does have a penchant for hiring members of the Mormon faith.
After he graduated college, McMullin went undercover for an initial assignment that lasted two and a half years. He did shorter stints in the field for a few years and eventually left the agency in 2010.
McMullin said he could not discuss the details of what he did without asking the CIA to grant him permission. He did say that his role was “multi-mode.” It involved showing up at “cocktail parties with leaders in the business community and in government and diplomats” and then later that same night meeting up with terrorist operatives, heavily armed, to collect information.
Bloomberg’s Donny Deutsch asked him in a live interview, “Did you ever kill anyone?”
“I don’t think answering that question directly is the thing for me to do,” he said. “I certainly located terrorists, and those terrorists were either arrested or sometimes killed.”
As challenging as that time was, McMullin faced plenty of fears when considering late this past summer whether to launch a quixotic campaign for president. He felt strongly that conservatives had to have an alternative to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. He felt, as many #NeverTrump conservatives did, that Trump was unfit for the office. And he strongly opposed Clinton’s big-government liberalism. But the consequences of becoming a candidate himself seemed enormous.
“I’m not wealthy. It is income. It is future. It is reputational. It is all those things,” McMullin said. He left his job as a senior policy adviser on Capitol Hill to the fourth-ranking House Republican, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.
“It’s gone,” he said of his fledgling career in Republican politics, which was less than three years old. “I can’t go back to the Hill.”
Evan McMullin at a rally in Draper, Utah, Oct. 16, 2016. (Photo: Rick Bowmer/AP)
But whatever he expected to come out of this run for president, it now appears he’s on track to be the first independent or third-party candidate since the staunch segregationist Alabama Gov. George Wallace in 1968 to win a state’s Electoral College votes. McMullin is leading in the polls in Utah, a state with a heavily Mormon population that has voted for the Republican candidate for president in the past 12 presidential elections, a span of nearly a half-century. But Donald Trump is widely loathed by the Mormon church in Utah, which has given McMullin an opening to make history.
*****
If McMullin does win Utah, it may not make a very big impact on the presidential race. It would take Utah’s six electoral college votes away from Republican nominee Donald Trump, but those would matter only if the race were close. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is leading Trump in so many battleground states she looks poised for a convincing win.
McMullin’s name is on the ballot as a candidate in 11 states, and he is eligible for write-in votes in 29 others, with four more final states expected to approve write-in status this week. The campaign is hearing positive anecdotal feedback about McMullin’s candidacy in Minnesota, Colorado, Iowa and Idaho, in addition to Utah.
But the real question is what McMullin’s candidacy means for the future of the Republican Party.
McMullin frames his candidacy as representing a “new conservative movement” that could be the seedling of a new political party if the GOP cannot recover from Trump’s candidacy.
“It’s just like that steady state company that knows its products are stale but for a bunch of legacy reasons cannot adjust, and that’s what I think we see with the Republican Party and the Democratic Party right now. They are the limping gazelles on the Serengeti,” he said.
Talk of a new political party sounds far-fetched, but it’s being taken seriously by Republican operatives and conservative pundits.
Juleanna Glover, who worked for former Vice President Dick Cheney, told me that she wants to see “a principled, pro-trade, tolerant, entitlement reform, hawkish conservative policy party.”
“I don’t know whether that will be the Republican Party going forward,” she said.
Jonah Goldberg, a popular conservative writer at National Review, said on ABC’s “This Week” this past Sunday that even if Trump loses, he could wreak such havoc on the GOP as an outside figure that it forces the party to split in half.
“If Donald Trump doesn’t play nice, when and if he loses, and he decides that he is just going to be a spoiler or create this television network, we could see — I would predict that we are going to see a new party emerge,” Goldberg said.
Fairgoers visit an Independence Party tent at the Minnesota State Fair last August. (Photo: Jim Mone/AP)
McMullin strategist and pollster Joel Searby told the Weekly Standard that they are building state organizations around the country, which will create “an army of people who want to be a part of whatever comes next.”
Searby told me that in some states, like California, their campaign has had to recruit 57 electors and vet each one. In Nebraska, their state coordinator is a former executive director of the state Republican Party. And so on. Even becoming a legitimate write-in candidate requires “a significant amount of legal and grassroots work,” Searby said.
In the event that McMullin does win Utah, “We’re not going to just say we did a good job and move on,” Searby said. “There’s a very real possibility that a new party will be formed out of this effort. I think that’s the most important possibility that’s sitting on the table.”
American politics has not seen a new, nationally competitive party in almost a century, since former President Teddy Roosevelt ran as a third party candidate in the newly formed Progressive, or Bull Moose, Party.
Bill Kristol, the Weekly Standard’s founder, told me in an email that McMullin’s candidacy “could be harbinger of something big.”
“Or it could ‘just’ be a statement on behalf of principle and decency,” Kristol wrote. “Either way, it’s a good thing.”
Kristol, who helped recruit McMullin after failing to pull in more imposing political figures like 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney and Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse to run as an independent, said he is voting for McMullin.
*****
McMullin told me that he had considered a run for elected office at the state level, or maybe for Congress, 15 years or so down the road. The thought of running for president did not enter his mind until after the Republican convention in mid-July.
“I hoped that the delegates would be able to revolt. They did, but they were blocked,” McMullin said. “When [Trump] became the nominee, then I said, ‘All right. The time to act is now.’”
Trump, McMullin said, is “a true threat to our country that is beyond the scope and scale that most Americans have ever seen or experienced.”
So he spoke with a few members of Congress he and others had previously encouraged to run for president. But none of them were willing to take the plunge, McMullin said.
“They thought it was too risky. They didn’t want to risk their current seats in Congress. They didn’t want to risk the criticism, and the humiliation, and all of that. I urged them to do it, and they would not do it,” McMullin said. He did not identify which members of Congress he had talked to.
One of the members of Congress told McMullin he should run. McMullin said he spent 10 days mulling the decision, rehearsing the ridicule he would have to endure: “Look what you did. You ran for president. You couldn’t even get on all the ballots,” he said.
And he knew going in it would be impossible to get on all 50 state ballots, despite the formidable ballot access operation funded by Republican donor John Kingston and staffed by operatives like Searby, the pollster and strategist, and former Americans Elect ballot access expert Khalil Bird.
“As I went through all of that, I kept thinking, ‘If this is so important, if this is so right, you can’t make a decision to do it based on fear for your own finances, or reputation, or career,’” he told me. “Those are important, but truth is important.”
McMullin kicking off his presidential campaign in Salt Lake City, Aug. 10, 2016. (Photo: George Frey/Getty Images)
Glover, the former Cheney aide, said that one of the reasons she’s been willing to lend an unofficial hand to McMullin’s campaign is because she is “in admiration of him for standing up to do this.”
“He’s doing it at no small personal cost. I find that type of bravery moving, and I’m glad to support it,” she said.
McMullin’s role in House Republican leadership was downplayed by Capitol Hill aides I spoke to. They described him to me as a nonfactor whose presence in meetings of top lawmakers drew puzzlement from other aides.
Regardless, McMullin said the idea of a need for a new force in politics had been “brewing inside me for the last few years.”
“This isn’t working, and I mean the system,” he said. “I believe the constitutional checks and balances are all out of balance, I mean the federalism piece.”
“Right now we’ve got so much power in Washington,” he said. “Really, I think the power should be far more heavily weighted to the state and local governments.”
This message has resonated in Utah, said Boyd Matheson, a former chief of staff to Utah Sen. Mike Lee, one of the most outspoken Republican opponents of Trump over the past year. Matheson said that despite McMullin’s natural connection with Utah’s heavily Mormon electorate, his candidacy “does transcend LDS culture.”
“Utah is clearly trying to send a message to Washington and to the establishment of both parties, and I don’t think they want to send that message in the form of a Hillary Clinton win or a Donald Trump,” Matheson said. McMullin is “really big on federalism and separation of powers, which is obviously a big thing in Utah.”
“It’s one of the reasons Utah has rejected both Trump and Clinton: because we have a really good free-market economy, strong institutions of civil society — neighborhoods and volunteer associations — and because of that Utah is working and thriving.”
Of course, Mormons have repudiated Trump much more forcefully than any other religious group in the country. They saw in his proposed Muslim ban last December echoes of their own religious persecution in the past. And McMullin’s candidacy is another symbol of the LDS church’s opposition to Trump.
*****
Most of Utah’s statewide elected officials — with the exception of Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Republican — have opposed or refused to endorse Trump. There is speculation that Lee, who led efforts at the GOP convention to open up delegate voting to find another nominee besides Trump, might endorse McMullin.
But McMullin has made it more difficult to do so with some of his recent swipes at Republicans who have not endorsed him.
“We’ve invited Republican leaders to join us in this cause. The reality is that the vast majority of Republican leaders are putting party ahead of principle and putting power over the interests of their own country,” McMullin said this past Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”
McMullin can sometimes overreach in his rhetoric. When he criticized Trump during one of our conversations, he said that “based on his leadership style and affinity for authoritarianism, this is probably the type of man who questions his abilities in bed.”
He understandably wanted to rattle the GOP nominee’s cage, and today’s media environment incentivizes over-the-top rhetoric. But it came off sounding a bit like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s juvenile mockery of Trump’s hands during the primary last fall.
Nonetheless, McMullin can mount a substantive critique of Trump on foreign policy, and his concerns about Russia’s meddling in the U.S. election are detailed and carry some weight because of his years in the clandestine service.
“I can readily identify that Vladimir Putin is undermining our democracy and our national power through Donald Trump, through his candidacy and through everything that comes with it: the white nationalist movement, the white supremacist movement, the nativism. All of these things turn America in on itself,” he said.
“Why would that be of interest to Vladimir Putin? Because we’re the main thing that keeps Vladimir Putin in check,” McMullin said. “If we turn in on ourselves, if we’re fighting each other, if we don’t want to trade, if we don’t think that we should play a role in defending basic human rights around the world, at least rhetorically — because we’re not defending them here — then that weakens us, and it allows an open space for Vladimir Putin to expand his influence.”
His knocks on the Republican Party are direct and withering.
McMullin outside his campaign offices in Salt Lake City, Oct. 12, 2016. (Photo: George Frey/Reuters)
“If the Republican Party won’t stand up to Vladimir Putin’s effort to undermine our democracy and to a candidate who isn’t committed to the cause of equality and liberty, then what does it stand for? What good is it providing to the country?” he said.
McMullin at one point in September decided to stop dancing around the issue of Trump and race and began labeling the Republican presidential nominee’s rhetoric and positions “racist.”
Trump’s national stop-and-frisk proposal is “purely unconstitutional and racist,” he said. “When you accept the support of the white supremacist movement in the United States — or let me be generous and say when you fail to repudiate that support — and you signal to them with your racist policies, then you are embracing and empowering the white supremacist movement in the United States,” McMullin said.
And he faulted the Republican Party’s leaders for failing to tamp down rhetoric over the past four years that turned off minorities, women and young voters.
“Leaders who should have stepped up and pushed back against bigotry, back against misogyny, thought about issues that are important to millennials, we didn’t do that,” he said. “Muslims, Hispanics, African-Americans, churchgoing African-Americans, these people are ultimately in my mind conservatives, but they feel that they’re not welcome in the Republican Party because of the color of their skin.”
McMullin and I spoke in an office suite a few hundred yards from the Capitol, in a glass-walled conference room. The campaign did not have enough money to spend on its own offices, and so it was in a shared space.
To my shock, I saw a man I recognized in an office across the hall from our conference room. It was Paul Teller, whom I’d first met when he was a rabble-rousing senior Republican staffer in the House. Teller is now a top aide to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and has been tasked with building up a national grassroots organization that many people see as a vehicle Cruz will try to leverage for another run presidential run in 2020.
Just days before I showed up to talk with McMullin, Cruz had accepted the political reality that his refusal to endorse Trump at the convention had put his own reelection to the Senate in 2018 in peril, and forced himself to endorse Trump.
As Teller sat there in his office, picking up the pieces of the wreckage that Trump has made of Cruz’s political career, McMullin and his top strategist, Florida Republican consultant Rick Wilson, were completely oblivious he was there.
I pointed out Teller, just 15 feet from where we sat. “That’s him right there,” I told Wilson.
“Oh, so it is,” he said.
Teller’s effort on behalf of Cruz — backed as it is by the political heft of a man who received almost 8 million Republican votes in the primary — is the more formidable one. But just across the hall, McMullin and his campaign are betting that something entirely new will have to come from the ashes of 2016.
from Yahoo News | https://medium.com/jon-ward/is-evan-mcmullins-presidential-candidacy-just-a-protest-or-something-bigger-c9af61b68082 | ['Jon Ward'] | 2016-10-30 14:06:03.094000+00:00 | ['2016 Election', 'Politics'] |
Is the Indian Rooftop Solar on Death-BED? Read and Keep Quiet … | The latest announcement by the Union Minister of State for Power Shri R.K.Singh about Electricity Rules 2020 (Rights of Consumers), while there are several provisions on empowering energy consumers, one major decision on the rooftop solar with current Net-Metering facility will have very serious impact on the growth of Rooftop Solar in India.
The new rule says ‘Net metering for loads up to 10kW and for Gross metering for loads above 10kW’.
With the existing Net-metering facility consumer uses the electricity produced by Solar directly and any extra units gets exported to the Grid and discoms gives credit of these units to consumers who can utilise the exported units during night or any time later. So the consumer have the right and he gets to use the power he produced at same cost he produced say Rs.1.20 to Rs.1.85 or so, much cheaper than what discom’s retail price. In this case, discom functions as a Banking facilitator even though some of them charge a nominal fee for this banking facility. Consumer will pay only for the extra power he consumed from the Grid.
In the proposed Gross-metering, all the Solar units produced by the consumer will be bought by the discoms at the same rate they buy from other large power producers i.e., around Rs.3.00 or lesser. In this case though the consumer produces own solar power from his solar plant, he will not have any right to use it directly but will have to sell it to Discom. For all his electricity needs he will have to buy from the discom at the retail price they sell which is much higher. Means consumer will have to buy power from discom at Rs.8.00 to 14.00 even though he produces his own Solar power at Rs.1.20 to 2.00. So with this new rule rooftop solar will become unviable as Discom will buy power produced by customer at damn cheap rate and sell it back to him on a much higher retail rate without doing nothing which is absolutely unfair.
With the new Gross-metering, the Return of Investment on a 12kW Solar plant at a cost of Rs.6.00 lacs will be 15 years or more instead of 4 years of Net-Metering. So why anyone will invest in the Solar Rooftop plants as its not a profitable proposition either to the consumer or to the financier. Who will spend money and go through the hassles if there are not any real benefits?
GOI has set a target of 40 GW of Rooftop Solar Power by 2022.
Even with various incentives such as subsidies and net-metering etc., we could achieve only 10–12% of the said target so far. So now with the introduction of Gross Metering, the consumers will shy away from Solar as there will be no clear benefits. If you don’t have the rights to use what you are producing and need to buy on higher price, then why anyone should produce it at all. Unable to decode the logic behind this newly published rule.
In a recent study it was pointed out that, one major reasons for the slow growth of Rooftop solar in India is the discouraging actions from discoms. They look at Solar as their competition and put all sort of impediments during the project and this is the experience of every EPCs and consumers across India. Another argument is discoms lose income when big solar projects get commissioned. Any such reduction of income should be reorganized with different means and not by harming and destroying a futuristic industry. If this new rule is to satisfy discoms and keep them in good humour, then how the consumers interests and the future of Rooftop solar can be taken care?
