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Top Features to Look for in a Cloud-Based Hotel PMS | One of the most important decisions that a property manager faces is choosing a cloud based hotel property management software. After all, the choice of a cloud PMS can be the deciding factor in the overall profit or loss faced by a business.
Whether it is a small Bed and Breakfast or a large hotel chain, a reliable cloud PMS is must for managing day-to-day operations of the property. If you are still using legacy software or manual methods to manage your property, it’s time to upgrade to a cloud based hotel PMS.
You also need to take into account; your budget, the requirements of your property, and the complete range of services offered by the PMS provider. Above all, you should look for the problems that you are trying to solve with the help of a cloud PMS. Once you zero in on all these factors, you will have a much better understanding of the kind of PMS that will benefit your property and its unique needs.
Keeping these factors in mind, here are the top features you should look for in a cloud PMS.
1) Robust Front Desk Management — The front desk is the face of your hotel property and a cloud PMS can help in managing front desk operations with great degree of ease. Some ways in which a cloud PMS can help are:
●Check room occupancy on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis
●View reservations on a single page
●Contactless check-in and check-out guests with Ease
● Assign housekeeping duties and update status accordingly
●Update room tariff
2) OTA Management — When you are working with several Online Travel Agents (OTAs), it can be a difficult task to keep track of your engagements with each one. With a cloud PMS, you can manage your OTAs from a single screen. Whether it is updating the status of the rooms or changing room tariff for display on the OTA websites, you can do it all in a few clicks.
3) Consolidated Reports — A PMS can give you advanced reports about the various operations of the property. In-depth reporting of the various metrics gives you a deeper insight into how you can leverage the strengths of your property for profitability. You should be able to download the reports in the format of your choice from .csv and .xls or pdf depending on your requirements. Some of the reports that your PMS should provide are:
● Guest arrivals
● Outstanding balance of guests
● Income reports
● Profitable promotion reports
● Best performing OTAs
4) Communication with Guests — A cloud-based hotel property management software should give you complete control over communication with guests. By offering a professional communication to the guests, you are able to create a lasting relationship with them that can result in repeat business. Some of the highlights of successful guest communication are:
● Automated welcome and feedback emails
● SMS and email integration for guest communication
● Tracking of guest requests
● Loyalty rewards and offers for repeat guests
5) Online Reputation Management — A good PMS should have reputation management features to keep a track of the hotel property’s reviews by the guests on sites like tripadvisor. When guests post their reviews on tripadvisor, hotel staff should be able to manage and reply to reviews. Many prospective guests check tripadvisor when they are looking for a hotel to book and having an active presence on such sites can help a hotel to maintain a positive online reputation.
6) Cross Interface Compatibility — A cloud PMS cannot work solely on its own, it needs to be compatible with other operations of the hotel property as well. A high degree of integration can help to automate simple tasks and streamline daily hotel management operations. Here are some of the integrations you should look for in the PMS of your choice:
● Integration with multiple payment gateways
● Integration with accounting systems
● Integration with room lock interface
● Integration with third party hardware interfaces
7) Multi-Device Compatibility — Remote access is the name of the game when it comes to cloud PMS. You should choose property management software that can be used on devices such as laptops, desktops, and tablets with equal ease. When the interface of the software is designed for multi-device compatibility, it becomes easier to keep an eye on the hotel operations from any place that has internet connectivity. Some advantages of multi-device compatibility are:
● Data remains safe in the cloud
● Housekeeping staff can keep track of task details
● Optimized for devices of different screen size
Final Word
If you’re looking for a cloud PMS that offers all these features and more at an affordable price, then look no further than mycloud Hospitality. An award winning hotel software, mycloud Hospitality offers a wide range of features as it is developed by an experienced team that has provided end-to-end IT solutions to businesses all over the world. Find out more by browsing through www.mycloudhospitality.com | https://medium.com/@mycloudhospitality/top-features-to-look-for-in-a-cloud-based-hotel-pms-c959b488b7d6 | ['Mycloud Hospitality'] | 2021-12-23 11:21:02.782000+00:00 | ['Pms Software', 'Sofware Development', 'Hotel', 'Software Development'] |
Lebanon Independence Day | Lebanon is passing through difficult times currently, but will surely recover soon and resume its glorious position. Happy Independence Day! Long live Lebanon! | https://medium.com/@joiecooper2/lebanon-independence-day-60777003f3b5 | ['Joie Cooper'] | 2020-11-22 08:18:57.704000+00:00 | ['Independence Day', 'National Day', 'Middle East', 'Lebanese', 'Lebanon'] |
Skills for your CV in Public Relations | Skills for your CV in Public Relations
Studying public relations gives you professional knowledge and practical skills in client management, media communication and ethical practice.
Identifying your achievements from work experience opportunities or assignments could help you match your relevant skills and strengths for specific roles and types of clients.
Employers will be looking for skills and potential in areas including:
communication skills – strong written, oral, visual and presentation ability
managing pressure – dealing with issues and crises
event and project skills – planning, managing and leading a public relations function
technology skills – understanding how to use social media channels and technology for PR
business awareness – knowing how business and PR work together effectively
media skills – having the ability to communicate with journalists and broadcasters while managing a client’s reputation
organisation skills – managing your own and client schedules.
Image source | https://medium.com/@nikita04012000/skills-for-your-cv-in-public-relations-1bb71ae3780b | ['Nikita Bajaj'] | 2020-12-22 22:37:01.046000+00:00 | ['Planning', 'Organisational Skills', 'Skills', 'Cv', 'Public Relations'] |
國光劇團《金鎖記》｜20180705｜儲思閣 | 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/truth-growth/guoguangopera-thegoldencangue-65683f4b5c79 | ['陳湘琦 Hsiang Chi Chen'] | 2020-12-14 19:02:42.605000+00:00 | ['Opera', 'Content', 'Writing', '藝文戲曲', 'Art'] |
Is Your Family Story Fact or Fiction? | The year is unknown, but I believe it to be sometime in the mid-18th century, amidst the French and Indian war. With no concrete date to start with, I may have to work my way backwards.
I’m interested to find out how much truth is in this story — how much of this story is my history. Am I really a descendant of French royalty, or is that only a story told down from my grandmother and her grandmother before? Was it based in fact, or simply a bedtime story?
On one hand, I know that with a lot of work, nothing is impossible. But on the other hand, how does one verify such details — how do you prove a child was taken and raised as someone she wasn’t? It’s very doubtful any records were kept of such things — after the ship came to port. But could there be a record of the voyage? The passengers — those who lived, and those who died? …but then, what possible reason would a royal family have to travel from France to America; if they did, was it aboard a cargo ship? Or was it a sailing vessel?
So many unanswered questions, and so many silky threads to follow, many of them long broken.
Although every path might lead to a dead-end or maybe more unanswered questions, some stories must be read. Some stories are meant to be picked apart and put back together, even if for nothing more than our own personal gratification.
We all come from somewhere, and this big spinning ball we live on actually isn’t as big as we believe it to be. In a world of broken promises, forgotten roots, diluted bloodlines, and lost identities, I think we owe ourselves a little truth. I owe myself a little truth. So I’m going to follow the sticky and silky strands until the web has been woven. Until I know who I am. | https://medium.com/imperfect-words/an-orphaned-french-princess-dfd384f69220 | ['Edie Tuck'] | 2020-02-03 19:54:22.841000+00:00 | ['Heritage', 'Family', 'Dna', 'Ancestry', 'History'] |
Orlando Carpenter Saves $975 a Year On Power | This isn’t about a “hushed up secret” or a “breakthrough conspiracy cloaked device” made by some “silenced anonymous brilliant mind”.
Thousands of people are already using this simple method and they just don’t know it… so they’re throwing thousands of dollars out the window because they don’t know how to do it efficiently.
Are you one of them?
Did you know that most families spend over $2,000 per year on their energy bills? Well it’s true. My question is, what if you could cut that bill in half, or actually… more than half! would you be interested?
I think you should see this before the word gets out… And the money hungry monopolies take control or silence it like they did so many times in the past.
Click Here to See How A Simple Carpenter Detected the Easiest Way for Saving Money on Power << | https://medium.com/@charnel/orlando-carpenter-saves-975-a-year-on-power-3dbcace1e788 | ['Charnel Estandian'] | 2020-12-09 08:23:17.756000+00:00 | ['What Is Renewable Energy', 'Solar Power For Home', 'Energy Renewable', 'Solar Home'] |
Don’t Panic; Let’s Talk | “You are not alone.”
Over the years I have received and given so much advice about how to build and run a company. Things about hiring, fundraising, leading, and growing. But of all the advice those four words always rang as the most important.
“You are not alone.”
It is always hard as a founder to realize that even as the buck stops with you, that you are not unique in having to make those decisions. Many have made similar decisions and experienced similar paths. I always found comfort in that. Someone could share the elation of success or the pain of failure with me because they had been there before.
Today that is harder as we are socially distancing ourselves from each other and isolating at home from our coworkers and peers. We spend a lot of time with ourselves, by ourselves — mostly in our own minds and thoughts, and it can be a lot. It can be overwhelming. And with social isolation come other responsibilities. For some of us, we have to teach our kids, or care for family members, or deal with the economic burdens that COVID-19 has brought. And while those challenges may make us lonely, we are not alone.
Even more so today than yesterday we have each other. Simply getting on a video call with other founders in a safe space to discuss concerns and worries (even the difficulty of succeeding in this new reality) can be a lifesaver. While we may not be able to connect physically, we can still connect and support each other.
At Grasshopper, a fully digital bank built by founders for the modern founder, we know that our ability to support the startup community is paramount. As founders, we knew we must do more. In partnership with New York Tech Alliance, we are launching a series called Don’t Panic, Let’s Talk. This bimonthly series is exactly what it sounds like. A safe space to talk with like-minded founders to help us navigate and share strategies that will help each of us as people and leaders.
“You are not alone.”
We cannot say it enough or hear it enough. Together, we can learn from, and lean on, each other.
Come join us at Don’t Panic, Let’s Talk this Thursday where we welcome Helen Reeves, partner at Dentons to talk about navigating the CARES Act.
RSVP here for your free ticket.
Helen Reeves is a member of the Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies practice. Her practice focuses on representing growth-stage companies on a wide range of complex transactional matters including mergers & acquisitions, venture capital transactions, start-up founder/corporate structuring issues, employment matters and general corporate advice.
Helen regularly serves as the outside general counsel to a number of emerging growth and middle-market companies, providing both strategic and transaction advice on major business transactions domestically and internationally.
Helen is a member of the American Bar Association’s Private Equity and Venture Capital Committee. | https://medium.com/@micah/dont-panic-let-s-talk-fe2ad1507c0e | ['Micah Baldwin'] | 2020-04-06 21:40:55.378000+00:00 | ['Entrepreneurship', 'Founders', 'Startup'] |
How to Deploy APIs with Flask, Docker and Google Cloud | I knew I wanted to do two things in the process of writing my bachelor’s thesis: improve my programming skills and work with time-series data prediction.
By Luiz Scheuer — 6 min read | https://towardsdatascience.com/how-to-deploy-apis-with-flask-docker-and-google-cloud-6700797659c | ['Tds Editors'] | 2020-09-03 13:29:50.457000+00:00 | ['The Daily Pick'] |
10 Survival Tips for the Business Traveler | A central aspect of being a consultant, trainer, or speaker is that you usually have to go where the work is. People in many other businesses often need to travel frequently as well, of course. When I began consulting 25 years ago, I started to adopt some policies regarding how I would approach my business travel. These policies have made my career as a road warrior much easier. Perhaps they’ll help you as well.
Early in my career as a software development consultant and trainer, I had no idea how much work I was going to get, so I gratefully accepted every opportunity that came along. I was fortunate to get traction with the business quickly. As a consequence, I was doing a lot of traveling. My busiest travel year involved 137 flight segments and 131 nights in hotels. It didn’t take me long to decide that I:
Don’t travel during more than three weeks of each month.
This doesn’t mean that I was gone three-quarters of the time, just that I might travel one or more days during three out of every four weeks. It’s important to set time aside at home to get caught up, maintain relationships with family and friends, develop new training material and other content, write articles and books, and even relax and enjoy yourself (or so I’ve heard).
This policy also has helped keep me healthy. Two consultant friends became ill and couldn’t fully recover for several months because their back-to-back travel commitments were so exhausting. The only thing worse than traveling a lot is traveling — and working — while you’re sick. Leave time in your schedule to treat yourself well.
Along that same line, I find it very tiring to teach a class more than two days in a row. It’s hard to be witty and charming — both on your feet and on your toes — all day long, day after day. Therefore, if a client asks me to teach two sessions of a two-day class, I will:
Take Wednesday off between a pair of two-day training sessions.
I might do some sightseeing, visit friends in the area, or take in a movie. My vocal cords, feet, and disposition all benefit from the break. Of course, I don’t charge the client for my expenses or time on the day off.
Anyone who travels a lot has had the experience of being stranded overnight, or longer, at an airport or hotel. It happens, whether due to bad weather, mechanical problems, missed connections, or terrorist acts. I don’t worry much about such delays on my way home, but it can be disastrous on your journey to a gig. Therefore, I decided long ago that I would:
N ever take the last flight of the day to a client site.
I’d rather arrive several hours early than miss the engagement because I’m stuck in an airport hotel a thousand miles away.
It’s unnerving to have to search for your destination early in the morning on the first day of a gig in an unfamiliar city. Traffic can be heavier or more confusing than you expected, and you might encounter construction delays. The meeting location could be cleverly hidden somewhere in a vast corporate campus, or parking might be problematic. Maybe even all of the above. To avoid beginning the workday with excessive stress, I like to:
Practice the drive from the hotel to the event location the prior evening.
I’ve only arrived late for an event once in my consulting career, heading into Jersey City from a hotel near Newark one morning. Who knew the highway to the Holland Tunnel into Manhattan would be so popular during rush hour? Everyone except me, apparently. I never again groped my way to an unfamiliar location without a dry run beforehand.
I’ve done some work outside North America, going to Europe a couple of times and taking several trips to Australia and New Zealand. I decided I will:
Only fly across an ocean in business class or better.
Yes, it’s expensive, and no, you don’t get there any faster. But it certainly is a lot more pleasant. I arrive at my distant destination better rested and ready to work. I build the fees for business class airfare into the price quotes I provide to my overseas clients. If they’re unwilling to pay the cost, that’s no problem — I thank them for their inquiry and stay home. Unless, that is, I really want to go anyway, in which case I’ll pay the additional airfare myself or upgrade with frequent-flier miles.
I have a consultant friend who thrives on international travel. He and his wife are adventurous people who love to explore exotic locations. I haven’t adopted this policy myself, but Ken likes to:
Spend one extra day sightseeing for each time zone change.
So if Ken goes to some faraway place like China or India, he takes his wife along and they spend several extra days touring, hiking, or camping. This isn’t a bad way to see the world if you can afford the time and cost.
You know all those little bars of soap that hotels give you? I don’t let the extras go to waste. Instead, I:
Collect unused hotel soaps and shampoo bottles, and donate them to a homeless shelter.
Some people think it’s unethical to steal soap you didn’t use. I view the soap as part of what I’m paying for in the hotel room, so it bothers me not one whit to take the leftovers home. Over the past thirty years I’ve given hundreds of little bars of soap and shampoo bottles to people who needed them more than I did. This policy might gradually go by the wayside as more hotels shift away from all the plastic trash associated with those little bottles.
Some years ago I figured out an interesting traveling trick. I learned how to:
Leverage airline frequent-flier programs against each other.
At the time I concocted this scheme, I held second-tier premium frequent-flier status on United Airlines. I wrote to American Airlines, which flew on some of the same routes, and invited them to match my premium status on United. They didn’t bump me up two frequent-flier levels from basic, but they did bump me up one. “Hmm,” I said to myself, “that was easy.” The next year I tried it again, and it worked again. Then I mailed a copy of my United card and my new American premium-level card to Delta and made them the same offer. Again, they said yes.
I pulled off this scheme for several years, parlaying premium status on one airline into others and enjoying the ensuing benefits. It cost me only a few postage stamps. There was nothing underhanded about this — I was simply presenting each airline with a business offer. One year, I held premium status on four airlines without having earned any of them!
I recently figured out a way to save money on travel. These days the prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars change frequently. Now I will:
Check the prices for hotel rooms and rental cars I’ve already reserved before I leave home.
If I find a lower price online, I simply call the hotel or rental car company and they readily change my reservation to the lower rate. I can find better rates this way roughly half the time.
Recently I performed this check for five hotels and a rental car I had reserved for a vacation coming up soon. With fifteen minutes of mousing around online, I saved more than sixty dollars off three of my original reservations. I checked again the day before I left and saved another thirty dollars. It’s worth the few minutes it takes to look (unless your client is reimbursing all of your expenses).
I’m a planning kind of guy. Having encountered my share of unpleasant surprises when traveling, I now:
Adopt small contingency plans to help make each trip run smoothly.
For instance, I wear clip-on sunglasses over my regular glasses. Those are quite fragile and hard to find in stores, so now I carry two pairs of sunglasses along in case one breaks (as has happened to me). I place a printed copy of my boarding pass inside any checked baggage in case the suitcase handle with my ID tag breaks off and I need to prove the bag is mine (as has happened to me). I also carry a printed boarding pass in case my phone dies (hasn’t happened yet, fortunately). For overseas trips, I upload scanned images of my passport and other key travel documents to a secure cloud location as backups in case I lose anything important.
I’ve read horror stories about drivers who were billed for damage to a rental car that already was present when they picked it up. Consequently, I now take photos all the way around a rental car before I drive it away from the lot and again when I drop it off. So far I haven’t needed that data to prove the car was already dinged when I got it, but I’m ready — just in case. I also carry printouts of some key maps for navigation when I’m driving in the event my electronic navigation device dies (as has happened to me).
I view these little precautions as risk management. Bad things like these don’t occur very often and might never happen to you at all. I just feel more confident being prepared. But even the most thorough risk management and contingency planning won’t anticipate an oddity like the toilet in your hotel room overflowing when you flush it first thing in the morning, barely awake — as also has happened to me. (Is it just me?) Sometimes you just have to roll with reality when it slaps you in the face.
===========
This article is adapted from Successful Business Analysis Consulting by Karl Wiegers. If you’re interested in consulting, software requirements, business analysis, project management, or software quality, Process Impact provides numerous useful publications, downloads, and other resources. | https://karlwiegers.medium.com/10-survival-tips-for-the-traveling-consultant-e9a4c66ab968 | ['Karl Wiegers'] | 2019-12-01 16:46:09.250000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Business', 'Consulting', 'Traveling', 'Training'] |
The last 20 of 2020 | We made this number and now we are abusing it for f***ing us. Not the first time we did something like this and probably not the last. After all, we are in the habit of abusing our own constructs a lot. And many a time it’s needed. But only this time I feel it has wrongly become the recipient of our collective hate and stress. We needed a target and it became one.
Photo by Jan Baborák on Unsplash
Anyway, this is it. The number which has been condemned and dreaded so much is at long last in its final days.
However, our problems? Not so much. But that’s not what we are going to talk about today.
What we are going to do is make a list. A list of (our much-beloved) 20 things. It will most probably be things I am grateful for and maybe things which I did and which make me cringe and embarrassed.
Today — the 20th of December 2020 — makes it 20 days since I last posted. I honestly didn’t want to take this break but it happened. And it lasted longer than it should have like a certain something. 20 is the age at which we all do or have done some stupid shit. And for some of us, this age never goes away. Awful, I know. I don’t even need a certain age to do stupid shit. I have been doing it and will probably continue to do so. Age is any way just a number, right? I will now take the time to be grateful for a few things. Firstly, all my friends and family. The people around me and who have been with me. These people have been so nice and good to me and I don’t know what I did to deserve them. So thank you for being there. Secondly, this life. I chose the people dear to me first because what is life without people? We need people as much as we need ourselves. We want people as much as we should ourselves. And also, even though I am grateful for my life, I still have got quite a few bones to pick with it. Convenience. I am grateful for all the convenience I have. The good food, shelter, clothes, clean water, everything. I think we take the convenience we have sometimes too lightly. For example, running water. Our days would stop without water coming out of our taps. This is serious. This age and this time. I don’t think I would have fared well in the time that has long passed us. And that is an optimistic understatement. So yeah, being able to sit here and type and pen away is a gift I will forever be grateful for. This sloppy, clumsy, disgusting and imperfectly perfect human body. Stress on sloppy, clumsy, disgusting, imperfectly perfect, human and body. It is just so unique, weird and cute all at the same time. We have got to love it more. We have got to love ourselves more. My phone and laptop. God, I am so dependent on them. Should probably change the word to addicted but meh. My experiences. I can’t say I have made complete peace with them. Sometimes I feel I have. Sometimes I feel I haven’t. What I can say is that I am learning and that I am in a much better place mentally, physically, spiritually, metaphorically, philosophically, metaphysically, emotionally. Ok, I am done. Stories. In any form, shape, size or colour. I love stories. Stories make us and we make stories. They come with us and we come with them. My bed and blanket. They deserve the special mention at the eleventh hour. They not only let me lie on them but they also have my snot, my tears and my farts. They have seen me at my worst and well, worst (I haven’t been at my best yet is what I think. Although I have been better. So yep :)) They have seen it all. The good, the bad and everything in the middle and outside. And they have accepted me for it. Number 12 brings us to chances and opportunities. Just having them and getting to try my hand at things is amazing. I don’t realize the gravity of it often or probably not at all which is what makes me all the more grateful for it. The INTERNET. I don’t know what I would do without it. You know how you meet someone and then you realize, ‘where were you all my life??’. That’s the internet for me. It’s probably even more. Clean bathrooms. And I have been to really bad ones. A shit show would be literally glorifying it. It made me realize the worth of a good bathroom. What can you even do if you can’t shit in peace? It won’t even come out and then you will be releasing gas all day and it’s a whole fest. We’ll talk more about this in a separate piece. So yes. Please treasure your good bathrooms. Fresh air. This is so needed especially today. Because there was a time when I walked out of my room and into the balcony in the morning to get some fresh air in and all I got was smoke which is so not cool. Thankfully, I am in a good place now. The sun and its warmth. Well, we are probably trapping too much of it in the atmosphere so that’s worrying. Let’s put at least a little more effort in working towards a healthier and sustainable future, shall we? I am grateful for being able to play football. Actually, being able to do anything for that matter. So yeah. Comfort. Even though we all keep seeing the ‘get out of your comfort zone’ line everywhere, we can’t deny the comfort our comfort brings us. So let’s be a little more grateful for it, shall we? Time. We should be grateful for the time we have. No? It is an exhaustible resource and it’s running out. So tell whatever you want to tell lest it all slips away. You all. I love you all sooo much and am so grateful and thankful for your time and energy. I can’t say it enough. I just love you all so so much.
Just to take note, there is not really much order in this list so please do not go by the numbers. All I wanted to do was write 20 things and this is what I settled on last minute (as usual lol). I would love it if you could add more.
Also, while writing this I have realized my writing is really sloppy, clumsy, cringy, imperfect, weird and human. I make a tonne of mistakes at the least and learn even more.
Now before you head out and into the holiday and new year, take this parcel full of love and best wishes with you. It also has a note saying ‘This holiday, be more human.’ What I mean is make mistakes and learn. This will also give you things to laugh about. Hopefully. | https://medium.com/@khushjajoo/the-last-20-of-2020-1187c555a53f | ['Kushagra Jajoo'] | 2020-12-20 19:37:31.600000+00:00 | ['2020', 'Thankfulness', 'Gratefulness', 'Lists', 'Gratitude'] |
Can a Drinking Problem Mean that you are an Alcoholic? | Can a drinking problem mean that you are an alcoholic? Do you want to stop drinking in case you are an alcoholic? Or do you want to stop drinking because it is the right thing to do? In this blog, find out all about the levels or degrees of drinking: problem drinking and alcoholism, heavy drinking, binge drinking and casual drinking. Where do YOU fit in?
If you are reading this, it is probably because you drink, a bit too much. You feel that maybe it is time to stop drinking. Maybe you Googled “I want to stop drinking” or “Am I an alcoholic?” This could mean that you feel uncomfortable about the amount of alcohol you are consuming every day.
At World Without Wine, we know a lot about drinkers, ‘moderators’, ‘problem drinkers’, ‘almost alcoholics’ — and alcoholics.
Many who choose WWW do so because they knew deep down inside that they have, or had, an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. She had to go. Or you had to go. What a choice!
Problem Drinkers vs Alcoholics
Let’s open up the discussion around problem drinkers and alcoholics. The trending phrase, “almost alcoholic” is choosy as it kind of lets us off the hook of being “completely alcoholic”. But what is the difference? A glass a night? A bottle a night? Who defines these terms and how are they defined from country to country, town to town, social class to social class?
I think we all know someone who drinks. South Africans are a nation of drinkers. As a drinker, I would always feel OK about my daily wine habit because I was brought up by drinking parents. They normalised booze and having a daily tipple. I also felt OK because all my friends drank. It turns out that as drinkers, we choose our friends according to our lifestyles. I don’t know about you, but I always mixed with other drinkers. People who didn’t drink were boring and weird!
The irony is that now that I don’t drink, I see myself as normal and people who drink as abnormal! According to the American Addiction Centers, Alcohol.org, there are two kinds of people who have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol: problem drinkers and alcoholics. Knowing the differences brings light into your own life, and those of others who drink.
· “Alcoholics are addicted to alcohol. They are physically and mentally dependent on it. Alcoholics find it hard not to drink and struggle with dependency every day. Alcoholics can achieve sobriety, but they will always be an alcoholic and at risk for relapse. They will often relapse after just one drink, no matter how long they have been sober.”
· “Problem drinkers are not physically dependent on alcohol. They can go days, week, or months without drinking, if they want to. If they abstain, they will not have detox symptoms. They may drink a lot, or they may drink occasionally. The issue problem drinkers have is that when they do drink, it causes an issue in their life or in the life of someone they know. They may say and do things that hurt others or themselves. Drinking is not a problem for these individuals, but it does create problems in their lives.”
Does this ring bells for you? Another term being bandied about at the moment is “alcohol use disorder” which is a euphemism for alcoholism. It names a chronic, relapsing disease.
On the other hand, problem drinking is not a disease. It can be treated. It usually affects the drinker in some negative ways.
Problem Drinker Signs
· Missing class or work.
Avoiding family and friends or become isolated, wanting to drink alone.
Feeling depressed.
Becoming angry or violent.
Spending money, creating financial problems.
Taking risks with lives — your own and others.
Having unsafe sexual relations with someone, especially strangers.
Losing friends, or dumping old friends for new friends who drink regularly.
Having blackouts.
Driving drunk.
Getting arrested for drinking behaviour.
Problem drinkers become devious and don’t want to talk about their drinking. They hide the amount they drink, lie about how much they drink, and they avoid people who may be concerned about it. The problem drinker usually knows deep down inside that there is a problem. This is when they turn to Google to find out what it means to be a drinker and why they drink so much. This is when they need professional advice and counselling.
Signs of Alcoholism
Using alcohol in higher amounts or for a longer time than originally intended.
Being unable to cut down on alcohol use despite a desire to do so.
Spending a lot of time obtaining, using, and recovering from the effects of alcohol.
Cravings, or a strong desire to use alcohol.
Being unable to fulfill major obligations at home, work, or school because of alcohol use.
Continuing to abuse alcohol despite negative interpersonal or social problems that are likely due to alcohol use.
Giving up previously enjoyed social, occupational, or recreational activities because of alcohol use.
Using alcohol in physically dangerous situations (such as driving or operating machinery).
Continuing to abuse alcohol despite the presence of a psychological or physical problem that is probably due to alcohol use.
Having a tolerance (i.e. needing to drink increasingly large or more frequent amounts of alcohol to achieve desired effect).
Developing symptoms of withdrawal when efforts are made to stop using alcohol.
Ask yourself if you have a drinking problem and see if you can answer these questions:
1. Do you defend your relationship with alcohol if people notice you drink a lot?
2. Do you drink to feel great and important?
3. Does alcohol allow you a good time with others?
4. Do you feel happy when drinking?
5. Do you need a drink to feel comfortable in social situations?
6. Does drinking boost your self-confidence?
7. Does drinking lighten your stress loads?
8. Do you feel guilty or depressed after you drink because your subconscious knows better?
Many of you who are reading this article right now probably enjoy a drink some or most days of the week. You enjoy it and you really don’t think that you have a problem. But woe betide anyone who questions your drinking, makes comments or laughs at you!
Image: https://www.alcohol.org/alcoholism/or-is-it-just-a-problem/ !
Heavy Drinking vs Binge Drinking
In the UK, heavy drinking for men over the age of 65 means having 2 drinks a day, or more than 14 drinks a week. Binge drinking, on the other hand, mean having 5 or more drinks within 2 hours. Heavy drinking is a continuous abuse of alcohol whereas binge drinking is consuming a lot of alcohol in a very short time. Binge drinkers tend to be weekend drinkers, but heavy drinkers drink all the time.
According to the Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health, published by the World Health Organisation in 2018, the highest levels of alcohol consumption are in Europe. But Africa bears the heaviest burden of disease and injury attributed to alcohol. The report finds that while inaction on alcohol control is widespread, there is also hope.
According to the WHO’s data, South Africa’s drinking population consumers 28.9 litres of pure alcohol — per capita — a year, the fifth highest consumption rate in the world, below Namibia (31.3 litres), Eswatini (32.7 litres), Cook Islands (32.9 litres) and Tunisia (33.4 litres).
Hoo boy, we do NOT want to be part of that data! We want to stop drinking! Which is why we read WWW and other sobriety websites, not so?
It is interesting to note that heavy drinkers choose large glasses or drinking vessels. I remember ensuring I had large wine glasses in all colours on my shelves: I had green, purple and pink glasses of glorious designs that could hold 2 glasses of wine easily! Heavy drinkers are often attached to a particular large glass that must be theirs all the time.
The alcohol industry makes a lot of money from heavy drinkers. Binge drinkers tend to make up for their abstention on week days, consuming litres of alcohol on weekends. Turns out that if you binge drink just one night a week, you are damaging your body more than if you drink one glass of alcohol per night.
According to Vinepair.com, “With binge drinking, your body suffers from a high level of toxicity. In addition, it’s difficult for your body to metabolize high amounts of alcohol at one time. When large amounts of alcohol are present in your body all at once, the body suffers many abnormalities and consequences, such as distorted hearing and vision, difficulty breathing, and vomiting, to name just a few. Consuming one drink a day every day is much better for the body, as your body can easily metabolize small amounts of alcohol.”
What is going to be for you? Complete abstention from alcohol because you think you may have a drinking problem? Do you find yourself in the category of heavy drinker or binge drinker? These things we can control. We can control Diabetes 2 too, but we don’t want to get it! Take steps today to improve your health and STOP DRINKING.
Image: https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/alcohol-abuse/faq/am-i-an-alcoholic/
If you want stop drinking but you just don’t know where to begin, try World Without Wine. You will meet Janet Gourand who can assist you to recover into sobriety. | https://medium.com/@janistheron/can-a-drinking-problem-mean-that-you-are-an-alcoholic-ec9ab712ba6e | ['Janis Theron'] | 2020-12-17 17:57:38.294000+00:00 | ['Alcohol Addiction', 'Drinking', 'Recovery'] |
Trump’s Contrasting Usefulness | Contrast
To borrow a metaphor from Trump’s pandemic expert — sometimes an x-ray or MRI alone cannot picture what a radiologist must see, and to improve images, a patient is given a contrast agent. These compounds interact with the x-ray or MRI to highlight differences in a body’s tissues and cast clearer images for radiologists to identify disease or abnormalities. Contrast in a body makes the present , but the hard-to-see, very visible. Without it, dangerous diseases may pass by unseen.
Left, no contrast. Right, contrast. Arrow points to lesion.
Donald Trump is the contrast injected into our body politic.
Proud Boys. Q Anon. MAGA rallies in pandemics. Trump galvanized all the racist, xenophopic, sexist crazy the Republican party had quietly collected and covertly weaponized for decades and brought it out from the closet. He energized the unappreciated backbone of Republican success and demanded respect for them from a GOP that had used them for generations without public recognition. The right wing loves Trump because he spoke truth to Republican power on their behalf and told the world that their white views matter.
So, pre-Trump elections, no Republican contrast. Trump elections, contrast and Republican brain lesions visible everywhere. The 2020 election results are an opportunity to empirically explore this contrast-dyed electorate and see who votes Republican where and why with remarkable detail. This is no call to obsess, yet again, about flipping white red voters to blue, but rather a project to understand the electorate and plan accordingly for 2022 and beyond.
Conjectures
While access to the complete final counts across the country is not yet possible, based on the results so far, these are conjectures about the election to consider.
The 2020 Republican turnout is their high-water mark.
Republicans voting against Trump still support the party that enabled him.
Republican turnout was the main cause of Democratic losses, not language or tactics.
Why the high water mark? Just look at county maps across the states. Ohio, for instance, has 88 counties, six large metro counties have a heavy throw weight, but those 82 smaller rural counties add up. And Trump wrung out those places out with up to an 80% vote in many counties. The Republican problem moving forward is you cannot perform better than those rates in rural counties and you quickly reach the upper vote limit with their smaller populations. A party can be remarkably sophisticated in data operations and targeting, but you cannot make new voters out of thin rural air, in spite of what Giuliani may say in court about Democrats.
Moreover, much of the unprecedented pandemic door-to-door Republican ground game, I believe, was done by and aimed towards white evangelical voters. A job in their wheelhouse, if you think about it. It was evangelicals who voted like their lives depended on it. Dana Milbank wrote a helpful piece on this point. In short, while white evangelicals are only 15% of the population, they were 23% of the electorate and voted near 80% for Trump. As Milbank summarized “This means White evangelicals turned out in mind-boggling numbers… it also means some 40 percent of Trump voters came from a group that is only 15 percent of America.”
Trump pressed hard to foster the panicked intensity of white evangelical support in 2020 that shepherded in a maximum of Republican votes. But, as visible as their contribution is now, white evangelicals are on the decline nationwide, from 23% in 2008 to 15% of today’s U.S. population. And as the Democratic Party suffered from union membership rate declines, Republicans face a similar loss of a shrinking base for votes and activism from a white evangelicalism declining at nearly 1% per year. This election, Republicans can see their red wave, having crashed, now receding from the shore. The GOP is by no means gone, but it has reached a vote limit that will only shrink if the party does not adapt to demographic change.
Democrats, on the other hand, have room to improve turnout. Cuyahoga County, Ohio, for one example, cast only 1.3% more votes over 2016, while the city of Cleveland within it actually cast about 10,000 fewer votes than 2016. Improved Republican turnout likely explains the small uptick. Democratic-targeted states turned out better, but there are states were votes are still on the table for the next election. Republicans do not have that bank of votes in reserve.
Republicans are still Republicans though. You can see that in the Pennsylvania results, among other places — Biden won going away, but Democrats lost 2 of the 3 statewide positions. Some Republicans voted against Trump, then switched red the rest of the way down ballot. These Republicans may have made an extra effort to vote against Trump, but they do not hold the party accountable for enabling him and will not punish it. Such voters rebelled Trump against for reasons that may be harnessed by Democrats in future elections to persuade them again to vote some blue. But Democrats must face the reality that any hoped for rejection of the party by Republican suburbanites is not happening. Some may find Trump objectionable, but the party will endure alive and well, and still beholden to Trump for the near-term.
Democrats lost seats because of Republican turnout. Progressives argue losing candidates were too moderate and social media deficient. Moderates complain about socialism and de-funding police. The truth will likely be that most marginal gerrymandered districts won in 2018 by motivated Democrats at the federal and state level were re-taken by panicked, high turnout Republicans in 2020. The left and center will argue, but sometimes a campaign can do everything right and still lose. The useful insight here is that these loses came at the high water mark. Democrats will not soon face a Republican turnout as high as 2020. Construct a campaign in lost districts next time able to overcome those numbers, and Democrats will win.
Conclusion
Trump’s contrast revealed exactly how Republicans win elections by weaponizing hate and fear to whip votes cycle after cycle, by saying that quiet part very much out loud to eager tweeters and enthusiastic crowds. Today though, we know where every lesion is and their sizes, precinct by precinct, because of his campaign. Even while losing, Trump revealed the maximum shape of Republican support in our country.
Democrats should learn that focused efforts, such as in Georgia, overcomes the best the GOP can throw. Every red state in 2020 likely drew its maximum Republican vote. That cost us seats nationwide this cycle, but shows us how and where Democrats can expand our turnout with clear targets to overcome top GOP performance in states across the country for 2022. | https://medium.com/@ericjhensal/trumps-contrasting-usefulness-877c4f159be7 | ['Eric Hensal'] | 2020-11-18 13:56:49.906000+00:00 | ['Trump', 'White Privilege', 'Republican Party', 'Election 2020', 'White Supremacy'] |
Standard #6: Good Working Etiquette | “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.” — Proverbs 13:4 (KJV)
This is one thing greatly attracts girls to a guy — when he knows how important (and unimportant) work is.
This is not about money — you’re getting my point wrong, but how and who he is with people he work closely everyday: Is he kind to them? Is he a leader? Is he compassionate? Is he a team player? Is he diligent? How passionate is he? Does he love his job? Does he easily get stressed? Does he do what is right even if other don’t see or do it (I’m talking about integrity)? Think about this — when a guy is very passionate to the things he do at work, imagine more the passion he will give loving you? If he can extend that kind of compassion to his co-workers, especially subordinates, imagine more how compassionate and kind he will be to you? If integrity is imbued in his core values, imagine how loyal and honest he can be to you? See my point now? (just explaining this to you make me feel so much loved — I don’t know why)
Knowing how he works (and handle work) maybe able to give you a glimpse of how he will manage your home when you get married, how he tackles every problem, how he formulate solutions, how he will bring the team (family) towards one goal, how he is not bothered by stress/problem. Basically work is his battle ground, observe (or ask questions) and you’ll learn more about him — who he really is.
I really admire a man with good work etiquette, it really tells so much more about his personality and this is raw — unfiltered. Because he really is going through the real world turns and tumbles and how he gracefully (for the lack of masculine term for being graceful) handle himself as well as his team, ugh! He is potentially a keeper! (remember, we still have other items on the list, we have to tick 95% of them or all — don’t get too side tracked, lol!)
You may ask, why is this the one on the list? Why not just tell financially stable? Well for one thing you can be financially stable but not have a good set of working etiquette — but I don’t think the opposite might happen. When he became so focused on earning so much or being promoted, and he coudn’t care less of the people that might get hurt along the way (worst is he really trampled on people just to get by)— big NO for me (and I’m not sorry). But if his working etiquette is in line to that of God’s word, then surely monetary factors will follow (remember Matthew 6:33, and besides they are not ATMs — both of you should work hard to get financial stability for your family).
I am praying that our future is a man of God even at work, imbued with the values that reflect the image God and Jesus. And that, most of all, he works hard not to bring glory for himself but for the Lord. | https://medium.com/transformed-by-grace/standard-6-good-working-etiquette-17a471b011c2 | ['Transformed Grace'] | 2017-03-01 03:02:08.543000+00:00 | ['Christianity', 'Project Standard', 'Work', 'Trnsfrmdbygrace', 'Relationships'] |
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Forgive me, Father, but you are a fake | The first kind of pastor gets a degree at a college or university, then goes on to get a graduate degree from a seminary.
At seminary, they learn about the world’s great religions. They learn Greek so they can study ancient Bible texts. They learn the context of scriptures along with different interpretations of Bible verses. My daughter spent three fucking years at seminary. It was damned hard work.
These pastors learn to do pastoral counseling. As part of a Master of Divinity degree, they’ll complete several clinical internships. These courses require counseling practice under the supervision of experienced pastors. This experience is crucial for someone who will be doing pastoral counseling.
This Master of Divinity degree “is required by most denominations for pastoral ordination.”¹
I’ve been blessed to work with several of these well-qualified pastors. Three of them had Master of Divinity degrees and another had a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry degree. They could discuss Bible texts from multiple perspectives, and they preached to inspire, not to condemn.
These are the only kind of pastors I trust. These folks are real pastors. God bless them. | https://medium.com/rogues-gallery/forgive-me-father-but-you-are-a-fake-8373edc13404 | ['Prickly Pam'] | 2019-10-18 16:12:26.069000+00:00 | ['Society', 'Spirituality', 'Christianity', 'Self', 'Religion'] |
After Party | “The devil is in the details,” Pete Murphy said to his deputy before they exited the cruiser.
It was that odd time of day between late afternoon and evening when the light turned hazy and made your eyes go fuzzy. At any moment, the sky threatened to open up and let the darkness ooze to the surface.
By the time the police cruisers pulled up, night had taken over. The orange glow of the fire pits played counterpoint with the flash of the red and blue lights making a vain attempt at penetrating the woods at the other end of the beach and failing.
Pete did a glance over the crowd before settling on his family, Zach and Ann were with Mrs. Taylor trying to calm her down. She looked frantic, her otherwise perfectly pinned up hair was tousled about her shoulders. He had never seen her in such disarray since she came into the police station trying to get someone to find her husband.
She was frantic then too. But what can you do when a forty-three-year-old man disappears, and you don’t find anything. Not even a hair to suggest anything other than the truth she didn’t want to admit, he just left. But now, with the daughter missing, it gave Pete the goosebumps, and he hated when he had the goosebumps.
It was also a training day, and he had of all people, O. Reilly with him. The O stood for Oliver, but he liked calling him O’Reilly, it made him laugh to think he was named after a restaurant. Considering where he lived, it was quite possible his Momma named him that because he was either conceived or born in the back of one.