More over, the introduction of 10kW limit on net-metering will remove major chunk of consumers who are having more than 10kW requirement. This will lead to exclusion of several segments of consumers such as small & big housing societies, educational institutions, hospitals, small and medium commercial establishments, religious places, NGOs and trusts and many more where the requirement is higher than 10kW.
Needless to say that in-spite of all push by the Govt, only 10% -12% of Rooftop solar target is achieved so far. Now with this new changes it can be easily predicted that today’s 12% growth may easily slip to 1–2%. So far there were several big rooftop projects commissioned with net-metering as there were visible benefits to consumers. So post implementation of gross-metering all such projects and any projects above 10kW will dry up as no consumer will be willing to invest in solar and they will be forced to live with Discom’s whims and fancies; which is exactly what the discoms wish to happen that the consumers remain with them as their milking cows for ever. The sad part is, in this whole process we are putting the Indian Rooftop Solar ambition on deathbed and it may remain on ventilator for some time and ultimately will have a death or remain as mutilated child.
Also the this will seriously impact thousands of Solar EPCs, integrators, solar professionals, vendors, suppliers, direct and indirect partners who are part of this industry and their families. Already the Industry is suffering badly due to unpredicted high price rise that’s happening recently on solar components. Several on-going projects and newly acquired projects are badly hit and most of them are stalled or on hold till the price stabilizes back. If we look back, the last 2 to 3 years were truly traumatic to the Solar Industry with several uncertainties that had pushed them to the wall, though Solar is looked upon and celebrated as the futuristic energy source and saver of this planet from global warming and environmental degradation.
Here we have a choice, read this and take a stand and do your part in support of this cause or read this and keep quiet and forget ….
Prem | https://medium.com/@premdn/is-the-indian-rooftop-solar-on-death-bed-read-and-keep-quiet-af31cd456dc2 | ['Prem Nair'] | 2020-12-23 13:18:02.039000+00:00 | ['Indian', 'Renewable Energy', 'Solar Industry', 'Sunset', 'Rooftop Solar'] |
Illumination’s Pros and Cons | Illumination’s Pros and Cons
Pexels — Pixabay
Writers who seek an audience on Medium are all too familiar. Once having written your story, nobody wants to wait on publication. The problem is that if you self-publish immediately, no publication will accept your submission — as they almost all require that only unpublished drafts be submitted. Except one! And that's Illumination! There’s your first major pro right there! You can publish yourself — and then submit.
Here’s another pro: Illumination publishes almost everything that's submitted. So unless what you send is total garbage, it will appear in a publication with thousands of followers.
And a third pro is the editors are supportive and numerous enough that your article is published within a day at most — and often within hours. Ok! So what’s not to like? It all sounds like a win-win, right?
Illumination reminds me of the Craigslist adult section in its heyday. Because the publication has so many writers — and almost every submission gets published — your article only sees the light of day for a short period of time (usually just a couple of hours). After that, it’s replaced by more submissions and you move so far down the page that almost nobody clicks on your masterpiece.
Spoiled people won’t understand that reality. They think their stuff is the best and merits feature status forever. I’m not that egocentric. I get the program.
Con #2 has to do with who makes it to the top of the page. When I worked at a magazine with contents comprised of 70% advertising, my clients constantly badgered me about appearing in the “front of the book,” reasoning however correctly, that the first ten pages got many more calls than the last ten. And it’s the same with websites.
The top 5 pages of Illumination consist of the founders’ and editors' work almost exclusively. And these articles barely even rotate. There’s a stagnant quality that doesn’t work for me. I understand that it’s their site and they’re looking for member minute reads just as we all are.
But as a non-commissioned officer in the Illumination army, the best placement you can reasonably expect for your story will be pages down from the top.
And finally, I need to address the all-important analytic: Does publishing on Illumination get you more reads than publishing on your own?
I have just over 1000 followers — most of whom don’t really follow me. So if I self-publish, I don’t get very many views. Publishing on Illumination does garner me more views. But what I notice is my view to read ratio is much lower on Illumination than it is if I publish independently (which means in my own publications — or simply into cyberspace).
My ratio is actually very good by Medium standards. Until I check my Illumination articles. Then it can get as low as 10% while my self-published articles tend to be closer to 70%.
So what’s the bottom line here? Is Illumination worth your while? Actually, I think it is. Let’s face it. Almost everything you try on Medium to gain an audience doesn’t work. And that’s simply because there are so many wannabe writers on this platform and just so many readers — that only a small percentage actually make any real money.
For me? I know there’s no magical route to thousands of reads and dollars here. It’s a grind which most people give up on. But if you’re on a mission, any method that gets you anywhere is worth pursuing. And Illumination has just enough oomph to make it worth my while.
Hey! It’s not a miracle. But from where I sit, there are no miracles here. It’s just work work work — and pray pray pray.
More about writing: | https://medium.com/illumination/illuminations-pros-and-cons-929f67401022 | ['William', 'Dollar Bill'] | 2020-12-22 18:34:06.960000+00:00 | ['Illumination', 'Medium', 'Writing', 'Freelancing', 'Education'] |
Startup Q&A: BetterYou | We’ve all been there.
Scroll, scroll, scroll. Stop. Scroll, stroll. Stop. Scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll…
Three hours later and you’re blurry-eyed and guilty. What was supposed to be a productive afternoon somehow turned into a time-warp of surfing the web, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, and unnecessarily checking email eight dozen times.
Enter, BetterYou.
BetterYou is a digital coach that helps people make better health and wellness decisions by logging how you actually spend your time and comparing it to your goals. It leverages the background data from our phones to log progress without intensive manual entry, and their AI-based coach uses this insight to nudge employees and students toward the outcomes they want to see.
Sean Higgens, BetterYou’s CEO, recently shared more about BetterYou with Startup Grind, digging into what sets BetterYou apart from the competition and the unique approach they take to growing a team.
— In a single sentence, what does BetterYou do?
BetterYou is a digital coach that helps you make better decisions every day.
— How did BetterYou come to be? What was the problem you found and the ‘aha’ moment?
Sitting on the couch scrolling through email, I realized two things. First, that I had no reason to even be on email right now, and second, that I don’t know why I selected the app in the first place. My head knew I shouldn’t be here, but my hands were moving on their own.
How much of our time is intentional? How much of it is us going down the rabbit hole without realizing it?
In 2007, 32% of free time in the US was on devices. Today that number is over 90%. But as our time on device has gone up and up, our satisfaction with that time has gone down.
Today our time on device is optimized, not for what we want, but for what we’ll watch, time on page. We’re creating a world where your time on device isn’t optimized by apps or advertisers, it’s optimized for the things you care the most about.
— What sets BetterYou apart in the market?
BetterYou doesn’t require manual entry. We leverage the power of the phone to give you credit for how you spent your day. Your phone can give you credit for calling Mom this week, or going to a park near your house. We leverage this data exhaust to automatically log progress toward your goals.
This enables us to provide redirection in real time. Say it’s 6pm and I’m going for another Yotube video. The BetterYou AI knows my habits that get in my way for achieving goals. So if I’m going for that next video and I haven;t chatted with Mom yet, I’m likely to get a real time notification, “Hey Sean, you said chatting with Mom this week was important, got a minute?” This real time redirection helps people make time in their day for the things that matter most.
— Have you pursued funding and if so, what steps did you take?
We raised 1.8M in seed funding by building a great team of Ph.Ds and product people, making a stellar product and getting early customer traction.
— What KPIs have been most important for you to track?
We measure our demos generated per month (top of funnel), our monthly deals closed (bottom of funnel), and our annual customer churn (customer success).
— How did the core team meet?
I’ve known Edwin for over 10 years and he has always been building things. BetterYou was the perfect chance for us to team up.
Tommy, I met at a conference. I saw his background sheet: Ph.D in applied mathematics, research around behavioral change. When I got to talking with him he was fluent in Node.js from some RPOG games he had created. We were building our backend in Node.js. I knew, then and there, that this was someone to build around. He moved to MN to help us create the AI and leads our data team today.
— How do you build and develop talent?
We source candidates from beyond the job board. We look at Blogs, Social engagement, community events, Twitter, Instagram to find people that demonstrate the skills we need to be successful. When you open up the job search to people doing amazing things and don’t bucket into years of experience, you can find great talent fast. Our last hire (Business Development) we found through her blog.
She had great writing skills and it prompted us to reach out to see if she had thought about BD work. One week into the new role and she had already booked a customer demo.
— What’s been the biggest success for the team?
This summer based on user feedback we had a massive product overhaul. It was the culmination of 6 months worth of work for the product and development teams. We launched this new version and saw instant positive feedback. Our metrics moved in the right direction.
We celebrated with a social distance team outing at a nearby park.
— What milestone are you most proud of so far?
Bringing our product to life and getting it in the hands over over 35 companies in the last year.
— What’s something that’s always on your mind?
Where are mobile applications in 2 years? In 5 years?
— Have you been or are you part of a corporate startup program or accelerator? If so, which ones and what have been the benefits?
Yes, Realco. Realco is a great way to connect with mentors, companies, and grow your business. It is an 18 month virtual program that provides you with resources to grow for the long term. I would highly recommend to anyone looking to build a venture backed business.
— What advice would you give to other founders?
“If you want to change a decision, you don’t try to convince someone, you change the options they get to pick from.”
This is why mobile apps are so good at taking our time, and it’s the very principle that we use to help you reclaim your time. | https://medium.com/startup-grind/startup-q-a-betteryou-b7ec90d8357 | ['The Startup Grind Team'] | 2020-10-26 20:04:06.718000+00:00 | ['Startup Lessons', 'Startup Spotlight', 'Startup', 'Founders', 'Startup Life'] |
Is it a struggle for rights or vulgarity in Pakistan? | Is it a struggle for rights or vulgarity in Pakistan?
"Give the canine seriously spoiling so he begins licking his mouth." something very similar can be found in the response of the woman of our general public however much the man helped her in getting her out of the embarrassment of embarrassment, discussed her strengthening and the battle to give her a good and holy spot. A similar lady today is set on licking her mouth like a canine. So today, for the sake of Liberty, she has outperformed even the restrictions of mediocrity and has acknowledged everything as her own body. She believes that to be a touchy body is to be a lady, in any case, there is another norm. It isn’t appropriate for her to be a lady. I wish! If a lady could see herself through the eyes of a man, she would be pleased to be a lady, yet too bad! That may be the man has held her in high regard, has removed her from an actual lady and made her a lady of feeling and character, and without her, he views himself as deficient. Maybe the man is additionally wrongly giving the lady a wide range of opportunity aside from the opportunity of body openness or use. For which she is making an honest effort today. All things considered, each man should believe that a lady isn’t just about as regarded as he suspected she was. Maybe the genuine situation of a lady is the thing that she is requesting, that is, only a body, a paramour. So she ought to be given this position. That is, the person who has a spot ought to be kept at a similar spot. Regardless of whether a decent spot is given, he will in any case go to his unique spot (mud) like a frog. The one who is pushing the man to demonstrate that she is sub-par, simply takes a gander at the limit of this inadequacy of this lady, as a man who has been viewed as free for quite a while, even though he is free, he has never utilized his body along these lines. Similarly, as the present lady needs to utilize her body, if a man promotes his sexual organs, the other man won’t permit her to do as such, yet on the off chance that one lady does likewise, the other lady turns into his backer and herself. Envision briefly you were translated into the karmic driven universe of Earl. She said, "I will do however I see fit my body. You men, bow your head and your eyes." I appreciate the humility of the one who has abandoned the figure of unobtrusiveness (the present lady) who is likewise embarrassed about the vulgarity of ladies from which she doesn’t feel embarrassed and unloaded her humility. She is as yet instructing him that to be unassuming is to be your lady since the lady is the substance and delicacy that makes her lovely, in any case, there is no contrast between a man and a lady due to being severe because simply being a body is a lady and a man. Doesn’t occur! Furthermore, I hail the man’s perseverance and understanding that he is attempting to disclose to her with adoration despite her activities. Keep your honour in your grasp, in any case, don’t say anything negative about him (the man) because the man additionally If the body knows manliness then it is a lot more grounded and more grounded than the lady and can run its will on her body and advise her to bow her head and eyes. Today, if a lady is protected, it is a result of a man, and if she is unreliable, it is a result of a man. Since the man ensures the lady and the man fears the lady. A lady can never secure herself without a man, so it is currently dependent upon all her the man as her defender or her prey. I ask all ladies (particularly) to disclose to the liberal mentality ladies around them that a lady comprehends ladies better so you can comprehend these liberal ladies better else they say dry with wet wood So try not to be arranged in a similar liberal line since this conflict is turning into a conflict among people at any rate. | https://medium.com/@sassg110/is-it-a-war-of-rights-or-vulgarity-in-pakistan-1c44aa77bd25 | ['Sajid Ali'] | 2021-04-01 18:25:03.858000+00:00 | ['Anti Feminist', 'Ideas', 'Feminism', 'Pakistan', 'Islam'] |
Could Cryptocurrency Regulation Derail DeFi? | Decentralized finance (DeFi) is the absolute avant-garde of the new global digital financial system and, as such, it is an area that very few people on the street have heard of. However, that doesn’t mean that regulators are not aware of DeFi. In-fact, as DeFi has exploded to become a billion-dollar market in 2020, regulators across the world have gone into overdrive in a scrambling attempt to get to grips with this emerging asset class.
The latest iteration has come from the US Treasury Department, who in mid-December launched a proposal for a rule that will require centralized exchanges to obtain Know Your Customer (KYC) information for any transaction from their platforms to a private wallet. Under this new rule, users will have to provide details of the recipient of any transaction to a private wallet that is greater than $3,000. In addition, the exchange would be required to report transactions exceeding $10,000 per day to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
DeFi resists regulation
Should the rule pass, it would have an enormous impact on DeFi — the very foundation of which is its anonymity and easy interoperability between protocols. Many of the leading protocols in DeFi are run entirely through smart contracts with no governing management, while the wallets used to interact with them do not require user information. These include the popular Web3 wallet MetaMask, which is merely an extension built into a web browser that allows users to move money around the DeFi ecosystem freely.
Much of DeFi is, effectively, an interconnected web of computer programs that many believe simply couldn’t operate under traditional financial regulation that requires vast centralized systems to collect and store KYC information and administer anti-money laundering processes. As such, the latest proposed rule from the US has been met with condemnation by many in the DeFi community as, should it pass, it could effectively mean the end of large chunks of the ecosystem.
Global action on cryptocurrency
While the politics of an outgoing US administration attempting to force a significant piece of legislation over the line before another (perhaps more sympathetic) one takes over is not lost on anyone, the US Treasury’s move is not out-of-step with its global peers. In fact, it is much in line with action from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which last year recommended its members implement a rule that requires “virtual asset service providers” (VASPs), including cryptocurrency exchanges, to pass-on customer information when they transfer assets between themselves on behalf of the customer.
Known as the “travel rule”, this has been a common requirement of banks for a number of years, and means crypto asset holders must pass the name and details of customers moving money to another platform to the receiver. However, while this measure is a frequent feature of traditional finance, it is onerous for smaller cryptocurrency exchanges not equipped with the same administrative power as banks. Moreover, there are various issues with the definition of a VASP, which the FATF has indicated could mean an individual, depending on the nature of the transaction and the interpretation of each member’s jurisdiction. Recently, the industry has been working to find a technology solution that would satisfy the FATF member states’ compliance for information exchange, although it has not yet fully developed and is still coming together.