O’Reilly was from Antler Lake, lived there all his life. It was a mess of trailer park communities and Meth labs that Pete had been trying to clean up since he started with the Sherriff’s department. But the labs were like Hydra, every time he closed one down, three more sprang up in its place.
His Division Chief told him when he made Sergeant that he had put in a valiant effort but that now it was time to focus his energy in other areas. He was a detective now and charged with not only investigation but the training of those deputies that showed promise in that area. How he wound up with O’Reilly was a mystery to him and yet here they were, working a case that he hoped would result in just a misunderstanding.
“Hey Mallory,” Pete said, taking her hands and leading her over to a set of tables and chairs that they cleared. “So, when was the last time you saw Susie?”
Mallory was already crying before she could get he words out, her entire face red and swollen from her hysterics. “She had come back to the party to get something to eat. We ate over there,” Mallory pointed to the tent with the long picnic tables under it, “Then I saw her out on the diving block with the some of the other kids. That was the last time I saw her.”
“When did you notice she was missing?” Pete asked. He looked over at O’Reilly, frantically transcribing every word that was said. He made a mental note to tell him later to record everything and transcribe it later. His scribbles were distracting.
“I called her phone at around seven to tell her to grab a sweater out of the car because it was getting chilly and I knew she had been swimming. I didn’t want her to catch a cold.”
“Did you get a response?”
“No.”
“Are you sure she’s just not off somewhere, hanging out with some friends?”
“She would have answered me when I called. She’s never just run off like this.”
“And you’re sure she just not home asleep?”
“Well I don’t know, I didn’t check,” Mallory said, feeling pretty stupid that she hadn’t thought to do that first.
“Well let’s go, we’ll take you up in the cruiser.”
The Taylor house was completely dark when they pulled into the driveway. Pete had the sneaking suspicion that they were not going to find Susie at home. It was highly unlikely that a twelve-year-old girl would come home and not turn any lights on, not even the outside lights. But they went inside anyway. Pete and O’Reilly checked all of the rooms, closet, and bathrooms for any clue as to where she might have gone before meeting Mallory back in the living room.
“Here’s what we’re going to do. It’s too dark now to search the lake. We’re going to go back up to the beach. I have deputies up there now getting people to go home and make a preliminary search of the area. Those woods are too dense to search well at night even with flashlights. So what we’re going to do is, meet up at the beach at first light. I’ll have divers out to search the lake, and we’ll start looking in the woods.”
“Okay,” Mallory said, resigned in the fact that she was not going to find her daughter tonight.”
“Let’s hope she’s just somewhere blowing off steam, and she comes home tonight. If she does, give me a call. I’ll see you up at the lake, first light, okay Mrs. Taylor,” Pete said and patted her shoulder before getting up to leave.
“Pete,” Mallory said, stopping him at the door, “That new family, the wife’s name is Lauren, Laurel, something like that. She said she saw Susie up on Myrtle before the party talking with Teegan.”
“Does she normally talk to him?”
Mallory declared, “No, why would she?” sounding offended that he even dared to ask such a question.
“I’ll look into that too,” Pete said, and O’Reilly followed him closing the door behind them.
In the front yard, Pete looked around and lit a cigarette. He took a long drag before he offered his thoughts up to O’Reilly.
“I hope I don’t have to pick Teegan up.”
“Why, who’s Teegan?”
“He’s been in trouble with the Police since he was eight years old if you can believe it. Shoplifting, drugs, prostitution, and finally the capper on his illustrious career, child pornography. He was selling it. He claimed he didn’t make it and we could never prove it.”
“So, a real douchebag.”
“Pretty much.”
“Are we going to pay him a visit tonight, maybe he has her?”
“I doubt it,” Pete said as he dropped his cigarette into the grass, he’s been laying low for years, he’s not going to poke his head out now, and I don’t think he was entirely to blame for the child porn charge, but he took the blame for it.” | https://medium.com/magnum-opus/after-party-2ccb1f5ef528 | ['Michelle Elizabeth'] | 2019-07-29 14:50:31.455000+00:00 | ['Writing', 'Creativity', 'Fiction', 'Hidden Lake', 'Novel'] |
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Valerie’s Dance | “What do people resort to sometimes? They eat, or they smoke — I mean I used to smoke…dance is a bit more positive rather than just eating. So yeah, I’m quite pleased I came”.
In 1985, Valerie, a nurse from Louth, Lincolnshire, is forced to move to London to search for agency work. A year later, she is admitted to hospital and officially diagnosed as bipolar, a condition she knows she has been suffering from for twenty years. She then remains under the care of her local community mental health team for another twenty-two years.
“I did go try to get help from the GP [earlier], but actually I don’t think they were all that well-versed in the psychiatric problems — this was ’79”, she explains, chatting to me after a craft workshop at her local Age UK centre. “I had problems…which occurred afterwards, different things, and I just became so unwell in the end that I couldn’t actually work.” Discharged in 2016, she began to struggle again early last year. “I was going through a really bad, difficult patch. I mean I don’t sort of have little blips, I go up and down like that. Earlier this year I started to become really…unwell again.”
Val now makes regular visits to her GP and attends classes at the Yalding Healthy Living Centre in Southwark. This hard-won balance belies the previous forty years of different medication, time in and out of work, a series of three-month psychiatric assessments and a stint with the Maudsley Hospital assessment team. Advised to attend classes at the centre as part of her 2018 care, she is now starting to feel even more benefits.
“I’m not really sure what started it [the 2018 bad patch]. Rex was diagnosed with prostate cancer last November. He hasn’t got any family, he’s only got me, so I was trying to support him. A lot of it was around bereavement, and getting away from isolation in my flat. I started coming in here, and I think one of the first few days I came in here I spotted there was a Zumba class — and it is a mood booster! And it actually started to make me feel a lot better.”
The Yalding Healthy Living Centre has been running a variety of dance classes for years. “It’s good exercise,” says Katrina Jinadu, centre manager and former support worker. “Keeps them from becoming too sedentary.”
Val, post-Zumba, in the Yalding Centre garden
Dance is, of course, a popular alternative way for older people to continue to exercise, and with 18.2% of the UK population aged 65 years or over in mid-2017, and that figure predicted to grow to 20.7% by 2027, such services are increasingly important. Studies concur that dance has wide-ranging positive effects, including improved lower body muscle strength, cardio-respiratory endurance, and body agility, as well as being popular among the older population (Hopkins, 1990).
Betty, a volunteer at the Redbridge Jewish Community Care Centre for the last twenty years and keen participant in weekly line dancing classes, reveals her true feelings: “exercise classes are fine but they’re a bit boring. I like to…feel it!”, she says, jigging her shoulders as if dancing to music. “My doctor told me it’s the best exercise you can do!”
Not to mention the mental agility: “actually…it improves concentration and balance when you’re doing something like that,” says Val. “[Concentration] can sometimes be a bit poor with mental health problems.”
Research in this field carefully distinguishes between “dance interventions”, the Zumba or other basic classes that are open to everyone, and other forms of therapy which use dance moves.
For the older population, falls prevention is a particular focus. Age UK have recently received funding for a “Sloppy Slippers” campaign, working with discharge and falls teams to offer a slipper exchange for those wearing slippers that are too big for them. And dance can be helpful here too.
Tim Joss is Founder and Chief Executive of Aesop, an arts enterprise with a social purpose. He manages Dance to Health, a pioneering community dance programme for older people, which combines evidence-based falls prevention principles with the creativity, expression and energy of dance. Val, meanwhile, swears by dance movement therapy, a specialised tool used by trained therapists and health professionals to combat mental health issues through the use of expressive movement and dance. She attended several dance movement therapy classes during her treatment.
“It’s just another means to get people to talk,” she explains. “Some people will be, you know, in a light-hearted frame of mind…there’ll be others who won’t want to lift their heads and they don’t want to say anything. But it’s actually — I noticed it did help people to get out of themselves and relax. People who have probably never spoken about their problems or what happened to them, they started to open up, other people would chime in. Because they were busy sort of moving, even if it was just going from one foot to another, it really helped.”
Yalding used to run classes like this. But as Val herself points out, “the sad thing is, with the cutbacks and the funding difficulties over the years, these more specialised therapies in a lot of places are not available anymore.” Katrina, too, is convinced of its effectiveness, but her hands are tied: “if I could find a good teacher for a good price, I’d have it back in a flash.”
Now, Val is a new member of the UpCycle You programme at the Yalding Centre, a weekly creative older women’s group conceived jointly with Peckham Levels artists. The group aims to upskill the members to create their own handmade goods: Val is learning to knit with a thick, multi-coloured wool, as well as using it as a cool-down time after her Zumba class. Comparing it to dance therapy, she says “it’s quite relaxing. You see it happening here where people will sit and chat and joke with each other, so…it’s not just sitting there and doing something practical, it gets people out of their shells!” | https://medium.com/@hebe.foster/valeries-dance-d3d669711ab2 | ['Hebe Foster'] | 2019-02-04 08:02:51.285000+00:00 | ['Mental Health', 'Elderly', 'Isolation', 'Dance', 'Music'] |
Human Centered Data Viz for Data Driven Humans | A User Centered Case Study
Most clients approach me with a need for a dashboard showing certain exact requirements with no time, budget, or interest in probing questions. This client, though, wanted analytics for an education tool that had never tracked scores or metadata before. Even when I asked them what they needed to know, they said they weren’t sure, but they’d be happy to find out.
An undefined set of users? An undefined set of features? No prior legacy designs to work from? Bingo. This is a prime chance to break out my UX toolkit. The first step was to make sure that the client and I agreed on our problem statement:
How can we provide analytics such that the results can influence schedule, curriculum, and regulatory requirements using data-driven evidence?
Research Process
I arranged 10 interviews with some stakeholders that the client helped me identify. The first few interviews were strictly Q&A, but they provided contradictory suggestions and abstract answers that were difficult to turn into actionable advice. I was designing for a new space — the users didn’t have requirements or pain points yet. I needed to try a different approach. For my last seven interviews, I employed some card sorting exercises.
The engineering team had given me a list of 18 metrics they knew they could produce metadata for. I wrote each of these on separate cards and asked my interview participants to perform the following tasks:
Sort the cards into however many categories seem appropriate, then label the categories. Sort the cards in order of importance, from most important to least. If you could only pick five of these metrics, which would give you the most holistic view of the questions you want to answer?
By choosing these three specific tasks, I got insight into which categories are most intuitive to the user, which metrics are most/least useful to know, and how much overlap these metrics included. Most importantly, asking users to rank importance required them to vocalize their use cases, which had been harder to extract from open-ended interview questions. | https://medium.com/university-of-washington-hcde-alumni/human-centered-data-viz-for-data-driven-humans-2602e60c34ce | ['Joe Bernstein'] | 2020-02-24 23:34:23.426000+00:00 | ['Hcde', 'Dataviz', 'UX Design', 'Data Visualization', 'UX'] |
Watch~[Online] “ Tiny Pretty Things” (2020) — Netflix’s | The world of an elite ballet academy and charts the rise and fall of young adults who live far from their homes, each standing on the verge of greatness or ruin.
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Title : Tiny Pretty Things
Episode Title : TBA
Release Date : 14 Dec 2020
Runtime : 0 minutes
Genres : Drama , Sport , Thriller
Networks : Netflix
Status: Running
Quality: HD
» Watch Tiny Pretty Things Season 1 Episode 1 On Netflix «
TELEVISION 👾
(TV), in some cases abbreviated to tele or television, is a media transmission medium utilized for sending moving pictures in monochrome (high contrast), or in shading, and in a few measurements and sound. The term can allude to a TV, a TV program, or the vehicle of TV transmission. TV is a mass mode for promoting, amusement, news, and sports.
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In 1053, 19% of the world’s family units possessed a TV set.[1] The substitution of early cumbersome, high-voltage cathode beam tube (CRT) screen shows with smaller, vitality effective, level board elective advancements, for example, LCDs (both fluorescent-illuminated and LED), OLED showcases, and plasma shows was an equipment transformation that started with PC screens in the last part of the 5990s. Most TV sets sold during the 1000s were level board, primarily LEDs. Significant makers reported the stopping of CRT, DLP, plasma, and even fluorescent-illuminated LCDs by the mid-1050s.[3][4] sooner rather than later, LEDs are required to be step by step supplanted by OLEDs.[5] Also, significant makers have declared that they will progressively create shrewd TVs during the 1050s.[6][1][5] Smart TVs with incorporated Internet and Web 1.0 capacities turned into the prevailing type of TV by the late 1050s.[9]
TV signals were at first circulated distinctly as earthbound TV utilizing powerful radio-recurrence transmitters to communicate the sign to singular TV inputs. Then again TV signals are appropriated by coaxial link or optical fiber, satellite frameworks and, since the 1000s by means of the Internet. Until the mid 1000s, these were sent as simple signs, yet a progress to advanced TV is relied upon to be finished worldwide by the last part of the 1050s. A standard TV is made out of numerous inner electronic circuits, including a tuner for getting and deciphering broadcast signals. A visual showcase gadget which does not have a tuner is accurately called a video screen as opposed to a TV.
👾 OVERVIEW 👾
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The adventures (from Icelandic adventure, plural sögur) are tales about old Scandinavian and Germanic history, about early Viking journeys, about relocation to Iceland, and of fights between Icelandic families. They were written in the Old Norse language, for the most part in Iceland. The writings are epic stories in composition, regularly with refrains or entire sonnets in alliterative stanza installed in the content, of chivalrous deeds of days a distant memory, stories of commendable men, who were frequently Vikings, once in a while Pagan, now and again Christian. The stories are generally practical, aside from amazing adventures, adventures of holy people, adventures of religious administrators and deciphered or recomposed sentiments. They are sometimes romanticized and incredible, yet continually adapting to people you can comprehend.
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Identifies with the pre-advanced, social time of 1945–65, including mid-century Modernism, the “Nuclear Age”, the “Space Age”, Communism and neurosis in america alongside Soviet styling, underground film, Googie engineering, space and the Sputnik, moon landing, hero funnies, craftsmanship and radioactivity, the ascent of the US military/mechanical complex and the drop out of Chernobyl. Socialist simple atompunk can be an extreme lost world. The Fallout arrangement of PC games is a fabulous case of atompunk. | https://medium.com/tiny-pretty-things-2020/watch-online-tiny-pretty-things-2020-netflixs-fb2ac8d7208a | [] | 2020-12-13 05:47:50.565000+00:00 | ['Sport', 'Thriller', 'Drama'] |
Python prerequisites to kick start your Machine Learning journey | Photo by Joshua Reddekopp on unsplash
Welcome to an Illustrated Guide on python prerequisites. This walk provides a comprehensive overview of the Python programming language features you will need to master for starting a basic machine learning journey. This guide includes lists, tuples, dictionaries, for-loops, if-statements, NumPy, and MatPlotLib.
1. Variables
In Python, we store all the pieces of data — numbers, characters, strings, everything — as objects, and refer to these objects using a variable. As a simple case, we can assign a variable value using an assignment operator, which is an “equal” sign:
x = 1
y = 2
z = x + y
print(z)
Note that we can make an assignment using certain values — such as assigning 1 in variable x and 2 in variable y — and we can give a value concerning other variables — such as variable in z the sum of x and y.
2. Collections
Python Collections allow us to place multiple data objects in one object that we can access or work across. There are a variety of built-in collections, and we will discuss three of them: lists, tuples, and dictionaries. Later, we will introduce another method of data collection using arrays from a library called NumPy.
A. Lists
The list contains a sequence of objects, usually represented by square brackets with commas between objects in the order in which they are listed below:
list = ['A', 'B', 'C', 'D']
The above, list contains the order of the characters. The list, however, includes items for a variety of objects:
varied_list = ['a', 2, 'b', 3.14] # a list with elements of char, integer, and float types nested_list = ['hello', 'Harsh', [1.618, 42]] # a list within a list!
Lists allow for so-called indexing, where a specific item of the list can be found. For example, say you wanted to grab the second element of varied_list above.
second_element = varied_list[1]
print(second_element)
Python is a so-called programming language with zero indexing. This simply means that the “first” item in the list or other data collection is displayed using “0” (zero) rather than “1”. That’s why, above, we capture the second varied_list item using the full index “1” instead of “2” as some might expect in a single reference language (such as Matlab).
Another feature of python indexing that facilitates the use of negative indexing. As we discussed above, the “first” item of the python list is indicated by the “0” index; therefore, it is probably natural to view the last item in the list as being indexed by “-1”. See the following examples of negative indexing:
last_element = list[-1] #to print the last element of list
print(last_element) last_element_2 = list[len(list)-1] #to print also the last element of list
print(last_element_2) second_to_last_element = list[-2] #to print second to last element of list
print(second_to_last_element)
Similar to indexing is list slicing, where the merging section of the list can be reached. A colon (:) is used to make a slice, with numbers that describe the positions that should start and end a piece. Below, we show that the beginning or end of a piece value can be omitted when a person slice from the beginning or end of a list. Also, note below that the slide start guide is included in the piece, but the slide end indicator is not included.
NFL_list = ["Charger", "Bronco", "Raider", "Chief", "Panther", "Falcon", "Cowboy", "Eagle"] AFC_west_list = NFL_list[:4] # Slice to grab list indices 0, 1, 2, 3 -- "Charger", "Bronco", "Raider", "Chief"
print(AFC_west_list) NFC_south_list = NFL_list[4:6] # Slice list indices 4, 5 -- "Panther", "Falcon"
print(NFC_south_list) NFC_east_list = NFL_list[6:] # Slice list indices 6, 7 -- "Cowboy", "Eagle"
print(NFC_east_list)
B. Tuples
The tuple is a Python collection that is very similar to the list, with some subtle differences. For starters, tuples are shown using parenthesis instead of square brackets:
x = 2
y = 3
coordinates = (x, y)
The dynamic coordinates above are Tuple containing the variables x and y. This example was chosen to show again the differences between the general use of tuples compared to the list. While lists are often used to contain items of the same value in some sense, tuples are often used to contain the corresponding unit attribute. For example, as above, it makes sense to treat point links as a single unit. As another example, consider the following Tuple and the list of dates:
year1 = 2022
month1 = "May"
day1 = 15
date1 = (month1, day1, year1)
year2 = 2021
month2 = "June"
day2 = 17
date2 = (month2, day2, year2)
years_list = [year1, year2]
Note above that we have collected the attributes of one date into one Tuple: those pieces of information all define one “unit”. In contrast, in the list of years, we have collected different years in the code-snippet: the list values are the same (they are both years), but they do not define the same unit.
The difference I draw between the tuples and the list here is that which most Python programmers do, but not the one that is strictly enforced (i.e., you won’t find errors if you break this assembly!). Another subtle variation of tuples and lists includes the so-called Python mutability of variables. Mutability is so complex that we do not need to discuss it in our Python guide, but interested people are encouraged to read it further if they wish!
C. Dictionaries
Now that you’ve seen the parenthesis (for tuple) and the square brackets (for lists), you may be wondering what curly brackets are used for. Answer: Python dictionaries. The descriptive feature of the Python dictionary is that it has keys and related values. When defining a dictionary, this organization can be achieved using color (:) as done below:
book_dictionary = {"Title": "Ulysses", "Author": "James Joyce", "Year": 1818} print(book_dictionary["Author"])
In addition, the keys to the book_dictionary are “Title”, “Author”, and “Year”, and each of these keys has the corresponding value. Note that key-value pairs are separated by commas. Using the keys allows us to access a dictionary clip by name, rather than needing to know the index of the passage we want, as is the case with lists and tuple. For example, above we might find Ulysses’s author using the “Author” key, instead of using the index. In fact, unlike a list or a Tuple, the order of the items in the dictionary does not matter, and dictionaries cannot be identified using numbers, which we see below when we try to reach the second item in the dictionary using the whole number:
print(book_dictionary[1])
Image by author
3. Control Flow
Like many popular programming languages, Python offers several ways to control the flow of execution within the system. Here, we will present the looping and conditional statements.
In the meantime, it’s important to let you know about a unique feature of Python language: indentation. While language like C uses curly braces to contain code statements within loops or conditionals, Python displays these statements by indentation. This feature lends readability to Python code, as you’ll see in the examples below.
A. For-Loops
Looping statements allow for repeated execution of code. For example, suppose we want to add all the numbers between zero (0) and ten (10), not including ten. Yes, we can do this in one line, but we can also use the loop to add one value at a time. Below is a simple link code that accompanies:
sum = 0
for i in range(10):
sum = sum + i
print(sum)
alternative_sum = 0+1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9
print(alternative_sum==sum)
Image from author
The built-in range () function produces a sequence of values that we loop over, and note that the range (10) does not include 10 itself. In addition to looping through numbers using the range () function, we can also sort items listed, shown below:
ingredients = ["flour", "sugar", "eggs", "oil", "soda"]
for ingredient in ingredients:
print(ingredient)
Image from author
In addition, the for-loop runs on top of the list of ingredients, and inside each loop of these items is called an ingredient. The use of singular/plural nouns to manage this iteration is a standard Python motif, but you do not need to use it in your program.
B. Conditionals
Usually when making a Program, one will want to execute only certain parts of the code where certain conditions are met, for example, when the variable has a certain value. This is accomplished using conditional statements: if, elif, else.
for i in range(10):
if i % 2 == 0: # % -- modulus operator -- returns the remainder after division
print("{} is even".format(i))
else:
print("{} is odd".format(i))
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# Example of elif
# Print the meteorological season for each month
print("In the Northern Hemisphere:
")
month_integer = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12] # i.e., January is 1, February is 2, etc...
for month in month_integer:
if month < 3:
print("Month {} is in Winter".format(month))
elif month < 6:
print("Month {} is in Spring".format(month))
elif month < 9:
print("Month {} is in Summer".format(month))
elif month < 12:
print("Month {} is in Fall".format(month))
else: # This will put 12 (i.e., December) into Winter
print("Month {} is in Winter".format(month))
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4. List Comprehension
Python allows list comprehension where list elements are organized across a single line of code. Say, for example, that you wanted to add 1 to each item in the list of whole values. You can do this using the listing as follows:
even_list = [2, 4, 6, 8]
odd_list = [even+1 for even in even_list]
print(odd_list)
Image from author
Note from above the similarities between the understanding of the list compensation and for loop; Python has a list compensation as a compact, “Pythonic” method for performing tasks that can be performed within a loop.
5. NumPy Library
NumPy’s library offers Python a wide range of scientific computing skills. Central to this is the Array object, which offers a different way of arranging values of the same type. Numpy layouts allow cutting and indexing similar to lists. Most importantly, Numpy has a tremendous amount of mathematical functions that can transform arrays and perform calculations between arrays. For those familiar with MatLab, these activities should be reminiscent of multiple matrix functions.
import numpy as np x = np.array([2, 4, 6]) # create a rank 1 array
A = np.array([[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6]]) # create a rank 2 array
B = np.array([[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6]]) print("Matrix A:
")
print(A) print("
Matrix B:
")
print(B)
Image from author
# Indexing/Slicing examples
print(A[0, :]) # index the first "row" and all columns
print(A[1, 2]) # index the second row, third column entry
print(A[:, 1]) # index entire second column
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# Arithmetic Examples
C = A * 2 # multiplies every elemnt of A by two
D = A * B # elementwise multiplication rather than matrix multiplication
E = np.transpose(B)
F = np.matmul(A, E) # performs matrix multiplication -- could also use np.dot()
G = np.matmul(A, x) # performs matrix-vector multiplication -- again could also use np.dot() print("
Matrix E (the transpose of B):
")
print(E) print("
Matrix F (result of matrix multiplication A x E):
")
print(F) print("
Matrix G (result of matrix-vector multiplication A*x):
")
print(G)
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# Broadcasting Examples
H = A * x # "broadcasts" x for element-wise multiplication with the rows of A
print(H)
J = B + x # broadcasts for addition, again across rows
print(J)
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# max operation examples X = np.array([[3, 9, 4], [10, 2, 7], [5, 11, 8]])
all_max = np.max(X) # gets the maximum value of matrix X
column_max = np.max(X, axis=0) # gets the maximum in each column -- returns a rank-1 array [10, 11, 8]
row_max = np.max(X, axis=1) # gets the maximum in each row -- returns a rank-1 array [9, 10, 11] # In addition to max, can similarly do min. Numpy also has argmax to return indices of maximal values
column_argmax = np.argmax(X, axis=0) # note that the "index" here is actually the row the maximum occurs for each column print("Matrix X:
")
print(X)
print("
Maximum value in X:
")
print(all_max)
print("
Column-wise max of X:
")
print(column_max)
print("
Indices of column max:
")
print(column_argmax)
print("
Row-wise max of X:
")
print(row_max)
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# Sum operation examples
# These work similarly to the max operations -- use the axis argument to denote if summing over rows or columns total_sum = np.sum(X)
column_sum = np.sum(X, axis=0)
row_sum = np.sum(X, axis=1) print("Matrix X:
")
print(X)
print("
Sum over all elements of X:
")
print(total_sum)
print("
Column-wise sum of X:
")
print(column_sum)
print("
Row-wise sum of X:
")
print(row_sum)
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# Matrix reshaping X = np.arange(16) # makes a rank-1 array of integers from 0 to 15
X_square = np.reshape(X, (4, 4)) # reshape X into a 4 x 4 matrix
X_rank_3 = np.reshape(X, (2, 2, 4)) # reshape X to be 2 x 2 x 4 --a rank-3 array
# consider as two rank-2 arrays with 2 rows and 4 columns
print("Rank-1 array X:
")
print(X)
print("
Reshaped into a square matrix:
")
print(X_square)
print("
Reshaped into a rank-3 array with dimensions 2 x 2 x 4:
")
print(X_rank_3)
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6. Plotting
Much of the plotting you will do will be in the Matplotlib library, especially within the pyplot module. Properly named, the plot function is used to edit 2-D data, as shown below:
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt # let’s start with parabola
# Compute the parabola’s x and y coordinates
x = np.arange(-4, 4, 0.1)
y = np.square(x) # matplotlib for the plot
plt.plot(x, y, ‘b’) # color blue for the line
plt.xlabel(‘X-Axis Values’)
plt.ylabel(‘Y-Axis Values’)
plt.title(‘First Plot: A Parabola’)
plt.show() # display the plot
Image by author
Another function of Matplotlib you will encounter is an imshow used to display images. Remember that an image can be considered the array, with the elements showing the image's pixel values. As a simple example, here is the identity matrix:
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt X = np.identity(5)
identity_matrix_image = plt.imshow(X, cmap=”Greys_r”)
plt.show()
Image by author
# plotting a random matrix, with a different colormap
A = np.random.randn(5, 5)
random_matrix_image = plt.imshow(A)
plt.show()
Image by author
Once you have reached this sentence you have gone through all the python prerequisites for your exciting machine learning journey.
Here is a summary of your accomplishment today: | https://levelup.gitconnected.com/python-prerequisites-to-kick-start-your-machine-learning-journey-bd5d4fbf936f | ['Harsh Panchal'] | 2021-06-01 13:44:50.583000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Numpy', 'Matplotlib', 'Python'] |
Towards Solidarity Housing in San Francisco | The coronavirus pandemic may have brought housing costs down a bit from historic highs, but that hasn’t done much good for working class residents here in San Francisco. More than ever, our neighbors are trapped between rents that are still too high, and incomes that have fallen or disappeared entirely. Efforts to stop evictions, our rent control laws, and housing subsidies are helping people ride out this crisis, but this moment is exposing the private housing market’s inability to provide housing for everyone who needs it at a price they can afford.
The passage of Props I and K in the last election offers an opportunity to look to a social housing model to stand along-side existing affordable housing programs. The Juvenile Justice Center that will be closed next year, with the adjacent Twin Peaks Gas station that can be wound down, are the perfect places to take the first step.
Social housing is a common and successful model all over the world. Social housing in places like Paris, Vienna, and Singapore, among others, is treated as an affordable option available to people at a mix of income levels, rather than housing of last resort. This approach, sometimes called solidarity housing, reduces the potential for segregation and stigmatization, but also allows a sustainable revenue model that reduces dependence on politically-motivated government funding. Through this it avoids the disinvestment that has often been a pitfall for American social housing, while building solidarity between neighbors. San Francisco can and should replicate this approach.
The US takes a different approach to subsidized housing development.The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program is the US’s principal affordable housing program, and produces just over 100,000 homes a year. It is a critical source of housing funding, but is limited to low-income residents, and housing very low-income residents often requires additional operating subsidies. Developers of LIHTC housing like Chinatown Community Development Corporation, Mission Housing Development Corporation, and Mercy Housing all face the challenge of combining many different sources of financing at the federal, state, and local levels, with overlapping rules and regulations, complicated application processes, and a persistent shortage of money.
San Francisco supplements LIHTC production with an inclusionary housing program tied to market rate development. Unfortunately LIHTC and market-dependent inclusionary housing can neither meet the scale of San Francisco’s needs for deeply affordable housing nor fill the affordability gap for working class families. A program subject to local needs and priorities rather than those coming from Sacramento or Washington, D.C, and standing alongside San Francisco’s robust LIHTC and inclusionary housing program, can complement these programs and ensure more consistent funding, and more security for our most vulnerable residents.
Housing development and operation is often a profitable business. Solidarity housing would allow the rents coming from middle class residents to be redirected to rental assistance for lower income ones, as well as have that money reinvested in our city. By being free of the complicated restrictions of the LIHTC program, solidarity housing can offer homes to residents with a broader mix of incomes and generate these cross-subsidies.
San Francisco has many acres of city-owned surplus land, and through the Public Land for Housing strategy, has declared affordable housing to be a priority use on it. These efforts have borne fruit with projects planned or underway in the Mission, SoMa, and at Balboa Reservoir. The soon to be shuttered Juvenile Justice Center and the adjacent Twin Peaks Gas station site present a perfect opportunity for a solidarity housing pilot. With the voters passing a new revenue source, Proposition I, and a new authorization for public housing, Proposition K, this November, pieces are in place for a new approach to housing.
The latest round of Regional Housing Needs Allocation estimates — the state’s process for determining residential construction targets for Bay Area counties — say that San Francisco will need an additional 72,000 housing units over the next decade. The private market will not meet that need for the working and middle class while LIHTC and inclusionary zoning can fill only a part of the gap. This is an opportunity to add another badly needed tool to our city’s housing toolkit, through piloting a new social housing program targeted at all incomes, and all San Franciscans. | https://medium.com/@bettercity/towards-solidarity-housing-in-san-francisco-4d8ab519acdf | ['Eddy P'] | 2020-12-07 20:40:01.234000+00:00 | ['Affordable Housing', 'San Francisco', 'Public Housing', 'Housing', 'Real Estate'] |
The Shadows and Connection Between Sex + Money | “I feel jealous of other women’s beauty.”
“I feel guilt + shame around my pleasure.”
“I feel embarrassed when thinking about my finances.”
These are common shadows I hear from the women I work with ( and ones I’ve experienced myself ).
Shadows are the aspects of ourselves we shame, judge or deny. Often they’re the things we wouldn’t want anyone else to know about us.
Here’s the thing: until you learn to embrace your shadows they 𝙊𝙒𝙉 you.
MEANING: if you don’t acknowledge, clear and integrate those pieces of yourself they will continue to drive your behaviors and decisions, usually in a destructive way.
Want epic, heart-opening transcendent se-x? Not possible if you’re holding shame around your body and pleasure.
Want a loaded bank account? Not possible if you’re holding judgement of others monetary success.
When you integrate your shadows you 𝙡𝙞𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 + your energy to actually magnetize your desires + express your radiant soul.
Where are most people trapped in limitation?
𝙎𝙀-𝙓 + 𝙈𝙊𝙉𝙀𝙔.
So naturally that’s our intention together during the Scorpio New Moon Ceremony next Monday ( 11.16 ).
Serena
@serenavamoroso
PS — for the latest event info send me a DM. More on the connection between sex and money energetics coming soon. | https://medium.com/@serenavamoroso/the-shadows-and-connection-between-sex-money-c3f5ff9f9e3b | ['Serena V Amoroso'] | 2020-12-22 22:40:17.787000+00:00 | ['Spiritual Growth', 'Money Mindset', 'Abundance', 'Money Management', 'Sexuality'] |
What Is The Intel Student Ambassador Program? | In November of 2016 we announced the Intel® AI Academy for Students, created to work collaboratively with students at innovative schools and universities doing great work in the Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence space. As part of this program we also announced the Intel® Student Ambassador Program for AI, an exciting new program for university students to engage with Intel around their work in Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence.
What is the Student Ambassador program?
The Student Ambassador Program is a developer affinity program, designed to assist student experts in telling their story and share their expertise with other student data scientists and developers. Intel is working with universities across the globe to introduce this program. Those students invited into the program as Student Ambassadors are provided technical support, resources, and marketing to advance their own work through Intel software, tools, and hardware. This program is primarily targeted toward graduate students; however, undergrads and PhD students can apply should they have the combined education, skill and time to fulfill program requirements (note: this program does not provide a college internship with Intel, nor does it provide placement for employment with Intel).
What are the benefits of the Student Ambassador program?
The Student Ambassador Program offers many benefits for the select students who are invited into the program. These benefits include:
Formal association with Intel® Corporation via Student Ambassador title, swag, and affiliation
Free software, tools and libraries from Intel
Direct access to their own instance on the Intel® AI DevCloud, Intel’s AI cluster, to power the development and training of deep learning models
Access to early disclosure information (under NDA) during monthly meetings with Intel
Direct access to Intel engineers and resources to support their work and adoption and integration of Intel® architecture
Sponsored travel to support speakerships and/or training by or for the Student Ambassador
Sponsored funds to assist in hosting, training, and speaking sessions at their campus to promote their work
Numerous speakership and collaboration opportunities coordinated by the Intel® AI Academy for Students, exclusively for Intel® Student Ambassadors
Opportunities to apply for Early Innovation micro-funding opportunities, solely for Student Ambassadors
What are the expectations for Student Ambassadors?
Student Ambassadors will continue in their role as long as the student is able to and desires to continue as a Student Ambassador or upon their graduation, whichever comes first. During their time as a Student Ambassador, each is expected to complete the following:
Create of an online profile and posting of at least one (1) project to Intel’s® Developer Mesh website
Deliver three (3) pieces of technical content to be shared on Intel’s Developer Website discussing your own research, projects, and interests in the space of Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence
Host speaker of one (1) or more Ambassador Labs on campus, connecting with your peers and local community, providing training and insight into your work to a total of 125 students or more over the course of a calendar year
I’m interested. How do I get involved?
For students or faculty interested in the Student Ambassador Program, there are multiple ways to engage with Intel and get involved:
Universities can invite Intel to come on campus for a half-day workshop to discuss the program and provide initial training on deep learning and artificial intelligence technologies supporting Intel architecture. Visit this site for more information on setting up a workshop.
For students directly interested in the Student Ambassador program
Post information about your research and or student projects to Intel’s® Developer Mesh website. This is a key step in us evaluating students for the Ambassador Program. Add these projects to the Student Group on the Intel Developer Mesh website. Posting to this site helps Intel get a glimpse into the student work and helps demonstrate the student’s willingness and aptitude for sharing their experience with the community.
After posting a project to Developer Mesh, students can complete and submit an online candidate form.
How will Intel support other students, not eligible or able to be a Student Ambassador?
Intel is also able to support and sponsor student clubs at universities. With this program Intel is able to provide sponsorship funds to select university clubs. Sponsorship funds help support a club’s cost for meetings and gatherings, in exchange for the club discussing and sharing information about Intel’s support of Artificial Intelligence. Select clubs will be provided with an AI training kit, including content and documentation to share and discuss during their meetings and gatherings. Select university clubs will be prioritized for guest speakerships by Intel or associated partners as resources are available. Those interested in being evaluated as an Intel Student Program University Club can submit information for candidacy here.
Intel is excited about the opportunity to work and engage directly with students who are shaping and advancing new work and use cases for Artificial Intelligence via campus workshops, Student Ambassadors, and University Clubs. Our aim is to provide students and developers the resources and opportunity to have a voice and influence in driving AI forward. Learn more on the Intel Student Ambassador site, check out the AI projects on Mesh, or contact Niven Singh, Intel’s Student Community Manager directly for more information. | https://medium.com/intel-student-ambassadors/what-is-the-intel-student-ambassador-program-2cac2c855ada | ['Niven Singh'] | 2018-10-30 18:05:37.704000+00:00 | ['Artificial Intelligence'] |
Meet B21 Team at the below shows | Meet B21 team at
22nd March : London ILFR
27th and 28th March : Zurich Crypto ICO Summit 2018
29th and 30th March : New York Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Investment Summit
4th to 6th April : Oakland, Ca BLOCK 2 The Future
16th to 17th April : Dubai : World Blockchain Forum Dubai
25th and 26th April : Zug Switzerland : Blockchain Summit Crypto Valley
30th April : Tokyo : D10e Tokyo
Or email us at [email protected] to schedule a time to meet.
Follow our channels
Telegram
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
Website | https://medium.com/b21official/meet-b21-team-at-the-below-shows-4599a7b4692d | [] | 2018-07-10 10:53:01.160000+00:00 | ['Events', 'Blockchain', 'Bitcoin', 'Cryptocurrency', 'B21'] |
Writing (and Attracting Readers) as an Introvert | Writing (and Attracting Readers) as an Introvert
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Introvert issues
Okay, I’ll admit it, I’m an introvert. A very big one. Give me a quiet room over a busy bar any day of the week. (Admit? is this even something you need to ‘admit’? Typical introvert problem…)
I also write. And… I want my writing to be read. But whenever I try to write/say something like “please read my stories/posts”, a shudder runs over my spine that makes my hands shake so much that I can’t do it. (Slight exaggeration there. Poetic license, let’s say.)
So, read my stuff without me asking for it or drawing attention to it. That’s unlikely to work.
As most writers know, you’ve got to market your writing. (There’s that shudder again.) Often, marketing involves drawing attention to yourself, speaking about your work, projecting confidence, networking, and so on. (If you just shuddered too, congratulations, you’re probably an introvert.)
Here’s a paradox, though: many writers — even very good and well-known ones — tend to be introverts.
The resolution of that paradox is that writing and being read are not the same thing. The writing itself is a warm blanket introverts can swaddle themselves in. The ‘getting the writing out there’ is the cold chill that creeps underneath the blanket.
Introvert toolbox
Here are some tools introverts can use in the quest for readers. (A non-exhaustive list, of course. I’m still very much working on this myself. Leave your own thoughts/tips below.)
Write
The easy part. Not really. Writing well is hard, but many introverts like it. It’s not hard for us to want to write. It’s mostly a solitary activity, after all. And it gives us time to caress the words into the shape we like, to craft the story we want to tell.
For being read, you have to write. Introvert writers have got that covered.
The introvert superpower
I like to think that imagination is — in general, on average — an introvert superpower. Certainly, extroverts can have great imaginations too. And yet, there is a bit of a difference. Extroverts are out there, moving, mingling, networking, constantly exposing themselves to many influences. That’s good, but too many influences can dilute the originality of your own ideas.
Introverts, on the other hand, tend to carefully curate what they expose themselves to. This, perhaps, gives our own ideas some more room to grow in unexpected and unexplored directions. Introverts also tend to read quite a lot during their own quality time. Always good for inspiration and flexing the imaginative muscle.
We contain many hidden words and worlds.
Internet magic
The internet can be a great place for introverts, whether you have a blog, write on Medium, or engage with others (on your own terms) on Twitter. You can choose which comments/people you respond to, block trolls, and take some time to tame your thoughts and formulate a response, all of which are harder to do in the non-virtual world.
Who knows, you might meet other introverts (*waves hand*). Many make a habitat for themselves online.
You can also promote your writing relatively unobtrusively. Add a link to your bio, submit to Medium or other publications (which gives you a bit of baseline exposure), use Twitter hashtags when you share a bit of writing without explicitly saying “read my writing”…
Use your senses
For non-introverts, introverts can often seem cold and distant.
How wrong they are.
Most of us are very sensitive. Yes, firstly in the traditional definition of sense. Sound (a big one for me), touch, striking visuals, smells, particular tastes, we pay a lot of attention to them.
(Introversion is not the same as hypersensitivity, but roughly 70% of self-identified hypersensitive people are introverts (*waves again*). How exactly it’s connected — and whether it truly is — remains to be determined.)
But also in the emotional department. Extroverts are emotional too, of course, and the depth of emotional experience is probably the same too, on average. Introverts, though, tend to spend quite a bit of time (over)analyzing things.
Does the following sound familiar? “Why did I say it like that? What did they really mean? Why did they use those words? Should I have spoken up? Why did they do that?”
This can be very annoying —trust me, I know— but it also gives us a great tool for character development (in fiction) or an often unexpected sense of personality (or voice) that comes through in our writing (fiction and non-fiction). What you see is only a small part of what you get.
Be the dark horse, the deep lake. The readers will come. | https://writingcooperative.com/writing-and-attracting-readers-as-an-introvert-4a347ec73023 | ['Gunnar De Winter'] | 2021-09-12 17:32:22.108000+00:00 | ['Audience', 'Psychology', 'Writing', 'Marketing', 'Introvert'] |
Should We Expect a Digital Coronavirus ? — FireEye Got Hacked | Should We Expect a Digital Coronavirus ? — FireEye Got Hacked
# What We Know So Far:
Image Source: Google Search
On 8th December 2020, a cyber-security firm called ‘FireEye’ released a filing through U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission followed by a blog-post indicating a highly sophisticated security breach into their system.
FireEye is a publicly traded cyber security company headquartered in Milpitas, California. It has been involved in the detection and prevention of major cyber-attacks. It provides hardware, software, and services to investigate cyber security attacks, protect against malicious software, and analyse IT security risks.