While these rules are scary enough for some DeFi users, there could be more to come from the EU, which has launched a crypto-specific consultation. The European Commission is exploring a number of wide-reaching changes to its existing financial services regulations to cover the DeFi space, including amendments to clarify when crypto assets can be deemed as ‘financial instruments’. The Commission is also considering creating a regulatory regime for distributed ledger technology (DLT) tokens (aka DeFi tokens) as well as a bespoke regime for all crypto assets not covered under existing regulation.
Self-regulation as a solution
Is regulation in the DeFi space an unjustified intrusion by central authorities, however? For some, the answer is a resounding “yes”. For others, though, the scams and flash loan exploits that are becoming an increasingly common feature of DeFi are a warning sign showing some regulation is needed in this $16 billion market. Even without foul-play, token launches are now attracting hundreds of millions of dollars, such as the notorious spaghetti.money launch of August that prompted founder of Compound, Robert Leshner, to call for the introduction of self-regulation in the industry. And then, lest we all forget, there was YAM: a ‘stablecoin’ that surged to $167 and plunged to nearly $0 all within 48 hours after a bug was found in the smart contract.
Some steps have been made toward self-regulation. The meltdown seen at Maker in March due to huge selling pressure caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, for example, prompted a governance overhaul that has spread throughout the space, with users increasingly participating in the governance of their platforms. Flash loan exploits have also led to greater scrutiny and auditing of smart-contracts, as well as cross-protocol collaboration on remuneration and the further development of insurance products. What is yet to appear though, and which could be useful in fending off the regulators, is a set of industry-wide rules, auditing processes and risk planning that could anticipate crashes and crises before they happen.
Safe, forward-thinking innovation
As exciting and promising as the DeFi space is, it does need to be safer and, as regular readers of our blog and users of our app will know, this is a prime concern for YIELD App. Our platform was founded with the current risk and inaccessibility of much of the DeFi ecosystem in mind, which is why we have sought to create a streamlined product that can take users on the DeFi journey from depositing fiat currency right through to withdrawals. This is all without the need to become entangled in the often complex web of DeFi platforms and protocols, and all while getting market-beating returns.
Founded by a team of FinTech veterans, we are also confident that our product would stand up to scrutiny, and we welcome any regulation that can make the space safer for inexperienced users, which every DeFi protocol should be striving for. The key will be to ensure that innovation is not stifled, as that is the lifeblood of DeFi and cryptocurrency as a whole. Decentralized finance is and should remain a place where developers can be free to create cutting-edge products that offer genuine solutions to users. | https://medium.com/@yieldapp/could-cryptocurrency-regulation-derail-defi-7f13284f3d15 | ['Yield App'] | 2021-01-15 18:29:21.698000+00:00 | ['Regulation', 'Defi', 'Yield Farming'] |
Positivity Blog Challenge: Day 3 | When was Your Last Random Act of Kindness? What was it?
Kindness is definitely something we need more of in the world, especially in a time like this. And I’m not talking about something nice you were guilt-tripped into doing. I’m referring to that genuine type of kindness that actually requires you to take time out of your day, or take an extra step, to help someone out, without expecting anything in return.
So, I want to know about your last random act of kindness!
My last random act of kindness was a couple weeks ago. I had gone to the grocery store for my bi-weekly shopping trip. This particular day was a gross mixture of gloomy and windy. It was just one of those days that would have been better spent curled up on the couch, not standing in line outside a grocery store.
But anyways, as I waited for my turn to enter the store, I noticed an elderly woman slowly making her way from the parking lot to the store entrance. I watched as she shuffled across the lot, pushing along a shopping cart that was basically the same size as her. As she approached the doors, they allowed her right in without having to wait in line, and rightly so. And off she went. It was only about another five minutes (if that) that I was then able to enter the store myself.
I went through the aisles and grabbed whatever was on my list. After checking out and exiting the store, I saw the same elderly woman pushing her, now full, cart back to her car. I passed her as I made my way to my car and began unloading the bags. As I finished sorting the grocery bags and closed my car door, I looked up to see the woman starting to pass by me. I couldn’t help but notice that she was clearly struggling to push the cart. I started making my way to the cart return and came along side her. Initially hesitating, I then asked if she needed a little help. To that she responded, “Yes, I think I’ll take that.”
I didn’t think to return my own cart first so I ended up awkwardly dragging my smaller cart along with her full size cart over to her car. But I still managed to get her where she needed to go and that’s all that matters!
She didn’t have much of a smile. I honestly don’t remember if she even said thank you. I just remember her look of relief when I offered to help, and her telling me that she meant to bring her mask but forgot it on the kitchen table. Either way, I was just happy that I was able to be there to help her out.
It’s a wonderful thing, the ability to help someone out. I know it can be really easy to miss those opportunities. It is for me anyway. I probably miss them more than I realize. I’ll admit that I’m constantly trapped in my own bubble of my own problems and things I have to do. I’m that person that needs the reminder that there’s a lot more people on this earth than just me. So when I am paying attention and see somewhere I’m able to help, I try not to let those opportunities pass me by.
What about you? When was the last time you saw a need and were able to help?
Thanks for reading, guys.
I’ll see you all tomorrow with day 4! | https://medium.com/@jruckey913/positivity-blog-challenge-day-3-c63e7fbdcf8e | ['Jasmine Ruckey'] | 2020-05-02 18:41:00.926000+00:00 | ['Blogger', 'Everyday Life', 'Writing Challenge', 'Kindness', 'Positivity'] |
Pivot Shower Doors | What do You Need to Know about Pivot Shower Doors?
The pivot shower doors if you don’t already know are a type of swinging door. It swings because of the iron hinges attached to either side or center of the glass door. That makes it possible for this type of door to swing in 180°. It is an ultra-modern style that can open inwards and outwards as per your choice. As you may already be aware that there are many different types of shower door choices available. It may sometimes confuse for you to decide which one you should choose. A pivot door is among those choices that are a space-saving design but makes you feel like a full shower door.
If you are looking to cover a wider shower entrance to turn it into an enclosure, then it can be a suitable choice for you. In addition to that, you can use it with either two or three sides walls. It can be either a standalone wall in your bathroom or a corner that you want to turn into an enclosure.
Here we have discussed important things that you need to know for an informed decision about your choice of the pivot shower doors UK.
How Pivot Shower Doors Works?
Pivot doors have a very simple mechanism of working. Two iron hinges are fixed on the top and bottom holding the door. The hinges bear the whole weight of the door and giving it a smooth opening and closing in either direction. So, these are easy to operate and manage. In another option, if you attach these hinges in the center of the door then it will turn it into a revolving door. That is another possibility with this door. However, to turn your shower door into a revolving door you will need to have an entrance that is big enough to suit this type of design.
What advantages you can Expect from Pivot Shower Doors UK?
We have already discussed the working mechanism of the pivot doors. There are many reasons to prefer this type of door over others.
Few of these are discussed here
The first and most important benefit of this type of shower door offers ample space for the entrance. That is because such a door requires a big entrance area so you can enjoy easier access into the shower area. It offers the biggest area for entrance among all shower doors. Where this makes it more practical for easier access, it also required more clearance especially if you use it without a frame.
Because this type of shower door has the biggest entrance, it makes it suitable for people with less mobility or elderly. The Pivot shower doors are very smooth and do not require too much energy to operate. On the other hand, with any side opening elderly can have easier opening or closing. Perhaps, elderly people can have a comfortable bath experience due to spacious enclosures and easier opening.
are very smooth and do not require too much energy to operate. On the other hand, with any side opening elderly can have easier opening or closing. Perhaps, elderly people can have a comfortable bath experience due to spacious enclosures and easier opening. As discussed, pivot doors have a wider opening and require large clearance space. That means if you have a small bathroom then this type of shower door may not be a practical option for you. These types of shower doors are suitable for a bigger enclosure or shower area. For example, you can install them in medium to large bathroom sizes. in the small bathroom spaces, you may not have enough clearance space, nor you won’t it create problems while opening or closing it.
These types of Pivot shower doors UK are a stylish option that gives your bathroom contemporary a look. If you are particularly looking for a door that despite a simple look fit well with a modern bathroom. Then you should choose this type of door. In addition to that as more and more people are making their bathroom bigger, it is a better option as compared to others.
Buy Pivot Shower Doors from Royal Bathrooms UK.
The shower doors are available in several varieties. Each door has its pros and cons. The pivot shower doors are one of the top options that are suitable for medium and large bathroom sizes. It supports the large entrance space and can revolve around by opening in any direction. So, it is one of the most flexible options, when it comes to choosing a shower door. If you are looking for a shower door, then explore our website for an extensive range of bathroom products available in different sizes and types. | https://medium.com/@homedesigningandimprovment/pivot-shower-doors-486053671f28 | ['Olivea Oliver'] | 2021-03-22 06:11:35.986000+00:00 | ['Bathroom', 'Home Renovation', 'Pivot Shower Doors', 'Home Designing', 'Home Improvement'] |
Turn Off the Thoughts Sleep Meditation | Tonight’s sleep meditation will help you turn off the thoughts inside your head and let your body fall deeply into the comforting arms of sleep.
Come to sleep, my love, it’s time to rest. Turn off the thoughts inside your head and let your body fall deeply into the comforting arms of sleep.
So Let’s Begin…
TURN OFF THE THOUGHTS SLEEP MEDITATION SCRIPT
Close your eyes and invite your body to relax into your most favorite sleeping position.
Bring your attention inward.
Noticing the weight of your body on your bed.
Feeling the softness of your sheets or blankets.
Hearing the soft whispers of your breath as it enters and exits your nose.
Observing where your body may be tight and inviting those areas to relax.
Relaxing your cheeks and jaw.
Lowering your shoulders,
Softening your belly,
Relaxing your arms and legs.
Surrender to the soothing rhythm of your body,
And breathe.
PAUSE…
One by one, the thoughts may bubble up to the surface of your consciousness.
Begging for your attention.
They tease you with a false sense of importance,
Making you feel like you have to give into their cries.
But you don’t.
Their dramas don’t need to be played out right now.
Now is your time for sleep.
Your time to restore your mind, body and soul.
Your time to be embraced by the loving arms of the night.
Nothing needs to be done.
Nothing needs to be figured out.
Just breathe…
PAUSE…
The thoughts will continue to arise and that’s normal.
They may be helpful thoughts, trying to manage or organize your days.
Or maybe they’re excited thoughts, swirling with people, ideas and experiences that make you smile with hope and exhilaration.
Or maybe they’re anxious thoughts, soaked in worry, fear and stress.
They could even be seemingly random and strange thoughts, depicting memories or insights that don’t make much sense.
Whatever is coming to the surface,
See if you can imagine each of these thoughts as a small glowing ball of light, floating in the air around you.
And every time you breathe out,
Imagine that your breath extinguishes the light on one of these thoughts, one of these balls of light.
Breathe out and turn off the thoughts.
One by one.
With each breath out.
Darkening the space around you as each ball of light turns off and vanishes into the night.
Breathe out.
Breathe out.
PAUSE…
As another thought comes up, imagine it again as a glowing light around you,
And as you exhale, blow out the light, and watch it dissolve into the night.
Breathe in,
And blow out another light.
Breathe in,
And blow out another light.
PAUSE…
What was once bright with all the glowing lights of thoughts,
Is now dark.
Empty.
Peaceful.
Quiet.
Inhale and feel the fresh air filling your belly,
And exhale into the darkness.
PAUSE…
Anytime another thought comes up,
Just see it as a small, glowing light,
And then blow it out on your exhale.
This is your special space of stillness.
Where your body can relax,
And your mind can clear,
So you may drift off into deep sleep.
Sweet Dreams, Beautiful | https://medium.com/@katiekrimitsos/turn-off-the-thoughts-sleep-meditation-a37fbee21f99 | ['Katie Krimitsos'] | 2020-12-25 00:00:26.267000+00:00 | ['Sleep', 'Stress And Anxiety'] |
Healthcare Report Card: Companies That Exceeded Expectations In 2020 | AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
In 2020, the entire U.S. healthcare industry was sucked into the gravitational pull of the coronavirus pandemic. As we survey the damage, the nation’s economic outlook remains grim, its social fabric continues to unravel and 300,000 American lives have been lost to Covid-19.
Though there were precious few bright spots in 2020, a handful of U.S. companies came forth with innovative and essential solutions during the coronavirus crisis. Some were aimed at addressing the virus, itself, while others sought to fix a healthcare system that was broken long before the pandemic. This article, the first in a two-part series, examines the outstanding efforts of four organizations that exceeded even our most unrealistic healthcare expectations in 2020.
This article first appeared on Forbes.com
With end-of-semester grades traditionally due to the dean’s office in December, here’s a healthcare report card for 2020, featuring the companies that earned top marks for confronting the year’s most pressing medical challenges.
The Vaccinators
Not long after researchers recognized SARS-CoV-2 (severe respirator syndrome coronavirus 2) and sequenced its genetic makeup, America’s leading pharmaceutical companies were off to the races in a worldwide effort to develop a “safe and effective” vaccine. More than 20 U.S. drug makers took part — some spurred on by multibillion-dollar government incentives.
Still, the odds were heavily stacked against any company reaching the finish line in 2020. The fastest a successful vaccine has ever been developed is four years (mumps), and nearly all vaccines take five years or much longer to be created, tested and approved. To speed things up, nearly all drug makers sidestepped the traditional, attenuated-virus approach to vaccine R&D and focused instead on creating one using messenger RNA (mRNA). It was a chancy decision. In more than two decades of research, this method had never produced an FDA-approved vaccination against a viral infection. But the big bet paid off for two U.S. companies.
Pfizer (grade: A)
In March, American drug giant Pfizer announced a joint venture with German-based BioNtech to develop and distribute an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine. The two had previously partnered on preventative vaccines for seasonal flu in 2018 and were, this time, propelled by a $1.95 billion U.S. government contract for the first 100 million doses.
By April, their Covid-19 effort had entered clinical testing. By mid-November, the companies had concluded phase three of their study with initial reports indicating their vaccine was 95% effective. Already, the United Kingdom has given the vaccine an emergency authorization and begun immunizations. The FDA followed suit Friday night, with the first doses expected to be doled out within days. Looking ahead, the two companies are expected to manufacture and distribute up to 1.3 billion doses worldwide by the end of 2021.
Both Pfizer and BioNTech earned an “A” in 2020 for their willingness to collaborate across two continents and for assuming a huge financial risk: manufacturing their vaccine while it was still undergoing research testing. Had the companies taken a more prudent approach, we might still be years away from receiving the first round of injections.
Looking ahead, one big hurdle and one “area for improvement” remain. Assuming the vaccine’s high rate of efficacy and low risk hold beyond the recently completed clinical trials, the biggest challenge will be safely distributing an mRNA vaccine that is relatively unstable and must, therefore, be kept at a constant temperature of -70 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the greatest criticism Pfizer and other drug makers continue to receive comes from public health experts who worry the company is hiding behind press releases rather than publicly and transparently sharing clinical trial data.
Moderna (grade: A)
Paul Offit, one of the nation’s leading vaccine researchers called it “absolutely remarkable,” describing the results of a trial for Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate. Having only completed its IPO in 2018, the U.S.-based biotech company was a relative unknown outside of scientific and investing circles. But given its almost exclusive focus on mRNA research, Moderna was well positioned to win the vaccine race. Today, it’s a household name with a vaccine that is reported to be over 94% effective (and 100% effective against severe disease). What’s more, it has a storing temperature requirement of only -20 degrees Celsius.