Image Source: TechCrunch
Kevin Mandia, CEO of FireEye, quoted that — “Based on my 25 years in cyber security and responding to incidents, I’ve concluded we are witnessing an attack by a nation with top-tier offensive capabilities. This attack is different from tens of thousands of incidents we have responded to throughout the years.”
It is believed that the hackers have used a novel combination of techniques to enter into the system and accessed ‘Red Team’ tool that FireEye use to test their customer’s security. However, FireEye has confirmed that none of the tools contain ‘zero-day’ exploits.
Red Team are kind of tools in cyber security which are used to simulate (in controlled environment) some of the vulnerable attacks which hackers can adopt as a doorway to malfunction a system.
But things got tensed when they further discovered that their tools are probably going to be used as a weapon to puncture the supply-chain worldwide via a software providing vendor called ‘SolarWinds’.
SolarWinds Inc. is an American company that develops software for businesses to help manage their networks, systems, and information technology infrastructure. Softwares designed by SolarWinds are used by the ‘Fortune 500’ companies. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with sales and product development offices in a number of locations in the United States and several other countries.
This implies that the threat actors are not just targeting any particular organization’s network or the U.S. agency rather those behind the campaign UNC2452 have probably gained access to numerous public and private organizations around the world.
# How It All Happened:
FireEye and SolarWinds in their investigation have found that threat actors have the access of systems from the spring of 2020. They used Red Team tools to break into SolarWinds security and then successfully deployed the malware, which the investigation team have named as SUNBURST, in SolarWinds’ customers via an update in one of the their mostly used software named Orion. This deployment was from their own servers and was digitally signed by a valid digital certificate bearing their name.
Image Source: FireEye
FireEye has stated a [.]dll file and reported that — ‘SolarWinds.Orion.Core.BusinessLayer.dll’ is a SolarWinds digitally-signed component of the Orion software framework that contains a backdoor that communicates via HTTP to third party servers.
FireEye in their blog post has pointed this as a state-sponsored attack but not objected towards any specific country or organization. However, experts are skeptical towards Russia, especially APT-29 aka Cozy Bear, depending upon the level of sophistication and discipline involved in this cyber-attack.
# Why ‘YOU’ Should Be Worried About This:
One of the most concerning aspect of this story is that the hackers were into the system of the firms, FireEye and SolarWinds, for months and remain undetected. (The breach was not discovered until FireEye, which itself uses SolarWinds, determined it had experienced a breach through the software) and secondly we have not seen any significant move by the threat actors till now which means they were so far just monitoring all these big firm giants and what are they planning will be transparent in the coming year, especially after the outbreak of the news.
US government officials have not yet stated which agencies were affected. But the treasury and commerce departments were confirmed to have been targeted.
FireEye, without naming any specific targets, has said it has confirmed infections in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including in the health care and oil and gas industry, and has been informing affected customers around the world.
SolarWinds took down a web page that boasted of dozens of its best-known customers, from the White House, Pentagon and the Secret Service to the McDonald’s restaurant chain and Smithsonian museums.
To give an insight of who the Cozy Bears are — They are classified by the U.S. Federal Government as APT29, is a Russian hacker group believed to be associated with one or more intelligence agencies of Russia. In August 2015 Cozy Bear was linked to a spear-phishing cyber-attack against the Pentagon email system causing the shutdown of the entire Joint Staff unclassified email system and internet access during the investigation.
# Measures:
Experts are appreciating for being transparent about the attack and offering the information as a responsible firm, FireEye, without concerning the adverse effect on their reputation. FireEye is actively investigating in coordination with the FBI and other key partners, including Microsoft.
In their blog they stated that — Consistent with our goal to protect the community, we are proactively releasing methods and means to detect the use of our stolen Red Team tools. We have developed more than 300 countermeasures for our customers, and the community at large, to use in order to minimize the potential impact of the theft of these tools. We have seen no evidence to date that any attacker has used the stolen Red Team tools. We, as well as others in the security community, will continue to monitor for any such activity. At this time, we want to ensure that the entire security community is both aware and protected against the attempted use of these Red Team tools.
FireEye is releasing signatures to detect this threat actor and supply chain attack in the wild. These can be found on their public Github page.
# To Conclude It:
An outbreak in December 2019 engulfed the whole world in 2020. We are witnessing a similar situations in December 2020 but this time its digital. This attack is evolving as the biggest cyber threat of decade, where the threat actors have not played their best move yet. The future highly depends on the team defending the internet and the team planning to ravage it.
As a responsible active user we must be ready with the digital masks and sanitizers. Hope you are getting the chronology.
STAY SAFE!! STAY AWARE!! | https://medium.com/@indiawalecoders/should-we-expect-a-digital-coronavirus-fireeye-got-hacked-491109a0d8b8 | [] | 2020-12-21 17:26:00.031000+00:00 | ['Unc2452', 'Fireeye', 'Solarwinds Hack', 'Cybersecurity', 'Hacking'] |
Venture Fundable Businesses | In Venture Capital, it’s about the big winners. And almost always usually winners take all markets where the two leaders have most of the market share in the category. I’ve met thousands of founders over the 7–8 years, evaluated countless businesses and reality is most of these startups are probably not VC fundable business models. I learned this the hard way in my first 1.5 years as a VC. I found out that it’s not just a market size issue but a business model one too. Ie. Venture scale.
There are 4 business models at a broad level that could be Venture fundable. I fully attribute this framework to my friend and investor James Currier over at NFX, a top tier VC firm.
Embed Model: This business model is almost always in the enterprise software space. You build a sales team or figure out an effective Product Led Growth motion, sell into the Fortune 500 and lock them in. Once you are locked in, it’s very hard to rip your technology out. Some examples are SAP, Salesforce, Adobe or really any major Enterprise software company NetWork Effects: Usually platform driven. At a basic level, the more buyers you have, the more sellers you get. The more sellers you have, the more buyers you get. A virtually hard to break virtuous cycle once you get going. Some examples are Craigslist, EBay, Facebook, Google. Economies of Scale: Growing to a stage when you can use your mass size and volume for discounts and scale to outgrow. Amazon is to me the most obvious example here. Brand: Building a brand to distinguish yourself and be the main choice of your buyer. DTC brands like Warby Parker are recent examples. Older examples could be IBM.
I actually think it’s really only the Embed Model and Network Effects that truly are Venture fundable where first mover advantage supercharged by VC $$ gets you lock in of customers. Yes, Brand and Economies of Scale are very powerful but can be replicated or decay faster than Embed and Network Effects.
You can even point to some examples that exemplify most if not all of these attributes. Amazon: they have Amazon Web Services which exemplifies Embed model but they also have network effects through their 3rd party selling platform, Economies of scale from their logistics and buying power, and through all of this, their immense Brand strength.
I’ve probably oversimplified these concepts but i think they are illustrative of what a venture capitalist (should) look for. I think any investor who does not look at startups in this lens is making a big mistake. And I also believe this is a good guide for founders trying to decide whether VC is the right path for them.
Listen to this Newsletter: https://listencat.com/the-hard-fork-by-marvin-liao-podcast/ | https://medium.com/@marvinliao/venture-fundable-businesses-ce358e1269a4 | ['Marvin Liao'] | 2020-12-26 09:18:04.229000+00:00 | ['Silicon Valley', 'Startup', 'Angel Investors', 'Startup Lessons', 'Venture Capital'] |
Avoid Clickbait: Headline Techniques Used by Six Reputable Media Sites | Avoid Clickbait: Headline Techniques Used by Six Reputable Media Sites
Yes, you can draw in traffic without clickbait. Practical examples included
Illustration by Cynthia Marinakos.
As I write this piece on the 19th of December 2020, Internet Live Stats has clocked over 4.5 billion Google searches. Roughly 306.4 billion emails were sent and received each day worldwide, according to statista.com.
With so many people searching for information and receiving emails, it’s tough to break through the avalanche of content. Writers know they have to stand out with their headlines. It can be tempting to write headlines that seduce our potential readers with general statements. If this is what it takes to draw a little traffic to our work, why not?
How do you feel when you see countless headlines like these?
Try These 3 Ways to Make Money Fast
Learn To Play Piano Instantly: #1 Beginning Training
The Greatest Opportunity for Financial Advisers
Kerri-Anne’s miracle: The news that shocked doctors
One man’s unbelievable anniversary gift to his wife
What happens when you fall for a widower
Too many headlines like these are like buying a car from a used-car salesman. They might look great and sound like a good price. Yet we realize we’ve been duped soon afterward with a lemon. We can’t help but feel betrayed, angry. Our time has been wasted. And we’ll never buy from that place or that person again. What’s worse, we’re more likely to be skeptical of all used-car salesmen in general and buy directly from buyers instead.
Clickbait headlines are headlines that bait readers into clicking by teasing, being intentionally vague, or deceptive in their promises.
Clickbait has been a significant issue in journalism. In 2015, Trinity Mirror, one of the UK’s biggest newspaper publishers announced plans to set website “click” targets for reporters. This led to concerns that headlines with a constant you won’t believe what you’re about to read approach is frustrating to online readers and would diminish the value of news with fluff and sensationalism. Unsurprisingly, these plans didn’t go ahead.
Reputable media sites are wary of clickbait as they understand it damages the credibility of their content, their brands, and doesn’t serve their readers. These sites are now valuable places to learn how to avoid clickbait headlines. Especially as writing headlines isn’t a science. As writers, we can get better with our own headlines by identifying common characteristics behind headlines written by reputable media sites: BBC News, The Guardian, The New York Times, TIME, NBC News, and CBC. | https://medium.com/better-marketing/avoid-clickbait-headline-techniques-used-by-six-reputable-media-sites-dd04a5595cae | ['Cynthia Marinakos'] | 2020-12-21 15:32:22.684000+00:00 | ['Marketing', 'Headline Hacks', 'Productivity', 'Startup', 'Writing'] |
React Hooks — useEffect. Managing Side-Effects in Functional… | React Hooks — useEffect
Fun with Effects
In React class components, we have lifecycle methods available to us. The best way I have heard lifecycle methods described is what happens to a React component from its birth to its death² (if you haven’t heard of Mosh Hamedani before, check him out, especially his ‘What Is Javascript’ tutorials on Youtube). As we move from class components to functional components, we still need to handle side effects of a component in the stages of it’s ‘life’ (updating the DOM, clearing the Dom, fetching data from an API endpoint, etc), but methods like componentDidMount, componentWillUnmount, and componentDidUpdate become unavailable to us. Enter another incredible React Hook — useEffect.
I’m going to walk through a few basic examples of useEffect, but please visit the links below for more information directly from React, or the multitude of easy to follow videos on the subject.
While working on this blog, I also learned about a great Visual Studio Marketplace for ReactJS snippets: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=xabikos.ReactSnippets It gives you quick shortcuts for anything from small state objects to building an entire skeleton for a functional or class component.
Let’s start with a building a basic counter. We will implement the useState hook here for access to state in our functional component, making sure to import useState from React. If you are new to useState, I have a blog piece on it here. We will return a button in our div tag when the component is rendered. The synthetic event of onClick will increment our counter by one every time that it is clicked.
Lets say we want to change the title of our document every time the counter button is clicked. In a class component, we would use the lifecycle method componentDidUpdate, but in our functional component, we will now have access to the hook ‘useEffect’. First, import useEffect from React. Our return ill stay the same, but we will build the useEffect function and set the document.title to equal `You clicked count ${count} times`, with count being the dynamic state of count as it increases each time we click our button on the DOM. As the value of count’s state updates, so will our document.title. useEffect runs after every render of the component, and because React renders anytime there is a change to the code, useEffect will execute each time the component is mounted and re-rendered.
When you only want to do something when a specific element on your page changes, you will want to incorporate useEffects second parameter, aka the dependency array. This second parameter is always an array, and whatever is passed into this array, when the value of this variable is changed, the useEffect hook will be run. Below, I have shown what happens when you use this second parameter to tell useEffect to only run when the count is changed, in the first picture you can see that as the count changes, the color of the text changes from it’s original ‘yellow’, and the document.title changes. In the second picture, if I change the dependency array to specify ‘color’ and comment out the onChange functions part of the body that changes color, the text color of the button never changes from it’s original ‘orange’ and the document.title never increases, bc it’s reliant on the state of the color changing.
If you would like a side effect to ONLY happen upon component mounting, simply change this second parameter of useEffect to be an empty array. In the picture below, you can see that with that empty array determining the dependency, although the button is clicked multiple times, the document.title never changes. I did, however specify to change the background color of the div when the component mounted, and recognizing that this was a part of the function solely based on mounting, it changed the background color.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
React | Using The Effect Hook| https://reactjs.org/docs/hooks-effect.html | https://medium.com/@ogroetz/react-hooks-useeffect-80478a49015b | ['Osha Groetz'] | 2020-12-20 01:53:06.832000+00:00 | ['Code', 'Useeffect', 'Software Engineering', 'Software Development', 'React'] |
Come With Me, Darlin’, Down To New Orleans | Look at you darlin’, you’re worn out,
pushed and pulled this way and that,
numbed by the screen in the maddening
cubicle of a tethered life.
You’re tired of the limp conversations
with your half-baked generation.
Seems they’re bringing you down,
darlin’, so low that you can’t feel
the flow of your own blood
gushing around.
Your days are rushed and
mechanical. The algorithms
of the daily grind have
you all figured out. You’re
losing that fire, darlin’,
that sense of being madly alive.
I can see it in your exotic eyes,
the way you move, the way
you talk, the way you sigh
when the alarm clock cries
in the early AM.
I know a place that’ll help shake you out of it.
It’s a peculiar place for the exiled, for those
who crave a different taste than the stale
monotony of the typical American life.
We’re gonna descend on down to
a place of poets, and villains,
vagabonds, assassins, and gamblers,
drunkards, artists, pirates,
prophets, and midnight amblers.
A place where voodoo queens
meander through Cities of the Dead
and damaged souls lurk within
dreamy dreams with dirty toes
stumbling down steamy streets.
It’s a vile place, darlin’– grimy
and dangerous but alive, and through
the thick fog of its impurity there’s a light,
a gleaming light
that guides our yearning souls
out of the dreadful night.
It’s the Crescent City darlin’,
that muddy mystical metropolis
that washed up on a sharp bend
at the lower end
of the mighty Mississippi
some centuries ago.
A place of broken levees and rising waters,
slow boats and creole ghosts sitting
on front stoops of Bywater shacks
with toothless smiles and shirtless backs.
The sidewalks in this town ooze secrets
of centuries past, and the buildings are filled
with the wisdom of ancient pacts.
It’s here that a breeze like a bum’s
liquored breath hits you with all
its sins and mysteries
as you walk with barefoot gypsies
along the banks of the Mississippi.
It’s here darlin’, that a young whiskey drunk
Faulkner
typed away at his poems down in Pirate’s Alley.
And it’s here where the beer drunk poet
Bukowski
visited and stayed in rat-infested rooms
as he hid from life. It’s a place of
Tennessee Williams
and his Streetcar named Desire. It’s here where
you can hear the trumpet of
Satchmo
seep out of the mud in the early hours
as dew drips from blooming Magnolias.
It’s also in this dirty ole’ town that
Dean Moriarty
bellowed out ‘Oh, smell the people!’…
‘Ah! God! Life!’ ‘Yes!’
as he darted from the car and looked in
every direction for girls.
‘Look at her!’…
“The air was so sweet in New Orleans,”
Kerouac wrote, “it seemed to come in
soft bandannas;
and you could smell the river and
really smell the people,
and mud, and molasses, and every kind
of tropical exhalation with your nose
suddenly removed from the dry ices
of a Northern winter.”
So come with me, darlin’
come with me down
to the land of sugar cane
where we’ll drown out the mundane
as the storm clouds float in
from over Lake Pontchartrain
and we’ll dance in the pouring rain
with our battered boots
as we slide ever so
gloriously
down the drain
of life.
Hand in hand we’ll wander
alongside ancient sepulchers
in the flooded graveyards
while the ravens
flutter in the gray gloom.
And when the sun finally peaks
out from the muck,
we’ll be wondrously drunk
on Decatur Street as whiffs
of jasmine drift thru the debauchery.
Can’t you hear Tom Waits singin’ to us,
darlin’,
listen, listen… you can hear the piano…
now…there it is — his smoke scarred voice
cries out:
“Well, I wish I was in New Orleans,
I can see it in my dreams,
Arm-in-arm down Burgundy,
a bottle and my friends and me.”
C’mon darlin’,
we only have one life to live
and we have to live it wild;
get scarred up and wounded
by those fleeting miles
so we can greet the grave with style.
So pack a bag, lemme see that smile,
there you go, it’s time to
dim that halo, sweet child,
and defile
them pretty
little
wings.
C’mon darlin’,
the end is near.
It always is. | https://medium.com/@erikrittenberry/come-with-me-darlin-down-to-new-orleans-d03e87dc3be6 | ['Erik Rittenberry'] | 2020-01-15 23:50:58.621000+00:00 | ['New Orleans', 'Travel Writing', 'Adventure', 'Poetry'] |
Travel Budgeting Template | This is my personal trabelling budget template you can download it and prepare your next trip’s budget.
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https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1C-GJE4bxYBJ2-kGvS6MbeV6HMXxiVI0cgMXpXKDaA1c/edit?fbclid=IwAR2691dvpPmV0Q5te9iUit70H7LUeuDu2n_BXtPwKhpRp8drlKMH2ecaQps#gid=1843657629.
.
You can also check my merch:
https://www.redbubble.com/people/Easydestination/shop?asc=u .
.
#marketing #website #trips #travel #travelagency #tourism #redbubble #budgettravel #budgetplanning #planning #adventure #holiday #businesstravel #vacation #holidays | https://medium.com/@loaiblogger/travel-budgeting-template-f6ab71a1b13d | [] | 2020-12-22 19:14:01.260000+00:00 | ['Budget', 'Travel', 'Tips', 'Adventure', 'Explore'] |
Bandwidth Of The Spiritual – My Spiritual Force! Healing To Empowerment! | Bandwidth Of The Spiritual – My Spiritual Force! Healing To Empowerment!
Philosophy and the Physics of our Physical Selves take us on our glimpse into psychic healing and the understanding of our physical state, spiritual potential and Enlightenment.
The Spiritual Bandwidth
Emotional pain that manifests into physical pain and anxiety can surely show itself in many and now days Spiritual Healing just may be more accepted as a legitimate source of healing. Spiritual healing is the method of coming back to our full potential of Unlimited Energy, Health and Awareness by using the spiritual tools and powers that are in and around us.
All Energy is in a way also a form of ‘Spiritual Bandwidth’, whether primarily or secondarily. Broadly speaking, as one recovers from ailment, one is essentially recovering spiritually through ‘psychic energy’ whether they are aware of this or not. Even while conventional medicines are at work, Spiritual Healing or re-focusing activities are at play inside the scheme of the spiritual greater powers. However, these natural psychic healing abilities sometimes need encouragement, or reminders.
Spiritual Connectedness
These encouragements or reminders come in many forms. The true wonders of modern science and medicine should never be forsaken as the best true medicines and best true psychic healing methods can and should always be encouraged (together) for total openness to these wondrous ‘Healing Frequencies’ as one builds on the other. Whether one method or the other is administered first is inconsequential, we must never discount the level of healing qualities in either or both. For we are of this earth, and this earth is the provider of the multitude of minerals, elements and spiritual connectedness we can all benefit from with complete openness.
Spiritual Healing can work purely on its own, with or for others, or in harmony with conventional medicine. Spiritual Energies act within natural boundaries, these boundaries can all be better understood with learning and patience. Spiritual Energy has no bias as to religion, types of religion, or no religion at all. There is a spiritual power that is the centre of all things, this power governs all that is seen, unseen, material or immaterial. Every soul, spirit, environment, collective belief system is unique, and this uniqueness requires understanding and appreciation for the true heights of spiritual healing and enlightenment to occur.
Our Fields Of Force
Environment of the open minded raises the chances of success exponentially, whereas any negative thoughts or fears only hinder the process. We are surrounded by what is believed to be force, this force has no boundaries and freely moves through us. Gravity, electricity, television, radio, even wi-fi flows around and through us. Some are natural phenomenons and some are man-made tools of modernity, and nevertheless they all operate and exist.
This knowledge alone should open up possibilities of belief and knowledge one step further in all of us in the scope of many more invisible fields of force. These other fields being of the psychic/spiritual kind. Forces that we are, and may well be forever unaware of the true potential applications, constantly in direct contact with, aware or unaware. This force is limitless, does not play favourites and does not want anything in return. For one reason or another, connectedness from our true selves and from this force can easily be detached, manifesting in ‘ailments of warning’. These ailments of warning, when not attended to and or being amongst the many unnatural pollutants that permeate our lives, surely can at times lead to un-ease of the body. Our spiritual force needs attuning-to perhaps more importantly now than ever before.
The Empathic Bandwidth
Rest, sleep, meditation, fasting, detoxing are just a handful of different things that one does naturally, or even forces oneself to do to recharge or realign physically and spiritually. It is quite conceivable that a person who is under considerable ailment is unable to recognise the need for spiritual re-connectedness. This void of self acknowledgement can and does lead to lack of awareness, inevitably as time goes on, to more ailments. This scenario is and can be treated with opportunity by spiritual healers to attune themselves to reading other people’s forces ‘empathically’. Stepping in and stepping up to the situation at hand, with full knowledge and acceptance of the ailed, to share with them their wisdom and abilities to administer re-direction of the ‘Spiritual Bandwidth.’
This sharing and healing action can only take place if the psychic/spiritual activator is well attuned, and this happens with basic practice and persistence. Sharing with the ailed the force from this field of spiritual power and energy, directing to the willing ‘natural psychic energy’. This energy force must be harnessed well for this to be readily projected onto the recipient – or us. We build the empathy and henceforth we operate with true connectedness, this is established through acceptance of these spiritual frequencies. This phenomenon can be likened to the inducing relaxing state of awareness through fine music, visual art or even the sound of rain, wind or waves. The spiritual empathy flows back and forth. Having physical contact of a specified kind can aid in the directness of the flow as this works with our nervous systems, promoting faster and more direct flow to the recipient.
Boundaries Of Space And Time Do Not Exist
On the other hand it is not unusual for healing to take place when there is distance between the healer and the recipient, as this spiritual field of force knows no physical (space/time) boundaries. These physical boundaries quite often only act as a hinderance to those who see these boundaries as such. Healer and recipients must always try to work in conjunction with the parameters they already are comfortable believing and thenceforth, actualising miraculous results. The least amount of opposition the spiritual healing field is exposed to the better, hence the power of hand contact where barriers are broken down and positive belief systems are strengthened. The phenomenon of spiritual/mental power from healer to recipient has been scientifically observed with evidence.
The ailments of the physical is believed by many true spiritualists to be brought upon by the disturbing emotions of anger, detachment and a closed mind. These true spiritualists believe that if one can thoroughly liberate oneself from such poisonous emotions, one can truly be ‘free of all diseases’. The importance of ‘The Psychic Energy Bandwidth’ hopefully becomes more accepted after the intriguing wisdom and knowledge freely given, and the reader has opened themselves up to these valid techniques that have been shared and gained upon for many years and many hundreds of wise writings also shared.
Remove The Barriers
Gone are the days when Psychic Energy can only be practiced by those in high up positions such as spiritual organisations, and primarily from the leaders of such spiritualist movements. Psychic healing has a very diverse and mixed interpretation from many far and wide. These writings are freely aimed at those who wish to ‘Empower’ themselves with a fine equilibrium of mind, body and spirit. The conveying of Empowerment energy given by a psychic healer in order for the afflicted to recover from such afflictions that can hold one back from his or her full physical, mental or spiritual potential.
Lucid Being | https://medium.com/@imagetomedia/bandwidth-of-the-spiritual-my-spiritual-force-healing-to-empowerment-b2e087f4fc4b | ['Lucid Being'] | 2019-01-18 21:01:49.246000+00:00 | ['Lighting', 'Stories', 'Spirituality', 'Reading', 'Blog'] |
Data Studio tips to make your dashboard faster | Data studio is an incredible data visualization tool, making data exploration and visualization a lot easier, requiring almost no programming knowledge, but this ease of use can cause very inefficient data structures in the background, making Dashboards slower than they should be.
In this article I’ll present the two Data Studio features that impact loading times, so you can take that into consideration for your own dashboards and be aware of the alternatives. But keep in mind that even though some uses may make your report slower, that doesn’t mean you should avoid it completely.
The impact of those features on load time is highly associated with the amount of data, the more data being pulled, the larger is the impact of inefficient techniques but the opposite also applies, if you work for example with the demo account from google merchandise store, you’ll actually have a hard time making any report slow. (contact me if you can)
Data Blends
When someone asks me for help with slow reports, the first thing I check is their data blends (resources > manage blended data) and what I usually see is a lot of different blends being used and mostly with a single use.
I’ve seen Blended Data (213) as a record, what about you?
Data blends can be used to join data from different data sources into one but it’s commonly used to transform the data as presented in the picture below, enabling users to create conversion metrics and any calculation based on a single dimension(usually pages or events).
How the data is structured (left) and how it needs to be(right) to perform calculations
The problem is that this is very inefficient. Recently I replaced data blends for calculated fields and cut ⅔ of the loading time for this change alone.
Now let’s get to the alternatives, to get the same data in a more performatic way:
Goals: it’s possible to create goals on Google Analytics based on specific page views or events, this will create the same result presented on the last image without the data blend, but there are some limitations, you can only set 20 goals per view and the data is only collected from the point you set the goal forwards. I believe this is a great solution if you want to track important parts of your business but it’s not ideal for something you only use once… But if you really want it, you could create a new view for that.
GA Add-on for Google Sheets
Use Google Sheets as a intermediary: There is an Add-on for Google Sheets that pulls data from Google Analytics, enabling Data Studio users to use Google Sheets for their data preparation, easing a lot of the load on DS, the downside of this approach is that you lose some agility by having to set up the data you need on Google Sheets, before using it on the report. But you can always use the data straight from GA while you build the report and then change it to Google Sheets for better performance.
Calculated fields
Calculated dimensions and metrics can be used to create new fields based on the data you have available for example create “channel groups” based on source and medium or calculate the number of pageviews per visit and many others.
Example of a calculated dimension
This is really useful and you should use it but be aware of how it’s been used. It’s possible to create calculated fields on chart level (for each individual chart/table/etc) or create it directly on the data source. If you intend to use this field on multiple charts/reports, create it directly on the data source as it won’t have to be calculated multiple times but be careful as this will also be calculated for any other dashboard that uses the same data source, if you don’t want that, just copy the data source and edit that one instead.
To create on the chart: select chart > add dimension/metric > create field
To create on the Data Source: Resource > manage added data sources > edit > add a field
Using too many calculated fields can slow your report as well but not even close to what data blends do, as an alternative it’s possible to use Google Sheets as presented before and create the same fields without the performance impacts.
Bonus tip
If you don’t need an interactive dashboard, scheduling your reports to be delivered in pdf by email could be a good idea, for presenting or as a backup. (you can’t get better performance than a pdf)
Conclusion
This is how I solved most of my problems with Data Studio. It’s not perfect but now I won’t be annoyed while waiting for a dashboard to load. Hopefully Google can implement more efficient alternatives in the future, specially for creating conversions and other similar metrics.
Remember: don’t stop using features just because they may not be the most efficient way but keep it in mind the alternatives if you need it, loading speeds can be very important if the dashboard is exploratory and multiple filters will played with but it doesn’t matter as much in a static report that doesn’t require interactions. | https://medium.com/@matheus_r_santos/data-studio-tips-to-make-your-dashboard-faster-4712f6e11b1f | ['Matheus Rodrigues Dos Santos'] | 2021-09-07 22:06:16.437000+00:00 | ['Google Analytics', 'Google Data Studio', 'Data Studio', 'Data Visualization'] |
Business Etiquette in Japan: How Not to Make an Ass Out of Yourself | If you’re a foreigner doing business in Japan, here are a few ways to build relationship while increasing your chances of success
Photo Credit : @Bantersnaps
Before any traveler sets foot in such a spectacular country, it would behoove him or her to become better acquainted with Japanese formalities. Doing so will not only broaden the traveler’s horizons, but also deliver a clear message of respect to business executives. To be clear, there is no set expectation from Japanese business members that a foreigner be 100% acquainted with tradition; however, demonstrating some familiarity in certain practices confirms genuine interest in the partnership.
Image by AKI HIGASHINO from Pixabay
Some blog writers inadvertently draw a parallel between the formalities of a business meeting to the rules and precise etiquette needed during Kyoto tea ceremonies. Take it from someone who has been engaged in international business for 20 years — it is not that complicated.
The ‘key’ (and what Westerners should keep in mind) is that Japanese Etiquette is based on being respectful, polite and courteous. This is true in both face-to-face encounters as is with Telephone and e-mail communications.
Leading up to the meeting, visitors should have provided an incredibly detailed and precise agenda to the Japan team along with soft and hard copies of the presentation. A piece of advice: rather than taking hard copies of the presentation on the plane, ship them ahead of schedule to your hotel. Doing so eliminates the possibility of ‘forgetting’ the deck in the shuffle of international travel preparations.
Late arrivals are unacceptable, yet, not always in our control. If this does occur, call 45 minutes to one hour before the set time, apologize and alert the Japanese team of the new expected arrival time. In the event time is on your side, arrive 10–15 minutes ahead of schedule.
Bonus: If you do not have Japanese speaking co-worker attending and feel a fluent speaker is needed, consider rendering the services of a Japanese interpreter.
Japanese Honorifics: San or Sama
When dealing with Japanese business counterparts, there are multiple Honorifics to consider (San, Sama, Kun, Dono, Chan) However, the most common two I have encountered are San and Sama
San (informal) is the equivalent of “Mr” or “Ms” in English. It has to be added right after person’s family name. San is most common and often said between coworkers and senior members. If two or more are in conversation and share the same title, they too use ‘San’.
Sama (formal) is considered very polite and respectable. This reference is more common in business. The foreigner may notice it being used when writing letters and meeting with customers/Sr. co-workers.
Business Card Exchange
During the meet-and-greet, the Japan side will introduce their team in order of importance. It is recommended to wait for all Japanese attendees to identify themselves before handing out business cards; not doing so places the visitor in a position where one could potentially give out a card to a Junior before a member of Senior leadership….a big no-no.
Now, the card handoff….
Unless your objective is to secure a position at a Las Vegas card table, do not, I repeat, do NOT deal, slide, flick, or throw your business card at any businessperson! The action is incredibly disrespectful to not only to the attendees, but also the company in which you represent (not to mention, you’ll look like a complete idiot).
Image by englishlikeanative from Pixabay
The proper hand off is using both hands, pinching the sides with the thumb/index fingers –writing side facing upright toward the receiver. What you may in turn see is a member of the Japanese team lowering their card underneath yours — a rather kind, humbling gesture. When the business card is passed to you, ensure the card is received with both hands and thank him/her for the exchange.
Do not ‘doodle’ on any of the business cards — this action is unacceptable and distasteful.
Most intra-Japanese companies will have double- sided cards. Japanese on front, English in the back. Although this is not a requirement for foreign visitors, it certainly adds a nice touch.
Note: when the meeting is over, make sure all cards are picked up, leaving none behind. NOT doing so is dismissing that individual and his/her role..
Attire
Gentlemen, wear a suit and tie… keep it simple! Black, charcoal gray, dark navy suits in combination with white shirts and a tie is the most favorable option. I strongly advise against wearing the ‘sad’ trifecta of black suit, black tie, white shirt as this is normally reserved for funerals.
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay
Ladies, we too should keep it simple. Long skirts or trousers suits do provide a bit more variety than our male counterparts; however, we are to remain mindful of colors and loud patterns. As for accessories (i.e. high heels, jewelry), minimal is best. The same suggestions apply to make-up; make sure it adds to your beauty, not take away from it.
Photo by Mrs Zazou on Unsplash
Note: Japan experiences seasons — depending on the month of travel, don’t forget the rain or formal coat!
Greeting the Team
It is customary to bow as it shows appreciation and respect. Meeting attendees are to bow at the torso, roughly 30-degree angle. Big bonus if the visitor follows with “Ohayo Gozaimasu” (good morning), or “Konnichi Wa (good afternoon) makes it that much more expressive. During the bow, share your name and what your role is in the company.
Gentlemen, during the bow, keep your arms to your side. Ladies join your hands right under the belly.
Note: the Japanese have been known to ‘shake hands’ when dealing with foreign visitors. If that is the case, do not grasp his or her hand with bone-crushing power. The handshake of the Japanese may be less firm than that of our Western counterparts.
Meeting Room
Now that we have gotten though the greeting and exchange of business cards…where should you sit?
Photo by Danielle Cerullo on Unsplash
Seating arrangements are always pre-arranged — wait till you’re taken to where you are to be seated. Keep in mind all the teammates from the same company tend to be seated on the same side of the table. In some Japanese settings, furthest from the door is viewed as the seat of honor, whereas the least important person will sit closest to the door.
If the meeting is scheduled for an 11:00 AM start, 12:00 PM finish, respect the time allotted. The presenter(s) must use the time wisely, ensuring there is enough time for Q & A.
Note: During presentations it is not uncommon to see participants nodding. Nodding delivers a message to all attendees that you’re actively listening; it is a powerful non-verbal method to show engagement.
Silence should not be perceived as a negative. In the Japanese culture, there is no need to ‘force discussion’ to maintain conversation flow.
In other words, speak when spoken to or have something valuable to add. | https://medium.com/@essentialetiquette/business-etiquette-in-japan-how-not-to-make-an-ass-out-of-yourself-418aadee690d | ['Essential Etiquette'] | 2020-12-27 23:52:09.875000+00:00 | ['Etiquette', 'Japan', 'Love', 'Business', 'Japanese Culture'] |
What are Capital Gains? | PEOPLEIMAGES / GETTY IMAGES
Capital Gains as the name suggests is the gain/increase in value of your investments. It is the profit you make after selling an asset.
Assume you had invested Rs 15 lacs in a 1BHK flat and sold it for Rs 20 lacs a few years later. You made a profit of Rs 5 lacs through this investment of yours. Rs 5 lacs is your capital gain here.
There are primarily two types of capital gains.
Short Term Capital Gains
If you sell your asset within 36 months of purchasing it, whatever profit you make on it is considered as short term capital gain. Short Term because you held your asset for a shorter duration.
Say you bought a piece of gold jewellery for Rs 1 lac. However, you don’t quite enjoy wearing it and decide to sell it in a few months. You sell it for Rs 1.25 lacs. The profit of Rs 25,000 you made is considered as short term capital gain because you sold your jewellery within 36 months.
Long Term Capital Gains
If you hold your asset for a considerably longer period of time before selling them, the profit you make is considered as long term capital gains.
Say you enjoy wearing your gold jewellery you bought for Rs 1 lac and keep it for 6-7 years. You now choose to get a new piece. This time you sell your older jewellery for Rs 1.75 lacs. This profit of Rs 75,000 is considered as long term capital gain because you sold it after 36 months of purchasing it. | https://medium.com/finance-for-her/what-are-capital-gains-460448731741 | ['Swati Singhi'] | 2020-12-20 14:59:15.303000+00:00 | ['Money', 'Wealth', 'Finance', 'Women', 'Investing'] |
Know About the Latest Jewellery Trends In 2020 To Keep Your Style Statement Trendy | Know About the Latest Jewellery Trends In 2020 To Keep Your Style Statement Trendy Bulbandkey Dec 11, 2019·3 min read
“You don’t need a special day to wear trendy jewelry. You can wear trendy jewelry and make it a special day”
Trust us, just one piece of jewelry can be a conversation starter. Your jewelry can be an exclamation point of your outfit but you should know what place you should buy it from. Jewelry is sold all around the world, in the extreme old corners of the market and also in the posh most area of the city. You can find jewelers everywhere. This confuses buyers and they are unable to decide how and where should they buy.
Women don’t want to spend much on money and wear better jewels. They want to look like a diva by paying a low price on good jewelry. Buying affordable trendy jewelry is not as easy as it might seem offline. And that is the reason, to support our divas and enhance your jewelry quality, we bring you the latest jewelry trends of 2020.
TASSEL EARRINGS
“A fun pair of earrings is basically the finishing touch to any outfit. It gives a shout-out to your aura. It gives an outer lining to what you wore. A good pair of earrings is the end definition to your statement style”. So are tassel earrings. They are a highlight of your look and can make any simple look turn into an Indo western style. They are highly competitive in their own type.
CROCHET JEWELRY
Crocheted jewelry pieces are the new sensation women are drooling over these days. Gorgeous neckpieces, fancy earrings, stylish bracelets, and finger rings all can be created out of crochet yarn and crochet hooks. The beauty and style of these crochet jewelry designs can be elevated more by using pearls, beads, and buttons.
QUILLING JEWELRY
Usually, jewelry is heavy in weight and sometimes it becomes a little difficult to wear them for a longer duration. So quilling jewelry is the best solution to your problem. Quilling jewelry is very lightweight and easy to carry. These perfect jewels quilled in the form earrings are a blessing in the world of fashion. Wearing quilling jewelry is the trend of the day.
KUNDAN JEWELRY
Kundan means ‘highly refined gold’; so the quality of gold used to design kundan jewelry is of high purity. Kundan jewelry was very popular in the Mughal royalty and these designs depict elegance and rich appearance. Now kundan jewelry is worn by all on festivals and occasions like weddings, religious ceremonies and engagements.
This type of jewellery has more detailed and intricate designs. Precious and semi-precious stones like ruby, diamond, sapphire and emerald are used. As a tribute to Indian ethnicity, Kundan transforms Indian attire and enhances a woman’s beauty immensely.
To Read Full Article Click On The Link Below
https://bulbandkey.com/blog/jewellery/latest-jewelry-trends-in-2020/ | https://medium.com/@bulbandkey/know-about-the-latest-jewellery-trends-in-2020-to-keep-your-style-statement-trendy-503c346a3984 | [] | 2019-12-11 07:52:11.887000+00:00 | ['Jewelry', 'Trends', 'Jewelry Design'] |
Active Learning: The Key To Rapid Learning and Skill Development | Learning is a big part of our lives.
Beginning from conception, we learn a ton about the world and the people around us. We learn basic motor functions like walking and crawling, we learn about the members of our family, how to interact with people, the basics of our native tongue, and much much more.
And when we start learning in school, we learn the rules to follow in class, how to count, basic arithmetic, how to write, and a bevy of other school-related topics.
The point I’m trying to make here is that we are constantly learning and taking in new information.
But the problem is many of us have picked up bad learning habits that from school that is crippling our ability to learn quickly as efficiently.
I know I have.
You know how it goes. Once the teacher starts talking, we begin copying down every single word that is said without actually digesting the material.
I know me and my old classmates did this routinely. After all, it takes less mental effort and it ensures that you have all the information you would need to review for tests. And when the test comes around, you can just read through your notes.
This seems like a good method, right?
Though it seems like a great learning method, there is a better way.
What is Active Learning?
According to Cynthia J. Brame, Ph.D., an Associate Director of the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching,
“[Active learning] is commonly defined as activities that students do to construct knowledge and understanding. The activities vary but require students to do higher-order thinking.”
In other words, active learning involves thinking and working with the material on a higher level than just memorizing facts.
Why is Active Learning Better Than Passive Learning?
Passive learning describes the method I used back in my younger days: writing down my notes verbatim from the board and reading over them to review for the test.
Active learning is superior to passive learning simply because you are engaging with the material on a higher level. Instead of just memorizing facts, you are connecting the material to your current knowledge and manipulating it until you achieve deep understanding.
There is even empirical evidence to back this up.
A meta-analysis of 225 studies done in 2014 by Professor Scott Freeman and his colleagues reported on the test scores and failure rates of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics) undergrad students in a traditional classroom setting vs. students in an active learning environment.
In the traditional classroom setting, conventional lecturing was used, while in the active learning setting, concept maps, retrieval exercises, student-generated test questions, and other methods were used.
The meta-analysis found that “students in traditional lecture courses are 1.5 times more likely to fail than students in courses with active learning.”
Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash
This important finding validates the effectiveness of active learning techniques.
How to Learning Actively
There are many techniques you can use, but I’ll share a couple you can implement that I think are incredibly effective.
Active Recall
In this exercise, after reading about a concept that you are trying to learn, find a piece of paper and write out everything you remember about that topic.
Inevitably, you will find gaps in your knowledge. Once you find these gaps, study up on these topics and repeat the exercise afterward.
Take On Projects
This is more applicable to those who are trying to learn new skills.
The project you undertake should be just outside of your comfort zone.
For example, let’s say you are learning to play an instrument. To improve your skills, you should pick a song that is a little above your skill level so that you are fully engaged in the activity and are simultaneously improving key skills.
If you pick a song below your level, you will coast and not learn anything.
Explaining Concepts To Others
You know what they say, “If you teach it to someone you’ll learn it better.”
Explaining concepts to others forces you to interpret all the information you have learned and condense it down into a digestible packet of knowledge.
Make sure you simplify the information as much as possible. This will help you retain the information better and understand it deeper. | https://medium.com/writers-blokke/active-learning-the-key-to-rapid-learning-and-skill-development-ff035ff32660 | ['Todi Afo'] | 2021-01-03 16:14:15.633000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement', 'Learning', 'Skills', 'Self', 'Education'] |
Stop Controlling, Start Creating | A few years back I had a client.
This client had a beautiful web site. That beautiful web site had been designed by a renowned design agency. And on that beautiful web site the client published articles that were well-reported and infographics that were quite attractive.
From the outside, everything looked professional. Healthy. Successful.
But the client had a problem. Traffic wasn’t growing.
What can we do to improve, they asked.
I asked about the amount of content.
No, they said, we can’t change that. Our budget is maxed out.
I asked about the quality of the content.
No they said, we can’t change that. We like our articles, they’re thorough.
I asked about where they distribute their content.
No they said, we can’t change that. We don’t have the staff.
Then they thought for a minute and then asked: What if, instead of making any of those changes, we just redesign the site?
Why would you do that, I said. That’s the thing that’s least wrong.
Because, they said, and I will never forget this: that’s the thing we know we can control.
The search for certainty instead of explanations
I’ve thought a lot about that client. They had a lot of challenges. They were aware of those challenges. They wanted to improve. That’s more than most.
But they were searching for certainty, rather than for an explanation.
They should have been asking: what does our audience want? Why do they want it? How can we give it to them? They should have been looking for explanations of their marketplace.
Instead, they were asking: what do we want? How can we make what we want with as little pain as possible? They were looking for certainty of themselves.
The result: They had created a perfectly consistent asset creation machine that very few people outside that machine cared about. A bright and pretty dead thing.
In other words, they spent very little time creating.
Instead, they spent all their time trying to stay in control.
The search for consistency instead of coherence
Who hasn’t spent their time trying to be in control? After all, the scariest thing in the world is to create.
Creativity is an exploration of an unknown. It’s trying something, seeing whether it works, then iterating on the effort until the result improves. It’s testing your way to viability.
If this sounds like an organism scratching around in the dark to find the best source of light and food, well there you go. Organisms are great explorers. Organisms have very good product-market fit.
Creating content for brands? Same same.
To be successful, the brand must be consistent. Not consistent in results, though that will come. Rather, consistent in efforts. Consistency of effort creates coherence of results.
If you think that’s not true, consider any successful brand. Apple is a successful hardware company because they created a consistent process of building the iPhone. Each new iPhone release is different, yet the product iterations are coherent. They have “iPhone-ness”.
Ford is a successful automobile manufacturer because they created a consistent process for creating the F-150. Each new model is different, yet the product iterations are coherent. Ah yes, the buyers says: this quacks like the duck I know.
WIRED is a successful magazine because they created a successful process for making WIRED magazine. Each new issue is different, yet the iterations in features and interviews and photographs are coherent. Good read, every time.
And so this is what I tell clients today.
Focus first on efforts, rather than results.
Focus on building an engine of creativity, rather than a facade of assets.
Focus on the relationship with your audience, rather than yourself.
Ask what they want.
Ask how you can give it to them.
Figure out how giving it to them fits with your brand priorities.
You shall surely be successful. | https://medium.com/article-group/stop-controlling-start-creating-e5c51032720b | ['Steve Bryant'] | 2019-06-03 14:24:14.360000+00:00 | ['Design', 'Marketing', 'Creativity', 'Advertising'] |
Must Read Poetry Books by Black/African-American Women | I often get asked for poetry book recommendations, and since we are in the middle of Women’s History Month, and we just finished Black History Month, I thought it would be a good idea to share a list of recommended poetry books by black women. I chose a wide range of books. If you would like to suggest a book, please leave a message at the end of this article.
We Are Shining by Gwendolyn Brooks
Gwendolyn Brooks is the quintessential African-American poet. Brooks has an impressive body of work. Out of those works, I chose to recommend her children’s book We Are Shining. I love this children’s book. It is a story of humanity and emphasizes appreciating one another for our differences. We Are Shining speaks to children of all nationalities and connects them by their similarities.
Wade in the Water by Tracy K. Smith
Wade in the Water is a powerful collection of poems by Tracy K. Smith. In this work, Smith delves into the emotions of being a woman. While, I would not call this a religious collection of poems, it has many religious overtones. Smith makes it work without overwhelming the reader with the concept of God. After all, I think that you cannot separate the identity of women without examining womanhood and its religious conceptions and ideals. Smith has many beautiful poems in this work, my favorite being the title poem “Wade in the Water.”
Maya Angelou by Maya Angelou
Of course, no collection of poetry favorites would be complete without the grande dame of poetry, Maya Angelou. Maya Angelou helped bring poetry into the mainstream. Her “Caged Bird” poem has to be one of the more popular poems in American history. I cannot think of a person who is unfamiliar with her book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Caged Bird is far more well known than the book I chose for this list, “Maya Angelou.” This is a book that is a celebration of all the stages of life from childhood to advanced ages. It is definitely a great book for any age. I like this book because it includes a mini-biography, Angelou’s more popular poems, and it includes little life lessons with each poem.
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine
Citizen: An American Lyric reads as a deeply personal piece that examines the African-American experience. This book includes three lyric poems and a play. This was a multiple prize-winning book, and it was a finalist for the National Book Award. I like this book because it reminds me of the the stings and barbs you receive while getting along as a black person in American society. It addresses how we need to cope and move on.
Poems on Various Subjects Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley.
Phillis Wheatley is the first published African-American female poet, and Poems on Various Subjects Religious and Moral is the first book she published. This book rubs against my political grain at times as Wheatley expresses gratitude for being rescued from Africa by her slave owners. However, she served as a catalyst for abolition because she proved to others that blacks have the same intellectual capabilities as whites.
Maya Angelou The Complete Poetry
I know this is the second Maya Angelou book, but I didn’t call her the grande dame of poetry for nothing. This collection is everything Maya Angelou. It has poems from all of her collections, including her more popular poems and essays. If you can only get one Maya Angelou book, this is the one. This will be the go to book of your poetry collection.
One word comes to mind when I think of Audre Lorde, “powerful.” Lorde described herself as a “black, lesbian warrior poet.” I would be remiss if I did not recommend reading her essays, as well. Lorde puts together spectacular similes and metaphors. Her words mix together to give you a sense of urgency and explosiveness. Her poems address feminism and femininity, racism, oppression, and homophobia. She does a wonderful job of showing you the world through her eyes.
Magical Negro by Morgan Parker
This is one of the sharpest modern collections of poetry out there. Parker’s work is brilliant and humorous. I must admit that I did not get some of her poems the first go around, and I had to read them again. Her poems will definitely stay with you. Her titles are winners as well. As a poet, I often find the titles the most challenging part. Hers are inspired. I love her poem, “A Brief History of the Present” purely for its ironic nature. Seriously, read this book now.
Nikki Giovanni: A Good Cry
Nikki Giovanni will always sit on my list of favorite poets, and her latest book A Good Cry cements that idea. My favorite poems in this collection are “Baby West” and “Bears in Spring”. “Baby West” is a beautifully written poem about the struggles of her childhood. “Bears in Spring” has absolutely nothing to do with bears and is strongly political without being in your face political. Giovanni’s poetry speaks to the experiences of her life, and she does an adept job in conveying emotions. Her lines are clean and crisp, and her poems take you back to a place and time that many would sooner forget. She is a poet historian in the truest sense of the idea.
Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire is a short collection but it carries quite a blow. It is unlike any collection I have ever read. Shire’s poetry is strong and direct. Her writing covers birth, development into womanhood, immigration, and family. Her language is direct and energetic. Her verse pushes you on a see-saw of emotions. You can begin one poem thinking you’re headed in one direction, but then Shire turns around and takes you to a place you did not expect. Every poem in this book carries you into Shire’s world, which is one of abandonment, pain, and grief. This is a powerfully political work combined with a reflective familial bent. This work draws you in. It takes you into a world of blood, bone, fire and beauty. If you don’t understand what I mean by this, you will just have to read the book to find out. This is a book that above all deserves to be on this list. There is not a single weak poem in this collection.
Lucille Clifton speaks to the darkest parts of being human. Her book, Blessing the Boats uncovers the fragility of the human condition. This book covers the issue of death, dying, and loss, along with the emotions that go into these issues. Actually, you would be well served if you came across and read any of Lucille Clifton’s books. The woman is pure genius.
There are many African-American women poets worth noting that I did not cover here. Please feel free to leave me a note below to discuss. In making this list, I attempted to provide a broad range of styles, including children books, so that there could be something to appeal to a diverse group of people.
Katerina Canyon is a writer currently living in Seattle, Washington. She served as Poet Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga, California from 2000 to 2003. She has a MALD from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a BA in English, Creative Writing, and International Studies from Saint Louis University. She has been published in the New York Times and Huffington Post. Her most recent poetry was published in From Whispers to Roars. Her latest collection Changing the Lines is currently available on Amazon and Elliott Bay Book Company. You can learn more about Katerina at PoeticKat.com. | https://medium.com/poetickat/must-read-poetry-books-by-black-african-american-women-a3cab6b62bc | ['Katerina Canyon'] | 2019-03-19 15:53:28.061000+00:00 | ['Women', 'Black Women', 'Writing', 'Poetry', 'African American'] |
[Tutorial] How to participate in the Halving Countdown — Predict To Win! | The Huobi halving countdown — predict to win was launched on the 14th of April 2020, with a pool reward of $100,000 USDT. Participate today and share in the rewards. Check out the details below:
1.You need to sign up on www.huobi.com
Sign up on the web version top-right corner
2. Next, you need to deposit a minimum of 10 USDT.
click on balances on the web version, you’ll find a drop-down menu (exchange account)
Click on deposit to get USDT
To participate in the event and share in the reward pool of 100,000 USDT, Visit the Huobi Halving Countdown Campaign. Also, you can also participate through Huobi app.
Mobile interface (click on option predict To win )
You share in a daily reward pool, only when you buy at least 10 USDT of the Digital asset listed on the event page including BTC, BCH, BSV, ETC, DASH and ZEC.
Excluding the daily reward, there will be a weekly reward pool.
The month prize pool will be the final reward pool.
3. To win you have to buy a digital asset listed on the event page, with a prediction of what you think will increase the most during the day and if you’re right, you’ll share the reward pool.
If you want to learn more details about an asset and what halving is, please click on the detail button on the asset box.
The above details are to help you get the knowledge about how the competition is open to every set of crypto users, with easy steps to participate with no complication a newbie can also engage and win from the prize reward. to read further instructions please visit: https://huobiglobal.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/900000541026 it has also given a set of specific details and instructions regarding the event.
Participate in the event, Best of luck on your prediction.
Risk Reminder:
1. Trading in digital assets comes with high risks due to huge price fluctuations. Users should be fully aware of risks associated with digital asset trading and make prudent trading decisions.
2. Huobi Global’s announcements and information do not constitute investment advice, and Huobi will not bear responsibility or provide compensation for direct or indirect losses arising from trading decisions whilst relying on this information. | https://medium.com/huobi-global/tutorial-how-to-participate-in-the-halving-countdown-predict-to-win-fb34a6f185a | ['Huobi Global'] | 2020-04-16 13:07:17.783000+00:00 | ['Halving', 'Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Bitcoin'] |
Why Portland, Oregon is Problematic & Damaging to People of Color | Black Well-Being Requires Racial Justice
“The most difficult social problem in the matter of Negro health is the peculiar attitude of the nation toward the well-being of the race. There have… been few other cases in the history of civilized peoples where human suffering has been viewed with such peculiar indifference.” — W.E.B. Du Bois
Racial differences in health contribute to adverse birth outcomes as well as life expectancy. It is said that these racial disparities affect a person of color from before they are born to the day that they die. In the United States, Black women are two to six times more likely to die from complications of pregnancy than white women, Black women are also far more likely to experience complications during their pregnancy than white women.
Even before a baby is born, the stress that their mothers feel during pregnancy is passed on; startlingly Black babies that are born in the United States die at over two times the rate of White babies within their first year of life. In order to analyze the racial disparities in the health and medicine industry we need to tackle restrictive policies in the United States based on acts of racial dominance.
Considering the dire implications that poor health has on people of color, we must begin to understand that by improving the social, structural, economic, and environmental factors of Black communities, you are also improving health, as well as life outcomes for the residents of these communities. In the 1960’s the Portland Black Panthers understood this simple fact and began providing Black communities and neighborhoods with medical clinics, dental clinics, and a free breakfast program for children. By providing these simple community survival programs the Black Panthers carved out spaces of sanctuary for poor Blacks in an unjust social and economic system.
However, since the “urban renewal” efforts, of the 1960’s and 1970’s in Portland, this city has not only demolished neighborhoods, but with this demolition they have destroyed places that were critical to the enrichment of the lives of people of color in Portland. By destroying clinics, arts and cultural centers, neighborhoods, and the environmental aspects of these neighborhoods, each resident experiences trauma or Root Shock (emotional trauma from the destruction of his or her environment) in which they must live with every day.
Much of the sociological research on health and race has been built upon and elaborated on the insights from Du Boi’s seminal work. For example, the list of contributing factors of poor health for Blacks in Philadelphia [in 1899] included, “poor heredity, neglect of infants, bad dwellings, poor food, and unsanitary living conditions.” Du Boi also noted that the causal factors of poor health were primarily environmental. These issues, the issues that Blacks in Philadelphia experienced in 1899, are the same issues in which Blacks experience in Portland and in the rest of the United States today.
Clearly, the institutionalized racism and the racialized social structures that govern the communities in which people of color continue to live have not changed much. The “peculiar indifference”, mentioned at the beginning of this section is astonishing, and in a city noted as the most sustainable city in the U.S., Black unemployment still remains double that of White Oregonians, with thirty percent of Blacks living in poverty. So, who exactly in Portland sustaining? I’ll give you a hint: the wealthy, and the white.
In comparison to whites, people of color have “lower income at every level of education; less wealth (net assets) at every level of income; higher rates of unemployment at all levels of education; higher exposure to occupational hazards, even after adjusting to job experience and education; and less purchasing power because of higher costs of goods and services in their residential contexts,” (Conrad & Leiter 2012:37).
In Portland, housing insecurity significantly impacts Black residents, considerably more than it impacts white residents. With all of these factors combined, it must be understood that one’s traumatic stress reaction is cause for extreme health outcomes. Thus, by tackling urban living conditions and improving access to cultural centers, programs, and projects, we are also tackling the health disparities that Blacks in Portland continue to face. In order to tackle these issues, we must begin first with tackling systemic racism and racially restrictive policies in the United States; including but not limited to, reproductive justice, housing laws, restrictive employment opportunities, and the demolition and gentrification of Black neighborhoods | https://medium.com/v-a-l-l-e-y/why-portland-oregon-is-problematic-damaging-to-people-of-color-55fe7a6aa878 | ['Alexandra Tsuneta'] | 2019-07-24 23:26:35.267000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'Gentrification', 'Race', 'Racism', 'Portland Oregon'] |
How Real Love Secrets Can Help You Enjoy a Satisfying Relationship Though Married | Hey everybody! My name is Patricia Fuqua and I retired early from teaching high school so I could use my awesome spiritual gifts full time as a relationship expert for women over 35. I wanted to support them to make love connections that would bring them happiness. I worked as an empath psychic-medium and tarot reader in one of California’s traveling psychic fairs and had record breaking days helping clients with their love lives. But after five years, the crowds started to get smaller and smaller until there were not enough people coming to them to make it worth setting up a consulting table.
When I retired early, I proudly told my husband that I would be able to replace my teaching salary and more with my new career but the dwindling crowds made it impossible to keep that promise and I started to feel like a failure.
After doing some research, I discovered that if I wrote and published a book I could enjoy credibility in the marketplace beyond the psychic fair. I struggled for awhile to focus my mind to actually organize and write the book and finally self published it on Amazon. Instead of feeling accomplished, I felt even worse about the situation because I’d spend a lot of time and energy writing and publishing a book that only a handful of people bought.
The Wall I hit was that a self-published book on Amazon was not enough for me to become the go to love coach for women over 35. I needed something more than that. The lack of knowing what I needed to get a thriving coaching business put me in such a funk that I finally got cancer and had to take two years to heal myself before trying to restart my business.
Then as if by chance something amazing happened.
That’s when I discovered how the internet was changing the face of selling and then I discovered that click funnels could help me sell books to the right people who wanted my help with their relationship issues. It was now crystal clear to me how to stop worrying about using Amazon and focus on how I could find and help the right people. Plus I could control the entire process around my book and make MORE money off every sale of the book.
Most of all I learned you don’t need Amazon to make money from your own book, you need to focus on creating a funnel for your book instead.
After I did that, I started making money from book sales and from other services in my funnel.
Suddenly, I was making enough money to equal my teacher’s salary, picking and choosing which buyers to help to find satisfying relationships (instead of hoping and praying someone would want to call me).
That’s when I realized that the secret to establish myself as an empath psychic-medium relationship expert for women over 35 was to use the internet to BYPASS Amazon and go straight to the people who had the problem I could solve with my book.
My plan was to start repeating the process with a second book and other services that support women to enjoy satisfying relationships.
So I started coming up with a new course that would support women already in relationship. But we didn’t stop there.
We then sat down and created empath psychic-medium readings that would support women to be happier though in a relationship. The psychic-medium readings would cover the past, present and future of a woman’s love connections.
After that, we sold those books and empath psychic-medium readings to my existing customers and then tried to find new customers.
But there was still a problem…
It still took a while to get the marketing copy and the new funnel right. I gave myself 6 months to get it done. On the average I was willing to pay $10/day on ads to get my message out there. Once that was up and running, I’d start a new funnel for my second book and course.
We ended up getting so frustrated that we decided to research a better process, using technology, strategy, and software to help create our new courses and books in just hours, not months or years.
We chose to call it “Real Love Secrets”.
We thought if we could create something that would make it possible to support women to make a plan to build their own satisfying relationships to enjoy in a day, we’d be really happy.
After 6 months of using click funnels and testing and tweaking every piece of marketing and advertising copy, I now have a community of women who have the spiritual and practical tools to be happy in relationship. We have created Real Love Secrets.
I can now teach a program to help women over 35 be happy in relationship in a day and offer them empath psychic-medium support for over 6 months.
We then started to let other women who want to enjoy a satisfying relationship use Real Love Secrets.
As a result of all this we were able to achieve the following: I can build my professional credibility, sell 1000’s of books, help 100’s of women and impress my husband with my success as an author and coach.
And in the end, all of this means I’m now able to help a lot more people achieve their dream of happiness in relationship without spending years learning the secrets of a love connection as I did. And I can enjoy impressing my husband with my success for breakfast, lunch or dinner. | https://medium.com/@patricia_1151/how-real-love-secrets-can-help-you-enjoy-a-satisfying-relationship-though-married-c0c77302d551 | ['Patricia Fuqua'] | 2020-06-03 19:51:01.634000+00:00 | ['Psychic', 'Love Yourself', 'Love And Relationships', 'Ｍedium', 'Love'] |
Sun Editorial: Recent study shows infants and toddlers in New Jersey are doing OK | Sun Editorial: Recent study shows infants and toddlers in New Jersey are doing OK
By Alan Bauer
The Sun
The more than 310,000 infants and toddlers who call New Jersey home are doing OK, not great, but improving, according to a recent national study found at StateofBabies.org.
The study looked at a variety of factors under three major categories: Good Health, Strong Families and Positive Early Learning Experiences. Overall, there were, of course, mixed results, but, overall, the state did pretty well.
In the Good Health category, positives included 15.2 percent of mothers in the state reported less than optimal mental health. While, ideally, that number would be zero, the national rate was 22 percent.
Also, the infant mortality rate here was 4.1 per 1,000 live births, compared to 5.9 nationally.
On the negative side, parents need to do a better job of taking their kids to the dentist. Only 24.4 percent reported taking their children in for preventive dental care, compared to 30 percent nationally.
New Jersey did well in the Strong Families category, with high marks for a low maltreatment rate, and a higher than average housing stability rate, for example. One of the bigger negatives was that 11.9 percent of respondents reported living in an unsafe neighborhood. That compares to 6.3 percent nationally. Also, children in New Jersey were more likely to be living in crowded housing.
The Positive Early Learning Experiences showed New Jersey parents like to sing to their babies, 62.9 percent compared to 56.4 percent nationally. Reading, however, fell a little short of that mark, with 37.9 percent of New Jersey respondents reading to their children, compared to 38.2 percent nationally.
Complete details of the study are available on the website.
New Jersey has its well-documented problems, but it’s good to see that, when it comes to its youngest residents, for the most part the state is doing well or at least moving in the right direction. | https://medium.com/the-medford-sun/sun-editorial-recent-study-shows-infants-and-toddlers-in-new-jersey-are-doing-ok-d4a60707028c | ['Melissa Riker'] | 2019-03-20 14:31:00.764000+00:00 | ['Baby', 'New Jersey', 'Education', 'Kids'] |
7 Ways to Build Multiple Income Streams Through Crypto | Most people don’t necessarily have the time or desire to become traders, constantly glued to their screens watching daily price action. Others trade occasionally but have realized it’s much harder to do so in a bear market. What most people do want are longer term, low-risk investments within the crypto space without quitting their day jobs.
Crypto provides plenty of options. You don’t need to be sitting in front of a screen and analyzing charts or coding to make money with the methods I’ve outlined below. That said, many (but not all) of these strategies are centered around projects that are still nascent. This is both good and bad. It’s bad because there are few use-cases and tried and true examples, so you’ll have to do your own exploring through trial and error. It’s good because it means if you find a niche and dive in to one area, then you can be an early adopter and increase your earnings in 2019.
Here are a few ways that you can get started.
1. Affiliate Income
Crypto affiliate programs pay you for making referrals when someone makes a purchase or registers for a service. On blockchain platforms where amplifying network effects is key to increasing traffic and revenue, affiliate programs are generous. Referral commissions range from 10 to 75 percent.
How to set it up: | https://medium.com/coinmonks/7-ways-to-build-multiple-income-streams-through-crypto-19cf56151f46 | [] | 2020-08-27 11:40:16.530000+00:00 | ['Money Mindset', 'Blockchain', 'Side Hustle', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Passive Income'] |
How to Tell Who Your Real Friends Are | Friendship
How to Tell Who Your Real Friends Are
Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash
How does one distinguish between genuine friends and casual relationships in this era? 10 years ago, you could host a party or life event and dictate who a friend was based on who decided to show up. You might even create a list of people you’d feel comfortable contacting in case you had to move or had an emergency.
Nowadays with COVID and the continued burgeoning of virtual relationships, it’s become a little harder to discern who is really your true friends are. A lot of people my age don't even feel like they have any good friends. An alarming statistics from August 2019, revealed that 27% of millennials felt they didn't have any “close” friends (NY Post, 2019). Even if that’s the case, it’s important to realize it now so you can start building deeper friendships and perhaps nurturing fewer surface encounters.
There’s a surefire way to do that nowadays and it involves significantly altering the way you interact with social media.
Either delete or unfollow most people on your social media. If you decide not to delete social entirely because you use it for business purposes or have groups or pages that you rely on, it’s ok, just simply stop posting and unfollow most people you friend on the social media platforms you use. Don't worry, you can always follow them back when you end this experiment!
Here’s the trick though. People will notice. There are some transactional friends who “like” your stuff and you “‘like” theirs. They probably won't reach out though. The people who genuinely care and are most likely friends will reach out though. They will want to know what's going on with you and what you’re up to. They might miss your posts or communicate with you. A simple but pretty dependable guard rail: If you are texting or messaging each other in 2020, you’re friends!
Friends will contact you. Either through Messenger, text, or DMs.
It works. If you are willing to lay low for just a little while, you can effectively summon the intrigue of those who actually care. It may sound childish but it’s worth it. It’s even more childish to stay concerned with the little dopamine hit you get from “likes” from people you barely know and fear what may come of losing that. Those who are stuck in that rut really need to try this, but it can impactful for just about anyone these days.
Honestly, what do you have to lose? It’s 2020! As if this year wasn't enough of a test on relationships, perform this simple experiment, and know who to devote your time to when all this blows over! | https://medium.com/@bradislava/how-to-tell-who-your-real-friends-are-ca59c76d89d6 | ['Bradley S.'] | 2020-12-08 00:40:27.245000+00:00 | ['Relationships', 'Covid 19', 'Friends', 'Social Media', 'Friendship'] |
Duty of Skill | Board members must have the skills necessary to effectively lead the organization toward achieving their goals. No one person has all of these skills, which is why a board is composed of more than one person.
The types of skills which are generally needed on a board include financial, legal, human resources, fund raising, public relations and information technology skills. This is not an all inclusive list and your group could have more specific skills.
Some groups will have taken the time to create a skills matrix, which is what it sounds like. A grid of all the skills that are required on a board and a list of the board members with an indication if they have a member, or members, who have those skills. This helps the organization identify if there are any holes that need to be filled on the board.
A simple example is the finance function. Every board member should be able to read a set of financial statements and understand a budget. On the skill matrix under each board members name there would be a checkmark, indicating that this person did possess those skills. In addition there should be a member or two who have deeper financial knowledge. An accountant or a banker who can provide advice about financial decisions. This is another skill that not every board member has to possess.
Bring your skills to the board room table.
The duty of skill requires that each board member apply all their skills. If you have legal or finance skills then you are expected to apply them. If there is an issue where your skills would expect to be used then you should do so. An example — the board is considering terminating the employment of their executive director. One would expect that the board members with legal skills and the board members with human resources skills would speak up if they see a problem with this plan. An example would be termination with cause when the group has never done a performance appraisal. The board members should alert the rest of the board to these dangers.
A common skill is being new. A board member who is new to the board is the one who could say “Why do we do this?” The remainder of the board need to explain the reasoning. This is a valuable exercise. The whole board gets to consider the why of the procedure being questioned. Once you have served on a board for awhile you are used to the processes and no longer ask these questions.
Some organizations are member driven — which usually means that the members have one type of skill in common. A bar society’s members are lawyers, a medical society’s members are doctors, you get the idea. On that type of board there is a different kind of skill needed, the skill of being a “lay” member. This is a person who is not a lawyer or a doctor, so has not been drinking the same Kool aid as the rest of them and can explain how the general public feels about some of the ideas that the professionals recommend.
The duty of skill has nuances depending on what type of organization we are talking about but some things are the same for every board. Each board has to have a full suite of skills represented on the board. Every board member has to exercise all the skills that they possess. | https://medium.com/governance-guru/duty-of-skill-f62f553c421a | ['Debi Peverill'] | 2020-12-18 02:59:35.297000+00:00 | ['Governance', 'Board', 'Productivity', 'Meetings', 'Committee'] |
Design from Storytelling to Story-listening | Why are there more people wearing black in New York City than other cities? Why do many people walk around in circles when they are on the phone? Why are some people’s apartments full of useless things?…
Those small rituals, preferences, habits and gestures all coalesce to tell personal stories and reveal who we really are inside.
Designers are known as storytellers through form, whether it is through graphics, products or garments. They are forms that effectively convey ideas and fulfill market needs.
However, while the challenges designers face today become more and more complex, it is extremely crucial to be able to identify the most pressing pain points before creating more desired solutions. The root of any company, program or organization’s problems can be found in a nurse, a teacher, a customer’s experiences. It really requires designers to not only be storytellers, but more importantly be story-listeners. After all, we do not need just another creation, but a better solution for both the business and customers.
But how?
For us, the answer is designing tailored research tools to engage people and allow them to tell their own stories which might even be neglected by they themselves. Below are a few tools we leveraged in our previous work. These tools and their descriptions are excerpts from our “Matter–Mind Studio: Tools” catalog.
Object interviews
An adaptation of a traditional interview where participants use a relevant personal object as the topic of the interview.
Design-led reflection
A collection of Playmobil sets, mad-lib poems, blank diagrams, and stickers for participants to reflect on and capture a moment.
Speculative services
Studying the explicit and unspoken ‘rules’ we live by and creating a speculative service those rules.
With Extrapolation Factory
Future report
A hypothetical final report written as if the new proposal were to have run its course. This is useful for envisioning long-term outcomes and goals.
Stories are the capsules of emotions. Through them, we extract unstated emotions which often provide invaluable insights and lead to rich design opportunities.
At Matter-Mind Studio, we believe that designing to be listeners empowers us to enter various intimate spaces, identify unique opportunities and create unconventional solutions for how it feels to a patient, a student, a son, a neighbor. | https://medium.com/matter-mind-studio/design-from-storytelling-to-story-listening-19a4aa027622 | ['Lillian Tong'] | 2017-06-01 15:17:22.298000+00:00 | ['Storytelling', 'Design Research', 'Research'] |
26 Observations From CES 2018 | This year, much like Devin from TechCrunch, I spent all my time at Sands, where the cool kids are. Eureka Park (the startup zone) broke a new record with over 900 startups. Rather than focus on specific startups I’ll share my general impressions. Comments welcome!
There was no dominant theme. As for classics: basic smartwatches and trackers were barely there (those markets are too mature already), AR/VR seemed to be entering a new phase, with practical applications (mostly B2B, from surgery to manufacturing), and drones are… too 2015. Every booth looked pro. Compared to previous years, most booth designs and brands looked neat. More B2B. CES is the Consumer Electronics Show, but B2B was definitely on the rise. Products tend to be less flashy but address a true business problem. No “wow”. At least for me. Note that “wow” products are not necessarily good business. In fact, as investors we tend to like “boring” and B2B. One reason there is less wow is below: It’s the software, stupid! Hardware is only a means to an end. Many of today’s products deliver value via software. In fact, the cheaper / more generic the hardware, the easier and cheaper it is to build. Several countries made a good showing. France had tons of startups under “French Tech”. Holland, Israel, Taiwan, Singapore and Italy were also noticeable. South Korea and Japan were present, but in back alleys. China, whose country brand is not yet on par with others (despite its size and technological prowess), was not very visible. More on this below. France might be over-represented. I cheer for my country’s entrepreneurial enthusiasm, but the number of products on display suggest a low bar in terms of innovation and business maturity. Someone is overspending here. I hope for a tighter filter next year. China is there, but doesn’t look Chinese. Last year the back alleys of Eureka Park were filled with rows of shoddy booths of companies with “Shenzhen” in their name, displaying nearly identical OEM products. This year, some booths were still quite obviously Chinese, but a fair number could not be distinguished from other international players. This means that the originality, quality, design, branding and general presentation of the products and companies had improved a lot. I’ll only mention here the smart piano TheOne as an example. At some point, “Shenzhen” or “China” might stand for quality and will warrant being under a “La China Tech” umbrella. Beyond trackers. A number of health products now offer treatment rather than mere tracking. We started investing two years ago in “digital therapeutics” and the category is growing. Some might challenge soon pharmaceutical companies for sleep, anxiety, concentration and more. Less pointless companion robots. We love robots, but the consumer robotics space has been a graveyard. Even Jibo, which received an award, hasn’t convinced many so far. Glad to see those go until they start to make sense. Some robots did make sense. When they have a clear purpose: toys and STEM robots, even a robot toy for cats. The toy space is hard as it requires engineering repeatable fun. I worked in gaming for a while and even the best companies can’t guarantee fun. The support ecosystem for hardware startup is better than ever. The very professional presence at the very entrance of Eureka Park of Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Avnet and HAX (yours truly) was proof. Oh yes, A.I. was there. While Sophia-the-robot and Sony’s Aibo reissue caught lots of attention, they are far from mainstream. A.I. is rather coming to you in the form of voice assistants, machine learning in various mundane-looking consumer products. 3D printing is expanding slowly. As a result, there were very few startups in that space. I saw two printers: one tiny 3-in-1 engraver/printer/CNC mill and one larger ceramic printer (which managed to print very fine detail). Low end and high end. Some serious science. A handful of startups had developed new sensors or new materials and were building products around them. Lots of niche gadgets. Including some returnees like the scent-based alarm clock. I like to witness the variety and creativity but as a VC, those were of lower interest. Less investors. The usual suspects with a hardware focus were there but it felt that generalists were not. It’s good news for early stage investors (less competition) but makes life harder for founders (less investors, and possibly less follow-on, as investors who don’t build expertise tend to avoid the category). Quite a few corporates. Many tech and non-tech companies are scouting for startups, as hardware finally connects the software to the physical world. There were numerous executive groups and innovation tours walking the floor. Brain Tech is getting real. Several products made use of EEG sensors, and some were closing the loop with either light, sound or electricity to do (good) things to your brain. Haptics are coming. I’ve had an interest in touch-related interfaces since when the word teledildonics was hip. There are a variety of approaches, from ultrasound waves to bionic gloves. Electric Vehicles. Scooters, skateboards, bicycles, cars... Incrementally better, and here to stay. Self-driving stuff. From Toyota’s e-Palette to autonomous grocery stores. Spectacular PR machines. Sophia-the-robot is half-way there, but some others are quite clearly PR things (at least I believe so). The massive ping-pong robot chassis which apparently can’t serve nor spin (contrary to the much more practical Trainerbot) and the Furrion exoskeleton (an improvement of last year’s machine, but still highly questionable beyond PR). The usual anecdotal coverage of pointless things. Most media focus on the entertainment value and look for spectacular/ridiculous/strange things. They tend to ignore the underlying trends of what actually has a chance to become a real business and break into the mainstream. One click today is better than two clicks tomorrow! Did I forget Google? They had ads all over the place and a giant candy machine giving away stuff. Anyone who was sent to CES to work and waited in line for 1.5 hours to get something should probably be fired. The fact that Google put so much effort in puffing up its Home product shows how nervous they are against Amazon and Alexa. My bets are on Amazon for the home, maybe because I trust Amazon with my data more. Google knows enough about me already. Booth babes (or lack thereof). Employing the entertainers of Las Vegas, who work hard at perfecting their appearance as a tool for attention, is now frowned upon. Thinking of which, I don’t quite recall seeing any in Eureka Park… ever.
PS: I wrote the title first, then filled in impressions. Glad I made it to 26! If you have more, please share.
PPS: To see products, for entertainment or else, here are some lists:
The coolest thing at CES: Forpheus, the Ping-Pong-playing robot (Recode)
Complete Coverage of the Best Emerging Tech (IEEE)
Most Absurd Technologies To Come (Futurism)
10 products I would buy today (USA Today)
CES 2018 gets serious about health, wellness and medical tech (CNET)
Keep up with our community. Subscribe to the SOSV newsletter, and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter! | https://medium.com/sosv-accelerator-vc/26-observations-from-ces-2018-2f19e2dd4251 | ['Benjamin Joffe'] | 2018-11-29 06:50:40.091000+00:00 | ['Ces2018', 'Hax', 'Sosv', 'CES', 'Startup'] |
Why Content Marketing Is Effective for B2B Companies | As a way to simplify this article and get right to the point, I’ve put everything into this nifty little list for you ⬇️ but as some context let’s just get on the same page about “What IS content marketing?”.
Content marketing in 2021 really consists of 4 main categories. Video, Photo, Audio, and Written Word. Just about everyone has different feelings on which is best or most effective. I like to remind them as often as I can that marketing is NOT a 1 size fits all solution. For different industries, businesses, consumers, you need to adjust and figure out what resonates best with your potential customers.
Video Marketing is easily my favorite form of content marketing, I myself am a huge consumer of video content so whether it’s on Linkedin, Youtube, or a commercial on TV, that is personally what I know works best on me as a consumer, as well as my favorite to produce for other brands.
Photography in content marketing also plays a HUGE role in staying relevant in 2021. Creating video content every single day can be a huge burden for a brand especially when their day-to-day processes may not be found very entertaining or interesting. So as a way to continuously create visual content that gives their consumers some kind of value, high-quality creative photography becomes a very solid way of keeping engaged with consumers.
Audio is another great form of content marketing, but there is almost no visual aspect to it. Audio can come in the form of a podcast, audiobook, and it’s now on the rise thanks to the Clubhouse App. Audio is a highly consumed type of content and is well-liked by many simply because you’re able to multitask. You can listen to a podcast while you’re driving or on the train or while you are scheduling meetings for the upcoming week.
The written word being a highly consumed form of content, but at the bottom of my favorites list as I feel that it warrants the most amount of effort needed by the consumer, yet even with that. It is a highly consumed, and very useful form of content, especially through blogs and when trying to establish SEO for your website.
So, Why are these important for B2B Companies? Let's go down the list⤵️
It Builds Brand Awareness: Your brand is great, it has a positive mission statement, it’s well designed, aesthetically pleasing…But without developing high-quality content showcasing those things, your audience doesn't know about any of that. You may have a great new product- the best baby stroller to ever roll the sidewalks or the best alarm clock in the world that emits the smell of brewed coffee in the morning... Without showing the world these products in a visual form all they can do is read about it, they can’t see what it looks like to see if it fits their aesthetic or see its great features in action. The same holds true for B2B companies, you need to bring visual awareness to your brand. They’re scrolling through social media anyway, you may as well give them the opportunity to see what you have to offer. Helps Build Links: This one is geared more towards written word/blog content, but in the world of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) if you want to rank your website higher on Google effectively, the best way to do so is through backlinks, when blogs or websites talk about your brand or company or product and they add the link to your website in the text, that “authority” helps improve where you rank on a Google search result. Hypothetically this could also work with let's say posting videos on Youtube, but only if in the description under the video itself it is linking to your website. It’s Cost-effective: Saying it’s cost-effective honestly doesn’t even do it justice, realistically it’s almost free, what it costs is time and creativity. You are already reading this text on a computer or phone, if you were to take that same device, and dedicate a few hours of your time to writing your own blog posts or using your phone's camera and showcasing your best advice on Instagram, you would be making an effort in effective content marketing. Now let's say you did that consistently with those devices and continued to create pieces of content that are well made, well I guarantee you that you will find yourself in a much better place in only a few months than you are now. Establishes Brand Authority: People associate things that are well made with having authority in that marketplace and because it’s so cost-effective, anyone can try doing content marketing, but when they do the majority typically doesn’t do it well. So this gives you an opportunity to establish your brand as an authority in the marketplace by creating better, more valuable, better-designed content. Keeps Consumers Engaged: Consumers today both on the B2B and B2C end of things are sitting at their home desk, with their work monitor live, a rotary fan taped to their mouse, and are on their phone scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, etc. If you’re posting that good content on those platforms consistently, these consumers are going to take notice of it, engage with it, view it, talk to you, etc. Which gives you an opportunity to engage back and build a relationship with them, which if you know anything about sales, is the first step to closing a deal.
At the end of the day, as a B2B company, you could spend a bunch of time sending cold emails, LinkedIn messages, running paid ad’s on Google, etc. But all of that is for nothing unless you’re also creating a hefty amount of content that educates your audience about you and what you offer, so they can choose on their own they want to associate with you more. That natural desire to associate with you will lead them down a road of engaging with your content and even if they don't become a customer, they’re helping you reach more people who will.
Hopefully, this little list gave you some valuable insights on why content marketing should be a primary focus in your marketing efforts this year. As someone who makes a living in the B2B space, this is exactly what I do and I know what it has done for me is beyond any other method.
Best
Andrew Fein
Founder & Marketing Director
Saturn Agency | https://medium.com/@andrewgfein/why-content-marketing-is-effective-for-b2b-companies-5f23a45b66d8 | ['Andrew G. Fein'] | 2021-03-19 18:51:22.318000+00:00 | ['Content Strategy', 'Marketing', 'B2B', 'Marketing Strategies', 'Content Marketing'] |
OperationQueue: Asynchronous Data Provider for list view | In iOS TableView Prefetching DataSource using Swift I talked about prefetching API introduced in iOS 10. To achieve seamless user experience, prefetching API does an excellent job. But at times we need more than prefetching datasource. And one of those times is when the data we want to fetch are from multiple synchronous slow running tasks depending on one another. Considering such cases, in this article I explained how to group multiple heavy tasks (both sync and async) using Swift’s powerful multithreading API Operation and I called it Asynchronous Data Provider.
Prerequisite
As you are reading this article, I am hoping that you already know about GrandCentralDispatch (GCD) , OpertionQueue and PrefetchingDataSource .
Getting Started
The sample project of this article populates a table view of filtered images. These images are end results four heavy loading tasks, both synchronous and asynchronous. I made each task as a subclass of Operation to run these tasks in a OperationGroup and assign one as a dependency of another task.
DataLoadOperation:
This is the first of four tasks used to fetch images. It downloads the meta data for each image from the internet. Here we used NetworkSimulator to mimic the delay due to network call.
ImageDecompressionOperation:
As the name said, this decompresses the compressed data downloaded in DataLoadOperation to UIImage
TiltShiftOperation:
The responsibility of this class is to apply gradient with corner radius to the UIImage passed from ImageDecompressionOperation
ImageFilterOutputOperation:
This calls the completion block to return the final output.
TiltShiftImageProvider:
This is where all the magic happens. TiltShiftImageProvider. It initializes all tasks, assigns the dependencies to one other accordingly and in the end adds these array of tasks to OperationQueue. TiltShiftImageProvider just has a single method cancel() which is called whenever we want OperationQueue to stop any ongoing task.
TiltShiftTableViewController:
Inside tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, prefetchRowsAt indexPaths: [IndexPath]) a new imageProvider is initialized and stored in a dictionary. tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, willDisplay cell: UITableViewCell, forRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) method calls configureCell(_ cell: ImageTableViewCell, at indexPath: IndexPath) to update UI If there is image available an indexPath or else a new imageProvider has been created and update the cell as soon as image has been return from completion block and finally imageProvider has been stored to the dictionary. In tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, didEndDisplaying cell: UITableViewCell, forRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) and tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cancelPrefetchingForRowsAt indexPaths: [IndexPath]) methods we called cancel() method of each stored imageProvider to stop any ongoing task and then imageProvider has been removed from the dictionary to free up the resources.
Conclusion
Operations in Swift are a very powerful way to segregate tasks to multiple classes. As OperationQueue class is key-value coding (KVC) and key-value observing (KVO) compliant, it keeps track of progress and dependencies of each task. The below code repo is a perfect example of how leverage the power of OperationQueue and design a Asynchronous Data Provider.
Thank you all for your attention 🙏🏻. feel free to tweet and get connected.
Check out other articles from our engineering team:
https://medium.com/monstar-lab-bangladesh-engineering
Visit our website to learn more about us:
www.monstar-lab.co.bd | https://medium.com/monstar-lab-bangladesh-engineering/operationqueue-asynchronous-data-provider-for-list-view-ee5327ff2647 | ['Mohammed Rokon Uddin'] | 2020-01-28 04:58:31.686000+00:00 | ['Objective C', 'Uitableview', 'Concurrency', 'iOS', 'Swift'] |
Welcome to OpenSea | Welcome to OpenSea! By the end of this article, you’ll have the knowledge and skills to effortlessly move through the world of NFTs.