What earned Moderna an “A” in 2020 was its singular focus on the mRNA method of vaccine development. Going forward, its potential application to other viruses could better equip doctors and hospitals to handle future pandemics. As with Pfizer, Moderna’s reluctance to release actual data (instead of press releases) has heightened the fears of health experts whose jitters won’t be completely calmed until the research findings have been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
In less than a year, three companies (including Britain-based AstraZeneca) have not only produced a vaccine but also completed phase three testing, the key step needed for FDA approval. As a result, there is great cause for optimism. Over the next few months, over 100 million vaccine doses (for 50 million people) will be administered. They will be first given to healthcare workers and others most at risk, including elderly people living in nursing homes.
Questions remain about how long antibodies will last and whether the leading vaccines will remain as effective (over 90%) in general use as they seemed to be in the phase three testing. But without question, these companies have helped change the course of the coronavirus pandemic and should be commended for their aggressive sprint toward success.
Healthcare-Delivery Innovators
Throughout 2020, the coronavirus devastated our nation’s complex adaptive systems — political, educational, economic and social — disrupting human existence in ways most living Americans have never experienced. Perhaps no system has been hit harder or more intensely than healthcare. Hospitals overflowed and protective equipment grew frighteningly scarce while healthcare workers have undergone months-long intervals of extreme duress.
But the coronavirus did not accomplish any this alone. It was abetted by long-standing failures in a U.S. healthcare system that States has long been a worldwide leader in several unfortunate categories. More than any other nation’s citizens, Americans have struggled to avoid or effectively manage chronic illnesses like hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. These same diseases greatly increase a person’s likelihood of dying from Covid-19.
Although vaccines are an essential weapon in the fight against the coronavirus, two companies have been working hard at solutions that will improve overall patient health and medical care delivery, both now and after the pandemic.
Teladoc (grade: A)
As hospitals canceled their non-elective surgeries and private practices lost revenue like never before, one company seized an opportunity to solve many of the problems plaguing American medicine. The virtual care company Teladoc uses telemedicine to treat the types of medical issues that would otherwise send its 40 million users to urgent care centers or primary care doctors.
At the end of October, Teladoc finalized a $18.5 billion merger with Livongo, a company known for working with businesses to help employees effectively treat diabetes. The merger creates a powerful synergy, bringing together two aspects of healthcare once seen as distinct lines of business.
The move puts the merged company in direct competition with fee-for-service community providers, multispecialty medical groups and even insurance companies. Now, there’s one virtual solution for patients, regardless of whether they are relatively healthy (and need simple, straightforward care) or relatively sick (and need help managing a broad range of chronic diseases). And with its high market capitalization, the company has all the pieces in place to attract millions more patients, broaden its disease treatments, and disrupt traditional healthcare providers.
The merged entity can provide 24/7 expertise and treat complex patients in urban or rural settings, something no other model can accomplish. Teladoc gets an “A” because its Livongo merger introduces a unique healthcare solution to patients, regardless of their specific medical issues or geographic location. Its probability for long-term success will grow if the U.S. government maintains its rollback of telehealth restrictions once the pandemic is over.
Oak Street Health (grade: B+)
Primary care company Oak Street Health offers a more hands-on approach to patient treatment than its digital counterparts. Similar to companies like ChenMed and Iora Health, Oak Street uses a value-based primary care model to address the medical needs of patients insured through Medicare.
Its fundamental strategy aims to reduce the high costs of ER care and hospitalization by providing patients ages 65+ with more effective, on-the-ground primary care and disease management services. And by focusing on the broader needs of seniors, including transportation and food security, Oak Street’s solution begins to address the social determinants of health, which have been shown to negatively impact people’s wellbeing and drive up healthcare spending.
A central element to Oak Street’s model is its focus on minimizing hospital visits. U.S. hospitals rely heavily on high-priced interventions and multimillion-dollar medical machinery, which is why they account for nearly a third of the nation’s $3.6 trillion annual healthcare expenditures. By contrast, Oak Street invests in expanded outpatient care, a value-based solution that’s less sexy and less pricy than what you’ll find in a hospital, but no-less-effective.
The B+ on its report card reflects the gap between Oak Street’s tremendous potential and its relatively modest impact on American healthcare so far. With just over 70 clinics nationwide, Oak Street has an undersized membership of just 90,000 patients. It’s losing money and will need to capitalize on opportunities to increase its reach and revenue — opportunities could surface soon. The company is coming off a $328 million dollar IPO in August and a recently announced partnership with Walmart. These could represent Oak Street’s best chances to grow membership quickly, round the profitability corner and turn the outdated care-delivery model on its head.
Part two in this series will be published January 4, 2021. It will examine the companies that fell far short of expectations in 2020 and spotlight their potential to advance the healthcare industry and improve American health in the year ahead. | https://medium.com/@robertpearlmd/healthcare-report-card-companies-that-exceeded-expectations-in-2020-b343be266f94 | ['Dr. Robert Pearl'] | 2020-12-14 12:32:12.456000+00:00 | ['Biotechnology', 'Pfizer', 'Teladoc', 'Moderna', 'Vaccines'] |
The First Seven Years of Life | The First Seven Years of Life
Crucial development happens in the first 7 years after a child’s birth. Neelamaziz Aug 15·4 min read
Photo by Picsea on Unsplash
Yesterday, my son reminded me of something by explaining the whole scenario in his blabbering. This little miracle had me wondered about how amazing is this child’s brain. How can a baby just 1.5 years old remember these details?
It is fascinating. Isn’t it?
I don’t know if we were dumb or this new generation is coming with an advanced version of the human brain. Like literally!!
I have been seeing little girls and boys with smartphones and doing extraordinary things. I don’t blame them. The era that we are living in has a whole new level of technology and science. The consumption of media and science has so increased that it has become a necessity for a child to use smartphones and other devices.
We cannot restrict our kids. Our kids have inherited this environment. It is embedded in their systems. That is why their brains are developing at a high pace.
In my subconsciousness, my child should be immune to technology. He should not be growing so fast. But I am wrong.
My child is so ahead of my thinking, he understands every little detail. He knows where mama has hidden the AC remote, and how to use a smartphone at such a little age. He remembers if someone said anything yesterday, and he tells me repeatedly until I understand.
I keep learning about the development of children and how my kid is doing according to that. I want to share some information regarding this.
From birth to seven years of age, children experience two stages of cognitive development.
Sensorimotor (from birth to 2 years)
Children at this age learn from sensory perceptions and motor activities.
Preoperational (from 2 to 7 years)
Memory and imagination of children are developed in these years. Little minds think through symbols and language.
In the early years, children need the utmost love, care, and affection from their parents. They should not feel the urge to ask for love and care, instead, parents should pamper their kids with genuine love. As this stage is critical, the children should be nurtured and supported dearly.
Our kids deserve a healthy environment. A safe place where their emotional, social, and educational needs are met. They should have a proper family time where playing around, studying and other activities should happen frequently.
The most important factor that I have observed with my child is communication. Kids love to communicate with you. If I reply to every blabber of my kid, he becomes so happy. Better communication is important for your child’s healthy mind.
This takes us to a ‘Healthy Parenting’. When your kid is growing with love, affection, and care, he is living a healthy lifestyle. The kid’s parents are doing an excellent job.
It means parents are:
Responding to children in a positive way
Showing warmth, affection, and empathy
Supporting them in every way
Regulating house rules i.e. disciplining their children
Playing and talking with children.
Did you know children have developmental milestones?
My baby will turn 2 in December 2021. Since his birth, I am obsessed with his little milestones. The first time he took a step, the first time he said mama, the first time he started eating by himself, and many more. I take his pictures and make videos of him frequently. I want to make a journal for him so that he can have a treasure to cherish when he grows older.
He deserves to know that his parents, grandparents, and uncles loved him dearly. I want him to grow with our endless love and support and be able to do what he wants to do in life. What we didn’t have in life, I want my child to have.
For my child to become a decent person, I have to make sure the first seven years are not neglected. If by any chance, you find unusual behavior in your child, you must consult your doctor. Being mothers, we have to evaluate milestones with the age of children. A missed milestone could cause a problem in your child’s growth. If it happens, take your child for a formal evaluation to a trained specialist.
Ali Ibn Talib (a renowned and respectable figure in Islamic history) says: “Play with them(children) for the first seven years, then teach them for the next seven years, then advise them for the next seven years, (and after that…)”.
In my opinion, the first seven years are most important as they build a foundation of your relationship with your kids. Let your children do everything, involve yourself with them, talk to them, play with them, read to them, and above all, build an emotional connection with them.
A strong emotional connection is key to your child’s well-being. | https://medium.com/@neelamaziz23/the-first-seven-years-of-life-84c4f0a0613 | [] | 2021-08-15 06:59:24.167000+00:00 | ['Freelancing', 'Content Writing', 'Life', 'Freelance Writing', 'Parenting'] |
A New Motion: Vim Skip | Motions are a fundamental unit of Vim’s vocabulary, so it’s sometimes surprising to see new ones appear in the form of plugins. Vim Skip (GitHub: jayflo / vim-skip), which was announced on reddit, allows you to skip the cursor to the centre of the line by pressing s . If you press it again you'll move half way from the current position to the end of the line, and so on, in a way that might remind you of Zeno's arrow paradox.
Before you get distracted contemplating the fabric of reality, take a moment to question why this might be useful: sometimes it’s easier to think in terms of positions on a line than to skip between characters with f and t .
Though there are multiple options and modes, Vim-skip does not attempt to provide you many mid-range motions! Rather, it strives to provide a minimal tool set allowing the user to tailor a single, efficient mid-range motion based on their own needs. Don’t get overwhelmed with the modes or options! It is my intention to keep this skipping motion quick and efficient, while still providing enough versatility to fit your working style on many file types.
The discussion on /r/vim is worth checking out as well, some of the recent motion plugins like vim-sneak are discussed and compared. | https://medium.com/usevim/a-new-motion-vim-skip-a5dcdc8d5945 | ['Alex R. Young'] | 2017-02-15 16:46:14.803000+00:00 | ['Plugins', 'Scripts', 'Motions'] |
Weekly Prompt: 28-31.12 | Ahoy!!!
2020 is coming to an end…Oh no!!! Let’s all panic over the fact that we feel like we didn’t achieve much this year. Let’s publish content about how terrible these 12 months have been…Let’s complain and be negative, because that’s what we’re expected to do around this time, right?
Well, not us, folks, not us. We will use these last few days of 2020 we have left to reflect on our internal world. To hell with everything that happens externally…There’s only so much we can do about it, there’s only so much we can control! I am more concerned about what goes on within. What we’re focusing on. What we’re repeating in our heads. You know, the good stuff.
I know I’ve been living in my head a lot lately and so I want to ground myself through the following prompts. I hope you’re onboard with the idea of some more self reflection! It will be rewarding in the end (and you know it!):
Monday: Tell me about a “wow” or “oh yeah” moment in your life. When you came to a realization and something made complete sense. What happened? Where were you? What did you realize/learn?
Tuesday: What do you wish you were bold or brave enough to do?
Wednesday: What does having purpose mean to you?
Thursday (poetry challenge): In detail, write a poem about how you would like people to feel after interacting with you.
That’s it for now, dear friends! Hope you have enjoyed the ride KTHT took you on in 2020 and are excited for new projects and exciting challenges in 2021 :)
Thank you for your time, as always. A big, fat NAMAS’CRAY! | https://medium.com/know-thyself-heal-thyself/weekly-prompt-28-31-12-5476823302d9 | ['𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘊.'] | 2020-12-28 16:36:29.277000+00:00 | ['Short Story', 'Writing', 'Energy', 'Newsletterandprompts', 'Creativity'] |
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9 novembre 2011 / 1h 46min / Drame, Science fiction, Thriller
De Steven Soderbergh
Avec Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne
Nationalités Américain, Émirati
SYNOPSIS ET DÉTAILS
Enmu, la première Lune Inférieure, a été chargé de tuer Kamado Tanjirô pour devenir une Lune Supérieure et avoir plus sang de Muzan. Pendant ce temps, Tanjirô, Zen’itsu et Inosuke décident d’acheter des billets pour monter à bord du train de l’infini et ainsi rejoindre Rengoku Kyôjurô, le Pilier de la flamme, dans l’espoir d’en apprendre davantage sur la danse du dieu du feu.
Sortie: 2020–10–16
Durée: 117 minutes
Genre: Animation, Action, Aventure, Fantastique, Drame
Etoiles: Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kitō, Hiro Shimono, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Satoshi Hino
Directeur: Yuki Kajiura, Makoto Nakamura, Masahiro Kimura, Mitsuru Obunai, Tomonori Sudō
Une pandémie dévastatrice explose à l’échelle du globe… Au Centre de Prévention et de Contrôle des Maladies, des équipes se mobilisent pour tenter de décrypter le génome du mystérieux virus, qui ne cesse de muter. Le Sous-Directeur Cheever, confronté à un vent de panique collective, est obligé d’exposer la vie d’une jeune et courageuse doctoresse. Tandis que les grands groupes pharmaceutiques se livrent une bataille acharnée pour la mise au point d’un vaccin, le Dr. Leonora Orantes, de l’OMS, s’efforce de remonter aux sources du fléau. Les cas mortels se multiplient, jusqu’à mettre en péril les fondements de la société, et un blogueur militant suscite une panique aussi dangereuse que le virus en déclarant qu’on “cache la vérité” à la population…
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THE STORY
After graduating from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) forgoes the standard opportunities of seeking employment from big and lucrative law firms; deciding to head to Alabama to defend those wrongfully commended, with the support of local advocate, Eva Ansley (Brie Larson). One of his first, and most poignant, case is that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx, who, in 62, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 2-year-old girl in the community, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and one singular testimony against him by an individual that doesn’t quite seem to add up. Bryan begins to unravel the tangled threads of McMillian’s case, which becomes embroiled in a relentless labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt unabashed racism of the community as he fights for Walter’s name and others like him.
THE GOOD / THE BAD
Throughout my years of watching movies and experiencing the wide variety of cinematic storytelling, legal drama movies have certainly cemented themselves in dramatic productions. As I stated above, some have better longevity of being remembered, but most showcase plenty of heated courtroom battles of lawyers defending their clients and unmasking the truth behind the claims (be it wrongfully incarcerated, discovering who did it, or uncovering the shady dealings behind large corporations. Perhaps my first one legal drama was 624’s The Client (I was little young to get all the legality in the movie, but was still managed to get the gist of it all). My second one, which I loved, was probably Primal Fear, with Norton delivering my favorite character role. Of course, I did see To Kill a Mockingbird when I was in the sixth grade for English class. Definitely quite a powerful film. And, of course, let’s not forget Philadelphia and want it meant / stand for. Plus, Hanks and Washington were great in the film. All in all, while not the most popular genre out there, legal drama films still provide a plethora of dramatic storytelling to capture the attention of moviegoers of truth and lies within a dubious justice.