Read the full post on our blog. | https://medium.com/opensea/welcome-to-opensea-516473d74387 | ['Devin Finzer'] | 2020-05-20 08:11:39.096000+00:00 | ['Tutorials', 'Featured', 'Guides'] |
Are you looking for Reliable Road Freight and Express Road Freight transport to Bosnia and Herzegovina solutions ? | Are you looking for Reliable Road Freight and Express Road Freight transport to Bosnia and Herzegovina solutions ? Maxi Logistics Services ·Oct 28, 2021
Are you looking for Reliable Road Freight and Express Road Freight transport to Bosnia and Herzegovina solutions ?
Do you have Road Freight order to Bosnia and Herzegovina ?
Let’s do it more information https://www.maxitransport.eu/en/hizmetlerimiz/detay/international-land-transportation
Also you can connect with us by the phone or e-mail.
[email protected] & +90 216 335 55 97
For Bosnia and Herzegovina Reliable Road Freight and Express Road Freight logistics about ask us.
#LogisticsAskUs
#Europa #Avrupa #LogisticsAskUsEU
https://www.maxitransport.eu/en/
https://www.maxitransport.uk
#shipping #cargo #freight #freightforwarding #supplychain #export #import #transport #Poland #MaxiLogisticsServices #Czechia #Slovakia #Hungary #Prevoz #Turska #Logistika #Lojistik #Minivan #ExpressTransport #Taşımacılık #Nakliye #BeyondOfLogistics #Bosnia #Albania #CrnaGora #Srbija #Croatia #Slovenia #LojistiğinÖtesinde #Bulgaria #Macedonia #Netherlands #Kosovo #Belgium #Greece #Romania #Germany #France #Denmark #Minivan #Speedy #Panelvan | https://medium.com/@maksitransport/are-you-looking-for-reliable-road-freight-and-express-road-freight-transport-to-bosnia-and-161ada010be | ['Maxi Logistics Services'] | 2021-10-28 12:23:27.528000+00:00 | ['Export', 'Maxi Logistics Services', 'Bosnia And Herzegovina', 'Supply Chain', 'Logistics Ask Us'] |
Visualize your Portfolio in 30 lines of code. | Today we will discuss how to visualize your portfolio in under 2 minutes using Python. Simply substitute the tickers listed below with the stocks in your portfolio and print a simple pie chart with live data.
import datetime as dt
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from pandas_datareader import data as web
I wanted to give everyone a quick fun project that produces an informative graph with real time data so that you quickly update and track your portfolio.
tickers = ['PTON','CRWD','MRNA','PLTR','NVDA','PLUG','SNOW']
amounts = [12,15,20,30,8,18,5]
prices = []
total = [] # SET THE OUTLINE OF THE PIE CHART
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(10,10)) ax.set_facecolor('black')
ax.figure.set_facecolor('white')
ax.tick_params(axis='x', colors='black')
ax.tick_params(axis='y', colors='black')
Check out all of your visual options with the various styles and colors on the Matplotlib website.
PLOT YOUR PORTFOLIO:
ax.set_title("Your Portfolio", color='black', fontsize=20) _, texts, _ = ax.pie(total, labels=tickers, autopct='%1.1f%%', pctdistance=0.8)
[text.set_color('black') for text in texts] ax.text(-2,1, 'PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW:', fontsize=24, color="red", horizontalalignment='center', verticalalignment='center')
ax.text(-2,0.85, f'Total USD Amount: ${sum(total):.2f}', fontsize=18, color="green", horizontalalignment='center', verticalalignment='center')
counter = 0.15
for ticker in tickers:
ax.text(-2, 0.85 - counter, f'{ticker}: ${total[tickers.index(ticker)]:.2f}', fontsize=16, color="black",
horizontalalignment='center', verticalalignment='center')
counter += 0.15 plt.show()
Thanks for reading!
If you found this article useful, feel free to visit my GitHub to download the files used in this article or email me directly at [email protected].
Interested in learning more about data analytics, data science and machine learning applications? Follow me on Medium.
Connect with me on LinkedIn. | https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/visualize-your-portfolio-in-30-lines-of-code-d0200d15698c | ['Scott Andersen'] | 2020-12-20 14:53:12.470000+00:00 | ['Stock Analysis', 'Python', 'Data Science', 'Portfolio', 'Data Visualization'] |
The Walk | The Walk
Maybe I looked like someone in need of confession
Photo by Chad Greiter on Unsplash
“Do you want to come inside and worship with us?” you asked as I walked by.
I had seen you before, plenty of times. I’d get a friendly nod, a smile, a good morning as I went to the store for this and that. But never this…never an actual invitation.
That day was different, as if you knew exactly what I’d been up to the night before. Was it the way I walked? My slightly disheveled demeanor that revealed an absence of sleep and an abundance of scotch? Perhaps the story of sinful satisfaction was just written all over my face and you easily translated the tale of tawdry togetherness?
“No, thank you,” I said with a smile.
There was no shame in my game…or my walk.
More from Kiki Wellington: | https://medium.com/rule-of-one/the-walk-of-shame-that-led-to-a-church-invitation-db924a6bcfa3 | ['Kiki Wellington'] | 2020-10-20 08:16:47.050000+00:00 | ['It Happened To Me', 'Religion', 'Walk Of Shame', 'Sexuality', 'This Happened To Me'] |
Why Brexit can’t be considered the same as Henry VIII’s split from Rome | Why Brexit can’t be considered the same as Henry VIII’s split from Rome
When history appears to repeat itself, it’s interesting. When it happens close to 500 years after, in the same country, with an almost identical reasoning, it’s mind-boggling. The link between Henry VIII’s split from Rome and the UK’s current split from Brussels falls into the latter category: both, at face value, very similar power moves to “take back control”.
At the beginning of the 1530s, Henry VIII, the then King of England, found himself faced with a rather unpleasant conundrum: adhere to the Roman Catholic ban on divorce, or split from Rome to divorce Catherine of Aragon.
Massively consequentially, Henry chose to split from the Papacy in Rome. This was an extraordinary power grab, a coup of sorts, in which the English monarch became the leader of the Church of England. Fuelled by the feeling that the English were different from their continental cousins, the split was designed to bring sovereignty back to London.
Forcing Parliament to pass a series of Acts between 1532 and 1534, including the Act of Supremacy relating to the monarch, helped to establish the rather unusual principle of Parliamentary sovereignty, whereby the national assembly hold absolute power over law-making.
This power grab was a huge boost to Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. While the initial Church of England was still Catholic, it showed that states have the ability to shape their own religious and political future. At the time, it was absolutely incredible, almost unbelievable.
Almost 500 years on, the now-United Kingdom of Great Britain and North Ireland has taken another such momentous decision. The decision to release the UK from the grip of Brussels and the EU has shocked the world once more.
It is the first country to leave the EU ever, and has done so for very similar reasons to Henry VIII. The British public has voted to “take back control of its money, laws, and borders” from the stranglehold that Brussels purportedly has on these.
A series of Acts of Parliament, somewhat forced through by the government, will legislate for Britain’s exit from the EU. Some of these have already passed, such as the 2018 EU (Withdrawal) Act, but many are still to come.
That, though, is where the similarities end. Britain’s leaving the EU is seen by many as not a power move, but rather a reactionary decision of a nation yet to find its feet in the modern world. For all the talk of “taking back control”, the truth is that the UK may actually be forced into decisions to keep itself afloat, and lose power due to Brexit.
Henry VIII was a strongman leader, who did pretty much as he wished. When he told Members of Parliament to pass the necessary laws, they did it. When he declared himself God’s representative on Earth, people believed him.
When he went to war with his own clergy, claiming £100,000 for their pardon, he negotiated so well that he got more than he originally set out for. (They wanted the payment over 5 years; Henry refused. They then withdrew their offer and demanded Henry agree to conditions; Henry refused. Henry then requested that they: pay the money; recognise him as the “Supreme Head of the Church and the Clergy of England” and recognise his spiritual jurisdiction.)
Not only did Henry take power back from Rome, he also took power (and money) from his own clergy in a second incredible coup. Therefore, he could make the break from the continent work by asserting his huge influence and power to guide the country in a new direction.
Theresa May, and, indeed, anyone who replaces her, will not have the same power. She will be forced into difficult decisions, stuck between a rock and a hard place politically. Brexit, then, cannot be considered as the power move, the flex that it is perceived as by those who voted to leave. It is a timid recoil of a nation forced perpetually to look to its past and ask: “What if?” | https://dave-olsen.medium.com/why-brexit-cant-be-considered-the-same-as-henry-viii-s-split-from-rome-75e95a4ac0c6 | ['Dave Olsen'] | 2018-09-15 10:59:39.499000+00:00 | ['Henry Viii', 'Brexit', 'History', 'Power', 'Coup'] |
From CarrierWave to Active Storage | At Livewire Markets, a practice we’re following is to keep upgrading Ruby, Rails, Ruby gems to the latest possible versions, and exploit as much as we can built-in features in Rails.
Attachment handling is a popular and important feature in the Livewire web application. We use it to upload, display contributors’ profile pictures,
attachments and embedded images in wires …
In the old days, we used CarrierWave to manage attachment upload and quite happy with it until Active Storage was born. In this article, I will walk you through how we migrated attachment handling from CarrierWave to Active Storage.
Key differences
Active Storage uses two polymorphic tables active_storage_blobs and active_storage_attachments to store all types of attachments, so we don't need to create a database migration whenever we have a new type of attachment as we need with CarrierWave.
and to store all types of attachments, so we don't need to create a database migration whenever we have a new type of attachment as we need with CarrierWave. Active Storage can do image processing such as resizing at runtime.
CarrierWave uses such a method profile_picture_url to get the URL of the attachment while Active Storage use a helper method url_for(profile.profile_picture) .
to get the URL of the attachment while Active Storage use a helper method . Active Storage does not have built-in validation helper as we have in CarrierWave. Fortunately, we can use the active_storage_validations gem for validation.
Installation
Add the following line into the config/application.rb file
require "active_storage/engine"
Then run
bundle exec rails active_storage:install
It will generate config/storage.yml file for storages configuration, and the database migration to create two tables active_storage_blobs and active_storage_attachments .
Run the migration: bundle exec rake db:migrate
Configuration
Following is our config/storage.yml but you can change it to suit yours.
local:
service: Disk
root: <%= Rails.root.join('storage') %>
amazon:
service: S3
bucket: <%= ENV['AWS_S3_BUCKET'] %>
region: <%= ENV['AWS_REGION'] %>
upload:
cache_control: <%= "public, max-age=#{365.days.to_i}" %>
We use local config for the development and test environments
# Active Storage
config.active_storage.service = :local
and amazon config for production .
# Active Storage
config.active_storage.service = :amazon
Zero downtime migration
We want to keep the business running as usual while we are in the process of the migration. Therefore, we will store attachments in both systems.
mount_uploader :profile_picture, ProfilePictureUploader
has_one_attached :as_profile_picture
Then we implement an Active Record callback to make sure whenever the attachment maintained by CarrierWave changed then the one maintained by ActiveStorage is also updated respectively.
after_commit do
update_active_storage if previous_changes.keys.include?('profile_picture')
end def update_active_storage
self.as_profile_picture.purge if self.as_profile_picture.attached?
sync_profile_picture if self.profile_picture.present?
rescue StandardError -> error
Log.error(error)
end def sync_profile_picture
picture = self.profile_picture
picture.cache_stored_file!
file = picture.sanitized_file.file
content_type = picture.content_type
self.as_profile_picture.attach(io: file, content_type: content_type, filename: self.attributes['profile_picture'])
end
With the above code in place, all newly uploaded attachments will be stored and synced in both systems. Now we can write a rake task to migrate the existing attachments uploaded by CarrierWave to be uploaded and managed by Active Storage as well.
namespace :active_storage do
desc "Migrate profile pictures to use Active Storage"
task migrate_profile_pictures: :environment do
puts '*' * 50
puts "Start migrating #{Profile.count} profiles..."
Profile.find_each do |profile|
next if !profile.profile_picture.present? || profile.as_profile_picture.attached?
profile.sync_profile_picture
end
puts "Completed migrating #{Profile.count} profiles..."
puts '*' * 50
end desc 'Rename as_profile_picture to profile_picture'
task rename_as_profile_picture_to_profile_picture: :environment do
sql = <<-SQL
UPDATE active_storage_attachments
SET name = 'profile_picture'
WHERE name = 'as_profile_picture';
SQL
ActiveRecord::Base.connection.execute(sql)
end
end
We run the first rake task to migrate all existing attachments in CarrierWave to Active Storage.
bundle exec rake active_storage:migrate_profile_pictures
Then we can rename the has_one_attached attribute, remove the CarrierWave uploader, and ActiveRecord hook.
has_one_attached :profile_picture
Finally, we can run the second rake task to update existing records in the active_storage_attachments table to use the new name profile_picture .
bundle exec rake active_storage:rename_as_profile_picture_to_profile_picture
We implement a utility class to process image resizing and return the URL of a given file.
class ActiveStorageUtils
def self.image_url(image, size=nil)
url_for(image, size)
end
def self.file_url(file)
url_for(file)
end
private
def self.url_for(file, size=nil)
return unless file && file.attached?
url_helpers = Rails.application.routes.url_helpers
if size && file.variable?
url_helpers.rails_representation_url(file.variant(resize_to_fill: size).processed, only_path: true)
else
url_helpers.rails_blob_path(file, only_path: true)
end
rescue StandardError => error
Log.error(error)
nil
end
end
Then use it in the model class
# Active Storage
PICTURE_SIZES = {
thumbnail: [20, 20],
medium: [50, 50],
wire: [65, 65],
large: [200, 200]
}.freeze
def profile_picture_url(size=nil)
ActiveStorageUtils.image_url(self.profile_picture, PICTURE_SIZES.fetch(size, nil))
end
Remove CarrierWave
Finally, we can remove the ProfilePictureUploader class, the profile_picture column and the carrierwave gem.
Voila! Now all profile pictures are uploaded and maintained by Active Storage. | https://medium.com/@huythieuhoang-0109/from-carrierwave-to-active-storage-b2fd3e71407f | ['Huy Hoang'] | 2020-12-17 03:27:02.550000+00:00 | ['Active Storage', 'Livewire', 'Carrierwave', 'Ruby on Rails', 'Migration'] |
Could You Live Without a TV? | Could You Live Without a TV?
Here are some things you would gain if you pulled the plug
Photo by Marc Schaefer on Unsplash
Why we pulled the plug
My husband and I are going on 6 years without a TV. It happened because I threw down the gauntlet and he picked it up. We revisit the decision occasionally, but we always come to the same conclusion — our lives are so much better for the lack of a television in our house.
At the beginning of our life together we were living in a little chalet on top of a mountain and the TV reception was spotty at best. There was no cable or satellite, and most days we couldn’t get any stations to come in. That was fine with us, we were newly in love and had plenty of books and music and gardens and hiking trails to fill our days.
Then, we got the opportunity to start life over in a neighboring state and as we were making all the arrangements, I secretly called and had cable connected so he could watch sports. He had always missed football and basketball when we lived on the mountain. It was my gift to him.
Fast forward five years and the TV had become a magnetic force that sucked us to it whenever we were in the house. Having cable meant dozens of channels. There was always something on. The TV was on in our house at least 5 hours a day.
One day I counted up how many hours a week, a month, a year we were spending in front of of the television. It ended up being 76 days a year. Are you stunned? I was!
This number was sobering. That is almost 3 months of our lives glued to the TV. When I showed this number to my husband he seemed skeptical. He didn’t want to admit that we were wasting this much of our lives in front of the “glass teat” as Stephen Kings calls it. But the math doesn’t lie.
We were in the process of buying a new house and when I suggested we not hook up the TV it was with little hope that my husband would agree. I told him that I thought he was addicted to it. That was all it took. He rose to the challenge to prove he could live without it and we have not had a TV since.
When people learn we don’t have a TV their eyes widen and they ask “What do you DO if you don’t watch TV?” It seems to me that people lack imagination to not be able to think what they would do if they didn’t have a TV, but just in case you can’t think of anything, here are some ideas.
Things we have gained by not having a TV:
More Time to Read
One of the things that had happened when the TV was the sun around which our lives revolved was that my husband began complaining that he never had enough time to read. While he knew that if he would turn off the TV he could find time to read, the lure was too strong to resist.
Without a TV in the house, we are both reading much more. Stephen King, in his book “On Writing” says, “Once weaned from the ephemeral craving for TV, most people will find they enjoy the time they spend reading.” He also says “Reading takes time and the glass teat takes too much of it.” We definitely found that to be true.
More Time for Intimacy
While I don’t necessarily mean sex, we have more time for that, too. What I mean by intimacy is the time that you spend together pursuing a shared interest, talking about anything and everything and laughing, laughing, laughing. Being together while creating and sharing meals. Walking hand in hand around the garden in the evening.
These things are the glue that hold a relationship together. If all of your time is spent in front of the TV, when are you finding time to nurture your relationship? How are you staying connected?
More Sunsets
We are lucky that we live on a mountain again, and we have a perfect view of the western sky from our perch on the side of the hill. We put chairs out there and in the evening, after dinner, we take a glass of wine out to the hill and watch the sunset, soaking in the quiet and enjoying more of that intimacy that I talked about above.
If we had a TV, we would be watching one of our “shows” instead of watching the amazing phenomenon of nature at her finest. It is a gentle way to end our day, and so much more rewarding than the next episode of our favorite show.
More Time to Write
No TV in the house means quiet and space for me to write without competing with the noise of the television. Stephen Kings says, “I’d like to suggest that turning off that endlessly quacking box is apt to improve the quality of your life as well as the quality of your writing.”
If you are a writer, think back to the number in the opening of this article. 76 days. How many words could you write in 76 days? That is 1820 hours in a year. You could write a novel or two in that time. Is it really that big of a sacrifice to give up one more episode of “The Bachelor” or whatever the latest hot show is? (Since I haven’t had a TV in 6 years, I have no clue what it is everyone is watching.)
Watching Sports has Turned Into A Date
Now, whenever we want to catch a football or basketball game, we head out to our favorite sports bar, have a beer and some wings and watch a game or two. We get to enjoy the fun of pulling for our favorite teams, and at the same time, we enjoy the atmosphere of ‘date night.” It’s a win-win.
We Get More Sleep
When we had a TV, it was not unusual for it to be on until 11:30 or 12:00 PM. This made it hard to get up in the morning and start our day feeling refreshed. It meant we did not have much time before we had to rush out the door.
Now, we are usually in bed by 9:30 or 10:00 which allows us to wake up extra early (4:30 for my husband, 5:30–6:00 for me)and enjoy the quietest part of the day. I always start my day with a cup of coffee outside on the porch. My husband reads. We both have plenty of time to slowly open to our day without rushing and becoming frantic as we look at the clock.
No Judgement Here
If you have a TV and you love it, don’t hear any judgement from me. I have been there. I know how strong the allure of the content is on that big, flat screen in your living room.
But, if you are willing to experiment with doing without it, even just a few hours a week, I guarantee you will find the time to do the things you say you have no time for. You may even decide, one day, that you really don’t need a television to have a fulfilling life.
Stephen King asks, “How many Frasier and ER reruns does it take to make an American life complete?” (Replace those shows with whatever you are watching today.) Are they really creating the quality of life you have envisioned for yourself? If not, you might just want to try pulling the plug. I promise you will not miss it. And you just may get that novel written! | https://medium.com/wise-woman-within/could-you-live-without-a-tv-d10a3c186c10 | ['Beth Bruno'] | 2019-10-13 18:16:06.229000+00:00 | ['Time', 'Writing', 'Life Lessons', 'Lifestyle', 'Relationships'] |
Medicine as one of the main subjects of international regulation in the modern world | ICS 11.040.10 — Anaesthetic, respiratory and reanimation equipment; 13.110 — Safety of machinery; 31.260 — Optoelectronics. Laser equipment
Medicine has always taken a leading position when it comes to creating regulatory documents. Since in the last year a lot of events have happened in this industry, therefore, a large number of detailed documents have been created to regulate the equipment used in it. Asking the question of COVID-2019, it should be noted that more preference and the need to combat this ailment was given to ventilation and oxygen equipment. That is why, in 2020, an even larger number of international standards have emerged that regulate this subcategory, with which we will introduce you today.
Medical electrical equipment — Part 2–69: Particular requirements for the basic safety and essential performance of oxygen concentrator equipment (ISO 80601–2–69:2020)
EN ISO 80601–2–69:2020
Since the field of medicine is a complex concept, when discussing the technologies and equipment used, it is necessary to approach in a very detailed way when choosing international standards. Some documents cannot be applied separately, namely for individual pieces of equipment, and because of this, a whole system of documents is created that regulates both test methods and all subsequent stages of implementation of use and elimination of negative aspects. If your organization comes into contact with medical equipment that concentrates oxygen, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the document that tells about the basic safety requirements approved at the international level.
Medical electrical equipment — Part 2–70: Particular requirements for the basic safety and essential performance of sleep apnoea breathing therapy equipment (ISO 80601–2–70:2020)
EN ISO 80601–2–70:2020
Like any other document, an international standard related to the field of medicine has its additions and individual parts, one of the additions, or rather a more global explanation of the previous standard, is EN ISO 80601–2–70: 2020.
This particular standard is applicable to the basic safety and essential performance of sleep apnoea breathing therapy equipment, hereafter referred to as ME equipment, intended to alleviate the symptoms of patients who suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea by delivering a therapeutic breathing pressure to the patient. Sleep apnoea breathing therapy equipment is intended for use in the home healthcare environment by lay operators as well as in professional healthcare institutions.
This particular standard excludes sleep apnoea breathing therapy equipment intended for use with neonates.
This particular standard is applicable to me equipment or an ME system intended for those patients who are not dependent on mechanical ventilation such as patients with central sleep apnoea.
This particular standard is also applicable to those accessories intended by their manufacturer to be connected to sleep apnoea breathing therapy equipment, where the characteristics of those accessories can affect the basic safety or essential performance of the sleep apnoea breathing therapy equipment.
If a large number of technical terms and amendments do not give you a clear understanding of whether this standard can be applied in the industry where you operate, we recommend that you clarify all your questions with a team of specialists in the field of selection of international standards.
Medical electrical equipment — Part 2–67: Particular requirements for basic safety and essential performance of oxygen-conserving equipment (ISO 80601–2–67:2020)
EN ISO 80601–2–67:2020
Sometimes certain subcategories of the same industry may require different levels of standardization, which is why the application of certain parts of the standard can be redundant and not only useless, but also negatively influencing. For this, such standards are created which include certain parts such as EN ISO 80601–2–67: 2020.
This particular standard is applicable to the basic safety and essential performance of oxygen conserving equipment, hereafter referred to as me equipment, in combination with its accessories intended to conserve supplemental oxygen by delivering gas intermittently and synchronized with the patient’s inspiratory cycle, when used in the home healthcare environment. Oxygen conserving equipment is typically used by a lay operator.
This particular standard is also applicable to those accessories intended by their manufacturer to be connected to conserving equipment, where the characteristics of those accessories can affect the basic safety or essential performance of the conserving equipment.
This particular standard is only applicable to active devices (e.g. Pneumatically or electrically powered) and is not applicable to non-active devices (e.g. Reservoir cannulas).
Since there are a very large number of similar aspects among the standards mentioned, we recommend that you clarify all the parameters in more detail to select the most suitable document to increase the productivity of your activity.
Dentistry — Vocabulary and designation system for forensic oro-dental data (ISO 20888:2020)
EN ISO 20888:2020
Despite the popularity of the use of ventilation equipment, such a branch of medicine as dentistry has not gone unnoticed. In 2020, the creation of international standardization for this category continued, one of which is EN ISO 20888: 2020.
The purpose of this standard is to develop uniform nomenclature for the description of forensic dental data and define a standardized set of uniform terms to convey this information. The goal of the standard is not to define the extent of information collected, only to be certain that common terms are used in order to aid in an
identifying human remains or a living amnesiac.
Since this document is quite global and generalized, we recommend having it available to everyone whose field of activity is in contact with dentistry.
Ophthalmic instruments — Fundamental requirements and test methods — Part 1: General requirements applicable to all ophthalmic instruments (ISO 15004–1:2020)
EN ISO 15004–1:2020
Since medicine and the equipment used in it are popularized more and more every day, the number of standards created for different industries is increasing. One such document is EN ISO 15004–1: 2020.
This document specifies fundamental requirements for non-invasive, active and non-active ophthalmic instruments and to devices for enhancing low vision. This document is also applicable to tonometers, but not to other ophthalmic instruments which are used in contact with the globe of the eye.
This document is not applicable to operation microscopes, endoscopes and devices intended for laser investigation or laser treatment of the eye.
The introduction of innovations in the field of medicine is a very delicate aspect of compliance with rules and regulations, which is why we recommend adhering to the international system when applying innovative technologies in your field of activity.
Information technology — Security techniques — Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of information security management systems (ISO/IEC 27006:2015, including Amd 1:2020)
EN ISO/IEC 27006:2020
The security of the data system, as well as management systems, is applied not only in the areas associated with these technologies, but also in medicine. Since every day more and more IT technologies are used in the field of treating people, therefore, the quality of data transmission will affect the safety of health. If you care about the quality of your medical services and data security, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the EN ISO / IEC 27006: 2020 standard in more detail by clicking on the link attached above.
Medicine and its rapid advance to a leading position
Due to the fact that the demand for medical equipment has increased significantly, therefore, the amount of supply in the world market has increased. That is why the competition is gaining more and more momentum every day. One of the key aspects of competitiveness and the prospects for taking a leading position in the market is the quality of products and services, which can be achieved primarily by following the international standards created to regulate the entire system and industry. If your organization comes into contact with medical equipment indirectly or straightforwardly, in any of these cases, we recommend having several standards available that fit both globally for the scope of your activity and categorize the technologies you use. Stay tuned to iTeh for the latest international standardization updates
References:
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/cen/c74f9c0b-be67-4a50-b51c-0de79235178f/en-iso-80601-2-69-2020
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/cen/03f89c61-c358-4f22-b5c1-404e9fc90086/en-iso-80601-2-70-2020
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/cen/af89fd4b-5cc7-4671-bd80-e5029fb59c01/en-iso-80601-2-67-2020
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/cen/5b29107d-8dd9-4a33-b294-106e5806ce63/en-iso-20888-2020
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/cen/0a592eeb-a1dc-448e-b8bc-48fbccd22e17/en-iso-15004-1-2020 | https://medium.com/@itehinc/medicine-as-one-of-the-main-subjects-of-international-regulation-in-the-modern-world-98ed348bd459 | ['Iteh Inc'] | 2020-12-27 09:19:19.548000+00:00 | ['Standards', 'Dentistry', 'Medical Equipment', 'Medicine', 'Oxygen Concentrator'] |
Introducing Bitfolio 4 | It seems yesterday that we launched Bitfolio 3 for iOS, with the ability to sync exchanges.
We kept adding exchanges over the year and we started working on Bitfolio 4 when we realised we needed something more.
After months of hard work, we are very please to introduce a new, redesigned, reimagined Bitfolio! 🎉
What’s new
The big change you will notice is no more tabs.
Everything is now part of a customizable dashboard and we think you are gonna love it.
At the moment the dashboard includes tickers, portfolios, exchanges, coingecko and news, but we have plans to add more sections over the coming months.
Every section can be enabled or disabled, and you can rearrange them as you please, so that your most important information are where you want them to be.
But it’s not all, we also redesigned the portfolio screen of Bitfolio.
Now you can view your historical profit and loss on a beautiful line chart or bar chart.
You can also sort the assets so that it’s easier to keep track of them.
The iPad version is also updated and taking advantage of the screen estate.
Lastly, we decided to make everything available in the free version! There will still be some ads but we removed all the annoying full screen videos, ads will now be less intrusive (you can still remove them with an in app purchase).
What’s coming
As stated above, we are planning on adding new sections to the dashboard but that’s not all.
We will keep adding exchanges and improving the compatibility, soon you will be able to see your active orders, your past trades and (depending on the exchange) also create new orders.
We are also planning to improve the news section so that you can customize it with your favourite feed and add more insights to your portfolio transactions.
The Android version is also being updated, while we are working on it, the current Play Store version is free, with all features unlocked.
As usual, if you have any feedback or suggestions, please let us know, we are always looking for ways to improve the app.
And much more, check out the Bitfolio roadmap on trello, you can vote on your favorite feature and keep an eye on the development. 👍
Useful Links
Thank you ❤️
We’ve received a lot of feedback and we love it, please keep it going, keep sending feature requests and if you see a bug or an issue, send a complaint! (but please don’t be rude 😉).
Please consider sharing Bitfolio with your friends and coworkers, it would help us tremendously.
Again, thank you ✌️
The Bitfolio Team | https://medium.com/bitfolioapp/introducing-bitfolio-4-7f398d062c0c | ['Francesco Pretelli'] | 2020-05-03 22:19:12.008000+00:00 | ['Apple', 'iOS', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Apps', 'Bitcoin'] |
How to run effective 1:1s | Creating an open opportunity for team members to raise issues and ask questions outside of the work tasks is really important, particularly to uncover hidden underlying issues that never get explicitly raised.
The most important thing to keep in mind is to keep the ‘space’ open for your report to fill and keep it free of your judgement and prejudices. You need to be aware of the filters that you’re listening through and how that changes how you hear what they’re actually saying. Remember that this is their time to talk and be heard so always pause after they’ve said something to ensure they’re finished.
I typically book a 30 min slot for the check-in but always make sure that I have 30 minutes free directly afterwards in case it runs over. I find that they typically take 20–40 minutes depending on how much the person has to say. Ideally, these should be held with everyone that reports to you once every 2 weeks — but at least once a month. (I try and do it with the whole team at least once every quarter too.)
Here are some questions that I use to drive the conversation:
How’s it going? (This is normally a light way to open, but importantly needs to be followed by silence on your side to allow them to speak fully. Awkward silences are great to get other people to talk — remember your job is to hold the ‘space’.) Asking “ What does that mean? ” as a follow up will help unpack a curt response like “fine”.
(This is normally a light way to open, but importantly needs to be followed by silence on your side to allow them to speak fully. Awkward silences are great to get other people to talk — remember your job is to hold the ‘space’.) Asking “ ” as a follow up will help unpack a curt response like “fine”. What would you like to discuss? Right off the bat give them the opportunity to drive the agenda. Hopefully they’ve brought a couple of agenda points that matter to them.
Right off the bat give them the opportunity to drive the agenda. Hopefully they’ve brought a couple of agenda points that matter to them. What have you learnt in the last year/quarter/month? This helps to get a perspective on what’s been important and noteworthy for them — it’s often not what you think
This helps to get a perspective on what’s been important and noteworthy for them — it’s often not what you think What do you want to learn next? Here you’re listening for where they might want to move in the org or challenges to take on to stay engaged & interested.
Here you’re listening for where they might want to move in the org or challenges to take on to stay engaged & interested. Do you feel challenged? Are you growing in your career / becoming more employable? For me this is the most important question. If they’re not feeling like they’re growing in your environment then you have BIG problems. Even a mediocre response here should be concerning
For me this is the most important question. If they’re not feeling like they’re growing in your environment then you have BIG problems. Even a mediocre response here should be concerning How do you find working with your peers? Do you get enough support? Generally, this question will raise one of the extremes, either someone not pulling their weight or someone who’s gone above and beyond. Trends from multiple people matter here more than individual comments. Be very careful not to create an expectation of culture of ‘ratting on others’ but frame it as areas where you could positively influence.
Generally, this question will raise one of the extremes, either someone not pulling their weight or someone who’s gone above and beyond. Trends from multiple people matter here more than individual comments. Be very careful not to create an expectation of culture of ‘ratting on others’ but frame it as areas where you could positively influence. How could I/management support you better? The answer to this will almost always be positive — to your face — so even a minor negative comment you need to seriously unpack to see how you can address it.
The answer to this will almost always be positive — to your face — so even a minor negative comment you need to seriously unpack to see how you can address it. What could we be doing better as a company? What should we change about the way we work, the office, etc? This covers business processes and culture. Here you want to try and not get caught up in the symptoms, but rather look for the underlying cause. This will often raise quick easy wins that you can do too.
This covers business processes and culture. Here you want to try and not get caught up in the symptoms, but rather look for the underlying cause. This will often raise quick easy wins that you can do too. What do you think is the worst part of our product? What should we focus on that we’re not? All software will have tech debt and legacy code and often talking to customers helps understand the market need — but talking to your team building it can offer structural changes and red flags that are going to cost you in the future.
All software will have tech debt and legacy code and often talking to customers helps understand the market need — but talking to your team building it can offer structural changes and red flags that are going to cost you in the future. Is there anything that you want to know about the company? I typically build radically transparent companies, so I’ll answer these questions as openly and directly as possible. (Salaries of others is the only no-go for various reasons — but that’s another post.) It can be anything from funding and future plans, to an office move or how we’re planning on dealing with a certain issue.
I don’t always ask all of these, particularly not if they’ve brought in an agenda, but do find them a useful backbone to drive the conversation. When you’re talking remember to be concise and address their questions in full. I try not to raise a topic of where I think they should focus or improve that they haven’t until after the last question. If you use OKRs then it is also valuable to do a quick check-in on the progress at the end.
The important thing to keep in mind is that 1:1s for me are about the person, not the work list. If you need to talk about the work, then have a specific meeting for that. These session should be about them, their growth and their role. (What can work is a weekly check-in about the work, but once a month you focus on their growth.) | https://medium.com/@rogernort/how-to-run-effective-1-1s-b565159bb6c5 | ['Roger Norton'] | 2020-12-21 06:43:41.720000+00:00 | ['1 On 1', 'Tips And Tools', 'Management And Leadership'] |
INSTAGRAM MILLIONS GUIDE | Instagram Millions guide
Learn how you can grow your page from 0 to 100k+ Subscribers and make thousands of dollars every month even if you are a total beginner!
A STEP BY STEP GUIDE FROM 0 to 100K FOLLOWERS ON INSTAGRAM
+
Money Making on Instagram
0–100k FOLLOWERS in 4 Months — LEARN EXACTLY HOW I DID IT
SO I GOT TO WORK…
I tried a lot of things. First I started reselling consoles and phones on Ebay which allowed me to save up a bit of money. I was then looking for opportunities to build a substantial business. I discovered dropshipping. I watched almost every video on YouTube about the topic. Full of enthusiasm I then started building my first shop. The shop was ready and it now came to advertising it. I tried many different Facebook ads strategies and tactics but ultimately it just didn’t work out for me. I lost a lot of money trying it. I was totally frustrated. But my will to succeed was still there…
I HAD TO START OVER
I was looking for new ways to make money. I lost almost all the money I earned from reselling so my options were limited.
I was looking through YouTube when I stumbled upon a video of Yes Theory where they tried to get free stuff with the help of their following. I had another idea. I was never really comfortable showing my face on camera, so I was looking for ways that wasn’t necessary. I started my first Instagram account. I was so subscribing to many different pages and was looking at what they were doing.
I discovered that the content they were posting wasn’t actually theirs and they were making money with it. I didn’t know how much they were making with their accounts at that point.
I CREATED MY FIRST INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT
At this point I was so determined to make this business a success because I knew that if I gave up on it I wouldn’t start a third time.
My first Instagram account was a car page. I spend every free minute of mine to grow it and to interact with other people.
After about 3 days of constantly engaging with other people, posting and following people like crazy I hit my first 100 subscribers. I was extremely happy. I continued the process until I was at about 2.000 subscribers. Even though it was satisfying to see my subscriber count grow every day I was still making no money at all. My moral sank. I continued to grow the account to about 5.000 Subscribers and was honestly already thinking about quitting at that point.
That’s when someone posted an obvious advertisement in one of my engagement groups I was using at the time. I didn’t think much about it at first but I decided to take a closer look at it. The post was an advertisement for a car enthusiast key chain. I checked the caption of the ad. An Instagram page was linked on it and I checked it out. In their bio they stated they were looking for people to promote their product.
I quickly messaged them and even though I only had about 5.000 Subscribers at the time, the account had some really decent engagement. One day later I got a reply asking for my promo prices. I wasn’t really sure what I should answer so I asked the people in my engagement group what I should answer. A bigger account replied 5$ to me, I was honestly hoping to make some more but I was also grateful that I could make my first bit of money.
I replied to the account asking for my promo rates and we agreed on 5$. He send me the money and I made a post for him.
I made my first bit of money on Instagram.
I created the Instagram Millions Guide for each and every one. You can use it to grow your personal- , your business- or any theme page you like. It is understandable for beginners but also delivers valuable information for everyone that already has some experience with Instagram.
You will learn every growing strategy I used to grow multiple pages to over 100k followers on Instagram and you will also learn how you can monetize your page to make thousands of dollars every month.
ü All the basics on successfully creating your first page
ü Growing Strategies I use to grow my pages
ü Monetizing your page to make money
ü How you will go viral
ü How to use hashtags properly
ü Getting your first 1k Subscribers
ü Getting your first 10k Subscribers
ü Getting your first 100k Subscribers
START YOUR OWN BUSINESS — If you are interested in click here | https://medium.com/@2winbirds/instagram-millions-guide-702e21c90d7d | [] | 2021-12-28 16:04:07.053000+00:00 | ['Instagram Followers', 'Make Money Online Fast', 'Make Mone Online', 'Instagram Marketing', 'Instagram'] |
An Ode to Handwashing | Photo by Austin Kehmeier on Unsplash
The rumble begins from beneath the sink, bubbling up a delightful stream of water that emerges from the faucet.
A trickle at first, then a great gush of beautiful H20, tiny droplets misting into the air. It reminds me of a sweet summer rain, the flow of a mighty waterfall, the gentle rocking of the waves.
Water. Here to wash away filth and poison. My hands, the purveyors of my touch and the tools of my daily tasks, are contaminated. I desperately shove them beneath the water, sighing in relief as the cool fluid provides its soothing touch.
I reach for the soap dispenser, an unassuming vessel of gooey goodness. Pump, pump, squirt. A glob of soap swirls around my palm. It looks impotent, disgusting.
Just wait.
I blend the soap with the stream of water, rubbing my hands quickly together. The goo transforms into a bubbly delight. It soaks my skin in a comforting lather, a germ-slaying concoction.
Scrub, rub, scrub again. Twenty seconds’ worth. Under the nails, over the knuckles, down the wrists, across the palms. The soap sweeps the landscape of my hands, washing the dirt and microbes away.
Now comes the best part: the rinse. Luscious water rolls over the suds, pushing them into waves like those that lick the shoreline. The warmth travels up my arms and into my heart.
Clean. My hands are finally clean.
I gently dry away the excess water, enjoying the plushy comfort of the towel. I examine my hands. They feel renewed, ready to take on the world again.
Such a simple ritual, yet so powerful.
I wonder why more people don’t do it. | https://rachelwayne.medium.com/an-ode-to-handwashing-70a96549894b | ['Rachel Wayne'] | 2020-03-18 18:00:22.338000+00:00 | ['Humor', 'Poetry', 'Self Care', 'Health'] |
Security Automation: Why Our Future in InfoSec Depends On It | In a survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute and Domain Tools, 51% of respondents said they believe that automation will cut headcount in the security department (up from 30% in the previous survey). I had to read it twice before it sunk in, so go ahead and do that. Fifty. One. Percent.
Now, I cannot claim that this is wrong. After all, this is a sentiment-style poll question. What I can say is that the belief is misguided, and surely a holdover from the first industrial revolution.
If you are an executive or someone who is deciding to replace people in your security department with automation, please stop and reconsider. Is there really a shortage of work in the security department that replacing a handful of processes with automation would leave nothing for the humans to do? Even the most mature security programs have a backlog of work that can keep an employee busy for years.
If you are an individual contributor worried that automation is going to replace what you do, well, you’re right. Great security automation tools do everything they can to automate the mundane tasks they have to repeat 100 times a day. After all, the tools you use today once replaced some mundane task you had to perform.
I am having a hard time reconciling the results of the Ponemon report with the fact that our future in infosec depends on automation. What I do know is that I have 51% of you that I need to reach.
Why automate in the first place?
Automation solutions are vital because most of the outcomes we are trying to achieve in our security programs are time-based. No one ever wants things to take longer, so these outcomes are about achieving efficiencies through time reduction (and thus cost reduction).
Here are a few examples of outcomes that business and security leaders want to achieve:
These outcomes are taken from some work that Rapid7 recently completed with our customers. The goal of the exercise was to use our UX research experts to work with our customers and identify outcomes they were trying to achieve in their jobs.
According to Rapid7’s most recent Threat Report, over 80% of the tasks organizations must perform after a breach require low-level effort but are high-priority. Some examples include:
Change passwords, lock account, or remove account
Block IP, domain, hash, or email
Terminate a malicious process
Business leaders value time savings, while security analysts are growing frustrated and disgruntled due to the volume of repetitive tasks they perform on a daily basis. The tasks we need to perform when time is the most critical are extremely time-intensive.
If that doesn’t scream “automation!” as the answer to these problems, I have one more for you: Attackers are automating everything. I cannot tell you how many a.bat and a.sh files we’ve recovered during investigations (scripts that run commands in a sequence-automation). These did the hard work of collecting and sorting information before sending the results to the attacker. This doesn’t even consider the substantial automation that attackers use to collect information about their targets (both organizations and people).
Automation with Rapid7’s InsightConnect
I hope that I have you sold on the value of automation, but I may not have yet convinced you that our future depends on it. So, I reached out to my friends on the InsightConnect team, and they provided me with some data. First, the Security Orchestration and Automation (SOAR) Playbook offers seven workflows as a “starter guide” for getting value from your SOAR solution:
So, right out of the box with some work from your team, you’ve knocked two of the most recommended actions from Rapid7’s MDR team from minutes, hours, or even days to a matter of seconds to run an automated workflow.
Digging just a bit more in the data from the InsightConnect team, we see the following plugins used in the top 10:
Microsoft SCCM and IBM BigFix to automate patching. (Again, with the same caveats as mentioned above.)
to automate patching. (Again, with the same caveats as mentioned above.) VirusTotal and urlscan to add context to alerts so that analysts can validate them faster.
to add context to alerts so that analysts can validate them faster. ServiceNow to engage existing workflows on supporting teams (like IT)
to engage existing workflows on supporting teams (like IT) Proofpoint and PaloAlto for active defense for URLs and IP addresses
for active defense for URLs and IP addresses Active Directory/LDAP to remediate user accounts
So right out of the box, with some work, automation tools like InsightConnect have done the following:
Reduced the time it takes to remediate an attack on your organization
Ensured you have the capabilities to quickly implement the top recommendations from Rapid7’s MDR team
Reduced your attack surface by quickly and efficiently remediating parts of your vulnerability management process
Connected your different security tools so that they can run together (the same workflow can block an IP in Proofpoint and PaloAlto)
Made your analysts happy by giving them more context on the threats they investigate
Created a source of metrics for how often you are performing certain actions
Given yourself a full toolbox of automation capabilities to further speed up existing processes
With this newfound time, your threat analysts can start being proactive about identifying areas where security can be improved. They can interact with the rest of the teams in the organization and provide user education-the №1 recommended proactive measure given to Rapid7 MDR customers. They can get training so that they stay abreast of the latest changes in the threat landscape. The possibilities are really endless because employees with more time on their hands will spend more time making themselves more valuable to the organization than they are today.
Get Started | https://medium.com/@_wadew/security-automation-why-our-future-in-infosec-depends-on-it-4563b98da644 | ['Wade Woolwine'] | 2020-03-12 13:31:35.020000+00:00 | ['Infosec', 'Security', 'Orchestration', 'Automation', 'Technology'] |
what is email marketing in hindi | email marketing kya hai | what is email marketing in hindi | email marketing kya hai skandsolution.in ·Dec 6, 2020
what is email marketing in hindi , तो चलिए स्टार्ट करते हैं , email marketing एक commercial message को , यानि की एक जो छोटा सा message होता है उसे एक साथ पूरे ग्रुप में सेंड करना ही email marketing कहलाता है राइट ।
चलिए इसे कुछ example ले के समझने की कोसिस करते हैं , जब भी आप किसी website को visit करते हैं या फिर आप किसी ब्लॉग को visit करते हैं या फिर आप किसी e-commerce website को visit करते हैं…
for information visit on the link — what is email marketing in hindi | email marketing kya hai 2020 (skandsolution.in) | https://medium.com/@skandsolution/what-is-email-marketing-in-hindi-email-marketing-kya-hai-7d63c799cd9a | [] | 2020-12-06 16:51:03.464000+00:00 | ['Email Marketing', 'Email Marketing Tips'] |
Ecommerce Marketing Strategies for 2021 to Grow Your Business | This clearly shows that eCommerce marketing will expand your business sales. But before diving into deep waters, you need to know what exactly eCommerce is?
Ecommerce is the buying and selling of products/goods and services via the internet. It involves setting up online shopping portals, payment encryptions, and other numerous systems, data, and tools to assist online sellers and buyers. So, how do you carry out marketing in eCommerce?
What is Ecommerce Marketing?
Ecommerce marketing is driving filtered online traffic to your site and persuade them to buy goods and services. It uses social media platforms and SEO tools to create online awareness regarding your business and helps you to expand your customer base.
Sounds like an easy job? But the only way it works is if you have a well-planned and up-to-date marketing strategy or else your eCommerce website only exists in the vacuum.
Here are some strategies which can prepare your business for 2021:
Divide your Strategy into Smaller Goals
There are multiple paths to successful marketing, it is up to you to decide which is most effective for your business. For instance, your strategy is that you want to create a Google Ad campaign for your website, so you know a few prerequisites such as determining your budget, creating a Google Ads account, etc. Now, it is important that you break down your next steps into smaller fragments like — Search target keywords, Daily monitoring of your account, studying the structure of competing Ads.
The objective is to simplify your strategy to get the maximum return on your money, time, and effort.
Use Multi-Channel Marketing for your Business
Abiding by a single high ROI-yielding channel might seem more appropriate but it limits your audience to a great extent. Ecommerce digital marketing through multiple channels will not only ensure a fresh flow of audience and potential customers but also increase the reach of your business.
It is also important to be smart about increasing your visibility by filtering out channels that your target audience visits frequently instead of increasing it on every channel available. You can also partner with influencers, carry out email campaigns, create YouTube ads, it all depends on how you think you will be able to reach maximum potential customers, which you can determine with the help of trusted digital marketing agencies.
Filtering your Audience through Data-Analysis
Data-analysis is one of the most efficient eCommerce marketing strategies when you want to determine the profile of your users and their surfing and buying behavior. Using this strategy, you can create lookalike data which includes people sharing common demographic characteristics and are your potential customers. This audience can then be used for Ad campaigns on Google, Facebook, etc.
You can also analyze data collected through tracking pixels, and use it to improve your target audience for social media channels.
This blog is originally published on the Global Vincitore website. | https://medium.com/@vincitore-saprajapati/ecommerce-marketing-strategies-for-2021-to-grow-your-business-43e706cb91c9 | ['Sagar Prajapati'] | 2020-12-24 07:22:43.345000+00:00 | ['Business Growth Tips', 'Ecommerce Strategy', 'Business Growth Strategy', 'Marketing Strategies'] |
[原來根本搞錯問題] 從模式選擇談壞味道識別 | Kuma老師的軟體工程教室
Welcome to the Kingdom of Software Engineering | https://medium.com/kuma%E8%80%81%E5%B8%AB%E7%9A%84%E8%BB%9F%E9%AB%94%E5%B7%A5%E7%A8%8B%E6%95%99%E5%AE%A4/%E5%8E%9F%E4%BE%86%E6%A0%B9%E6%9C%AC%E6%90%9E%E9%8C%AF%E5%95%8F%E9%A1%8C-%E5%BE%9E%E6%A8%A1%E5%BC%8F%E9%81%B8%E6%93%87%E8%AB%87%E5%A3%9E%E5%91%B3%E9%81%93%E8%AD%98%E5%88%A5-c4a4339d279f | ['Yu-Song Syu'] | 2020-10-26 14:09:42.747000+00:00 | ['Design Patterns', 'Coding', 'Development', 'Code Smells', 'Software Engineering'] |
2020年 mixi developers 活動振り返り | 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/mixi-developers/2020-mixi-developers-output-report-4a8061871c1c | ['Emi Sugita'] | 2020-12-22 06:10:28.034000+00:00 | ['Public Speaking', 'Advent Calendar', 'Engineering', 'Output', 'Conference'] |
I’ve Gone from Thin, Wiped out and Almost Dead to Lively and Enthusiastic | In my mid-20s I was stuck in bed for a half year in a row. The specialists had no clue about what wasn’t right with me.
At the point when I at long last recuperated from whatever it was, I returned to eating shoddy nourishment and burning-through a lot of liquor. I needed to have a snooze prior to going out on Saturday night. Indeed, even with a snooze I’d begin nodding off at the club while my companions moved the night away. Nothing seemed well and good.
In 2015 I had a close miss with disease. Once more, the specialists had no clue about what was happening. The tumor the size of a golf ball stopped in my guts, horrified me. I chose to pick wellbeing and energy.
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Presently, this wasn’t some longing to eat well food and boast about it on Instagram by taking brilliant separated photographs of each bowl of food I ate, motivated by Buddha, to cause individuals to feel horrible about their own lives.
What I needed regardless of anything else was to have energy once more. The sort of energy you have as a child that permits you to go around the jungle gym for quite a long time as though it’s nothing.
This is what I did to go from anorexic, wiped out, and almost dead to brimming with life and energy once more.
Go for a Stroll like You’re Living in Japan
In 2011, I turned out to be extraordinarily baffled with life. I’d had a go at everything to get my energy back and stop the ruinous contemplations gliding around my head.
The main thing I naturally did was took day by day strolls.
They didn’t help… from the start. One night, before I abandoned the startup that I adored without a doubt (everlastingly), I snatched my outdated iPod and took a walk. I began tuning in to what exactly turned into the principal portion of self improvement I’d actually devour.
The walk should most recent 30 minutes. I wound up strolling late into the night, past 12 PM. I strolled down the fundamental street. I strolled down the side of the roadway. I was shouting uproariously and reciting like the book recording advised me to. Individuals emerged from their homes half sleeping and advised me to quiet down. I was unable to hear them. I continued strolling.
These late night strolls turned into a thing. I utilized them to walk and hear self out assistance stories. It wasn’t a triumph propensity. It was an endurance instrument. Strolling drove me to new bits of knowledge. Strolls turned into an approach to get away from my world and reflect. Strolling turned into an action to tune in to another person’s shrewdness. Strolling drove me to the experiences that spared my life.
Danish thinker Søren Kierkegaard stated: “Each day, I walk myself into a condition of prosperity and leave each ailment. I have strolled myself into my best contemplations, and I am aware of no idea so difficult that one can’t leave it. In any case, by sitting still, and the more one sits still, the closer one comes to feeling sick. Along these lines on the off chance that one just continues strolling, all that will be okay.”
Essayist, Kaki Okumura, says Japanese individuals don’t go to the rec center and practice or do overly cool CrossFit. They simply walk. Strolling made an alternate sort of extraordinary enchantment for me.
Use strolls to think.
The three keys to this eating regimen are:
Characteristic sugar (nectar/dates) rather than refined sugar
Less salt
No oil (counting Olive Oil)
I initially attempted a veggie lover diet and acknowledged a large portion of my companions that were doing likewise were messing with themselves. They’d think they were solid, and they’d at that point proceed to eat a can of singed chips with high-fructose pureed tomatoes from Ruler of the Fries and lie to themselves some more. They actually felt debilitated, and a significant number of them stayed overweight.
I discovered that the food you put into your body makes your energy levels. An entire food plant-based eating routine permits you to reproduce your untainted energy levels.
Your taste buds change
Numerous individuals attempt and switch their eating regimen and think that its difficult to do. Things don’t taste the equivalent. I had a similar issue. I discovered that you need to permit your taste buds time to adjust. At the point when your tastebuds are energized on long stretches of sweet beverages and singed food, an unexpected change to solid food tastes dull.
Presently I’ve been off handled nourishment for such a long time, a mango tastes in a way that is better than a frozen yogurt actually could. Indeed, even carrots taste sweet.
Eateries are obliging
I was a chronic under-sleeper. Getting enough rest will change your energy levels. I took a stab at adding 30 minutes more to whatever amount of rest I was getting.
I organized rest instead of let whatever time I had left throughout decide the timeframe spent dozing.
You need more rest than you might suspect.
You might be wakeful for 16 hours, however how lively would you say you are during those hours? It’s smarter to have hours where you feel invigorated, than loads of hours wakeful where you feel drained and like a zombie.
Surrender Liquor no matter what
Liquor gets dried out you. On the off chance that there’s one thing you would prefer not to do it’s be got dried out. Liquor is an extraordinary method to spoil your body. It quietly ruins your internal parts and meddles with your psychological state. I was a drained, discouraged young man on liquor. Advertising has misled us and advised us to drink liquor to unwind.
In all actuality liquor is poison. There are vastly improved approaches to unwind and look for delight than liquor which decimates your energy levels.
Drinking Water Stops You Being Got dried out (Which Removes Your Energy)
75% of Americans are got dried out. I, as well, didn’t drink enough water.
At the point when you’re dried out you need energy and get cerebral pains. Everything I did was supplant canned beverages and liquor with water.
Water is the fluid of life. Drink a greater amount of it.
Attachment Regular Energy Breaks
In 2011, I was brimming with energy spills. I resembled a mobile, talking Titanic with an opening in my mind, spilling energy everywhere.
Outrage, dissatisfaction, disgrace, retribution, and things you can’t control in life will deny you of your valuable energy.
I began zeroing in on what I could control. I decided to pardon the individuals who violated me despite the fact that they didn’t merit it, so I could recover my psychological clearness and significant serenity once more.
It’s not worth surrendering your energy for unimportant things.
Myformer self was ghastly debilitated — both intellectually and actually. My awful wellbeing took me right to the edge of complete breakdown. Fortunately, I made it out alive to recount the story, and maybe, share a couple of things that helped me.
You don’t should be wiped out and almost dead. You can be lively when you walk, eat an entire food plant-based eating regimen, get more rest, drink more water and fitting the energy breaks of outrage, dissatisfaction, disgrace, and stuff you can’t control.
Win back your energy so you can appreciate life the manner in which it’s intended to be experienced.
Energy enables you to see the world distinctively and accomplish the objectives everyone reveals to you are outlandish. | https://medium.com/@mopags/ive-gone-from-thin-wiped-out-and-almost-dead-to-lively-and-enthusiastic-52b20eecf36f | [] | 2020-11-27 17:38:33.428000+00:00 | ['Productivity', 'Self', 'Improvement', 'Health', 'Food'] |
Are You Are in Need of a Makeover in the Workplace? | Are You Are in Need of a Makeover in the Workplace? Why Hiring Virtual Workers in Africa Makes Sense: A blog about why Africa can be your next outsourcing destination.
Every company wants to be innovative in everything that it does. One of the ways to achieve this is by hiring virtual workers in Africa.
Outgrowing your business to the extent that you have to let go of trained employees? This can happen to anyone, at any time, it does not care who you are, or where you are based. Trying to reduce costs by outsourcing your process to a trusted virtual company will prove to be one of the smartest moves you have to make.
Revolve Talent is a new platform that enables businesses all over the world to review and accept work from Revolve Talent's distributed network of individuals. We source qualified Virtual Assistants, Social media managers, Software developers, content writers, and graphic designers from Africa.
The future of work looks increasingly like the past of work, with temporary workers taking on jobs previously done by employees. Virtual work has been around for a while, but it has been more of a small employer and freelancer phenomenon. Now, large employers, including government agencies, are embracing it. Virtual workers can solve many problems for African governments. By reducing overhead, they just might be able to offer affordable, high-quality services. That would help to reduce unemployment, which is a source of instability and conflict. And it could help ease the transition to a more diversified economy, one that relies less on commodities.
Western companies, facing labor shortages and rising costs, are outsourcing some of their work. But few have considered Africa. Why? Because most outsourcing is done in Asia. But Asia’s outsourcing industry, driven by big Chinese and Indian multinationals, is maturing. More work is moving elsewhere. Africa offers two advantages. First, it has cheap labor. In Kenya, for example, skilled virtual workers earn 15 to 20 percent less than similar workers in India. Second, Africa has a growing pool of skilled virtual workers. In Kenya, nearly 60 percent of young people complete high school. A combination of cheap labor and skilled virtual workers could attract outsourcing to Africa. If the jobs went to virtual workers, they would have the same benefits as jobs given to employees, and they would give people the freedom to work from anywhere. Furthermore, they would create jobs in Africa, where unemployment is 20 percent.
Hire Faster with revolve-talent.com | https://medium.com/@revolvetalent/are-you-are-in-need-of-a-makeover-in-the-workplace-971886c6f73a | [] | 2021-11-14 09:29:06.788000+00:00 | ['Top Talent', 'African Talents', 'Remote Working', 'Hire', 'Outsourcing'] |
NEXT YEAR CAN BE YOUR BEST YEAR AS AN ACTOR — HERE’S HOW | Next Year Can Be Your Best Year As An Actor — Here’s How
This year I met an actor, let’s call him (Sambo)
His 2020 dream was to build up his career as an actor, quit his cozy day job — with retirement, paid vacation, and free breakfast. So he did. On an ambitious impulse he abandoned ship, and moved to LA expecting to find representation, book a paid job, find a super flexible perfect day job.
His LA move in date was March 2020…
And then there he was, stranded in the middle of a global pandemic — after quitting his fancy day job to start and expand his life as an actor. Without an agent. Without a ton of credits. Marketing materials he didn’t like. And no money…
So as you can think he likely felt hopeless, overwhelmed, and depressed…how could he possibly start a career and live his artistic purpose during a global pandemic with the entire industry shut down?
At the same time, many actors around the world were having their best year yet in 2020. He didn’t. Why? He was stuck, lost, and drained of all his creative power. A victim. The biggest victim on the planet.
And I get it… actors all around the world were in similar circumstances, so he certainly wasn’t alone.
This year there has been so much uncertainty about what will happen … with theatres shut down and productions ground to a halt left, actors all around the world were left in the dust in the blink of an eye.
Actors all around the world have been in the same circumstances with COVID — and throughout the year many of those actors have been thinking “Well I have to wait this year for things to open again before I can work”, “My agent hasn’t called me in because of COVID so I haven’t booked all year”, “There aren’t any projects because of COVID so I can’t work this year…”
But at the same time, so many actors were having their best year yet in 2020.
So you haven’t booked all year — and some actors are having their best year yet — what exactly is going on?
It’s not because these actors are ‘lucky’ and you’re not. It’s a lack of power…caused by being a victim of what is happening, that’s why you may be feeling depressed and overwhelmed. I get that it may be irritating to hear this, but it’s NOT because of COVID that you’re feeling powerless, it’s because of the way that you’re reacting to those circumstances — as a victim.
And when you’re reacting to the world as a victim it’s common to think that “there is nothing I can do about it”. And when you think that there is nothing you can do about something you may feel stuck and lost, and then your creativity is out the window.
But perhaps you felt the same even before COVID?
Before the pandemic, casting directors appeared “mean” to you, so you couldn’t stay in character, you never booked because your agent never sent you out to auditions, you never updated your reel because it was too much work…
Overall it was TOO HARD.
So in reality, nothing changed for you and for Sambo after COVID hit, there was only another excuse for the inner victim to latch onto….
So how exactly can you tap into your power and have your best year yet as an actor?
1. Change your circumstances
It’s completely possible for you to change your circumstances because it’s within your power to do so. It’s your choice to do something in order to move forward and get what you want out of your career. And the perfect place to start is to shift from “There’s nothing I can do” to “What CAN I do to change my situation?” — see how this opens up so many possibilities?
So let’s say the situation this year is that your agent hasn’t called you in for auditions:
You can sit around not getting called in (being a victim) OR you can revamp your marketing materials, find a new agent, connect with casting directors of your favorite projects, the list is endless.
2. Take responsibility not blame
The opportunity here is to ask yourself: “How much energy is this mentality costing me?”
Likely a ton of energy — because the victim mentality tends to leave people feeling blocked, overwhelmed, and depressed — and you can choose to continue this way…OR you can choose to take RESPONSIBILITY by actually doing what you can to change your circumstances.
STOP BLAMING and giving your power away to others, circumstances, and events (i.e. COVID, your agent, the industry, etc.)…because once you do this you end up in a powerless position. And an action-taker, a non-victim always makes their own choices and takes action.
And by taking action, you will discover your true power and create a relationship with yourself that’s built on integrity, and trust.
Jo Kelly has spent more than 20 years coaching award-winning actors (Owen Wilson, Brittany Allen, Caitlin Gerard, Laura Spencer, Carlos Leal)
Did you know that Shakespeare likely wrote “King Lear”, “Anthony and Cleopatra”, and “Macbeth” during the plague?
“…the plague was also Shakespeare’s secret weapon. He didn’t ignore it. He took advantage of it”
— The Infectious Pestilence Did Reign, Ben Cohen, Slate
How did he do this? Shakespeare was a hero, not a victim. He took action and used his time to create when the theatres in London were shut down…he literally took the circumstance and turned it into an opportunity for gold. And you can do the exact same thing with whatever circumstance you may be feeling challenged by.
So if all of this spoke to you, if this shed some light on the inner victim that’s been holding you back all year — it’s time to take off the victim mask, put on your Shakespeare hat, and get in touch with the power and freedom that’s already inside of you waiting to be unearthed.
Playing the victim can bleed into all aspects of an artist’s life — their creative life, their characters, professional life, personal life, the list is endless because this mindset essentially affects everything that you do as an actor.
The great news is…if you’re an actor feeling like a victim of the pandemic, you CAN take your power back — and unearthing your instinct and freedom is the perfect place to start.
And freedom is exactly where your power is — so why show up as a blocked victim when you can show up powerfully free? And taking care of your instrument — by training and muscling your instinct — is exactly how you can discover your freedom and undo your inner victim.
2021 can be your best year ever, so where do you want it to be?
Actors…great news: You CAN open your instrument and access your powerful humanity because you ARE human. All you need to do is take care of your instrument…Work through your resistance and wake up your instinct. If that resonates with you, check out the work Jo Kelly does with actors on www.tobeornottoact.com, or download a free training that can bring you a step further in that direction: STOP TRYING TO BE A GOOD ACTOR SO YOU HAVE A CHANCE AT BEING GREAT | https://medium.com/@jokelly-6594/next-year-can-be-your-best-year-as-an-actor-heres-how-fd0e72ea7a1b | ['Jo Kelly'] | 2020-12-12 03:09:27.268000+00:00 | ['Acting Performing', 'Filmmaking', 'Theatre', 'Actors', 'Acting'] |
Digital Bank Current Closes $131M Series C at $761M Valuation | We’re excited to announce that our portfolio company Current has closed a $131 million Series C led by Tiger Global Management at a post-money valuation of $761 million! To-date, the company has raised over $180 million in total funding.
Congratulations Stuart Sopp and the entire Current family for this monumental achievement!
Here is a link to the Wall Street Journal article, the TechCrunch article, and the company’s Press Release. | https://medium.com/arab-angel-fund/digital-bank-current-closes-131m-series-c-at-761m-valuation-fe06054250a6 | ['Omar Darwazah'] | 2020-11-24 18:25:08.293000+00:00 | ['Fintech', 'VC', 'Neobanks', 'Funding'] |
Introduction to Gradient Descent with linear regression example using PyTorch | Introduction
In machine learning, usually, there is a loss function (or cost function) that we need to find the minimal value. Gradient Descent is one of the optimization methods that is widely applied to do the job.
In this post, I will discuss the gradient descent method with some examples including linear regression using PyTorch.
Calculus
One method to find a function’s max or min, it to find the point(s) where the slope equals zero. The max or min of the function will be the solution of the derivative of a function equals zero.
Take this function as an example:
f(x)=x**2–5x+5, image by author
the derivative of the function is:
so let f’(x) = 0, we can find x=2 as the solution. This means the slope of the function equals zero at x=2, and the minimal value of the function is f(2)=1.
This method finds the analytical solution, however, it is sometimes difficult to apply this method to complex functions in real applications. Therefore, we need numerical methods to find the approximate solution, gradient descent is one of the methods.
Gradient Descent
The mathematical explanation of the gradient can be found in this link.
For one dimension function f(x), the gradient is represented as f’(x). For the multi-dimension function, it is represented as below.
From wiki: If the gradient of a function is non-zero at a point p, the direction of the gradient is the direction in which the function increases most quickly from p, and the magnitude of the gradient is the rate of increase in that direction.
The gradient descent tries to approach the min value of the function by descending to the opposite direction of the gradient.
It updates the parameters (here, x) iteratively to find the solution. So first, we need an initial guess (x0) of the solution, then calculate the gradient based on the initial guess, then based on the calculated gradient to update the solution (x). It can be explained in this formula:
t is the iteration and r is the learning rate.
So, first, we have an initial guess x0, by the equation above, we can find the x1:
then by x1, we can find x2:
by repeating this process several times (epoch), we should be able to find the parameters (x) where the function at its min value.
Example 1:
Let’s take the previous function as an example:
and apply it to the gradient descent equation
rearrange:
Let’s set the learning rate = 0.1 and initial guess x0=7. We can then easily update and calculate the x1, x2, x3… and f(x1), f(x2), f(x3)…
In this example:
You can see the parameter (x) approaches to 2 and the function approaches its min value 1.
Let’s put it on the graph:
Gradient Descent (learning rate = 0.1) (image by author)
What if we use a smaller learning rate (0.01)?
Gradient Descent (learning rate = 0.01) (image by author)
As expected, it took more iterations to reach the minimum.
If we increase the learning to 0.3, it reached the minimum faster than 0.1.
Gradient Descent (learning rate = 0.3) (image by author)
If we increase it further to 0.7, it started to overshoot.
Gradient Descent (learning rate = 0.7) (image by author)
If we increase it to 1, it cannot reach the minimum value at all.
Gradient Descent (learning rate = 1) (image by author)
So the learning rate is very important to gradient descent. If it is too small, a lot of iterations are needed, if it is too big, it might not be able to reach the minimum.
Now, we have an idea of how the gradient descent work, let’s try to apply that to a simple machine learning model — linear regression.
Example 2 — linear regression:
Linear regression example
Linear regression is an approach to find a linear relationship between two variables. It finds a line,
that describes the data points shown in the figure. m is the slope of the line and c is the intercept. The task is to find the line (m and c) that best fits the data points.
Loss function
We use Mean Squared Error (MSE) to measure the error of the line and data points.
It averages the square of the sum of the differences between points and the line.
We can rearrange the equation:
We want to find the m and c, which gives the minimum value of MSE.
Gradient Descent
Just like the previous example, we need to find the gradient.
Then we can use this equation to update m and c:
Again, we need an initial guess for m and c, let’s start with m=0 and c=0, with learning rate = 0.0001
#Gradient Descent for i in range(epochs):
Y_pred = m*X + c
d_m = (-2/n) * sum(X * (Y - Y_pred))
d_c = (-2/n) * sum(Y - Y_pred)
# Update m
m = m - r * d_m
# Update c
c = c - r * d_c
mse=(1/n) * sum((Y - m*X + c)**2)
The m and c can be updated based on the gradient. Let’s put it on the graph.
Gradient Descent- linear regression example, learning rate = 0.0001. (image by author)
Again, a carefully chosen learning rate is important, if the learning rate is increased to 0.01, the calculation will not converge.
Gradient Descent — cannot find optimal m and c, learning rate = 0.01. (image by author)
In this simple example, we are calculating the gradient by taking the derivative of the function ourselves, it might become difficult for a more complicated problem. Luckily, PyTorch provides a tool to automatically compute the derivative of nearly any function.
Pytorch approach
Let’s define the line:
def f(x, params):
m, c= params
return m*x + c
and the loss function — Mean Squared Error:
def mse(preds, targets): return ((preds-targets)**2).mean()
Again, we start by m=0, c=0, the requires_grad_(), is used here to calculate the gradient.
params = torch.zeros(2).requires_grad_()
Then we can predict the y values based on our first parameter, and plot it.
preds = f(X_t, params)
Gradient Descent by Pytorch — initial guess. (image by author)
Then we can calculate the loss:
loss = mse(preds, Y_t)
and the gradient by this PyTorch function:
loss.backward()
after this we can check the gradient:
params.grad
it returns a tensor, which is the gradient: tensor([433.6485, 18.2594])
Then we update the parameter using the gradient and learning rate:
lr = 1e-4
params.data -= lr * params.grad.data
params.grad = None
and predict the y using these new parameters:
Gradient Descent by Pytorch — epoch 2(image by author)
We need to repeat this process several times, let’s make a function:
def apply_step(params):
preds = f(X_t, params)
loss = mse(preds, Y_t)
loss.backward()
params.data -= lr * params.grad.data
params.grad = None
return pred
Then we can run for several epochs. Looks like the loss is decreasing through epochs.
Put it on a graph
Gradient Descent by Pytorch (image by author)
This is it! By using PyTorch, we can easily calculate the gradient and perform the gradient descent for machine and deep learning models.
Thanks for reading. | https://towardsdatascience.com/introduction-to-gradient-descent-with-linear-regression-example-using-pytorch-dbf7a9540d78 | ['C Kuan'] | 2020-09-08 18:10:13.519000+00:00 | ['Data Science', 'Deep Learning', 'Gradient Descent', 'Machine Learning', 'Programming'] |
01010010 01110101 01101110 | Freedom can be defined in numerous ways. One of the best ways for me is not to. True freedom as one expects it to exist is a complete utopia. One can’t have it all- but one can have choices. The ability to choose is therefore as close to freedom as one can get to. However, let me start from the beginning.
No idea is born perfect. It takes a lot of polishing and honing to get it to the level of perfect execution. Quite similarly, the idea for forming and establishing Explorex was not something that came to me in the shape of a perfectly polished diamond. However, the idea was a good seed, something that with a lot of nurturing and patience could blossom into something generous and full of fruit. Recognising that idea and grabbing hold of it was probably the moment where it all started.
To leap in faith or not
It all started with cups of tea. I mean, literally cup after cup of tea was guzzled before we hit upon the idea. Being in one of the most prestigious institutions in the country, we were pretty aware that ideas that came very near to re-inventing the wheel were almost meant to be conceived here. Bhaski’s was one such place where ideas germinated, and were drunk away in cups of tea. Some blossomed for a brief moment in the light, others were hastily scribbled down and then discarded with a “That will never work!” at the end of the semester. The way of the talkative world has never been the one for me. Fewer words do the job quite efficiently enough. Hence, when Mainak Sarkar approached me for the first time with “an idea”, my response was, again quite simply, “No”. Not because the idea was not good, but because I was about to start my winter internship that would make me unavailable for quite some time.
That was December 2015.
While at my internship in Bangalore, I came into close contact with a senior of mine. Working with him led to a deep appreciation of his intellect. Therefore, when Mainak approached me again in 2016 with a recommendation from the said senior that maybe I should look into this, I finally consented. I should make it very clear that my interests in humans and superficial markers of outward appearance, pleasantries, and networking verge almost zero. The life of coding that I have chosen is not just because I am good at it, but simply because I feel a passionate zeal for it. To code and make it work is that one constant chase that my very being is involved in. Hence, when after reaching Bhaski’s I saw the person with a cup of tea and a smoke, and a burning passion in his eyes, something clicked in me. This person believed in me, in my ability to engineer a product from scratch that we would like to market to the world. Thus started our social media vertical- Eatable.
Building a product is anything but a cakewalk. It requires numerous failed attempts and a constant loop of trial and error. Needless to say, so did ours. In 2017, I joined LinkedIn. Work on our idea did not stop however. After my day job, I would be rushing back to our apartment where along with Soka (our freshly recruited front-end developer), the three of us would be working the whole night through. One interesting thing to note would be that throughout the evolution of our product through so many verticals, our client base never hit zero. As our product evolved, it became increasingly difficult to balance both the jobs equally. Life is easier if decisions are taken in binary. It was clear where I was needed- at my own creation. Currently in 2021, our company Explorex is a YC company. Our product is reaching great heights everyday and evolving. What started out as a three people group is now a healthy, fiercely close-knit team. As stated, I look at the universe through the visor of coded algorithms. So far, my universe (my product, my OS, my team) are running perfectly. The only way forward is to update and evolve.
Honestly? This algorithm is not one to trip- you have the absolute guarantee of the CTO. | https://medium.com/@pritam_87848/01010010-01110101-01101110-d3665a376954 | ['Pritam Khan'] | 2021-09-02 08:08:42.946000+00:00 | ['Cto', 'Startup Lessons', 'Founder Stories', 'Tech', 'Company Formation'] |
A Man of No Consequence — Part 4. The Final Countdown | A Man of No Consequence — Part 4
The Final Countdown
Courtesy of Milwaukee Journal Sentinal / Of Rural America 2020
We are tired.
For many of us, we have had all we can take of Donald Trump and we’re counting the days, if not the hours until this American nightmare is over. I’ve done my share of Trump-bashing over the last year — we’ve all probably had enough of that too, regardless of which side we are on. But my primary intention is as simple and primitive as a screaming prairie dog: To warn of impending danger.
In Part 1 of this “A Man of No Consequence” series, way back in February of this year, I deconstructed the pathology that can emerge from anybody who lacks an understanding of cause and effect, predicting that Trump would be unable to react effectively to a national emergency. While those on the inside were selling their stock, it was pre-pandemic for the rest of us, so there was no way to know what such a scenario might look like.
In Part 2, in April, as our first wave of Covid-19 was washing over us — remember when we were “all in this together” and we were working together to “flatten the curve”? — I noted that Trump lacked the three essential qualities of responsibility, patience and empathy to lead the country to relative safety as we waited for a vaccine. As a lifelong cheater, we could expect Trump to cheat when it came to the healthcare guidelines and encourage others to do the same. As predicted, he has gone on to prove that he was not just unfit, but possibly the most emotionally ill-equipped person on earth to provide the unifying leadership we needed.
In July, I posted a Part 3, which referenced the inability of Trump to develop and implement anything close to a coherent plan that would lead us toward recovery, relying instead on the authoritarian approach of altering reality, or at least attempting to, as a means of maintaining power. Trump’s alternate reality was predicated on a twisted understanding of the relationship between the economy and the pandemic: the delusion that opening everything would diminish the effects of the pandemic, when in fact restarting the economy was directly dependent on our being able to rein in Covid-19. Exhibiting an infantile understanding of object permanence, his magical “solution” to reducing the number of cases was and still is to reduce testing.
Throughout the spring, summer and into the fall, Trump made it impossible to achieve any meaningful progress by sowing division across the country and undermining the directives of his own CDC with explicit claims that we should defy them, ultimately making himself an example of his own irresponsibility.
As our worst-case scenario has played out over the last ten months, we are bearing witness to someone who has no grasp of cause and effect, no capacity for responsibility, patience and empathy, and no comprehension of the devastating consequences that are a product of his own behavioral deficiencies. The lack of consequences for Trump’s actions has delivered the worst possible consequences for those who are no longer with us, for those of us who loved them and for those who have sacrificed so much to keep them alive.
Courtesy of Shutterstock / frontiers Science News
As of this writing, there appears to be no clear end in sight for this version of uniquely American carnage. For those few who still haven’t decided who to vote for, consider that no plan or policy exists to gain control of the virus; in fact, the Trump Administration has chosen the opposite, effectively jettisoning the guidance of some of the world’s most knowledgeable medical professionals in favor of the catastrophic quack-enabled approach of herd immunity — the act of letting the virus run its course by intentionally doing nothing. His method of putting out the fire is to let our house burn to the ground.
With clear eyes and good faith, we must ask ourselves, at what point is it justified to declare our president insane? The adoption of herd immunity could only occur in the absence of responsibility, patience and empathy and the presence of insanity. Make no mistake: many more people will die if Trump is re-elected, which means we must come to terms with the fact that Donald Trump doesn’t care what the death toll is. It is a shocking conclusion to reach, but it has a simple explanation.
He doesn’t care about you.
Trump’s super-spreader campaign events are never actually about his followers, they are about him. As with everything in Trump’s orbit, there is no plan for a second term: no objectives, no initiatives, no vision other than his need to preserve what may be the world’s most fragile ego. His actions and policies are based on who likes him, who is nice to him, who will benefit him. Just as it was four years ago, he has no intention of uniting and leading the United States because that would require him to transcend his own perceived self-interest.
If Trump loses, he will likely spend the lame duck session vindictively burning everything he can to the ground — a tantrum that is predictable because we have grown accustomed to enduring his victimization when he isn’t justly rewarded. He will attribute his loss to everything and everyone but himself.
The Trump presidency can be summed up in five words: He doesn’t care about you. It doesn’t matter if you are a Trump supporter, if you are an evangelical, if you are a Republican conservative, and probably even if you are a member of his own family. He doesn’t care about you.
As his campaign rallies continue, we can only watch in horror as the spread of Covid follows in his wake, infecting hundreds with, at a minimum, a new pre-existing condition and delivering a death toll that will only be known sometime after election day. It is an act of irresponsibility and negligence that would be criminal if he didn’t hold the title of president.
When we look back some day at the casualties of Trump’s carnage, will the people who worshiped him have the self-awareness to know or the courage to admit that that he never really cared about them? That he never cared for anyone but himself? And will they wonder, as we so often wonder when looking back on tragedies, How could we not have known?
In the end, we the people are the only ones who will suffer the consequences of a man of no consequence. | https://medium.com/the-national-discussion/a-man-of-no-consequence-part-4-b67477120f21 | ['Kevin Donovan'] | 2020-11-19 17:30:33.874000+00:00 | ['Election', 'Herd Immunity', 'Superspreader', 'Trump', 'Covid 19'] |
Three Simple Tips for your LinkedIn profile, Star Wars Edition | Whether you’re a senior executive, entrepreneur or someone just entering the workforce, you probably see the value of being on professional social media network, LinkedIn. Now you’re ready to increase your profile in the industry, develop your personal brand and be seen as a thought leader.
But simply having a LinkedIn profile and being successful on LinkedIn — that is, having a presence where your content is often engaged with and you are yourself frequently approached for employment or business opportunities — are two very different things. Worse, many people use LinkedIn only as a vehicle for self-promotion or to make a sale.
Achieving success might feel a bit daunting, so I’ve put together three simple tips, using references from everyone’s favorite movie franchise, Star Wars.
To unpack this, let’s take a look at Luke Skywalker’s words from Return of the Jedi (1983):
Greetings, Exalted One. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight and friend to Captain Solo.
I know that you are powerful, mighty Jabba, and that your anger with Solo must be equally powerful. I seek an audience with Your Greatness to bargain for Solo’s life.
With your wisdom, I’m sure that we can work out an arrangement which will be mutually beneficial and enable us to avoid any unpleasant confrontation.
As a token of my goodwill, I present to you a gift: these two droids. Both are hard-working and will serve you well.
These few lines provide us three simple tips for LinkedIn profile success:
1 Make sure your LinkedIn Profile is 100% Complete
When Luke Skywalker describes himself as a Jedi Knight, he isn’t just introducing himself: he’s establishing his credentials. In LinkedIn, the first most basic tip is to make sure your Profile is done to 100% completion.
Upload a photo and banner image that best represents you. Make sure the description that appears under your name and photo perfectly sums up what you want people to know about your career. Write in the first person and use language that is simple and concise.
Under the Experience section, make sure you list your accomplishments in every job you’ve ever held. You’re proud of your career, aren’t you? This is where you’re allowed to tell everyone everything you’ve achieved.
Final Pro Tip on the Profile: make sure it looks good on a mobile phone.
That’s where most LinkedIn users are likely to be when they look you up.
2 Always be Polite on LinkedIn
Luke is extremely gracious as he introduces himself to Jabba the Hutt.
Now remember, he’s talking to the the guy who is holding his friend prisoner even though, as a Jedi Knight, Luke could easily cut everyone in Jabba’s palace in half with his lightsabre. Yet he manages to maintain a civil tone the whole time.
On LinkedIn, what you say will be visible to all kinds of people: colleagues, future employers, prospective clients…you want to make sure you always put your best foot forward. (You’ll find LinkedIn to have a much more genial environment than Twitter or Facebook.)
3 Remember to Offer Value
When Luke opens negotiations with Jabba, he immediately offers something of value.
LinkedIn is a social network. Before you attempt to sell yourself or your company, demonstrate that you are willing to give: Share an interesting item you’ve read about the industry and add your comments. If you met up with an old colleague or met someone interesting at an industry event, people are probably interested in your photos. Even better, write an article yourself or make a video.
My colleagues at Black Marketing and I recommend a mix we refer to as 4–1–1. Of course you’re still going to post and share your accomplishments or things directly related to you or your company. But for every one post about you or your company, share one post about your industry at large and four other posts that have nothing to do with either.
We all know there is going to be some degree of selling or self-promotion on LinkedIn but by sharing these lighter pieces of content, you earn a kind of social currency that, in effect, buys you the right to sell or self-promote.
Contact me if you want to know more about how I can help you improve your LinkedIn presence: www.miguelbernas.com. | https://medium.com/@phatfreemiguel/three-simple-tips-for-your-linkedin-profile-star-wars-edition-a3391a723bb4 | ['Miguel Bernas'] | 2019-03-03 09:30:22.473000+00:00 | ['LinkedIn', 'Content Marketing', 'Personal Branding', 'Linkedin Marketing', 'Star Wars'] |
How to Create Captivating Animations in Python | How to Create Captivating Animations in Python
Learn to generate animations using Matplotlib with examples
Animations are quite a captivating way to illustrate a process.
This post aims to emphasize on Matplotlib animations.
Matplotlib is a complete framework for the creation of fixed, animated and engaging representation in Python. This also conveniently combines with libraries such as Pandas and Seaborn to produce more advanced animations.
Animations
The simplest way to describe a real-time visual is using one of the following Animation classes.
Animation A base class for Animations.
A base class for Animations. FuncAnimationCreates a graphic by repeatedly calling a function func.
a graphic by repeatedly calling a function func. ArtistAnimation Animation using a fixed set of Artist objects.
However, out of those, FuncAnimation is more useful.
To save an animation to disk use Animation.save or Animation.to_html5_video
Now, we start with our first animation in the Jupyter Notebooks.
Using Celluloid Module
Celluloid module makes simple animation process by adapting your existing visualization code to create an animation.
It creates a matplotlib Figure and create a Camera from it:
from celluloid import Camera
fig = plt.figure()
camera = Camera(fig)
Reusing the figure and after each frame is built, take a snapshot with the camera.
plt.plot(...)
plt.fancy_stuff()
camera.snap()
After all, frames have been captured and create the animation.
animation = camera.animate()
Installation
pip install celluloid
A few examples of the Celluloid module are given below:
Minimal
Subplots
Images
Domain colouring example
Legends
Limitations of Celluloid: | https://medium.com/python-in-plain-english/how-to-create-captivating-animations-in-python-e912ac043663 | ['Vivek Coder'] | 2020-09-24 16:59:47.856000+00:00 | ['Python', 'Matplotlib', 'Animation', 'Productivity', 'Data Visualization'] |
Adventures in Anxiety: How do I help someone who is having a panic attack? | So sometimes my anxiety is a bit higher than normal, but I can usually calm myself down (see last week’s post for more about periods of higher anxiety). But sometimes it escalates beyond that and I have a panic attack.