Just Mercy is the latest legal crime drama feature and the whole purpose of this movie review. To be honest, I really didn’t much “buzz” about this movie when it was first announced (circa 206) when Broad Green Productions hired the film’s director (Cretton) and actor Michael B. Jordan in the lead role. It was then eventually bought by Warner Bros (the films rights) when Broad Green Productions went Bankrupt. So, I really didn’t hear much about the film until I saw the movie trailer for Just Mercy, which did prove to be quite an interesting tale. Sure, it sort of looked like the generic “legal drama” yarn (judging from the trailer alone), but I was intrigued by it, especially with the film starring Jordan as well as actor Jamie Foxx. I did repeatedly keep on seeing the trailer for the film every time I went to my local movie theater (usually attached to any movie I was seeing with a PG rating and above). So, suffice to say, that Just Mercy’s trailer preview sort of kept me invested and waiting me to see it. Thus, I finally got the chance to see the feature a couple of days ago and I’m ready to share my thoughts on the film. And what are they? Well, good ones….to say the least. While the movie does struggle within the standard framework of similar projects, Just Mercy is a solid legal drama that has plenty of fine cinematic nuances and great performances from its leads. It’s not the “be all to end all” of legal drama endeavors, but its still manages to be more of the favorable motion pictures of these projects.
Just Mercy is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, whose previous directorial works includes such movies like Short Term 6, I Am Not a Hipster, and Glass Castle. Given his past projects (consisting of shorts, documentaries, and a few theatrical motion pictures), Cretton makes Just Mercy is most ambitious endeavor, with the director getting the chance to flex his directorial muscles on a legal drama film, which (like I said above) can manage to evoke plenty of human emotions within its undertaking. Thankfully, Cretton is up to the task and never feels overwhelmed with the movie; approaching (and shaping) the film with respect and a touch of sincerity by speaking to the humanity within its characters, especially within lead characters of Stevenson and McMillian. Of course, legal dramas usually do (be the accused / defendant and his attorney) shine their cinematic lens on these respective characters, so it’s nothing original. However, Cretton does make for a compelling drama within the feature; speaking to some great character drama within its two main lead characters; staging plenty of moments of these twos individuals that ultimately work, including some of the heated courtroom sequences.
Like other recent movies (i.e. Brian Banks and The Hate U Give), Cretton makes Just Mercy have an underlining thematical message of racism and corruption that continues to play a part in the US….to this day (incredibly sad, but true). So, of course, the correlation and overall relatively between the movie’s narrative and today’s world is quite crystal-clear right from the get-go, but Cretton never gets overzealous / preachy within its context; allowing the feature to present the subject matter in a timely manner and doesn’t feel like unnecessary or intentionally a “sign of the times” motif. Additionally, the movie also highlights the frustration (almost harsh) injustice of the underprivileged face on a regular basis (most notable those looking to overturn their cases on death row due to negligence and wrongfully accused). Naturally, as somewhat expected (yet still palpable), Just Mercy is a movie about seeking the truth and uncovering corruption in the face of a broken system and ignorant prejudice, with Cretton never shying away from some of the ugly truths that Stevenson faced during the film’s story.
Plus, as a side-note, it’s quite admirable for what Bryan Stevenson (the real-life individual) did for his career, with him as well as others that have supported him (and the Equal Justice Initiative) over the years and how he fought for and freed many wrongfully incarcerated individuals that our justice system has failed (again, the poignancy behind the film’s themes / message). It’s great to see humanity being shined and showcased to seek the rights of the wronged and to dispel a flawed system. Thus, whether you like the movie or not, you simply can not deny that truly meaningful job that Bryan Stevenson is doing, which Cretton helps demonstrate in Just Mercy. From the bottom of my heart…. thank you, Mr. Stevenson.
In terms of presentation, Just Mercy is a solidly made feature film. Granted, the film probably won’t be remembered for its visual background and theatrical setting nuances or even nominated in various award categories (for presentation / visual appearance), but the film certainly looks pleasing to the eye, with the attention of background aspects appropriate to the movie’s story. Thus, all the usual areas that I mention in this section (i.e. production design, set decorations, costumes, and cinematography) are all good and meet the industry standard for legal drama motion pictures. That being said, the film’s score, which was done by Joel P. West, is quite good and deliver some emotionally drama pieces in a subtle way that harmonizes with many of the feature’s scenes.
There are a few problems that I noticed with Just Mercy that, while not completely derailing, just seem to hold the feature back from reaching its full creative cinematic potential. Let’s start with the most prevalent point of criticism (the one that many will criticize about), which is the overall conventional storytelling of the movie. What do I mean? Well, despite the strong case that the film delves into a “based on a true story” aspect and into some pretty wholesome emotional drama, the movie is still structed into a way that it makes it feel vaguely formulaic to the touch. That’s not to say that Just Mercy is a generic tale to be told as the film’s narrative is still quite engaging (with some great acting), but the story being told follows quite a predictable path from start to finish. Granted, I never really read Stevenson’s memoir nor read anything about McMillian’s case, but then I still could easily figure out how the movie was presumably gonna end…. even if the there were narrative problems / setbacks along the way. Basically, if you’ve seeing any legal drama endeavor out there, you’ll get that same formulaic touch with this movie. I kind of wanted see something a little bit different from the film’s structure, but the movie just ends up following the standard narrative beats (and progressions) of the genre. That being said, I still think that this movie is definitely probably one of the better legal dramas out there.
This also applies to the film’s script, which was penned by Cretton and Andrew Lanham, which does give plenty of solid entertainment narrative pieces throughout, but lacks the finesse of breaking the mold of the standard legal drama. There are also a couple parts of the movie’s script handling where you can tell that what was true and what fictional. Of course, this is somewhat a customary point of criticism with cinematic tales taking a certain “poetic license” when adapting a “based on a true story” narrative, so it’s not super heavily critical point with me as I expect this to happen. However, there were a few times I could certainly tell what actually happen and what was a tad bit fabricated for the movie. Plus, they were certain parts of the narrative that could’ve easily fleshed out, including what Morrison’s parents felt (and actually show them) during this whole process. Again, not a big deal-breaker, but it did take me out of the movie a few times. Lastly, the film’s script also focuses its light on a supporting character in the movie and, while this made with well-intention to flesh out the character, the camera spotlight on this character sort of goes off on a slight tangent during the feature’s second act. Basically, this storyline could’ve been removed from Just Mercy and still achieve the same palpability in the emotional department. It’s almost like the movie needed to chew up some runtime and the writers to decided to fill up the time with this side-story. Again, it’s good, but a bit slightly unnecessary.
What does help overlook (and elevate) some of these criticisms is the film’s cast, which are really good and definitely helps bring these various characters to life in a theatrical /dramatic way. Leading the charge in Just Mercy is actor Michael B. Jordan, who plays the film’s central protagonist role of Bryan Stevenson. Known for his roles in Creed, Fruitvale Station, and Black Panther, Jordan has certain prove himself to be quite a capable actor, with the actor rising to stardom over the past few years. This is most apparent in this movie, with Jordan making a strong characteristically portrayal as Bryan; showcasing plenty of underlining determination and compelling humanity in his character as he (as Bryan Stevenson) fights for the injustice of those who’s voices have been silenced or dismissed because of the circumstances. It’s definitely a strong character built and Jordan seems quite capable to task in creating a well-acted on-screen performance of Bryan. Behind Jordan is actor Jamie Foxx, who plays the other main lead in the role, Walter McMillian. Foxx, known for his roles in Baby Driver, Django Unchained, and Ray, has certainly been recognized as a talented actor, with plenty of credible roles under his belt. His participation in Just Mercy is another well-acted performance that deserve much praise as its getting (even receiving an Oscar nod for it), with Foxx portraying Walter with enough remorseful grit and humility that makes the character quite compelling to watch. Plus, seeing him and Jordan together in a scene is quite palpable and a joy to watch.
The last of the three marquee main leads of the movie is the character of Eva Ansley, the director of operations for EJI (i.e. Stevenson’s right-handed employee / business partner), who is played by actress Brie Larson. Up against the characters of Stevenson and McMillian, Ansley is the weaker of the three main lead; presented as supporting player in the movie, which is perfectly fine as the characters gets the job done (sort of speak) throughout the film’s narrative. However, Larson, known for her roles in Room, 6 Jump Street, and Captain Marvel, makes less of an impact in the role. Her acting is fine and everything works in her portrayal of Eva, but nothing really stands in her performance (again, considering Jordan and Foxx’s performances) and really could’ve been played by another actress and achieved the same goal.
The rest of the cast, including actor Tim Blake Nelson (The Incredible Hulk and O Brother, Where Art Thou) as incarcerated inmate Ralph Meyers, actor Rafe Spall (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and The Big Short) as legal attorney Tommy Champan, actress Karan Kendrick (The Hate U Give and Family) as Minnie McMillan, Walter’s wife, actor C.J. LeBlanc (Arsenal and School Spirts) as Walter’s son, John McMillian, actor Rob Morgan (Stranger Things and Mudbound) as death role inmate Herbert Richardson, actor O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Long Shot and Straight Outta Compton) as death role inmate Anthony “Ray” Hinton, actor Michael Harding (Triple 2 and The Young and the Restless) as Sheriff Tate, and actor Hayes Mercure (The Red Road and Mercy Street) as a prison guard named Jeremy, are in the small supporting cast variety. Of course, some have bigger roles than others, but all of these players, which are all acted well, bolster the film’s story within the performances and involvement in Just Mercy’s narrative.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s never too late to fight for justice as Bryan Stevenson fights for the injustice of Walter McMillian’s cast against a legal system that is flawed in the movie Just Mercy. Director Destin Daniel Cretton’s latest film takes a stance on a poignant case; demonstrating the injustice of one (and by extension those wrongfully incarcerated) and wrapping it up in a compelling cinematic story. While the movie does struggle within its standard structure framework (a sort of usual problem with “based on a true story” narrations) as well as some formulaic beats, the movie still manages to rise above those challenges (for the most part), especially thanks to Cretton’s direction (shaping and storytelling) and some great performances all around (most notable in Jordan and Foxx). Personally, I liked this movie. Sure, it definitely had its problem, but those didn’t distract me much from thoroughly enjoying this legal drama feature. Thus, my recommendation for the film is a solid “recommended”, especially those who liked the cast and poignant narratives of legality struggles and the injustice of a failed system / racism. In the end, while the movie isn’t the quintessential legal drama motion picture and doesn’t push the envelope in cinematic innovation, Just Mercy still is able to manage to be a compelling drama that’s powerful in its story, meaningful in its journey, and strong within its statement. Just like Bryan Stevenson says in the movie….” If we could look at ourselves closely…. we can change this world for the better”. Amen to that! | https://medium.com/@ladunii/n%C3%A9dz-mozi-demon-slayer-le-train-de-linfini-2020-film-complet-videa-hd-anglais-480ee1007b3 | [] | 2020-12-22 03:28:42.288000+00:00 | ['France', 'Full Movie', 'Online', '2020', 'Hd'] |
5 Must-Read Data Science Papers (and How to Use Them) | 5 Must-Read Data Science Papers (and How to Use Them)
Foundational ideas to keep you on top of the machine learning game.
Photo by Rabie Madaci on Unsplash
Data science might be a young field, but that doesn’t mean you won’t face expectations about your awareness of certain topics. This article covers several of the most important recent developments and influential thought pieces.
Topics covered in these papers range from the orchestration of the DS workflow to breakthroughs in faster neural networks to a rethinking of our fundamental approach to problem solving with statistics. For each paper, I offer ideas for how you can apply these ideas to your own work
We’ll wrap things up with a survey so that you can see what the community thinks is the most important topic out of this group of papers. | https://towardsdatascience.com/must-read-data-science-papers-487cce9a2020 | ['Nicole Janeway Bills'] | 2020-11-01 17:49:21.605000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Data Science', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Programming', 'Data Analytics'] |
10 Steps to Establishing Good Sleep Hygiene | 10 Steps to Establishing Good Sleep Hygiene
The idea of falling asleep may seem more like a dream than a reality for some. Far too many of us lie awake in bed, tossing and turning at 3 a.m. hoping to find even a moment of real sleep. And while millions of Americans suffer from sleep-related issues, a good night’s sleep is closer within reach than you might think.
Creating healthy sleep habits can prove to be the difference between restlessness and peaceful, restful slumber. Researchers have studied our sleeping habits extensively and identified a number of practices and habits that can help ease the symptoms of those who suffer from sleep-related issues. These practices are known collectively as “sleep hygiene.”
While the term may lack the imagination to some, sleep hygiene is quite possibly the best way to achieve the sleep you need in this “always-on” culture we live in. Let’s discuss what sleep hygiene is in greater detail, and we’ll provide you with ten steps to establishing a strong sleep hygiene routine. With these helpful tips, you are sure to start turning your dreams of a good night’s sleep into a consistent reality.
What Is Sleep Hygiene?
As we alluded to above, sleep hygiene is a collection of practices and habits that necessitate full daytime alertness and high-quality nighttime sleep. The various rituals, behaviors, and schedules you follow are all conducive to creating a better quality of sleep, and a consistent ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Individuals who regularly pull all-nighters, or those who sleep in late on the weekends to try and “make up” for lost sleep during the week, are both prime examples of what would be considered poor sleep hygiene. On the other hand, adhering to a regular sleep schedule and avoiding caffeine and other stimulants late at night are examples of good sleep hygiene.
Making improvements to your sleep hygiene practices offers substantial assistance to those in desperate need of deep, restful sleep. Creating good sleep hygiene practices should be your first course of action when attempting to address sleep-related issues. Sleep hygiene is so pivotal in creating good sleeping habits that education on the subject is a core element of the cognitive-behavioral therapy often used to treat patients with sleeplessness.
Why Is It Important to Practice Good Sleep Hygiene?
To put it simply, good sleep hygiene is important because good sleep is important. The ability to obtain healthy sleep is paramount for both your physical and mental health. Proper sleep and rest are crucial, as it improves productivity and your overall wellbeing. Regardless of whether you are a toddler or a senior, practicing good sleep habits will greatly benefit your overall health and happiness.
While coffee, tea, and other stimulants can help us kick start our day and get ourselves going, a cup of joe can never replace the benefits of a full night’s rest. Sleep is like medicine for our bodies, and it’s key to maintaining optimal physical and mental health.
Individuals who get too much or too little sleep, or even suffer from disrupted or intermittent sleep, can suffer from medical issues that can sometimes turn serious. But enhancing your current sleep hygiene habits can significantly decrease your risk of these symptoms.
Effects of Sleep Hygiene on the Sleep Cycle
Creating strong sleep hygiene practices can have a profound effect on our overall sleep cycles. There are two basic sleep states we experience throughout the night. These two stages are rapid eye movement sleep (REM) and non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM).
Good sleep hygiene practices promote REM sleep, which is the deep stage of sleep associated with intense brain activity, occurring in the midbrain and forebrain. REM sleep is often characterized by the presence of vivid dreams, as well as an absence of motor function. The only motor functions that occur during this stage are with the eye muscles and the diaphragm. Typically, REM sleep occurs off and on in a cycle numerous times during sleep. In these moments, our body is in our deepest state of sleep. But while REM sleep represents our deepest slumber, it accounts for the smallest portion of our total sleep cycle.
Good sleep hygiene has a positive effect on the other basic state of sleep, which is non-rapid eye movement sleep, or NREM sleep. This is the state of sleep that a person is in right after falling asleep. Good sleep hygiene allows an individual to fall asleep quicker, and progress through the stages of sleep with less arousal.
Signs of Poor Sleep Hygiene
There are numerous signs and symptoms of poor sleep hygiene. But the most common signs are related to frequent disturbances with your sleep and daytime drowsiness and fatigue. Also, if you notice that it takes you a long time to fall asleep, you may want to consider evaluating your sleep routine and making revisions to your current bedtime habits. Making a few simple changes to your routine can make a massive difference in your ability to achieve a good night’s sleep; instead of spending much of the evening tossing and turning in bed.
10 Steps to Establishing Good Sleep Hygiene
While sleep needs vary from person to person, they are especially impacted by our individual lifestyles and health habits. However, there are some basic guidelines and recommendations that can provide insight into creating the habits that produce optimal sleep. Here are ten steps to help you establish good sleep hygiene.
1. Limit Caffeine, Alcohol, Nicotine, and Other Stimulants
If you’re anything like the average adult, you probably enjoy your morning coffee. Many of us love it because it’s filled with caffeine, which we know is a stimulant that can make us more alert and keep us awake. While drinking coffee or tea is a viable option in providing a much-needed energy boost, it’s best to consume caffeine earlier in the day to avoid disrupting sleep patterns. Try to avoid caffeine of any kind within 4–6 hours of bedtime. Smokers or tobacco users should also refrain from consuming these compounds close to bedtime.
It’s common for some individuals to drink a couple of cocktails to help aid in sleep — a “nightcap” of sorts. However, while alcohol may help to induce sleep, within a few hours it actually begins to act as a stimulant. This can cause an increase in the number of sleep disturbances you experience throughout the night. Therefore, it’s best to limit alcohol consumption to one or two drinks per day, maximum. Also, try to avoid drinking alcoholic beverages within 3 hours of when you plan to go to bed.
2. Make Your Bedroom Environment a Sleep-Inducing Space
Sometimes, our inability to fall asleep is primarily a result of our physical environment. Creating a dark, cool, and quiet environment can help to promote deep, restful sleep. There’s a reason why animals like bats tend to congregate in caves to find sleep in the daytime. To help create this type of environment, start by reducing the volume of any outside noise. The best way to do this is with earplugs. For those who feel anxious with earplugs and/or laying in complete silence, consider the use of a “white noise” appliance.
To help block out the light in your room, try using blackout shades, heavy curtains, or an eye mask. It’s important to block out as much outside light as possible, as this light is a powerful cue to our brains that tells us to wake up. Also, keep the temperature in your room comfortable and cool (somewhere between 60 and 75°F), and ensure the area is well ventilated.
3. Use CBD to Establish a Soothing Pre-Sleep Routine
Creating a soothing pre-sleep routine can help ease the transition to sleep time. This routine is built by participating in a sequence of relaxing activities about an hour or so before you plan to go to bed.
These activities can include taking a bath or hot shower, as the increase (and subsequent decrease) in body temperature helps to promote drowsiness. Try reading a book or watching television (but not for too long!), or practice relaxation and breathing exercises. Do your best to avoid stressful or over-stimulating activities. This can include physically or mentally draining work or even discussing emotional issues. Physical and mental stress can cause the body to secrete cortisol, which is our stress hormone. Cortisol is associated with increased alertness, so if you often find yourself thinking about your problems when you are trying to fall asleep, try writing them down — and then putting them aside.
CBD products like tincture oils, oral sprays, and CBD soft gels can help to not only induce the calm associated with achieving deep sleep but also help to treat the core issues that may be causing these sleep problems such as fatigue. If you find yourself having trouble sleeping and a solution seems out of reach, we highly suggest exploring the many benefits of CBD oil.
4. Monitor Your Fluid Intake
It’s often difficult to strike the perfect balance of drinking enough fluid in the evening to keep from waking up in the middle of the night thirsty — but not so much as to cause you to be awakened multiple times to make trips to the restroom. Avoid drinking too many fluids close to bedtime, and try to discover the ideal time and volume of your nightly fluid intake by monitoring your habits.
5. Don’t Watch the Clock!
We’ve all been there at some point in time; watching the alarm clock with an empty gaze, desperately trying to find peace of mind and relax our brains so we can get some sleep. But staring at a clock when you are trying to fall asleep (or even when you wake up in the middle of the night) can actually increase stress. And as we know, thanks to our good friend cortisol, this increased stress keeps us alert and awake.
When you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep within about 20 minutes, try getting up and engaging in the restful activity. This can be something like reading a book or listening to soothing music. Make sure you keep the lights dim, as bright light can work to stimulate your internal clock. When you begin to feel your eyes getting heavy and are feeling ready for sleep, return to your bedroom and go back to bed.
6. Let There Be Light
As we have outlined on multiple occasions throughout this piece, natural light can be an enemy of sleep. However, you can use it to your advantage as well.
The fact is, our bodies need natural light. It helps to keep our internal clock on a healthy sleep and wake cycle. So just as you would block out the light in the evening to relax and fall asleep, the inverse should be applied in the morning. Let the first thing you see in the morning be natural light by opening the shades in your room when you wake up. If you work in an office building, try to get outside and get some sun sometime during the day (perhaps on your lunch break).
These practices can help to reinforce a healthy sleep cycle by naturally calibrating your sleep and wake schedule.
7. Create a Consistent Sleep Schedule to Set Your Body Clock
It’s difficult to achieve consistent sleep when you don’t have a consistent schedule to do so. If you are sporadic in your timing or habits, it makes it hard on your body to know when it’s “sleep time” and when it’s time to be awake and alert. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day acts as a catalyst to set the body’s internal clock. By doing so, you are essentially training your body to expect sleep at a certain time each and every night.
Do your best to stick to your routine on a daily basis. That means the weekends too. While we all love to grab that extra hour or two of sleep on Saturday mornings, those who suffer from sleep-related issues should try and adhere as closely as possible to their everyday schedule. Waking up at the same time every day is far and away from the best thing you can do to set your body clock; plain and simple.
8. Only Go to Sleep When You’re Truly Tired
It’s a feeling we have all endured at some point or another. The struggle of trying to fall asleep ends up leading to increased frustration. So the bottom line is, don’t try to force it! Trying to sleep when your body or mind is momentarily incapable is an exercise in futility.
So go to sleep when you’re truly tired. And if you are not tired enough to fall asleep, don’t stress about it. If you’re not asleep within 20 minutes, get out of bed and partake in a relaxing activity, as we highlighted above.
9. Keep Your Evening Meals Light
Food is not only a means of sustenance, it’s a vessel of comfort for us all. Regardless of your dietary habits, there are very few of us who find it easy to fall asleep on an empty stomach. But while eating something before bed may provide the fulfillment you are seeking to relax and wind down from your day, eating a large pepperoni pizza at 10 o’clock at night can prove to be a recipe for disaster. Rich, heavy, and high-calorie meals can actually work to induce sleeplessness in certain individuals.
Try to finish dinner a few hours before you go to bed, and as we outlined in our pizza example above, avoid foods that can potentially cause indigestion. If you find that you are getting hungry at night, try to snack on foods that won’t disturb your sleep (foods you know may have disrupted your sleep or comfortability in the past). Dairy and carbohydrates can often be the enemy of sleep.
10. Move Your Exercise Routine to Earlier in the Day
It’s true that exercise can help you to fall asleep faster and sleep better. But this is only true when you exercise at the right time. When we exercise, it stimulates the body to secrete that lovely stress hormone we’ve been talking about throughout this piece; cortisol. As we elaborated on earlier, cortisol is shown to activate the alerting mechanism in our brain. This is a core function of our brain, and it’s pivotal in managing our overall wellbeing. However, you obviously don’t want to increase alertness when you are trying to fall asleep. To combat the effects of a post-workout cortisol dump, try to finish your exercise a minimum of three hours before bed. If possible, try to work out earlier in the day. | https://medium.com/@canibrands55/10-steps-to-establishing-good-sleep-hygiene-8412179e940e | [] | 2021-02-23 11:18:39.627000+00:00 | ['Cbdproducts', 'Cbd'] |
The Timeless Qualities of Disney and Pixar’s “Soul” | Screenshot from Disney+
New Pixar film “Soul” broke barriers with the name of their company. The movie innovated its way in the conversation of the touchy topic such as life and death (as well as the complexities in between) in the form of a Black-told narrative. There are two reasons, especially, why this in itself is crucial.
The Black narrative
After all, Disney received harsh criticisms for “The Princess and the Frog,” the first Black princess portrayed in the 1920’s in the town of New Orleans, to be historically inaccurate and insensitive. Many critics have their eyebrows raised as Disney and Pixar release “Soul.”
This movie did not go far into explaining African American history, nor did it need to. Joe Gardner’s story is told in the bustling city of New York, capturing his situation of an unfulfilled man wanting to pursue music. However, he’s constantly shut down by his hard-laboring mother that focuses on the concept of music not being a stable career choice, since she had to support Joe’s father when he pursued music.
Weaved through the movie are crucial moments that have tones of a Black man’s life, like kissing his mother’s friend on the cheek every time he walks in, or the experience of being “the king” when he’s in the chair. Of course, incorporating Joe’s childhood experience of Cedric’s rap group and being introduced to jazz music by his father; overall, the importance of the “the tune bringing out the you.”
Screenshot from Disney+
Disney and Pixar avoided the history lessons, directly showcasing the Black communities’ relevance in a life that is just as anybody else’s. Knowing that it is one worth living like anybody else’s. Knowing that there are embedded cultures and reasons for any type of life, especially jazz in an American city such as New York City. With this, it is successful in their portrayal of his individual experience.
Screenshot from Disney+
Why living is beautiful
The takeaway was powerful in the notions that began with Joe Gardner chasing the career path and lifestyle he’d always dreamt of, only to veer away from it, stating that it’s so much more.
After getting the gig with Dorothea Williams, he realizes that it doesn’t feel as exhilarating as he thought it would. She then went on with her fish in the ocean reference:
“I heard this story about a fish. He swims up to this older fish and says, ‘I’m trying to find this thing they call the ocean.’ ‘The ocean?’ says the older fish, ‘That’s what you’re in right now.’ ‘This?’ says the younger fish, ‘this is water. What I want is the ocean.’”
Many go their whole life chasing after a feeling that’s intangible; they believe it is a feeling they’ve never experienced before. Although, life is about the internal feeling of creating a spark that Pixar heavily touches upon through these mini experiences that 22 experiences through Joe Gardner’s body.
It reminded me time and again to the 1999 film “American Beauty,” when Ricky video tapes a plastic bag floating in the wind because of him being enamored over something so purely beautiful in its simplicity — as when 22 was enamored by the taste of pizza, chatting with the barber, music in the subway station and tree petals floating into their hand.
Ricky from American Beauty says it the best way that anybody could in words:
“And this bag was just dancing with me. Like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. That’s the day I realized that there was this entire life behind things, and this incredibly benevolent force that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever.”
Gif from Scott Meyers: Medium
In many ways in life, it could be easy for many to become what Pixar’s “Soul” depicts as a “lost soul,” aimlessly and robotically contributing to life in a way of forgotten purpose; in the movie, humorously referencing to hedgefund investors which ties parallel to Disney Animation Studio’s short film of “Inner Workings.”
Or even when 22 becomes absorbed in their own self-destruction and lost without purpose, submerged in dark storms of other souls telling 22 they wouldn’t ever find their spark. Joe ventures to give 22 the petal from the tree to show that the spark they had portrays purpose in itself.
Joe Gardner’s words releasing 22 from being a lost soul states:
“Your spark isn’t your purpose, that last box fills in when you’re ready to come live.”
It is important to live with a spark of curiosity and wonder in order to get past the continuously-expressed notion in life of having a purpose.
I truly appreciated the fact that a man waiving a sign at the corner of a street in New York is one to be so in-tuned with the souls; the fact that there is no social class, wealth gap or humanly portrayal aside from him being in-tuned made this film so humanly. Not to mention, the hilarious elements of the Jerrys and Terry.
There are countless of messages and Pixar’s own scientific and philosophical layers and implications behind the story of Joe Gardner and 22. This is a brief summary of what I found exceedingly innovative that children will now take into account as it’s experienced- whenever that is. And family members of all ages could use the reality check, no matter the financial class, age, skin color or beliefs. The takeaways are purely human. | https://medium.com/@jazminemyleigh/the-qualities-of-disney-and-pixars-soul-52a5061be614 | ['Jazmine Myleigh'] | 2020-12-27 00:24:47.817000+00:00 | ['Black Narratives', 'Life Lessons', 'Philosophy', 'Film Reviews', 'Pixar'] |
Why I Criticize TV, Video Games, and Social Media So Much | Why I Criticize TV, Video Games, and Social Media So Much
Anyone who’s a regular reader of my work is familiar with my criticisms of TV, video games, and social media. My complaints about these things are many and varied, but they boil down to this: they are fun in small doses, but at the end of the day, they are a waste of your time.
Many readers take offense to this. Whenever I criticize modern entertainment in my writing, they are quick to reply with responses which focus on a couple of core criticisms:
“Watching Netflix/playing video games/using social media is a valuable way of decompressing and relaxing” “Watching Netflix/playing video games/using social media are beautiful stories and a source of inspiration” “Life isn’t about constant productivity. People need time to not work, to just be, you know?”
It may surprise my readers to know I actually agree with these sentiments.
Entertainment has a way of temporarily transporting you away from the concerns of your life, giving you a much-needed emotional break. The TV shows and video games that are coming out today are some of the most beautiful pieces of storytelling humanity has produced. Last but not least, life is not only not about constant productivity, it’s not even mostly about productivity. I myself only work four or five hours a day, if that, and frequently take three day weekends.
My issue with these things isn’t the things themselves, but how we use them.
We are deluding ourselves
On very, very few of the occasions in which I see someone watching Netflix/playing video games/using social media are they using these things in a healthy way. Most of the time, when I see people doing these things, they’re doing something definitely unhealthy and sometimes dangerous: using them as a way to disengage from reality.
The thing about entertainment is that while it often superficially feels relaxing, it is neurologically not relaxing at all. It’s a pipeline of ultra-high stimulation directly to your sensory cortices, a rainbow technicolor light show for your brain. This produces a sedative effect similar to that of the high of cannabis, where you feel as if you’re being relaxed, but in reality, are experiencing more stimulation than usual.
If we’re mindfully coming to the experience of playing a video game knowing we’re engaging in a high-stimulation storytelling experience, that’s one thing. Engaging with a beautiful story is an enriching experience. If we’re mindlessly plugging into the stimulation high in order to avoid life and telling ourselves we’re “relaxing,” that’s entirely another.
More often than not, people who play a lot of video games/watch a lot of TV/use a lot of social media are doing the latter.
The modern world has a problem with entertainment
Now that watching tv/playing video games/using social media — otherwise known as entertainment — has become so widely accessible, we’ve developed a bizarre attitude toward it.
In the past, entertainment was something you had to consciously decide to pursue. You had to find a book, buy the book, sit down with the book, and read the book, taking time away from other important things like cooking or working on the farm. In the modern world, however, entertainment is never more than a few finger movements away.
It appears to me that as a result, we treat entertainment as the default state; when we are not at work, with friends, working on our fitness, running errands and doing life tasks, or specifically doing something else, we fall back on being entertained. We dive into social media, watch YouTube, turn on Netflix, or play a game. This habit is so pervasive that we’ve come to think of being entertained as the default state.
This is evident in casual conversation; when coworkers talk about what they did last night, the assumption is that if they didn’t go out with friends or get something done in their lives, they were at home watching Netflix and scrolling Facebook.