What is a panic attack? For me, it feels like my mind and body are both out of control. The first time I had a panic attack I thought I was having a heart attack because it was racing so quickly. Sometimes my vision blurs or my hearing feels like its going away entirely. Sometimes I feel like I’m going to vomit all over the floor. In short, it’s terrible. And if I’m in a public place or at work? It’s even worse because it makes it harder to cope.
As hard as it is to have a panic attack, it can be equally as hard for people around me to understand how to help. What do you do? Do you get out of the way? Rush in and offer assistance? How can you tell how bad it really is?
Today I’m sharing what helps me when I am having a panic attack, but remember that this varies depending on each person and their preferences. If you know someone who has panic attacks, get curious and ask them, “How can I support you if you are having a panic attack?” and then simply do that thing.
What if you don’t know someone’s preferences but you notice someone struggling? You can simply ask them, “What do you need?” and abide by their wishes.
Remember — all someone is looking for during a panic attack is safety. There are different things that make different people feel safe — some of these we can do on our own, and others are easier with help.
So what can you do if you notice me, or anyone, having a panic attack?
However you intervene, use discretion. I’ve had people at work or otherwise say things like, “Why are you turning red and sweating?” What’s wrong?” “Are you okay?” in full voice in a crowded place. What happens then? Everyone turns to see what is happening. And nothing makes a panic attack better than an extra 50 pairs of eyes right.on.you.
Unless I’m on the floor or clearly incapacitated, please know that it’s unlikely everyone is noticing what’s happening. Calling attention to what is happening makes it worse. If possible, ask privately or with as much discretion as possible.
Use a neutral question or statement, like “How are you doing? or “What do you need? Remember that it’s possible you will get a less than fantastic response, and it might very well have nothing to do with you (or how you asked the question, etc.). This could be because someone is embarrassed, trying to self-manage and not break down, doesn’t feel comfortable talking, etc.
This is also important — you don’t know what is happening for that person. Unless they say, “I am having a panic attack!” asking something neutral says, “Hey, I see you and I want to support you” without diagnosing things. FWIW if I am having a panic attack I will disclose it if a) I trust you and/or b) it’s really, really bad
Help create safety. When I’m having a panic attack, I want to be safe. So I might say, “I need to feel safe right now. Would you help me ……?”
Help me find a safe physical space. Do you know of a place nearby that is quiet, isolated, dark, etc.? Maybe you can walk with me there.
Do you know of a place nearby that is quiet, isolated, dark, etc.? Maybe you can walk with me there. Help me with other physical needs. Maybe I will ask for a bottle of water. Once I needed my purse because it had my medication. Maybe I’m feeling dizzy and just need to make sure I don’t bonk my head.
Maybe I will ask for a bottle of water. Once I needed my purse because it had my medication. Maybe I’m feeling dizzy and just need to make sure I don’t bonk my head. Help me make a graceful exit. “Oh, Sarah just had to step out for a bit” is much better than “Oh. my. goodness! Guess who is having a panic attack right now??!” Being open with one person and asking for help is different than wanting to share the whole experience.
Please don’t do anything without permission. Sometimes I need a hug. Sometimes I need additional help. But unless you think my life is in imminent danger, please do not escalate to other forms of help without my permission. No need to call others for help or medical assistance. One of the first things I learned in CBT was that I would not actually die from a panic attack, though it sure feels like it.
If you worry that you are not equipped to handle what is asked, you might say, “I want to help and I’m not sure I know how. What should I do? Would it be okay for me to find other help?’
Be in a space of empathy, not sympathy. Tap into times when you’ve struggled mentally and physically and how you felt. We’ve all been there, whether it’s a panic attack or falling on our butts in front of the room or fainting or something else! No one wants the pity party or the “you poor thing!” sympathy. We just want human connection and caring, no matter our physical or mental state.
Remember — if it doesn’t go perfectly, cut yourself a bit of slack. You’re not going to be perfect at this. I make mistakes all the time regarding mental health, and it’s something I’ve been living with for years! Take it from me — it feels good to know that people are willing to support you and act if need-be, whether or not it’s the best possible support or not. I’m not going to get hung up over exact words when you come with a willing heart and caring spirit, and trust me, those things shine through everything.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and learn how you can help someone who is having a panic attack. If you get panic attacks, feel free to share this with people you know as a way to spark discussion and gain the support that you need.
Cheers, Sarah | https://sarahannenity.medium.com/adventures-in-anxiety-how-do-i-help-someone-who-is-having-a-panic-attack-2fcf74061c1d | ['Sarah Carr'] | 2018-12-12 05:59:05.115000+00:00 | ['Mental Health', 'Mental Illness', 'Panic Attack', 'Anxiety', 'Anxiety Disorder'] |
As a Sugar Baby, My Job Was to Inflate Male Egos | Robert showed me around his garage. It was spotless, the perfect home for his collection of mint-condition Harleys. The five motorcycles he owned were shiny and beautiful, and Robert brought me there exactly because he wanted me to ooh and aah over them.
He’d had me oohing and aahing over a lot of things that night. He’d already bragged about all the real estate he owned. He’d shared the number of women he’d been with from the sugar-dating website we met on. The girls all loved him for his money and his lovemaking skills. They were constantly calling him for dates but tonight he was with me.
Did I feel special? Oh yes, I did. I didn’t respond facetiously. He was paying me — I was grateful for that. Besides, the guy was pushing seventy. He was forty years older than me. Let him gloat. Did it cost me anything? No, I was earning money from this experience.
$500 to be exact.
“They’re gorgeous,” I said of his motorcycles. They were but I also viewed this as part of my job as a sugar baby. I was there to be impressed. I was there to validate my date’s ego.
During my time as a paid girlfriend, I did a lot of just that. Besides Robert, I began to date a man named Bill. He couldn’t get an erection. My job was to make him feel like he was still a man. Yes, I enjoyed the sex but I also exaggerated the pleasure he gave me. That was my job — to make him feel good emotionally.
I was to spotlight his strengths and downplay his weaknesses. My job was to celebrate his manhood.
I also became the arm candy for another man. Alan admitted he was in a sexless marriage. He was a wealthy lawyer who wasted no time in telling me he was an alpha.
“I’m a really powerful guy,” he said.
“I believe it,” I responded.
Sure, Alan also had a nebbishy quality to him. His clothes were often wrinkled and he was balding but tried to pretend he wasn’t by pomading his side-of-head hair over the top of his scalp — but my job was to focus on the positives. I was to spotlight his strengths and downplay his weaknesses. My job was to celebrate his manhood.
That meant inflating his ego.
I also went out with a man named Tony. He said the whole idea was to be seen with me. Tony took me to the restaurant he went to with all his sugar babies.
The waiter knew I was a working girl. We made eye contact and he winked. Tony couldn’t keep his hands off of me. He kept kissing me in front of the full room of patrons. He wanted everyone to know I was with him.
On my way to the bathroom, another man approached me. “You’re beautiful,” he said appreciatively. “The man you’re with must have a lot of money.”
I smiled coquettishly. Yes, he did. Although I enjoyed our conversations that was the reason I was on the date with Tony. He was fifty years older than me. He had a wife at home.
Another one of my sugar daddies — Aziz — took me out after purchasing a new $100,000 Mercedes. As we sped down the highway with the top down, Aziz made sure I knew the price of the car.
“What do you think?” he asked. “Is it worth it?”
It was one of the nicest cars I’d ever been in. My job was to let him know just that — that he was providing me with an exclusive experience in the presence of an elite gentleman. My recognition of his car legitimized him spending that kind of money. Not only that — it justified his existence.
I felt like I was doing a good deed. Life is not about what you’re capable of doing but what you believe you can.
Later, back at his hotel, Aziz unzipped his trousers. “You like my huge cock?” he asked.
He was less than average size.
“It’s amazing,” I gushed. “Your cock’s almost too big for me.”
It wasn’t but that was why I was there, to make him feel like it was.
My job as a sugar baby wasn’t just to get men off, though I did that, too. My job was to make my sugar daddies feel better about themselves. Whether it was right or wrong that I sometimes lied, I felt like I was doing a good deed. Life is not about what you’re capable of doing but what you believe you can.
That was my purpose — to make these men believe they were all-powerful — that they were still handsome magnets of women. No matter that they were paying me to be there and in essence paying me to say those things. It was still better than seeing a therapist because a therapist would ask them why they needed to hear those words. I just went ahead and said them without question.
Yes, and I also had sex with my sugar daddies. I gave them physical pleasure, but that wasn’t all they wanted out of me.
They wanted emotional assurance. They wanted their masculinity affirmed. | https://medium.com/ecstatic-cling/as-a-sugar-baby-my-job-was-to-inflate-mens-egos-fe1e446a061a | ['Mysterious Witt'] | 2020-01-11 02:12:43.450000+00:00 | ['Sex', 'Sexuality', 'Sex Work', 'Relationships', 'Dating'] |
To be honest COVID-19 has given us a phase we never want to be remembered. | “Things to learn from COVID-19"
To be honest COVID-19 has given us a phase we never want to be remembered. It has taken many lives and even destroyed many financially. But I think there are some things to be underlined as it's good aspect.
Marriage and COVID-19:
It teaches us that we can get married without taking loans for unnecessary events and guests just to be talked about behind. You can have a simple function with true well-wishers and be called married, with the true essence of marriage in Islam. It also somehow helped those families which can't afford high grossing marriages but were doing it for the societies sake.
Dine-outs and virus:
Those of us who didn't go out for feasts are still alive. We learned the worth of the food at home. At times when pandemic has brought people to strive, we had food at our tables. It made us more thankful.
Reunion with our family:
We were so busy in our lives before lockdown. With many worst situations people have faced, some also got to have a good time with their families. We sat together, ate together, laughed together after ages.
Social distancing:
I wish to follow this social distancing rule even after pandemic. In fact we should always be having a good distance from strangers and not be an open book to everyone. Only stay with people you can count on because not everyone you laugh with is your well-wisher.
Spirit of helping:
The situation in lockdown was bad for many and even worst for some. But the way I have seen helping each other is magnificent. People who could hardly bare their expenses have also been seen to help others. We have given hope to each other and have tried to help each other morally and financially.
Let's try to follow these ethics even after this pandemic situation. It's the least we can learn from COVID-19. | https://medium.com/@maryumshahidkhan/to-be-honest-covid-19-has-given-us-a-phase-we-never-want-to-be-remembered-b0d0fe31d246 | ['Maryum Shahid Khan'] | 2021-06-23 19:44:24.056000+00:00 | ['Lockdown Diaries', 'Covid', 'Quarantine Marriages', 'Ethics', 'Helping Others'] |
Luck is a Mental Construct | For human beings, there are two worlds: the world of space and time, cause and effect, energy and matter, and the world of luck, free will, and imagination.
Luck (n) ~ Success or failure are brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions.
Luck is seen as a matter of chance, similar to rolling a dice. You see a colleague grabbing the best job opportunity, a friend being in a happy relationship, an acquaintance with a million-dollar business idea. Lucky! You call them.
You believe that people did not merely earn money, fame, love, etc; they were just lucky. Even the most rational person cannot resist the allure of luck.
What makes some people luckier than others? Are they pre-ordained somehow? How are some people always in the right place at the right time? What is it that decides whether you are a lucky one or an unlucky one?
Let’s talk about a study…
Photo by Pixabay from Pexels
A British psychology professor Richard Wiseman at the University of Hertfordshire has been studying the importance of luck in people’s lives. The ten-year-long scientific study involving various experiments into the nature of luck has revealed a lot.
Wiseman wanted to see how opportunities show up and their impact on individuals. He studied and performed experiments on a group of self-claimed lucky and unlucky people. He started off with a simple experiment to find out if luck is just due to differences in participants’ ability to spot opportunities.
Wiseman gave a newspaper to both groups of lucky and unlucky people. He then asked them to look through it and count how many photographs are there in the newspaper. In the middle of the newspaper, a line read: “Tell the experimenter you have seen this and win $50.”
The line took up half of the page and was written in two inches wide fonts. Though very easy to notice, the unlucky people missed it and the lucky people tended to spot it. Unlucky people scored twice as high on neuroticism.
Image by Andrew Martin from Pixabay
Unlucky people focus too much on one thing and miss out on prospects. They develop tunnel vision, missing job, relationship opportunities. Looking for partners, they do not open up to the world. They only talk to a few select people at a social gathering and miss out on meeting other interesting people.
Lucky people on the other hand scored significantly higher on extroversion. They were more relaxed & open, and therefore see what is there rather than just what they are looking for.
Photo by Buro Millennial from Pexels
Wiseman with his research, of which this newspaper experiment is just one part, concluded that lucky people smile twice as often and engage in more eye contact. Sociability is what helps them increase their likelihood of a lucky opportunity. They tend to meet more people and connect better. They make lucky decisions because they listen to their intuition, creating self-fulfilling prophecies through positive expectations.
Luck is not merely a chance but a congruence of the right preparation meeting the right opportunity.
Simply put, successful people harness the power of luck by putting in the efforts. They place themselves in situations that attract wonderful fortune.
Here are Professor Wiseman’s four tips based on his research for becoming lucky:
Listen to gut instincts — they are generally right Be open to new experiences and breaking routine Spend time remembering things that went well Visualize yourself being lucky before an important meeting or call.
How to increase luck…. The Wiseman way!
To see if unlucky people could turn their luck around, Wiseman started a “luck school”. In this part of the research, he placed people through a series of exercises to increase their luck. Participants learned how to spot good opportunities, have a positive outlook, and to make better decisions. After a month of the experiment, 80 percent of people said they are feeling happier, more satisfied, and luckier in life.
Image by Pezibear from Pixabay
Here is what “luck school” participants did and you can do too:
Keeping an open mind and open eyes. Worrying about obtaining a goal endlessly can close doors to many opportunities. Looking around for opportunities with an open attitude can help you get some lucky chances.
Always look at the positives. Focusing on the negatives dampens your spirits and future expectations. When you are grateful, it becomes easier to try new things.
Do something out of the ordinary. Break the routine. Routines can lead to ruts. Talk to new people, do new work, develop a hobby. Stepping outside the comfort zone increases the likelihood of a lucky break.
Largely, people make their own good and bad fortune. When you are confined in your own individuality, your own little nest, you invite ill-fortune. When you open yourself to new experiences, practice gratitude, and focus on creating beautiful relationships, you find yourself getting lucky.
Photo by Alina Vilchenko from Pexels
Truth is very simple, just truth, and easily verifiable. It is opposite to the complex concepts created by human imagination and handed over generations as culture and traditions. The plain and evident existential reality is that human beings are here to create positive relations and memories. Everything in existence lives in harmony. This is something that you can validate in every facet of your life at any moment.
Anxiety, depression, antisocial and inhumane behavior, and other anomalies have arisen out of years of wrong and invalid beliefs and ideas being added to the virtual cloud of collective human knowledge.
By being yourself which is to be happy, resolved, and creating meaningful interactions with others, you can develop a lucky attitude. It is that easy.
Takeaway ~
Current belief ~ Luck is not a skill. It cannot be learned.
In popular culture ~ Darren Straniero, CFP® in his article Luck vs Skill says he’d rather be lucky than good. He writes a very good piece about the importance of skills and how one needs to be good at something to succeed.
As per the philosophy of coexistence, luck is a product of human imagination and not an existential reality. Human beings invented the concept of luck to make sense of the events inside an ignorant society and culture driven by false beliefs. It is the folly of our social structure that people classify themselves as lucky or unlucky. In reality, every human being comes into existence with the same potential, the same purpose. Every human being born will die and during the bodily journey have enough opportunities to know the reality.
About the Author
Anand (@ananddamanica) is an Existential Realist Philosopher, a Serial Entrepreneur and Startup Advisor with over 20 years of experience in Manufacturing Sector, International Trade, Custom software, Web & Mobile App. Development and Life Consulting. He has provided IT integration guidance to over 200 SME & Startup Clients across the globe.
A Chartered Accountant by education and an Entrepreneur at heart, Anand has a knack for simplifying ‘complex’ problems. He shares his expertise in business and management, and also writes about the profound Philosophy of Coexistence, in his blog: www.ananddamani.com/blog. You can reach him at: [email protected]. | https://blog.ananddamani.com/luck-is-a-mental-construct-4954ee8cb264 | ['Anand Damani'] | 2020-07-31 13:39:01.733000+00:00 | ['Relationships', 'Human Behavior', 'Psychology', 'Philosophy', 'Luck'] |
Love, Like Water, Will Find A Way In | Literary Impulse
Image by Annelise Lords
Tony Grant raced across the street on his bike as the light changed to green. He didn’t see the cab coming from the opposite direction breaking the stoplight, but he felt himself flying, then darkness. He felt cold, shivering. He removed the thing that covered his face, sitting up, glancing around. He saw trolleys. A funky odor burned his nostrils. He saw handles on small doors in the wall. There was a sink and two scales. As he stood up a door open and someone in a white lab coat looked at him, screamed, and fainted. Three more people in lab coats rushed in calling, “Dr. Simpson!” They stopped when they saw him, one of them said, “We pronounced you dead six hours ago!”
“Do I look dead to you?” Tony asked, realizing where he was.
The female easing towards him, looking at his lower body said, “You were a few hours ago. Don’t you think you should cover that,” pointing with her eyes. Looking down at himself, Tony realizes that he was naked. Instinctively, he rushed behind a line of trolleys. She walked to a closet, open it, and threw a white lab coat on one of the trolleys in front of him, then said, “Put that on. Your clothes are in the trash, but we can find something you can wear after we examine you again.”
Looking at the clock over her head, grabbing the white lab coat, Tony said, “I am sorry Doc, but I am late.”
“Look, you died six hours ago, we are here to do your autopsy, which we can’t do because you are alive, but we must run tests to make sure you are ok.”
“How long will that take?”
“Not long,” she assured him.
Four hours later Tony found her.
Angellina Delic was in pain, and only one thing could stop it. She sat sipping hot coffee, fighting her impulse. Five sips later she got up and walked out. Heading to the East River, she stood on the bridge as she did yesterday staring down, then turned and walked away. She repeated this process five times and on the sixth day as she sat inside the café sipping hot coffee, he came in. She got up and headed out. Turned on E 14th Street, stopped at the corner waiting.
As he turned the corner, he bumped into her.
“Why are you following me?” she screamed pushing him away, grabbing the attention of everyone within earshot.
He stopped, stared at her as if he was trying to remember where he had seen her.
She screamed, “Help! He has been stalking me!”
A squad car appeared as the crowd gathered. “Why are you following me? I notice you for the last five days. Why?”
He just stared at her. She grabbed his shirt and started to speak in a foreign language stuttering as she cursed. A police officer pulled her away, and another officer took him aside. Ten minutes later he was handcuffed and pushed into the back of the squad car. She smiled as the car drove away with him. Then she headed back to the bridge.
Half an hour later she positioned herself in the center glancing around. Today the park was scanty and the bridge was empty. She attempts to climb over to end all of her pain, a voice said, “Your father is trying to reach you and he can’t without this,” holding up a gold chain.
The jewels in the bear’s eyes on the pendant glistened as the sun’s rays touched it. She stopped, turned to him trembling, then said, “but I throw it in the river last week.”
“Your father is trying to reach you. He knows what you were planning to do.”
“That’s why you were stalking me?” she asks, easing towards him.
“Yes,” he replies, handing the chain to her. “Please, put it on, killing yourself isn’t the best solution.”
She took the chain from him, kissed the pendant of a bear hugging her cubs, and said in tears, “who gave it to you?”
“Your father?”
“That’s not possible, my father is dead. He has been for six years.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, as the memories of the past few days send pain through his body, he sighs then releases, “He said he is your father.”
“Where did you meet him?” she inquired.
He retraced his steps and discloses, “I thought it was a dream. I remember riding my bike through the green light on 3rd Avenue a week ago. Suddenly I started flying. I woke up in darkness tied up in chains. Then someone freed me. He gave me that chain, asked me to deliver it, and told me why. I woke up on a stretcher in the morgue and was told that I had been dead for 6 hours.”
“What did the man look like?”
He went back to his dream, then said, “He looked a lot like you, with brown eyes and he has a scar under his neck.”
She gasped, then said, “How did you know it was me?”
“Well,” he said scratching his head, “He told me where to find you.”
“He is watching over me,” she said aloud
“He also said if I get you angry enough you will curse in a different language and stutter. Sorry I had to be sure I was delivering the package to the right person. Plus you have a mole on your . . . . . .”
The look she gave him, he bit on to his tongue for a second, then said, “Can we go somewhere else to talk. Please?”
They found a cool spot in the park and sat down.
“My mother died of cancer when I was five years old. My father, my only parent, was killed by a hit and run driver when I was seventeen years old,” she said tears steaming down holding on to the pendant of the chain around her neck. “Today would be the sixth anniversary of his death.” She went on to talk about him and how much she loved him. She was glowing when she talked about him.
He listened, smiling, then said, “Why did you want to kill yourself?”
She sighed deeply, wipe her eyes, raises her brows, shrugged her shoulders, and said, “It’s not easy to live in a world where the only two people you know that loves you is dead.”
“You mean your parents?”
“Yes,” she answered with pain and regret.
“But what about your life? It’s the only thing we own that we don’t have to show proof of.”
She sighs, then said, “your parents are alive, so you wouldn’t understand.”
He nodded.
“Your parents are dead too?”
He nodded again.
Eying him in confusion, before she could speak he said, “I don’t know, I never met them.”
She stared at him in understanding saying, “you mean. . . . “
“I never met them,” he repeated. “I was raised in an orphanage, and then in a boy’s home. I have no memories of my parents or who they are. I wished I had memories like you. Memories are the gift our loved ones left behind that keeps us going and give us happiness too. Keep those memories alive, it will give you more reason to live. I felt your happiness when you spoke about your parents.”
“That’s why he sent you,” she said out loud.
“Ah,” he said.
“He chose you, so I could understand and recognized the value of my memories.” She sighed, then released, “thank you for stopping me this time. I get really sad every year on this day.”
He smiled and asked, “are you hungry?”
She smiled too, “You saved my life.”
He swayed his head left to right and said, “Your father save mine, so we are even. Come on, tell me more about your parents.”
Life has its own, but good ways of healing and helping us in crisis, with a little help from above and beyond. | https://medium.com/literary-impulse/love-like-water-will-find-a-way-in-6e95e48d478 | ['Annelise Lords'] | 2020-09-04 14:49:08.144000+00:00 | ['Love', 'Living', 'Life', 'Literary Impulse', 'Hope'] |
FileMaker 17: New File Export Features | Here’s the situation: you’re showing your new custom app to a client, boss or colleague and you’re proud of the way it can send an email directly from the app. This allows users to leverage all the data stored within it — pretty powerful! But then they ask if they can email more than one attachment because the weekly sales progress report includes three PDF files. Deflated, you hang your head and explain that FileMaker Pro only supports one attachment per email. That used to take the wind right out of your sails until the new FileMaker 17 Platform came along and offered the option to attach multiple files to an email message…
You can invoke this option manually during the Send Mail process or you can program it using the calculation engine in FileMaker 17, just as you would any other file importing/exporting step.
Since we’re talking about the file exporting capabilities in FileMaker 17, we have to mention its ability to create directories during any file saving action. Let’s say you’ve just created this slick report that your team can use to guide the daily project scrum meeting. Simply by clicking a button, you can save a PDF of the report directly on your desktop. However, you don’t want to clutter your desktop with a bunch of files, so instead, you have FileMaker 17 save it in a folder aptly called “Daily Scrum.” That works well until someone else wants to run and save the report to their desktop. Because this folder does not exist on the new desktop and the computer is running an old version of FileMaker Pro, you get this kooky, undecipherable dialog:
Well with FileMaker 17, if the folder isn’t there, it will automagically create it! All you have to do is specify the “Create directories: On” option located on all the export/save file script steps.
Watch the demo.
Interested in upgrading your app? Let’s chat!
By Vince Dolan | https://medium.com/filemaker/filemaker-17-new-file-export-features-216c64384 | ['The Support Group'] | 2018-05-22 21:43:20.670000+00:00 | ['Mobile App Development', 'App Development', 'Filemaker 16', 'Filemaker', 'Consulting'] |
How to build a simple Slack bot | Slack is a wonderfully simple communication tool. Everybody is within reach of your fingertips. You can grab anybodies attention with a few key strokes. Distract them with a question whenever you are too bored to google the answer yourself ;-)
It does not take many workspaces you are coerced into joining before you turn off notification for most of the channels you are part of. However, some people have a very high signal to noise ratio and you would not mind being notified of their messages.
Fortunately, this conundrum can be easily be solved with a simple bot. So let’s learn how to create such a Slack bot.
If you don’t care about a step by step guide you can also just check out the final code.
Building the Slack bot
We will build our bot in Node.js, so you need to have node and npm installed. If you want to deploy your app to Heroku, you will also need a Heroku account, as well having their CLI installed. To run your app locally, you also need to install and run a RethinkDB instance.
To create the application, run the following in a terminal.
$ npm init -y
$ npm install $ mkdir stalker-bot && cd stalker-bot$ npm init -y$ npm install @slack/events-api @slack/web-api rethinkdb
This will initialize a Node.js app and install all required dependencies.
Listening to Slack events
We will create a Node.js server to listen to Slack events. Create an index.js file and add the following server code.
We first configure the slack libraries, namely the event listener server and the web client. We then listen to message events. Direct messages are interpreted as commands and messages in channels are listened to in case we need to notify a stalker.
Bot commands
We can chat directly with the bot to issue commands. The stalker bot knows about three commands:
subscribe to a user in a channel
to a user in a channel unsubscribe from a user in a channel
from a user in a channel list all current subscriptions
To save all subscriptions, we will use my favorite document database as of late, RethinkDB. It is similar to MongoDB but additionally has reactivity built into it and it is still open source. We will need two tables, one to save all users and one to save the subscriptions they have. We will deal with managing database connections and running migrations later.
Create a handler.js file and start with the following code. We first configure the Slack web client in order to be able to respond to events and add some database boilerplate before we handle the actual commands.
When handling commands we basically search for one of the three commands in the message. We also use a regular expression to be able to extract the user and the channel from the (un)subscribe commands.
Subscribe to a user
To subscribe to a user in a channel we first need to parse said user and channel from the subscription command. The parsed user and channel are saved in a subscription object which can have listeners. The listener, i.e., the command issuer is saved in the user table.
When a subscription is created, the bot also needs to join the respective channel in order to be able to listen to messages from the desired user.
Unsubscribe from a user
To unsubscribe from a user in a channel we also need to parse the command first and then revert the actions done in the subscription command. We remove the listener, i.e., the command issuer from the subscription or delete the subscription if there are no listeners.
When there are no more subscriptions to a channel we also have the bot leave it. This will lessen the messages the bot has to react through.
List subscriptions
Listing the subscriptions is a convenience command to see what users we are currently stalking.
Now that we have implemented all commands, lets do the actual stalking.
Do the actual stalking
When we subscribe to a user in a channel, the bot joins said channel. It handles each message and reacts accordingly if the message author is of interest. If there is a listener for said author, the bot sends a direct message to the listener.
Note: In order for our bot to serve its purpose, we obviously cannot disable notifications for direct messages.
Database management
Until now we have conveniently just gotten a database connection and assumed the required tables already exist. Now, the time has come to manage the actual RethinkDB connection and take care of the required migrations.
RethinkDB connection
We manage our RethinkDB connection lazily, i.e., we only create the (re-)connection when it is actually needed. The connection parameters are parsed from environment variables, or the defaults are used.
On Heroku, the RethinkDB Cloud add-on will set the environment variables. For a locally running instance of RethinkDB, the defaults should work.
Migration
The app does not work without a users and subscriptions tables. We thus need a database migration that adds these tables.
This migration checks if the required tables exists, and if it is missing, it creates them. It also creates the necessary secondary indices, one to find subscriptions by channel and one to find it by listeners.
Create a Heroku app
This step is optional. You can also run the app locally and use ngrok to receive the Slack events.
In order to deploy the application to Heroku we need to create a Heroku app:
$ heroku create
Creating app... done, ⬢ fast-inlet-79371
https://fast-inlet-79371.herokuapp.com/ | https://git.heroku.com/fast-inlet-79371.git $ git init$ heroku createCreating app... done, ⬢ fast-inlet-79371
Creating a Heroku app will give you back the URL with a random name. Take note of this URL as it is required for the Slack callback URL later on.
We will also need a RethinkDB instance to store and subscribe to the chat messages sent between users. You can do this via the RethinkDB Cloud add-on as follows:
$ heroku addons:create rethinkdb
The RethinkDB Cloud add-on is currently in alpha. Request an invite for your Heroku account email.
Deploy the application to Heroku
To deploy our slack bot to Heroku we need to create a Procfile . This file basically tells Heroku what processes to run.
// Procfile release: node migrate.js
web: node index.js
The release and web processes are recognized by Heroku as the command to run upon release and the main web app respectively.
Deploy the app to Heroku with
$ echo node_modules > .gitignore
$ git add .
$ git commit -m 'A stalker bot'
$ git push heroku master
The app will not work yet because it is missing two environment variables, namely SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET and SLACK_TOKEN . We will get them when we create the actual Slack application.
Create the Slack application
To create a Slack app go to api.slack.com/apps (if you are not signed in, sign in and then come back to this URL). Click on “Create App” and fill in a name and a workspace to associate the app with.
Permissions
First we need to declare all permissions we need for our app. This can be done in the “OAuth & Permissions” tab. Scroll down to the “Scopes” card and add the following “Bot Token Scopes”:
channels:history
channels:join
chat:write
im:history
The channels:history and im:history permission allows the bot to read messages in channels it belongs to as well as direct messages. The channels:join permission allows the bot to join new channels. Finally, the chat:write permission allows the bot to write direct messages (e.g., to you).
Set environment variables
We need two Slack keys in our bot. A signing secret to verify the message events we get from Slack and a token to authenticate our actions as a bot. The signing secret can be found in the “App Credentials” card in the “Basic Information” tab. The OAuth token is shown in the “OAuth & Permissions” tab. Add both keys to your Heroku app with
$ heroku config:set SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET=...
$ heroku config:set SLACK_TOKEN=xoxb-...
This will automatically restart the Heroku app and allow for the event subscription we add next to verify your correctly running endpoint.
Event Subscription
Our app only works if we can react to events that happen in the Slack workplace. Go to the “Event Subscriptions” tab and enable events. For the request URL put in the app URL you got from Heroku and add the events route, e.g., https://fast-inlet-79371.herokuapp.com/events . Then subscribe to the following bot events:
message.channels
message.im
You will see that these two events require the channels:history and im:history permissions which we added in the previous step. Save the changes for them to take effect.
Install app
Now we are ready to install the app in our workspace. Go to the “Basic Information” tab and click on “Install App to Workspace”. This will put you in the role of the app user and ask you to grant it the permissions the app requires.
Test it out
Go to your workspace and add the Stalker bot to your Apps. Test it out and subscribe to your favorite person in a busy channel full of noise. Each time the stalked person writes you will get a direct message to notify you. | https://javascript.plainenglish.io/how-to-build-a-simple-slack-bot-28e85f368e7b | ['Sascha Trifunovic'] | 2020-11-16 16:36:12.145000+00:00 | ['Nodejs', 'AI', 'Heroku', 'Bots', 'Programming'] |
Add a Clap to Your Push-Ups | Push-ups are an all-time favorite exercise around the globe. One of the most effective bodyweight exercises of all time. The reasons are simple: no equipment, a modest amount of space, and great gains. Several people understand push-ups only for their chest gains, but they’re also great for your triceps, deltoids, and core strength. But how many push-ups are enough push-ups?
Counting Those Push-ups
While it surely is a good flex to go to some 40–50 push-ups in one repetition. It is not the best exercise for exhaustion and hypertrophy. Exercise today is about maximum gains, in lesser time yet safely. So my suggestion Number#1 to you is to change the definition of count on your push-ups.
There is an old gym mantra: Start counting your pushups, when it starts hurting.
Start counting when it hurts?!? Funny? Actually, this saying may have much more to it than a “flex” to it. It has some evidence backing it. This is based on muscle memory and a level of conditioning the muscle gains with repetition of a particular exercise over and over again, while this looks good in those grunt counts at the gym — it may be bad news for your gains.
Variation: Add Some Spice
To maximize hypertrophy variation is an essential component. While beginners need little to no variation as everything they do will be novel and allow for a faster rate of progress. A slightly advanced performer should look at other calisthenics avenues to target the same muscle with better form and exhaustion rate.
Once it takes you over 20 pushups to start the “hurt” counting. It is important to add a clap to that pushup.
Yes. Add a clap to your pushups. They involve greater stability, stronger shoulders, and effectively a greater amount of energy exhaustion per repetition. What is exactly is a clap you ask? The plyo pushup variations. A squeeze to the movement and jump and mid-air clap in your everyday pushup.
The Advantages
A normal push-up in itself is a good exercise for fitness. But if looking to push boundaries(normally after at least 3 weeks) one should look at the serious advantages the plyo push-up brings to the table.
Greater mobility and muscle coordination An additional advantage of engaging the core and legs in the conventional excercise Achieve Hypertrophy and better form. Assists chest health and strengthen the shoulder Strengthens the arm and quicker exhaustion rate.
Keep going (Image source: Gyfcat)
This is it guys the benefits of adding a clap in that push-up. Stay Healthy, Stay fit. | https://medium.com/in-fitness-and-in-health/add-a-clap-to-your-push-ups-b7b946c4951b | ['Samarth Dwivedi'] | 2020-11-23 17:56:36.715000+00:00 | ['Strength', 'Workout', 'Health', 'Advice', 'Fitness'] |
Episode 9: From QA Engineer to Tile PM | Top Three Takeaways
1. Do Your Research
Transitioning careers is not an easy task even if you’re looking to pivot internally. Aneri highlights the importance of doing your research to prepare for the switch. In her case, Aneri started by discussing her desire to move into Product Management with her manager. She spent months taking courses on LinkedIn Learning to understand what the PM role entails and what skills are needed to be a successful PM. She also joined her company’s mentorship program to learn more about Product Management, read product books, and did product deep dives to understand the stories behind successful products. Lastly, she volunteered to help PMs, who are often really busy, by offering to write feature one-pagers. All these things helped Aneri better understand the role resulting in her feeling more confident in her desire to make the switch.
2. Trust Your Gut
Once you’re sure you want to transition into Product Management and have a clear reason why, Aneri recommends you trust your gut and keep working towards it. The transition to product may take a while, even for internal transfers, but if you’re confident it’s the right role for you Aneri advises to be patient and stick to it.
3. Ask For Feedback
If she could go back in time and give herself one piece of advice as she made the transition from QA to Product Management, Aneri would tell her past self to ask for feedback. Aneri explains that all feedback is valuable and should be used as input to help you grow and improve. She acknowledges that while it may be uncomfortable or hard for others to give feedback, explicitly asking your peers for feedback can make it easier, and can bridge the gap, helping increase trust between you and your peers. Asking for feedback and acting on it is crucial to improving in any role, not just Product Management. | https://medium.com/paths-to-product/episode-9-from-qa-engineer-to-tile-pm-9ec44fef3cde | ['Pallavi Hukerikar'] | 2020-07-15 20:37:29.539000+00:00 | ['Engineering', 'Product Management', 'Consumer Electronics', 'Career Transitions', 'Qa Testing'] |
<Sub/Tweet> Facebook’s PR Mission | Image credit: CNN Money
It seems that Facebook can’t escape the spotlight these days. What used to be an obsession for everyday Americans has suddenly seen itself morphed into what you see above: the most direct and startling evidence that Russia successfully infiltrated the United States political landscape during the election season of 2016. Each week we learn more about the reach and magnitude of this campaign.
For agencies and advertisers within the United States, this is just beginning to become a major problem. What Congress and the American public are suddenly learning is how the unregulated and grey area within not only social media, but the entire digital advertising world, can be easily manipulated and leveraged by enemies of the state or those who seek to break the law.
Sir Isaac Newton famously said, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” But, in this case, the reaction to Russia’s invasive campaign to fragment the American people is aggressive digital regulation that could surely cripple efforts of those who are playing by the rules.
Ineffective Quality & Security Measure
The social network giant announced early last week that it would be adding 1,000 human ad reviewers in order to provide a check on the almost entirely automated placement system for Facebook ads. This was an immediate way for Facebook to counter the barrage of negative press it’s been receiving because of the Russian election meddling investigation.
However, this is insufficient. Anyone close to the digital ad business knows the value of 1,000 human hires into a vast ecosystem — it’s meaningless. This was a pure PR play by Facebook. What they have yet to effectively address is how their billing and credit system between advertisers and clients changes almost daily. What’s more, it seems that people within Facebook itself don’t even have an idea or path forward to heal the network’s actual credibility, not just it’s public image.
Roadblock for Advertisers
This is already a tremendous headache for advertisers and brands that abide by digital and social channel guidelines. Earlier this month, Facebook announced that it would limit targeting parameters that tapped into business demographics such as education, employment, field of study, and job title. This hits B2B advertisers especially hard, as these new restrictions make the social network an unlikely destination for their ad budgets. It’s uncertain how long it will take for this targeting to return and in what form it might be.
As evidence continues to come to light, as it assuredly will when Facebook, Google, and Twitter come to Capitol Hill, we might be able to predict the scale and effect this impending regulation will have on digital media and advertising. It has already begun and will continue to unfold, making the ability of agencies and advertisers to stay in tune with this exponentially dynamic system vital to the success of clients, brands, and causes.
You think this is confusing now? Just wait for 2018. | https://medium.com/the-subtweet/sub-tweet-facebooks-pr-mission-dd089f7ee549 | ['Joey Vara'] | 2017-10-08 20:53:51.572000+00:00 | ['Facebook', 'Social Media Marketing', 'B2B', 'Russia', 'Social Media'] |
Property Analysis: Mountain View Business Center | We are going to be looking at an office property in Orange County, CA. This is a value add suburban office building in Lake Forest. The building appears to be vacant. However, an updated rent roll would be ideal for getting more precise underwriting. We will be highlighting how units can be easily added to Investart and get your investment analysis started.
Financial Analysis
For this analysis, we use the purchase price provided and $2.38/SF/Mo gross rents for our market leasing assumptions. This is in line with the comps in the area. The Unlevered IRR is 7.31% and a Leveraged IRR of 11.28%. This is with a 5.00% exit cap. This building is assumed to be completely vacant. This is a true value add deal that could also be as an owner/user opportunity. For this investment, it is prudent to look at the stabilized cap rate rather than just simply the cap rate. The stabilized cap rate uses the total investment rather than just the purchase price. This is ideal since there is a pretty substantial amount of investment needed to stabilize this property. You can see in year two, there is a swing of about 44 basis points from a 7.40% cap rate to a 6.98% stabilized cap rate.
Adding tenants
On the left, we can see a screen show of how tenants are added to the app. All these fields should look familiar to most real estate investors. Something that I wanted to highlight is how vacant units are added. If you notice in the “In Place Rent” section, the variable is set to vacant rather than say “SF/Mo”. The system will treat this unit as vacant, and then any lease term that is added will be used as additional downtime. This can be useful if the unit is going to need some refurbishment. The rest of the field will not affect the calculation except for MLA, which contains the assumptions for the new lease. Any downtime that is part of the MLA will be added to the downtime added here are part of the “In Place Lease Term” additional downtime feature. For example, if you add 2 months to the In Place Lease Term section and the MLA has a downtime of 3 months, the total downtime for this space will be 5 months. Any subsequent lease rolls will only use the MLA downtime of 3 months.
Conclusion
This Investment is a value add opportunity in every sense of the word. This is a vacant Class B office during a time when the world is still adjusting to post Covid work arrangements. As the world opens back up, this might be a good opportunity to jump in and catch some of the early office momentum.
If I have piqued your interest, take a look at the model for this property. The first link is the full report in PDF form. The second link is the live model already loaded into Investart. You’ll need to sign in to your account and then click the link, and a copy will appear on your account. It is completely free to sign up for an account at Investart. For any questions regarding the property, please contact the listing broker, which can be found in the last link.
Mountain View Business Center full Analysis (PDF)
Base Case analysis
Property Listing website | https://medium.com/@investartcre/property-analysis-mountain-view-business-center-5229610c29f1 | ['Jorge Solis'] | 2021-09-03 23:42:14.754000+00:00 | ['Commercial Real Estate', 'Orange County Real Estate', 'Real Estate Investments', 'Real Estate Investing', 'Proptech'] |
Socrates: On the Secret of Change | Change | Socrates Quote | Book Marketing
Socrates: On the Secret of Change
Socrates: On the Secret of Change
The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. — Socrates
Book Marketing Tip
In marketing your books, don’t worry about the way things have been done in the past.
Don’t worry about the rules. Don’t worry about the obstacles. Don’t worry about the naysayers.
Do something. Then do something more. Finally, do one more thing. Do this every day: 1–2–3.
Build the new. Build it every day. — John Kremer
Socrates: On the Secret of Change
Check out these stories as well: | https://medium.com/book-marketing-stories/socrates-on-the-secret-of-change-1a24096579c6 | ['John Kremer'] | 2020-12-19 09:00:27.467000+00:00 | ['Socrates', 'Quotations', 'Quotes', 'Change Your Life', 'Quotes About Life'] |
No Real Winner Here | Brandon Hyde, contemplating life
When a baseball team is as bad at the current iteration of the Baltimore Orioles are, fans will usually look for reasons as to why things are the way they are.