This is really unhealthy. As I pointed out earlier, entertainment is a firehose of stimulation piped directly to your brain. When we fall back on entertainment, we are not embodying a relaxing state of “just being,” we are putting our brains through the most taxing thing they are going to do all day. America has an anxiety problem, and while I have no studies corroborating this assertion, I firmly believe that’s in large part because we’ve made constant stimulation our default state.
Being entertained is not a healthy default state for humans. The healthiest default state is nothing; sitting in peaceful silence, or taking a relaxing walk, or slowly puttering around the house while cleaning or cooking, activities which are not very stimulating to either your mind or your body. Only in this environment does your mind have the space to perform the deep thought tasks that are so essential for your mental and emotional health.
Be honest with yourself
It’s pretty easy to tell if you’re using TV/video games/social media as a drug.
Do you mindfully decide “I am going to sit down and watch Stranger Things tomorrow evening?” Or do you habitually turn on Netflix first thing when you get home and watch whatever looks interesting?
Do you sit down at the computer and think “I would really like to catch up with my friends via Facebook?” Or do you compulsively open the app on your phone whenever you’re waiting in line or sitting on public transit?
Do you think to yourself “I am going to go home and play a few hours of Far Cry?” Or do you get home, collapse on your couch, and pick up your controller before even deciding what you want to do with your evening?
In my experience, the former is a natural and healthy part of life, whereas the latter is indicative of a bad habit of falling back on entertainment instead of consciously living, moment by moment.
If you spend a lot of time on entertainment, I encourage you to take a hard, honest look at your own motivations. Are you really moved by the beauty of The Last Of Us, or are you just playing it because you know it will give you a rush? Do you really feel gratified when you use Facebook, or do you just open it compulsively while you’re sitting on the train?
In sum: I don’t actually have a problem with TV, video games, social media, movies, memes, or any of the other things modern people do to entertain themselves. My problem is that so often, these forms of entertainment are not done for their own sake, but done to avoid the hard work of living life to the fullest.
We’re so engaged in doing things to achieve purposes of outer value that we forget the inner value, the rapture that is associated with being alive, is what it is all about. — Joseph Campbell
Like What You Read?
If you want more articles like this, my weekly digest is the thing for you.
Click to join Megan’s Weekly Digest today. | https://articles.lifeworkmag.com/why-i-criticize-netflix-video-games-and-social-media-so-much-a54f197850b7 | ['Megan Holstein'] | 2019-11-05 17:21:33.131000+00:00 | ['Social Media', 'TV', 'Gaming', 'Technology', 'Digital Life'] |
Peacemaker becomes general manager of NRG’s CS:GO division | Peacemaker becomes general manager of NRG’s CS:GO division
Photo via Fragbite
After spending the majority of 2016 as a coach, Luis “peacemaker” Tadeu has been brought on as the new general manager and coach of NRG Esports’ Counter-Strike: Global Offensive operations.
Peacemaker’s new role will, presumably, see him tasked with shaping the organization’s CS:GO team, which has performed poorly throughout all of 2016 after being announced on Jan. 22.
Aside from continuing down his path as a coach, peacemaker will now also be in charge of assembling the organization’s CS:GO roster. “ I could’ve stayed in my comfort zone and join a stable top team, but NRG’s project of completely rebuilding the CS:GO roster. I consider this project to be the biggest and most important project in my CS:GO career,” peacemaker said.
After transitioning to a coaching role in late 2015 after competing for several years, peacemaker worked with Tempo Storm (currently Immortals) and Team Liquid in 2016. While his influence on Immortals was palpable, the coach’s biggest success came when Team Liquid finished second at the ESL One Cologne major in July after an incredible run through the playoffs.
On Oct. 22, however, peacemaker and Team Liquid amicably parted ways, citing undisclosed “disagreements about business principles” as the primary reason for the split. Team Liquid have since then acquired the services of former SK Gaming and Immortals in-game leader Wilton “zews” Prado.
In a statement, peacemaker outlined his feelings surrounding the new opportunity and his own thoughts on how CS:GO had changed in the past few months, particularly Valve changing how much access coaches have during live games. | https://medium.com/@S_Nordmark/peacemaker-becomes-general-manager-of-nrgs-cs-go-division-3ecec479156 | ['Sam Nordmark'] | 2016-11-18 20:10:22.598000+00:00 | ['Esports', 'Gaming', 'Counter Strike'] |
For more motivational quotes go to our website:- https://newmotivationalstatus2021.blogspot.com/?m=1 | Motivation is always needed for successful life, it’s only your imagination. Push yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you. motivational quotes provide you best motivational poetry,best shayari and best whatsapp status.
For more motivational quotes go to our website:- https://newmotivationalstatus2021.blogspot.com/?m=1 | https://medium.com/@sunildevda1/motivation-is-always-needed-for-successful-life-its-only-your-imagination-926a7b833875 | [] | 2020-12-29 14:17:23.276000+00:00 | ['Motivational', 'Motivation', 'Status', 'Quotes', 'WhatsApp'] |
Dreams | Dreams
A poem
Not all emotions are well defined
Some sentiments are hard to understand,
It is like a fog exists, within our minds.
Especially, with deeper passions
Of love and affection, not lust or infatuation
But the type of bond that is undying.
When relationships rattle and become unsteady
Our foundation shakes,
And our life becomes imbalanced.
For the anchor, that keeps us stable
Is now loosely fitted, and prone to collapsing.
Our lives follow suit,
Vision becomes skewed, we lose all direction
The mist settles in,
And nothing is clear to see.
Dreams communicate to us,
What we yearn
And who we are.
They do not lift the fog that clouds our visions,
But they provide clues
To our desired destination.
Like footprints in the sand,
Our dreams guide us
Around the confusion, and through the fog.
If we can correctly decipher
These visions that come to us in our slumber,
Then perhaps, we may navigate
And make our thoughts
A little clearer,
Restoring balance, through understanding. | https://medium.com/blueinsight/dreams-db4d0d805256 | [] | 2020-12-27 05:45:04.042000+00:00 | ['Poetry On Medium', 'Poetry', 'Dreams', 'Perspective', 'Blue Insights'] |
Science and Story-telling | Imagine watching a two-hour long movie that initially sets the stage for the story and then, the major twist in the plot follows. Finally, the plot concludes and all the loose ends come together. What a nail-biter, you think. Believe it or not, this is exactly what science needs too. A story makes science more exciting and relatable. Let us talk about a famous framework that is used for science communication, inspired from none other than Hollywood movies!
Let’s start with John Campbell’s Monomyth, a framework used for narratives. It is a cyclical narrative where the hero starts his journey from the ordinary world, which is also a non-narrative world, then encounters a problem midway through his journey. This marks the transition from the ordinary world to a special world, which is also the beginning of the narrative world. The hero eventually finds a solution to the problem and enters the ordinary world as a resolution is now obtained. This ends the story. Key features of such a narrative is a single protagonist who also solves the problem in the narrative. The story has a linear timeline, where a causality is established for every timestep in the story. Now imagine using such an engaging narrative for science communication, where you communicate science through characters and an interesting plot.
The ABT framework is used in science communication for building a narrative. The ‘A’ stands for ‘AND’, where you describe the past and the current knowledge that exists in science. This is the knowledge that has been agreed upon by the majority and known to many. Then we introduce the ‘B’ that stands for ‘BUT’, which is the contradiction or the gap between the known and the unknown. This is where the story enters the special world of narrative and peaks. Drama and anticipation builds up. Finally we introduce the last element of the framework ‘T’ that stands for ‘THEREFORE’. Here the story describes how the problems are addressed and a resolution is achieved.
This way of communicating science is much better than a series of ‘ANDs’ , which ends up becoming boring and the audience loses interest. This helps us realize that science and storytelling go hand in hand. Next time we want to develop content for a science communication piece, we know where to get inspiration from! (HINT : Hollywood and Bollywood Movies) | https://medium.com/@tharan010/science-and-story-telling-540f699ab8a0 | ['Tharan Suresh'] | 2021-04-25 18:39:06.406000+00:00 | ['Storytelling', 'Science Communication', 'Narrative'] |
QuikNode Customer Spotlight: 0x.Games | 0xGames — an international all-star team of IT pros with deep game development and blockchain technology chops has released 3 next gen blockchain, open-economy games (plus one on the way).
Woven in beautiful 2D and 3D graphics, exciting gameplay, fascinating storyline and immersive soundtracks, players can profit with crypto, while trading or winning NFTs.
These award winning games can be accessed across PC, MAC, iOS and Android platforms plus about any blockchain platform imaginable.
0xUniverse Gameplay
But in order for games like 0xUniverse and 0xBattleship to maintain peak performance, 0xGames needed a high performing, secure Ethereum node that’s simple to integrate with unlimited call requests.
CEO Sergey Kopov weighs in: “We use a Ethereum node to run transactions and receive events. We tried to maintain an Ethereum node ourselves. After that we tried Infura and Alchemy. And in the end, we choose Quiknode as the simplest and most reliable solution.”
0xRacers Gameplay
Teaming up with QuikNode, 0xGames has enjoyed a worry free experience with no call request limits from the fastest, most reliable node provider on the planet.
Since 2017, QuikNode has helped amazing blockchain projects like 0xGames take off — and we’d love to help you with yours!
Now with a Free tier available for you to develop and test your Ethereum blockchain project (which is easily upgradable for when the time comes).
You can get access to Ethereum MainNet in minutes by setting up an account here:
👉 Create Your Free QuikNode Account 👈
Get Started Today! | https://medium.com/quiknode/quiknode-customer-spotlight-0x-games-ed1163df99e | [] | 2020-02-20 16:47:43.778000+00:00 | ['Dapps', 'Web3', 'Ethereum', 'Developer Tools', 'Blockchain'] |
Product Update: A new Social Media Automation Platform | So, at the end of the day, we have professionals that spend too much time planning and executing their strategies and yet struggle to make the most out of Social.
This set the tone for the developments we’re hereby presenting. Over the last couple months, and with the feedback gathered over the last quarters from customers and partners, we’ve been renewing our Facebook Automation Platform.
Here’s a list of the main updates of this feature:
New Automation Rule Manager: you can now create multiple concurrent rules for automation. Rules are automation settings that trigger a post on a Facebook Page.
Facebook Page Selector: tailored for multi-brand companies, allows for selection of multiple Facebook Pages to post to. Useful for cross post strategies.
Ignoring old content : avoids content older than a set date to be automatically posted on a Facebook Page.
: avoids content older than a set date to be automatically posted on a Facebook Page. Ignore content posted on the page: verifies if the post was already posted by GetSocial or by anyone on the page (manually).
Will only post content fresher than a week and if that content hasn’t been posted in the facebook page in the last 12 hours
Location/Path Selector: allows automating content based on its URL structure, with options to Include and Exclude paths. A user may exclude content from the /travel section to be automated, for example.
Includes content from the Fashion & Travel sections, while excluding URLs from the past season (2016)
Meta Tag Selector: allows automating content based on its URL meta tags (name & property types). A user may automate only content from author “John Doe”, for example.
Includes all content with Joao Romao as author or any content with meta-keywords tech, ai or machine learning
Custom Automation Triggers: On v1, automation would be triggered based on GetSocial’s virality score. On v2, a user may select custom triggers in a time and engagement dimensions. For example, a user may automate any content that had more than 350 shares on Facebook during the last week.
Automates content with more visits than 70% of other articles and at least 1k shares on Facebook
New Delivery Settings: On v1, a user could select for a fully automated solution (post x articles during a specific time window) or use a scheduling tool (post articles at specific dates & times). On v2, a user may use one of three settings: | https://medium.com/getsocial-io/product-update-a-new-social-media-automation-platform-ccbd35191dce | ['João Romão'] | 2017-12-20 18:54:13.215000+00:00 | ['Facebookpages', 'Facebook', 'Marketing Automation', 'Social Media Marketing', 'Social Media'] |
No cap on the value of mahr is not exactly a big win for women, I guess depending on how you look… | No cap on the value of mahr is not exactly a big win for women, I guess depending on how you look at it. Perhaps in the sense that she won. Great article and powerful voice. Good for you! There needs to be more conversation on this topic, thank you for sharing and keep up the good work. | https://medium.com/@rjbella/no-cap-on-the-value-of-mahr-is-not-exactly-a-big-win-for-women-i-guess-depending-on-how-you-look-54b0895dab05 | ['Rachel Rogers'] | 2020-12-06 22:17:58.433000+00:00 | ['Womens Rights', 'Muslim', 'Muslims In America'] |
How Oath Pizza Embraced Digital and Turned Delivery Profitable | How Oath Pizza Embraced Digital and Turned Delivery Profitable
by Aaron Newton, Chief Product Officer, Thanx
Ed. Note: This article was written before the current coronavirus crisis; restaurant sales in the United States have dropped by an average of 80% in the last two weeks. Given the current landscape, we originally decided to indefinitely delay publication of this case study; we are sensitive to the fact that every restaurant is making gut-wrenching decisions in response to the pandemic.
But after talking to several restaurants over the last few days, it became clear that digital ordering is now even more critical to their success than ever before and they were seeking a playbook for how to do it well. Nationwide, Thanx-partnered restaurants who offer digital ordering are suffering “only” 20-40% declines vs. 80%-100% declines for on-premise-only businesses.
Oath Pizza —profiled here — is no exception. While this review was written before coronavirus hit the US, Oath’s focus and investment on digital and customer loyalty over the past year has meant that, thus far, their business has weathered the storm better than most. This is the story of their journey which sheds some light on the path they took to be digital and data-ready when they needed it most. We offer it hoping that indeed it serves as somewhat of a playbook for others looking to make the same leap. | https://medium.thanx.com/a-case-study-in-digital-strategy-how-oath-pizza-grew-owned-digital-ordering-and-made-3rd-party-cefc9775899 | ['Aaron Newton'] | 2021-05-28 23:39:50.992000+00:00 | ['Coronavirus', 'Digital Marketing', 'Loyalty', 'Restaurant'] |
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX | THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX
Necessity may be the mother of invention, but creative thinking doesn’t hurt. Over the past year, necessity forced us to rethink many aspects of our lives, leading to entrepreneurial innovation to serve the needs of a mostly homebound society. It propelled trends already emerging — take-out and grocery delivery, streaming media and video conferencing to name a few — as well as provided new offerings like virtual theater, gallery tours and speaker series, which hopefully will continue as it allows a greater audience to participate.
Now that the world is opening up, creativity continues to drive interesting uses of technology that we may not have previously envisioned. Some may have been initially conceived as media stunts, as they have definitely drawn attention, but to a large extent may also have business potential.
The use of TikTok as a recruiting/hiring tool is an excellent example of taking advantage of what has essentially been an entertainment and marketing platform to do something quite different. The necessity part was targeting a young cohort of job seekers to fill openings in retail and hospitality, necessary to reopen or expand business. The creative was TikTok partnering with retailers and hospitality companies to use their platform to not only recruit young talent but screen potential candidates.
Blockchain technology and bitcoins have long been in the news, but recently NFTs, unique, non-replaceable digital assets, are the buzz. They are attracting the attention of deep-pocketed collectors who are snapping up everything from Beeple digital artwork for $69 million to a LeBron James clip for $99,999. Now there are a number of people who are also trying to figure out how to make NFTs accessible to non-millionaires, with Oneof, a company dedicated to minting and releasing NFTs building on a more affordable blockchain platform. And then there is memecoin, a crypto currency inspired by internet jokes. How fitting.
Artificial intelligence is informing everything from the potential for self-driving cars to automating repetitive business tasks. But it has also entered the world of what was once considered creative pursuits, particularly writing. Who would have thought that there would be a competition among AI songwriters!
Social media has long been used by journalists to amplify their reporting, but using it for personal opinion has been problematic. Enter Sidechannel, a community on Discord for platform users to comment on news anonymously. They describe it as akin to hacking into a newsroom Slack.
What’s really interesting about this random sampling is how quickly we continue to adapt technology for new uses, whether it is to reach a specific audience, create community or launch new business models. Often the second or third iteration becomes the big success story. It’s why in a brainstorm a bad first idea can lead to a brilliant final solution. All it takes is a little imagination and a willingness to think outside of the box. | https://medium.com/@mprm/thinking-outside-the-box-5d8d3cfd5ca3 | ['Mprm Communications'] | 2021-07-15 21:47:50.720000+00:00 | ['Imagination', 'Technology', 'Public Relations', 'Creativity'] |
An architecture for production-ready natural speech synthesizer | Create a model handler for Tacotron2
If you take a look at the Tacotron2 implementation at the Nvidia Github repo, you’ll find among all the files a model definition for Tacotron2 completely Pytorch based. They also provide a Pytorch implementation for Waveglow, the required vocoder to synthesize the spectrograms and generate wave audio files human audible. However, in order to use those two models in conjunction, we’ll still need a class or a handler to manage the intermediate required steps like: data processing, inference, and, post-processing. We’ll organize our work separating the concerns of each part so that our code can be easily maintainable.
TTS model handler
initialize(): Load Tacontron and Waveglow with their respective checkpoints.
Load Tacontron and Waveglow with their respective checkpoints. preprocess(text_seq): Transform raw text into suitable input for the model. Convert it to a specific set of character sequences.
Transform raw text into suitable input for the model. Convert it to a specific set of character sequences. inference(data): Run inference on the previous processed input and returns a corresponding synthesized audio matching the input text.
Run inference on the previous processed input and returns a corresponding synthesized audio matching the input text. postprocess(inference_output): Save the wav audio file to a directory under the container file system.
The details of the code can be checked in the Github repo.
Build the Django Rest API:
Setup your Django project: django-admin startproject tacotron_tts and django-admin startapp API
If you need a thorough tour of how to begin with a Django Rest project, feel free to check out my previous article.
As per the project requirements, we’ll indeed be relying upon a third-party service to store and retrieve speech generated data through our endpoints. Therefore, Django ORM helpers and serializers will come in handy. As said in their documentation, Django ORM is “a pythonical way to create SQL to query and manipulate your database and get results in a pythonic fashion”.
Create your ORM model for the TTS output
Create the corresponding serializer
Build your views (POST, DELETE) and your routing.
Django models and serializers
Generate the Dockerfile for the Django app:
To package the whole API as a docker container, we’ll need to find a root image that complies with the project requirements. As the version of Tacotron that we’re using is entirely GPU based, we’ll need to pull a docker image already built with Cuda support. An interesting image backing Cuda-10.2 alongside PyTorch 1.5.0 can be found in the docker hub and it perfectly matches our needs.
Disclaimer: We’ll need a GPU with Cuda capabilities and nvidia-docker toolkit installed aside from the project specific requirements.
Copy the local folders to the image file system, install the requirements inside a virtual environment, give the required permissions and, you’re ready to go.
Create two new directories where the static and media files will be stored.
Once the image for the Django app fully operational, we’ll be configuring the Dockerfile for the Nginx proxy. Nothing special to add to the Dockerfile except for the static and media folders that will be shared between the two containers.
Django Dockerfile
Configure your Nginx Proxy:
Build your microservice architecture.
Nginx is a lightweight DNS micro service especially fitted for dockerized backend environments. The purpose is to use it as a proxy server that can route and serve static files and media. Rather than requesting Django internal server, a best practice for production environments is to utilize an independent proxy server responsible for that part. As the name microservice implies, each service works in a detached way as to focus on different parts of the whole infrastructure.
Microservice schema
We’ll build our Nginx service by pulling the standard Nginx docker image from the hub: Nginx-Unprivileged.
Basic configuration for our needs:
Define an upstream service Prepare your server
URLs starting with / : Forward to Gunicorn
: URLs with /static/ : Forward to our media and static folders, which happen to be inside our docker file system.
Orchestrate your Architecture with Docker Compose
As previously discussed, we need to structure our code such that the containers can communicate and work tightly together to make the whole service run. The way to tackle it is by defining two services, one for the API and the other for the proxy specifying a shared volume (static_data) for the two components where media files can be accessed. And that’s it, you can know deploy the service.
docker-compose file
Run your application
There is one more little step to figure out before actually running the API regarding the static URL paths. In your settings.py add the following locations that match the static volumes previously defined in the Django Dockerfile.
STATIC_ROOT = '/vol/web/static'
STATIC_URL = '/static/static/' MEDIA_ROOT = '/vol/web/media'
MEDIA_URL = '/'
2. Download Postman and start testing your API locally:
service running on port localhost:8080/API/tts/
serialized output with the Text and Audio path
3. Listen to your output on port 8080: Listen to the transcription ⤵️
Input: “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness” — Martin Luther King. Yeah I know, it’s my fancy side 😉.
TTS output
Conclusion
You’ve had a quick overview of the whole project in this article. I strongly recommend you to check the Github repo for more in-depth insight.
As you can see, the field of natural speech synthesis is very promising and it will keep improving till reaching stunning results. Conversational AI is getting closer to the extent of seamlessly discussing with intelligent systems without even noticing any substantial difference with human speech.
I leave you here some additional resources you may want to check.
If you have any questions regarding the code, please get in touch with me and, don’t hesitate to e-mail me at [email protected] | https://aymanehachchaming.medium.com/an-architecture-for-production-ready-natural-speech-synthesizer-8d0870b76cba | ['Aymane Hachcham'] | 2020-12-28 11:36:10.541000+00:00 | ['Deep Learning', 'Speech Synthesis', 'Machine Learning', 'Docker', 'Microservices'] |
4 Easy Steps to a Happy, Healthy Birth | Awwwwwww! :)
Women who are already mothers are probably rolling their eyes at this headline! I know, it sounds too good to be true. And for sure, there are always last minute complications, even in the most prepared birthing plans. But this guide is a good-natured strategy to make this life-changing experience slightly easier.
With all of the advances in medical science, it may come as a surprise to discover that many of the technological interventions used in modern maternity management don’t seem very evidence based. After all, the natural birth process is designed to be relatively simple — it’s been going on for hundreds of thousands of years! A woman’s own body can grow, birth, and nourish a baby.
The use of intravenous lines, continuous monitoring, and restricted movement can often make labor more difficult by both increasing stress and interfering with the natural process, which can then increase the risk of complications. Knowing this, the World Health Organization recommends four care practices that promote, support and protect a normal birth process.
The 4 Steps
1. Let labor begin on its own. In many cases, inducing labor can increase the risk of complications for mother and child.
2. Move and change positions during labor. Moving around can help labor progress and may shorten the total labor time.
3. Bring a loved one or doula for support. Labor support has been shown to reduce the likelihood of cesarean section (C-section) and improve the birth experience.
4. Avoid interventions that aren’t necessary. Continuous electronic monitoring hasn’t been shown to provide better outcomes for the baby and may increase the risk of c-section.
Now What?
Welcoming a child is a special event, and no one decision should be taken lightly. It’s essential to understand and respect the body’s natural ability to navigate the process. Our practice is proud to work with a variety of midwives, doulas, and OB-GYNs in our community. Together, we can help create a better birth experience and make it as comfortable as possible!
Science Source(s):
Safe, Healthy Birth: What Every Pregnant Woman Needs to Know. The Journal of Perinatal Education. 2009. | https://medium.com/@doctor-prat/4-easy-steps-to-a-happy-healthy-birth-6637a639f59a | ['Dr. Prathap Addageethala'] | 2020-07-20 05:31:01.562000+00:00 | ['Baby', 'Health', 'Pregnancy', 'Wellness', 'Chiropractic'] |
Painter, Heather Cameron reflects on the True Meaning of Community | Heather Cameron is a writer and artist from Louisville, KY.
“Finding the Future”, Heather Cameron
Heather is a painter based in Louisville, KY. She paints mesmerizing landscapes and abstract movements. Heather has been focusing more on writing recently, lending her creative skills to organizations and galleries alike. We had a casual conversation one evening about her creative process and her interests as a painter.
Ai: Heather, tell me why the transition to more writing?
Heather: I’ll still be painting. I’m happy to be doing it. I’m happy to keep showing up as a painter. As for writing, it’s always been something I’ve enjoyed. I’ve been dreaming of writing since I was a child. A year ago, I remembered someone told me they were a writer, and it really struck me because I forgot that was an option….
Ai: Yes, I think that's a common theme with artists, we tend to forget we have options, and sometimes those options are things we really care about. It's fascinating.
Heather:
Yes, it is. As life goes on, maybe you’re encouraged or discouraged. Maybe some things get weeded out…but maybe those weeds are just flowers that haven’t bloomed yet. And it’s interesting because a lot of artists have multiple avenues of creating.
Ai: Yes, what are some of your other avenues…. I know you sing.
Heather: Yes, I do sing. I keep that to myself [laughs]. I see so many ways to be expressive. I also garden a lot. I have a lot of plants. I draw often. I love to paint. I love to write. I enjoy speaking, as well—the art of oration, of presenting a story. What comes to mind is this idea of being around the campfire. My friend once told me, we’re so far away from fire and tribe. And we’ve had this distance of everyone. People are becoming hyper-aware of, “where’s my family, and where’s my community?” The theme of the mural I did for the school is “build community.” I work for a non-profit; we give home-schooled students valuable arts education that they wouldn’t get otherwise…. is building a community an art?
Ai: Yes, I think so. Not everyone can build a community. It takes a very particular set of skills.
Heather: | https://medium.com/artinformation/painter-heather-cameron-reflects-on-what-community-means-to-her-7952dfd2c2c | [] | 2020-12-18 14:21:44.254000+00:00 | ['Artinformation', 'Artists', 'Louisville Ky', 'Painters', 'Heather Cameron'] |
Fitts’ Law in 2 Minutes | Fitts’ Law in 2 Minutes
What is Fitts’ Law
To be honest, Fitts’ Law isn’t really a law at all. It’s actually a descriptive model of human psychomotor behavior that’s written as an equation like this one.
Fitt’s Law.
In the formula, MT is the average time to complete the movement. A&B are model parameters. D is the distance of movement from start to target center. W is the width of the target. Fitts’ Law is a model of human activity. It monitors the time it takes, taking into account the target’s size and distance to point at something.
However, this seems super complicated so far; the Rule of Fitts is easy-to-understand.
Fundamentally, it demonstrates that hitting bigger targets closer to you is quicker than hitting smaller targets that are further away from you. If you look at the keys on your computer keyboard, you’ll notice that the keys users press most often: the enter key, the space bar, and the shift key are larger than the other modifying keys.
Photo by Troy Chen on Unsplash
These keys are more extensive, so they’re easier to hit. They’re also closer to the alphanumeric keys. Keys that are used less often like: insert, delete, and escape are farther away from the alphanumeric keys.
User experience designers use Fitts’ Law when creating user interfaces. Good UX designers ensure that they make it obvious any time they want users to interact with the software or the interface. Targets are easily located and easy to use. UX designers also know that the farther away a user’s mouse is, and the smaller the on-screen target is, the longer it takes someone to move the cursor and click on the target.
We know that the size of the target matters.
The larger the target, the easier it is to hit.
This might lead a designer to think that the more oversized buttons are always better. However, that isn’t still the case. Fitts’ Law is a curve, which means that smaller objects are more comfortable to click if they’re made larger. However, larger items are already large, so they aren’t any easier to connect if they’re made larger. Because of this curve, the benefits of increased size begin to decrease.
Designers! This is good news for us because it frees up more on-screen real estate and ensures on-screen objects are appropriately sized for their intended use. Good on-screen target placement is critical. As a UX designer, the physical locations of your screen elements are essential.
The Gutenberg diagram shows that users tend to move through screens from top-left to bottom-right. Therefore, consider placing what’s important — like the buttons that call users to action, in the bottom right-hand corner.
When designing an on-screen layout, ask yourself if your critical icons are the ones users are most likely to use?
Are they on the path that your users’ cursor takes?
Remember to apply Fitts’ Law to your design principles. When designing graphics, text, and screen icons, always consider their sizes.
Are they appropriately sized for their intended use?
Consider making any text labels into links. Try making the whole phrase a link rather than just one word. This makes the target more prominent and easier for the user to hit. Keep in mind the device that your customers are using. If you’re developing a touch screen interface, ask yourself: are the elements big enough and spaced correctly to allow your user to pick just one?
The spacing between on-screen elements is just as important as the size of the elements.
Remember Fitts’ Law: it’s faster to hit larger targets closer to you than to hit smaller targets farther from you. | https://uxplanet.org/fitts-law-in-2-minutes-487da0684dee | [] | 2020-11-06 10:52:32.910000+00:00 | ['User Experience', 'User Experience Design', 'UX', 'UX Research', 'User Interface'] |
催人期限內回覆，改用「if」更有好感！email好用字學起來 | 最近有一個學生問，怎麼寫email更“positive”。
Positive是正面、正向，相對的就是negative，負面。這個問題很有趣，因為大部份學生會問，怎麼更精確（precise）、怎麼更簡潔（concise）、怎麼更禮貌（polite），而相對於精確、簡潔、禮貌，傳遞更多正能量，其實也一樣重要。寫作中傳達正能量方法當然很多，今天來談一個簡單的小字if：善用它，就能讓情緒轉負為正。
大家應該不陌生，if是「如果」、「假如」，用在假設語句中。所謂的假設語句，就是希望在不可能裡找到可能，強調的是「what is possible」。
來比較2個句子，大家更容易理解：
（X）”You must reply within 3 days or we cannot process your application.”
你必須在3天內回覆，否則我們無法處理你的申請。 （O）”If you apply within 3 days, we can process your application.”
如果你在3天內回覆，我們就可以處理你的申請。
這2個句子意思幾乎一模一樣，但只是加了if，語氣完全轉向了！
要如何策略性地應用if在寫作中、傳達正面意向呢？這裡給大家一個「兩段式」原則：
l 用If展開一個子句
l 接著用一個action結束
一起多看幾個句子，就能牢牢記住這樣的用法：
例１:
（X）You need a reference before you can open an account.
在本行開戶必須要有推薦人。 （O）If you give us a reference, you can open an account.
如果有推薦人，就可以在本行開戶。
例2：
（X） Unless you have five years’ experience in human resources, you cannot apply for the position.
除非有5年人力資源經驗，才能應徵本職務。 （O）If you have five years’ experience in human resources, you can apply for the position.
如有5年人力資源經驗，就可以應徵此職務。
例3： | https://medium.com/@ask-92819/%E5%82%AC%E4%BA%BA%E6%9C%9F%E9%99%90%E5%85%A7%E5%9B%9E%E8%A6%86-%E6%94%B9%E7%94%A8-if-%E6%9B%B4%E6%9C%89%E5%A5%BD%E6%84%9F-email%E5%A5%BD%E7%94%A8%E5%AD%97%E5%AD%B8%E8%B5%B7%E4%BE%86-89d0e45ca1a5 | [] | 2020-12-16 08:43:06.941000+00:00 | ['Email', 'English Language', 'Business English', 'English Learning'] |
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