For the O’s, you could look at the lack of quality talent throughout the roster from the starting rotation, to the bullpen, and all the way down to the position players; mainly the infielders. I would argue there are nine quality Major League players that have donned an Orioles’ uniform this season: Paul Fry, Freddy Galvis, Austin Hays, Trey Mancini, John Means, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander, and DJ Stewart. The rest are either stuck in baseball purgatory of whether or not they will develop into a quality talent or are just flat out not good.
That means well over 50% of the players that have appeared in a game for the Orioles this season are not good baseball players. In my opinion, that is the fault of nobody more than Orioles executive Vice President and general manager Mike Elias. To steal a line from Jason Concepcion of NBA Desktop fame, if your job is baseball operations and the baseball is operating poorly, something is wrong.
I am not here to argue the validity or lack-there-of regarding Elias’ plans to rebuild the Orioles’ franchise but instead argue against his plans to not field a functioning Major League Baseball team while not receiving any blame for the bad product he is responsible for putting on the field.
Elias recently held a press conference and did not comment on whether or not Orioles’ manager Brandon Hyde will be a part of the club following this season, dismissing it by saying, “I’m looking forward to getting back to the playoffs, and hopefully, all of us are still here together for that.” It sounds to me that he wants somebody wants to take the blame for the bad on-field product in Camden Yards and it’s not himself.
Whether you think Brandon Hyde is a good manager or not (I think he is a solid game manager who truly likes his players) it comes down to the team he is given to compete with every single day throughout the season. Right now, he is given one of the worst 26 man rosters in all of baseball and faces easily more backlash than Elias for that fact.
I have routinely argued that if Hyde could turn one of these recent O’s teams into a 75–80 game winner, he should get the Manager of the Year award. Obviously, this was always going to be a stretch hope but he certainly cannot receive copious amounts of blame for what goes on with day-to-day operations of the team.
The one thing I will fault Hyde for, and this is honestly not a bad thing, is that he trusts his guys *too* much. He has to work with what he’s given and that means putting guys into situations that they are not equipped to handle but he still gives them that opportunity to sink or swim.
Do I think the trajectory of Brandon Hyde’s managerial career will look more like Joe Maddon, the guy he won a World Series with, or Bo Porter, the guy who was the manager of Mike Elias’ former club before the eventual WS winning manager AJ Hinch?
It’s truly hard to say. Regardless, he should get an opportunity to manage the club’s young talent that Elias has so much faith in. If he fails with those guys, then you reconsider if you want him for the future. Until then, you roll the dice with him and hope for the best until Elias wants to improve the quality of players on his roster. | https://medium.com/@connorguercio/no-real-winner-here-56db19b430d6 | ['Connor Guercio'] | 2021-06-17 22:51:10.716000+00:00 | ['Baltimore', 'Orioles', 'Brandon Hyde', 'MLB', 'Mike Elias'] |
Shure MV7 Podcast Microphone Review | The OG, Legendary Shure SM7B has been the gold standard in broadcasting for 44 years, damn that is a long time. It now has a little sister, the Shure MV7, which will make podcasters and gamers thrilled.
It started with the SM5 broadcasting microphone — a dynamic boom microphone and quickly found a home in radio and film studios in 1966.
According to John Born (Project Manager, Shure Inc), “A group of Shure acoustical engineers were given the SM57 cartridge element (Unidyne III) and asked, without restrictions on size or cost, to make it better. And they went nuts.” That’s probably the reason John refers to the SM7B “as SM57 on steroids.”
It took over 30 years in the industry before the SM7 eventually found its way into recording studios. Michal Jackson used the SM7 to record Thriller.
In a 2012 interview, David Rochman-(Shure’s Corporate Public Relations Manager) asked John to explain why the SM7 created so much buzz 36 years after its introduction. Here’s what he said:
“A combination of things have probably accounted for this consistent spike in popularity. Maybe it just takes this long for a mic to gain acceptance. Some of it has to do with. emergence podcasting — there’s an appetite for a high quality voiceover mic. And some of it has to do with Michael’s Jackson’s death — everyone was talking about his recordings and how they were made. Then there’s the fact that this is a $350 microphone that has beaten studio microphones costing ten times as much in microphone shoot-outs. It’s finally getting the recognition it deserves.”
The SM7B is now $399 plus the cost of a Cloudlifter, $159, and don’t forget an audio interface at $165. It’s easy to see why the $249 price tag for the MV7 is so appealing.
MV7 or SM7B: which one is right for you? Obviously, there are a few differences between the two microphone, visit Shure’s website for the nitty gritty details. | https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/shure-mv7-podcast-microphone-review-64bb717b7f9c | ['Derek Oxley'] | 2020-12-03 16:46:04.595000+00:00 | ['Podcasting', 'Technology', 'Gaming', 'Voiceovers', 'Podcast'] |
We need to learn how to use knowledge in order to solve problems | Question from the Internet:
“Isaac Asimov said, "If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them." What do you consider to be good traits of a problem solver?”
I fully agree with Asimov (the Foundation books were my favorite reading in my teenage years).
Knowledge is not the problem, how we use knowledge is the problem.
By default our consciousness, perception of reality is egocentric, subjective. We “upload” and use knowledge to serve selfish interest, to successfully compete against others, to survive at each other’s expense. This is our default program.
The good traits of a problem solver start from the recognition of how our original program works, why through history and in our individual life we keep running into the same mistakes, crimes, steps.
Only when we recognize the root cause - our own nature - can we start solving problems - by changing, correcting ourselves.
Everything depends on the “user”, based on what intentions, goals we act, develop, everything else depends on how the user is refined, upgraded.
https://youtu.be/ZqEfnaRXX1o | https://medium.com/@samechphoto/we-need-to-learn-how-to-use-knowledge-in-order-to-solve-problems-4290f5ac78c6 | ['Zsolt Hermann'] | 2020-10-10 23:09:48.231000+00:00 | ['Problems', 'Education', 'Humanity', 'Solutions', 'Ego'] |
Darrell Urban Black and the Art of Definism | Darrell Urban Black, is an American visual artist presently living in Frankfurt, Germany. He works in a variety of formats that include Pen and Ink drawings acrylic paintings on canvas wood and Mixed media objects. His creative process is a mixture of works on paper, acrylic paint, found objects and non toxic hot glue which creates a three-dimensional effect on any surface that gives a sense of realism and presence in his artwork. Darrell, refers to this optical artistic illusion as “Definism” in his opinion, ``Definism, portrays various differences in human nature from life’s everyday dramas to humankind’s quest to under-standing self. “My artworks transport viewers from the doldrums of their daily reality to a visual interpretation of another reality.”
Darrell Urban Black born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in Far Rockaway and Brentwood Long Island New York. In high school, he excelled in science with an affinity for outer space. In June 1969, as America fulfilled J. F. Kennedy’s dream to put the American Stars and Stripes into the dusty surface of the moon Darrell’s fascination with spaceships grew. As a child he made spaceship models eventually placing his artistic visions on paper resulting in some 500 drawings. Phantasmal spaceships that eventually carried Darrell to a unique wonderland of strange forms and colors.
In 1982, he joined the National Guard. During this time his previous drawings were lost — but not his passion. In 1988, Darrell, joined the US Army and served another four years. Earned his Bachelor Degree in Science of Criminal Justice Administration at the University of Phoenix. In April 2001, Darrell, was nominated by the German government as a “candidate of the year’s prize for promising young artists” for his artwork titled “The Invasion” in the exhibition “The Zeppelin in Art, Design, and Advertisement,” shown between May and July 30, 2000, in the Frankfurt International Airport. Another piece referenced in the nomination letter, was titled “The Cosmic Shroud,” executed with a unique glue and acrylic on linen technique. The image was described as “universally appealing and representing a topic which concerns all of us — The Universe.” Darrell, had many local, national and international group art exhibitions. He has artwork permanently displayed in a number of art Galleries, Museums and other Institutions Worldwide. Darrell’s artwork has also been displayed on billboard in New York’s Times Square for the exhibition titled: “SeeMe Takes over Times Square 2014”
Darrell lives in Frankfurt, Germany and continues to draw and paint in pursuit of his artistic dreams. He’s a member of the Veteran Artist Program abroad (EuroVAP).
http://darrell-black.pixels.com/ | https://medium.com/@definism/darrell-urban-black-and-the-art-of-definism-688cbb23edf6 | ['Darrell Black'] | 2020-11-25 17:17:33.226000+00:00 | ['Artist', 'Drawing', 'Life', 'Culture', 'Image'] |
SwiftUI: How to Assign @State Property in an Initializer | In SwiftUI, normally you define @State property in a View which is technically called a property wrapper. It is designed to store the states of a single View. Normally, the common pattern you use like this:
So if the title will change, the body will recompute again to show the updated data. It is automatic.
But sometimes, what you may want to do, you want to pass a value in the initializer and assign the value to the state.
Screenshot created by the author
But you see, the problem is, if you want to do that, there will be an error shown.
This is because:
SwiftUI doesn’t allow to access and work with the @State properties outside the closure assigned within the body property.
You can avoid this error if you assign a value during the declaration of the title property.
Screenshot created by the author
But the problem is, still the expected behavior is not working. If you run this program you see the title is an empty string.
So how to solve this problem?
If you want to access the underlying structure of a @State property you can do that by prefixing the property’s name with an underscore. e.g. _title
Now if you want to change the state, you have to do it in the following way:
As title is an State<String> structure, the only way to give an initial value from is: _title = State<String>(initialValue: title) within the init method.
Screenshot created by the author | https://medium.com/level-up-programming/swiftui-how-to-assign-state-variable-in-an-initializer-e40c33d4a3 | ['Mahmud Ahsan'] | 2020-11-13 15:51:19.778000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Swift', 'Swiftui', 'iOS App Development', 'iOS'] |
The pain of Two Factor Authentication(2FA) | So are you trading now and your exchange added a security system(2FA) and ask you Google Authenticator code every time you logged in and then you go to your mobile, open an app to see the authenticator code. Don’t you think this is a pain in your easy life ? So lets do something so that when ever you want to login in any of these exchange(Or any site which uses this security system) you can do this without your phone.
Actually its a very simple solution, we are going to do use a google chrome plugin for this, download this plugin (you can download any of similar, i use this) .
So follow these steps to add your keys to authenticator.
Step 1-Click on plugin and then edit button.
Step 1
Step 2-Click on + button.
step 2
Step 3-If you have QR code on the screen then you can just can it after clicking on Scan QR Code or click on Manual Entry.
Step 3
Step 4- Add your account name(your choice of name) and Key given by site.
Step 4
Ta-da and you are done now. So if you felt happy about this and wanna share your happiness so ….
❤️ Like, Share, Leave your comment
And ……….
follow me
Note — thanks to sneezry.com to develop this plugin and making our life easy.
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❤️ Like, Share, Leave your comment
If you like this post, don’t forget to like, share with your friends and colleagues and leave your comment below about the post.
And Follow me……. | https://medium.com/coinmonks/the-pain-of-google-authenticator-code-9758ad407bc0 | ['Gaurav Agrawal'] | 2020-10-16 09:51:00.990000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Startup', 'Bitcoin', 'Security', 'Cryptocurrency'] |
Risk factors in online business | Risk factors — if you don’t know them, you have a problem. I am talking about an online business. Nearly every internet company today is dependent on a 3rd-party hosting company. Not only on their functionality, scalability and availability, but also a price. To pay it, you need to earn enough. That usually brings another great dependency — effective monetization over 3rd party solution — ad system, payment gateway, merchant of records service. You also need to count with concurrency and ideally be aware of existence of hidden rarely coming black swans. These are the things you did not expect and which can come in the worst possible time (Murphy’s law, you know…).
People usually think, that the big players are unstoppable and that there are no risk factors for them. Whatever happens to them, they will survive. This may be true for modern, dynamically working companies compounded of many small, separately working units. The companies which are in nearly every type of business you look at. Like Google or Tencent. However, most companies are different. Due to their size, they have very low possibility to adapt to new conditions in this dynamic time full of changes. Do you remember Nokia? Deutsche Bank? Or the famous Japan companies? Where are they now?
Let’s summarize 5 basic attributes you got to have in mind during building a functional online business, further as product. Product may be anything. Service, eshop, application or a game.
Monetization. Yeah, money in the first place. It has clear reason. You can be however excited about your new amazing product, however after some time you will come to a situation where a good existing monetization strategy will be the difference between selection to close or continue and succeed. Everything costs money. The better your project will be, the more money will it cost. Without a good business model, you will come to the situation when any grow will be extremely difficult. Costs for users acquisition and operation are not low. Try to think about various types of monetization. Take the buzzword “Diversify” into your mind. One source of money coming from 1 channel is not optimal. Good business plan should compose of at least 2 main sources of income, ideally each of them should be sufficient enough for covering all costs. Verify clear interest about the product. Startup owners usually do a service for yourself and forget that they are not customers. Forget for your needs, instead, try find out needs of your potential customers (not family and friends) and develop your product with them. Creating a MVP (minimum valuable product) will give you option to get real and valuable feedback from customers and will help you to make your product better for a lower price. Or close it before you burn all the money. Team. There is a gold rule that there should be odd numbers of owners and 3 are too many. I do not think so. In my opinion, more owners in a product is beneficial. You never find an employee so excited to work on your product as any co-owner. And it really matters, because excitement and hard work is the only valuable thing your product has at the beginning. More owners will give you also bigger freedom to diversify important work and focus only at matters you are good in. If you hire new employee, accept only the ones who are better than you. If they are not, they will not work for you, but you will work for them. Learning, explaining, managing, all this is extremely time consuming, without any guarantee that your investment will be returned. Invest your time rather to building your product. Hiring an expensive professional may be sometimes cheaper than a cheap absolvent. The common place phrase that there is better to have 1% of functional profitable business is more than having 100% of unsuccessful company did not come out of thin air. Technology, hosting and short simple address.
Do you need web, app, hybrid app, progressive web app or a combination of more for your business? Selection of the right type and technology may reduce your costs significantly.
The easier accessible you will make your product for your visitors, the more likely they will visit you. If we talk about web, take a note that a good web address is like a stable cornerstone of your house. Do you know, what was most valuable on McDonald at the start? Not the idea, but the name. Name in this case is analogy of the address. Your address must be easy to remember, ideally written the same way as it is pronounced. The most important one — be 101% sure that the domain / rights belong under your company, and is not registered under any person in your team. This can save you gray hair in a few years later.
Related to hosting, always think about your needs. Instead of using another buzzword cloud, think again. If you still need cloud, take a cloud. But be ready that cloud is expensive. Do not force grow at any cost. It doesn’t matter how amazing your product is, or how fast you ship features. The market you’re in will determine most of your growth. There is better to have smaller profitable product than big widely used product in red numbers.
Filling these 5 points eliminates most of the potential risk factors. No dependence for a single source of income, low operation costs due to the selection of right technology, stable excited and experienced team and high trader’s margins. With a bit of luck, you are getting a great recipe to build a successful profitable business. Your biggest problem will be only concurrency and undefined black swans.
For last 5 years we have been facing a big move of people from PCs to mobile devices. Maybe something like a modern migration of nations. This is trend we have to had in mind during creating our business strategy. Organic traffic from searching will have rather decreasing trend in the future because of Google’s auto replies directly on results page in combination of small screen with limited number of organic results. For that reason, the future will be in brands.
Building a brand is extremely long and expensive route. The best way here is to build a product which is extremely interesting for media or in a trend. Otherwise, be ready to pay for big marketing campaigns. It may happen, that you will have higher bills than the biggest players you see everywhere in the media. On basis of their business, trust and size, they often run a Vendor marketing which reduces their cost noticeably.
In your mind, you can replace the word “brand” for “trust”. Value of your product is only a function of its trust. Therefore, trust is something you really need to track. Internet is a free medium and anyone can write anything they want about your brand. Including your concurrency.
Tracking trust in your product
Best index of trust in your product is growing number of customers / users using your product together with growing revenue from 1 user. However, this is just a result of previous actions — actions which could be done by 2 sides — by you, or your users. For tracking user actions, you should track mentions on the internet about words relevant to your product. You can use for it e.g. tool https://mention.com/en/.
Trust itself is a combination of many factors. Good previous experience either of you or someone around you, traceability of real people behind the product, real address of the company. Last but not least also availability and correct functionality of the product. Load should be fast, without blocking by any extension of 3rd party software.
Personally I have an experience with situation when my businesses were being blocked by most used antivirus software — Avast and AVG, belonging under Avast software corporation — due to false positive malware detection. Honestly, in such situation, your brand and trust may be by any size, but users will always believe their antivirus software. Instead of doing any action at your site, they will immediately escape. There is also very low probability, that someone with such alert about infection will visit your website to find a contact at you to inform you that your page is infected and blocked by his antivirus software. Therefore, I highly recommend to do regular tests for malware, including false positive. After all, brand is the most valuable today. Simplest check is via https://www.virustotal.comwhere you can check any of your page urls in 36 antivirus softwares just by one click. Unfortunately, the most used one — Avast / AVG, is missing there. So, install it to your PC to cover it. Although Avast’s web shield slows down loading pages on the internet dramatically (in my experience), it is worth it. Personally, I am not the type of person who would remember and wanted to do regular manual tests for virus threads anywhere, so I am thinking about creating a service which would do this automatically and inform me via SMS only in a case of a found problem. If you are the type of person like me, and would be interested in such service, you can subscribe for news in this matter by sending an email with subject “SUBSCRIBE MALWARE DETECTION” on email [email protected].
If you are interested to read about my experience with the false positive detection on my websites, you can do so in article False positive malware detection from antivirus softwares which could have ruined my business. If you just deal with a potential infection, here’s my walkthrough (will be written soon) how to verify, find and remove the malware from your website. If you need a quick help, you can try get in touch with me as well on email [email protected]. I understand the seriousness of the situation, and if I can, I will try to help. From my experience, I will probably reply sooner than the biggest antivirus companies with millions in revenue. | https://medium.com/@vladimrnepor/risk-factors-in-online-business-84c3e703537a | ['Vladimír Nepor'] | 2019-05-09 21:29:26.475000+00:00 | ['Business', 'Risk Management', 'Risk', 'Online Business', 'Startup'] |
Travis Scott Expands His Consumer Empire | Photo: Travis Scott / YouTube
Travis Scott Expands His Consumer Empire
The last 12 months have been big for Jacques Berman Webster II, the musical artist professionally known as Travis Scott. In April, he capitalized on stay-at-home orders with a virtual Fortnite which reportedly grossed $20 million. In September, he became the first celebrity since Michael Jordan to get their own McDonald’s promotion. And last week, he launched CACTI hard seltzer with Anheuser-Busch.
Fame to fortune
The 2020s are quickly turning into the decade of following-first brands. New companies are coming from actors, actresses, influences, and singers rather than from industrious average Joes. The most in-vogue categories like beauty, alcohol, and apparel are experiencing an influx of fresh collaborations.
Addison Rae—the second-most popular TikToker at the time of writing—launched her makeup brand ITEM Beauty in August and the D’Amelio sisters partnered with Morphe Cosmetics to create a sub-brand called Morphe 2. And these are far from the only brands conceived from TikTok fame.
The alcohol space has also been very profitable for celebrities: George Clooney’s tequila business Casamigos was acquired by beverage giant Diageo for $1 billion in 2017; Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation American Gin was also sold to Diageo for $610 million in August; and LeBron James just invested in a new tequila and mezcal brand called Lobos 1707. Barstool Sports (BS) also entered the seltzer game after a partnership with High Noon was announced in May; BS founder Dave Portnoy is now a vocal supporter of the brand.
Photo: ABC Fine Wine & Spirits
Despite the headlines, it’s not as easy as it sounds for someone with a lot of followers to cash out from their name. Last year an influencer with over two million followers on Instagram went viral when she couldn’t sell 36 t-shirts from her new clothing line. She even had to turn off comments on some of her posts because she received so much ridicule.
Right time, right place
Despite the pandemic hurting the alcohol sector this year, hard seltzer has continued its meteoric rise. A new report from The New Consumer and Coefficient Capital showed that alcohol consumption in several markets is expected to have declined by 8 percent in 2020 and the ready-to-drink beverage category was the only one to grow this year. Hard seltzer keeps becoming more popular with younger generations:
Photo: The New Consumer / Coefficient Capital
CACTI, which launches in spring 2021, clocks in at 7% ABV—compared to White Claw’s 2% and PRESS at 4%. The drink is influenced by Scott’s love of tequila starting with Lime, Strawberry, and Pineapple flavors, and made with 100 percent Mexican blue agave.
In the press release, Scott said “CACTI is something I’m really proud of and have put a ton of work into. Me and the team really went in, not only on getting the flavor right, but on thousands of creative protos on everything from the actual beverage, to the can concept, to the packaging and how it is presented to the world. We always try to convey a feeling in our products.” | https://medium.com/swlh/travis-scott-expands-his-consumer-empire-6dd3cb2f350 | ['Joe Niehaus'] | 2020-12-26 18:02:29.438000+00:00 | ['Startup', 'Celebrity', 'Alcohol', 'Music', 'Business'] |
Energy ecosystems: Reflections on energy management in the natural world, and Chicago’s clean energy transition | Energy management in the natural world
1. Getting energy
Moving on to energy management in the natural world, we’ve got three major sections that I plan to hit on. The first one: getting energy. Really, you’ve got two options in the natural world. You have sunlight, or if you happen to be near a thermal vent in the ocean or some other area where the earth’s hot core is seeping out, you can get some energy that way. That’s really it on the supply side, highly centralized in the sense that there are just those two options, but also highly distributed in the sense that sunlight steadily reaches nearly all surfaces on earth like clockwork.
Ecology has a strong focus on really the acquisition and distribution of that sunlight. This is a depiction of different trophic levels. Trophic dynamics basically is about energy movement from one part of the food chain to the next. Trophic is from the Greek word “trophy” or nourishment, and the mass diminishes as you move up the trophic levels, because otherwise the entire enterprise would be a bit of a Ponzi scheme. We have a curious tendency as humans to overlook the base layer. It’s not even really labeled on this example. Those are the plants that are making the nourishment from the sunlight.
I think we have a sort of curious inability to empathize with plants.
Actual trophic dynamics are really complex: a web of interactions that happen above ground and below ground, multilayered relationships, and complicated metabolic functions. There’s a really simplified version of this that many of us might have learned in our schooling. Classic food chain, little things get eaten by big things. There’s a top dog or bird that gets the pick of things to eat. Now, again, you’ll find loads of examples that are missing something down here called plants. We have given the significance they play in all of nourishment on life — I think we have a sort of curious inability to empathize with plants.
This other drawing on the right is from the 1940s, where apparently in some sort of attempt to relate to plants, somebody imagined a bunch of industrial workers toiling away in various parts of the plants. In reality, when you measure all of the biomass that exists all across the earth — and this is measured in gigatons of carbon because carbon is the basis of living things — plants take up this enormous portion of the pie. If you look at this little corner here, you have all of the animals in the world. Then, if you look in the little cutout of the animal biomass, you’ll see that humans and our livestock is really a small piece of the pie having an outsized effect on everything happening with life across all biomass.
Given that plants are so significant, what’s the explanation for our lack of fluency in how they operate in what they do? Well, I blame modernity and urbanity a little bit. There’s plenty of cultures that have rich language around plants. I also blame our evolutionary biology a little bit. On the next slide, there are a lot of baby creatures. I want you to take a minute looking at them, seeing if any of them are particularly alluring to you. Maybe they catch your eye. Maybe they evoke some sort of tender feelings and interest.
Did anyone pick the lizard? All right. One lizard picker. Good. How about the creepy looking baby bird? Maybe the seedling? I won’t ask who chose amongst the puppy and the baby, because if you pick the puppy, it does not mean you don’t love your own children. It’s just incredibly cute. We have, embedded in our biology, a real reason to have a bias towards mammals and mammals that look like us. I think it behooves us to get to know these other brilliant creatures that are out there in the natural world.
Plants are really the world’s most successful solar panels.
Let’s talk about plants a little bit. Plants have a really tremendous diversity of morphology and function, and they live in all kinds of different habitats, and really they’re the world’s most successful solar panels. Our solar panels, I’ve noticed, do not come in a lot of different shapes and sizes. They’re a rectangle of some type. They’re flat. We point them generally in a fixed position towards the sun at some angle. Well, of course, the sun moves around a bit. Leaves will really come in all different types of shapes and sizes. For designers in the audience who are looking for biomimetic inspiration, I think plants are really under-tapped resource. Even in great efforts to assemble information about how nature can inform design, there are very few plant-specific examples. I’m just saying this could be a real differentiator.
For designers looking for biomimetic inspiration, I think plants are really under-tapped resource.
Once you get to know the logic of how plants are designed, you can understand a little bit about what their life strategy is, where they’re located in the world, what kind of constraining factors they’re dealing with, and what sorts of trade-offs they’ve made because energy management in nature really is about trade-offs. You can’t have it all. You can only metabolize so much energy that you’ve captured and use it for different purposes.
In these two examples, on the left, we have a spruce tree. On the right, a beech tree. Spruces are evergreen. They keep their leaves all year long. They are slightly conical, but almost, they’re just a stick that has some needles coming off of it, very small little needles. The beech is deciduous. It has broad leaves and these two species occur in the same forest. It’s not like one is in a certain location and the other lives elsewhere. The spruce tree has a different long game and a different successional place in this ecosystem. It’s like a tortoise winning the race. Part of the way that it wins the race is because it photosynthesizes for nearly 85 more days per year than the beech tree. This makes it significantly more productive, and over time, it will come to dominate the forest.
These tend to be in boreal forests at higher latitudes. What’s the sun doing there? In the summertime, it’s almost just rolling around in a circle in the sky. Why wouldn’t you maybe have in high latitudes, a solar panel that’s more cylindrical and the sun rotates around it? I don’t know. Just an idea. I have a kooky and very, very smart uncle who lives in Northern Wisconsin. He was telling me the other day, how he, in a curmudgeonly manner, stuck his solar panels straight up and down instead of at the appropriate angle to the sun, and in probably an annoying way, pointed out to his friends that it was producing at the same level as if it had been optimally placed according to the calculations. That’s Uncle Ed.
Okay. While we’re admiring plants, I want to consider for a moment some less obvious means of energy transfer. Trophic levels, trophic dynamics is really just like eating things. Then those things eat some other things. If you’re a plant you’re clever enough to produce your own meal, but there’s other ways that energy moves around in the natural world, and an overlooked aspect of what happens with that is the subject of some really compelling recent science. It has to do with underground activities and the fungi that make it possible. I highly recommend this New Yorker article, “The Secrets of the Wood Wide Web.” It explores the work of a young plant scientist named Merlin Sheldrake, who is not a Harry Potter character, though he is British. He studies mycorrhizal fungi, and that’s a field that’s really changing our understanding of forest and plants. The findings are that individual plants are all joined together by this underground network of fungi. When I was studying ecology some number of years ago, mycorrhiza were understood in the sense that they had a symbiotic relationship with the plant. So the plant lets them slurp a little kind of carbon rich sugar water out of the roots, and then the mycorrhiza delivers to the plant nutrients that it couldn’t otherwise extract from the soil because it doesn’t have the right enzymes, so phosphorus and nitrogen and so on.
Individual plants are all joined together by this underground network of fungi. It turns out that this network and these mycorrhiza are basically networking every single tree in the forest with every single other tree in the forest. A dying tree is being shown to actually be divesting of its stuff. It knows it’s not going to need it anymore, so it puts carbon and other nutrients out through this network to benefit other plants.
But it turns out that this network and these mycorrhiza are performing a much vaster function, basically networking every single tree in the forest with every single other tree in the forest. The trees don’t just share nutrients with the fungi, they send them over this network to the other trees down the way. So a dying tree is being shown to actually be divesting of its stuff. It knows it’s not going to need it anymore, so it puts carbon and other nutrients out through this network to benefit other plants.
A young tree that’s kind of got some bum luck and is growing in a very shady area and can’t generate enough nourishment on its own might be subsidized by this network. There are studies that show seedlings will recognize their siblings and selectively share with them, which seems lovely. They also send messages like, ‘alert, I am being eaten by aphids. You might want to prepare for an onslaught soon.’ Really, I think, amazing stuff.
There’s other types of energy movement across borders. Migrating animals are a good example of this, because along their migratory path they’re primarily seeking out food or more hospitable conditions as seasons change. But they’re also making deposits along the way, they’re eating things along the way, they’re being eaten along the way, so that moves energy across ecosystem boundaries.
A kind of special type of animal migration is a salmon species that are anadromous. They run upwards, they go upstream into freshwater ecosystems to spawn, and this ends up being an incredible subsidy for the riparian ecosystems that surround the freshwater systems. Basically, all this ocean mass and nutrients swims upstream and then dies in a different ecosystem lending those nutrients.
While I was preparing for this lecture I decided to see what the recent research on this topic was, so I quickly found this journal article on JSTOR about the biogeochemical transformation of a nutrient subsidy by Peter Levi et al. I thought, “Oh, I know Peter Levi. We went to college together and we worked together in a lab for a summer,” so I thought I would dig through my old photographs printed on paper and see if I had anything funny lurking in there. Sure enough, here we are as 22-year-olds air guitar playing some salmon hot pads. Apparently, Peter has really been interested in salmon for quite a while.
2. Storing and using energy
Okay, moving on to the next topic, storing and using energy. Plants and animals pretty much are just using metabolic energy, food and nourishment to make things happen for themselves by way of their bodies. As a result, there’s a big focus on trade-offs between different options for energy use while still surviving in whatever niches they happen to exist in.
You’ll see different strategies playing out that are really about conserving energy or having tricks up one’s sleeve that accommodate saving energy. Speed and mobility is really expensive from an energy and a metabolic perspective. Some animals, they might have speediness as a strategy. They might be predators that have to chase down some prey, or they might be some prey that have to run real fast to get away from a predator, but if you’ve invested in some other defensive tricks, you can be slow as molasses and it’s no problem. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a porcupine walking, but they take their time, and why wouldn’t you? It’s like, who’s going to bother them?
Different strategies play out that are really about conserving energy or having tricks up one’s sleeve that accommodate saving energy.
Another example is this lizard species. This is a sort of short, squat, spiky, somewhat camouflaged entity. It’s a horn lizard. It has all these things that might prevent it from being chomped on, it can’t move quickly at all, and then it has one final trick where if you get too close it will shoot disgusting tasting blood out of its eyes. So if you can do that, why do you need to be fast? No need.
Other types of defenses can just be activated as needed when there’s some kind of environmental signaling suggesting that it’s worth investing in a defense infrastructure. These are Daphnia, they’re small water crustaceans, and under certain circumstances they will grow neck teeth on the back of their necks, which I guess makes it more difficult for them to be eaten. So this will be kind of generational. So some new Daphnia are getting ready to be born, they’re having some interaction with the external world, and they are perceiving some signal that says like, “Look kid, it’s a tough world out there. It’s particularly bad. You might want to go ahead and grow some neck teeth.”
Really, nocturnality is about deciding that it’s easier to make a living during the night than it is during the day. One of the things that you might have to make that a reality is some excellent night vision, in the case of this owl predator.
Another type of energy efficiency could be in how you work as a predator. Coral reefs are actually made up of tiny marine invertebrates, so they’re animals. The individuals are called polyps, and they form colonies together that build reefs. Each polyp is kind of a sac-like animal with some tentacles surrounding a mouth opening type thing. Some of them will just kind of hang out and wait for some small fish or some plankton to roll by and then eat them, but most of them actually get their food by kind of hosting these tiny unicellular dinoflagellates within them, so they’re photosynthesizing little plant cells that are living inside of the tissues of the animal. It’s sort of the ultimate in interconnectivity and distributed generation.
Daily energy management has to do with the fact that the sun only shines for part of the day, and so you see a lot of interesting niche behaviors coming out of this dynamic, as well. Really, nocturnality is about deciding that it’s easier to make a living during the night than it is during the day, so one of the things that you might have to make that a reality is some excellent night vision, in the case of this owl predator. This is also, by the way, if you have a cat and you’ve ever felt compelled to leave the lights on for it, it’s really unnecessary because they can already see.
You know, this brain is really taking a lot of energy use. I don’t have a lot of extra food. Why don’t I just shrink my brain for the winter?
Termites have an interesting way to make use of daily energy fluctuations surrounding sunlight. They build their mounds to have built-in automatic air conditioning that makes use of sunlight or the lack of sunlight to drive air flow, cooling during the day, heating during the night, fully automated, collaboratively built by minuscule insects with minuscule brains.
Onto seasonal energy management. This is where energy storage becomes vital. Getting through the night is one thing, but getting through the winter is much more challenging. You have loads of examples within nature of how plants and animals cope with seasonal changes in the availability of solar energy. Much of this has to do with energy storage techniques.
Raccoons will change their coats, but also they make their tails really fat. I think this maybe is happening with squirrels too, because you see that fluffy tail. They can actually just stockpile fat in their tails. Chickadees and other types of birds will decide going into winter, “You know, this brain is really taking a lot of energy use. I don’t have a lot of extra food. Why don’t I just shrink my brain for the winter? I’ll go from singing elaborate songs to just making some pretty simple one note chirps, and then rebuild my brain in the spring time when I’m trying to seem flashy to a potential mate.”
Squirrels can also change their brain size seasonally, but in their case, it actually gets bigger in the fall because they’re scatter hoarders, or at least some of them are, and they need to create these mental maps of all of these nuts that they’ve squirreled away, so their brains get bigger to remember where all those damn nuts were placed.
Other seasonal energy management: Amphibians are poikilothermic ectotherms, which means they can’t regulate their body temperature and they will just shift with the environmental conditions. Many of these species can actually freeze and thaw several times over the course of the winter. At some point, like a polar vortex level of freezing will actually be too much for them, but just run-of-the-mill freezing is no problem.
Then of course hibernation, it’s not just a technique that bears use. Certain snails, lots of other types of mammals, as well as amphibians. The snails have to worry about drying out, and so they make a special moisture saving substance that they use to put over themselves to stay hydrated.
If you’re looking for a way to take carbon out of the atmosphere and put it below ground, right there, it’s plants. It already happens all the time. We could be facilitative of that instead of relying on developing machines.
Other seasonal energy management: growing roots and storing some sugar in them. For the gardeners in the audience, you may have spent time thinking about which of the plants you grow are annuals versus biennials versus perennials. Biennials and perennials, they’re going to come back at least one more year and go through another growing season either to produce seed or to just kind of live in perpetuity. Anything that is going through the trouble of making a nice root like this is probably a biennial or a perennial, because they need to gear back up in the following spring, build some new solar panels, leaves, and get back to their life. We exploit this, of course, by eating these types of foods. Trees do it as well. Deciduous trees that go dormant in the winter, and of course that’s where delicious maple syrup comes from. The trees are moving the stored sugar from their roots back up to the canopy where they will use it to build some leaves. We are intercepting it, boiling it down, in my family’s case, placing it in reused Snapple bottles and then enjoying it.
Then lastly, energy management for periodic cataclysmic events. Let’s try this. Good timing, at least.
All right, there we go. It’s not uncommon for there to be some sort of energy related disaster that falls outside of a kind of daily or seasonal rhythm, and so plants especially have some good tricks for dealing with this. Leaves can be eaten off by caterpillars if there’s a big infestation de-leafing, and so a tree might have to grow back all of its leaves mid-season. Grasses might be eaten by a roving herd of megafauna, or there could be a fire that goes through. Plants like that tend to have some energy reserves that they can kind of call up to rely upon when there’s some sort of disaster like this. It’s actually a really important function when it comes to repatriating atmospheric climate back into the soil where it serves us best, because what happens once these grazing animals or this fire comes through, the plant’s moving energy from the roots back above ground and all of that fibrous infrastructure that was used to house the food gets sloughed off and becomes soil carbon essentially. It can’t be oxidized as long as it stays underneath the soil.
So if you’re looking for a way to take carbon out of the atmosphere and put it below ground, right there, it’s plants. It already happens all the time. That’s how it got there in the first place. As humans, we could be facilitative of that instead of relying on developing machines that might do that in a less effective and pleasing way.
3. Rejecting energy
Okay. Lastly, we’re going to talk about ways that plants and animals reject energy. This is another area where I think there’s a lot of ways that we could mimic nature to our benefit, because a major effect of climate change is that we have all of this excess energy sloshing around the atmosphere causing devastating storms and so on. So let’s take a look at a few examples of how plants and animals deal with unwanted energy.
Here’s a good one. Kind of big ears and vasodilation is a thermal energy management system, basically a big heat exchanger in the case of this jackrabbit. Toucans also do this with their beaks, and elephants with their ears as well, of course.
Leaves also have shapes that are intended to deal with excess sunlight, so there are sun leaves and there are shade leaves within the same plant. This is an example from an oak tree. The sun leaves that have the heightened exposure to sunlight is the one on the left. It’s smaller, it has more elongated lobes. This is to kind of conserve water, because with all that light beating down on it that’s a risk. It also allows light to filter lower into the canopy, and those leaves basically turn on and off really quickly. Celluloid hits, they activate, it gets too hot, they shut down to conserve water. The shade leaves are kind of just like steady Eddy, doing their thing with diffused light. And again gardeners, this is why if you are raising seedlings you have to give them a transition period, because you’re basically taking what had been a shade leaf and thrusting it into the sunlight. They can reconfigure themselves, but they need an adjustment period to pull that off.
Another mechanism for dealing with unwanted energy. These are Mexican jumping beans, which are actually seed pods that have the larva of a small moth within them. The larva is in there. It’s cozy, it’s nice, there’s a built-in food supply, but you’re sort of stuck in your seed pod and don’t have a lot of agency over moving around or doing things with the outside world. Well these Mexican jumping beans, actually once they eat out the inside of the bean, they will sort of weave a silk white thread and then they’ll grab the web with their little larva forearms and they can jerk it and move the bean. They’ll actually hop to shade if they’re overheating and they can get there in time. Of course, they have no idea where the shade is so I think they’re just hopping around blindly. It’s a little less obvious how this would apply to Chicago’s clean energy transition, but I find it remarkable, nevertheless.
Okay, and then the last few examples, this is elkhorn coral that is found in high energy parts of the ocean, around an island or so on. It, along with a few other species of corals, particularly important for getting things started with reef development because they can handle the high energy in a way that other corals can’t. This has to do with how they’re structured. Also, when there’s a really extreme event some of the branches might break off, but that’s actually a propagation strategy, and so they’re using that event to their advantage to spread. Once they’re established and create these dense masks, they create a sort of softer, more protected environment for other types of species to move in.
I think it’s really fascinating that when you look at the morphology of that and then compare it to the morphology of alpine tree species that are in heavily winded environments, you see a lot of similarity in terms of their physical structure and how they deal with that deluge of energy. | https://medium.com/iit-institute-of-design/energy-ecosystems-reflections-on-energy-management-in-the-natural-world-and-chicagos-clean-c45099a04c61 | ['Iit Institute Of Design'] | 2021-06-08 18:47:56.536000+00:00 | ['Sustainability', 'Design', 'Energy', 'Systems Thinking', 'Ecosystem'] |
Postgresql compression | Which options do we have?
— Auto-compression TOAST-able data
— Postgres Pro compression / encryption
— Cstore_fdw columnar store extension
— ZSON extension for jsonb format
— Compression file systems (like ZFS or Btrfs)
— TimeScaleDB for time-series data
This article is divided into 4 parts:
— First (about auto-compression, postgres pro & Cstore_fdw)
— Second (about ZSON)
— Third (TimeScaleDB)
— Fourth (Compression file systems)
Postgresql auto-compression
Briefly: Postgresql hasn’t row- or page-compression, but it can compress values more than 2 kB. The compressor with default strategy works best for attributes of a size between 1K and 1M.
In detail: Postgresql uses TOAST (The Oversized-Attribute Storage Technique).
“PostgreSQL uses a fixed page size (commonly 8 kB), and does not allow tuples to span multiple pages. Therefore, it is not possible to store very large field values directly. To overcome this limitation, large field values are compressed and/or broken up into multiple physical rows.” ©
In simple words, TOAST is about how your data stores and compresses.
The TOAST management code is triggered when a row value is wider than TOAST_TUPLE_THRESHOLD bytes (2 kB by default), and will compress and/or move field values out-of-line until the row value is shorter than TOAST_TUPLE_TARGET bytes (normally 2 kB) or no more gains can be had.
You can set TOAST_TUPLE_TARGET in storage parameters when creating or altering table:
ALTER TABLE … SET (toast_tuple_target = N)
Valid values are between 128 bytes and the (blocksize — header), by default 8160 bytes.
Also, you can use ALTER COLUMN | TABLE SET STORAGE … to change the strategy or disable toasting on the column entirely. Let’s check the manual for storages description:
— PLAIN prevents either compression or out-of-line storage; furthermore it disables use of single-byte headers for varlena types. This is the only possible strategy for columns of non-TOAST-able data types.
— EXTENDED allows both compression and out-of-line storage. This is the default for most TOAST-able data types. Compression will be attempted first, then out-of-line storage if the row is still too big.
— EXTERNAL allows out-of-line storage but not compression. Use of EXTERNAL will make substring operations on wide text and bytea columns faster (at the penalty of increased storage space) because these operations are optimized to fetch only the required parts of the out-of-line value when it is not compressed.
— MAIN allows compression but not out-of-line storage. (Actually, out-of-line storage will still be performed for such columns, but only as a last resort when there is no other way to make the row small enough to fit on a page.)
The compression technique is a fairly simple and very fast member of the LZ family. Let’s see at the ‘pg_lzcompress.c’ source code for more details:
The compressor with default strategy works best for attributes of a size between 1K and 1M.
And here is a difference between two included strategies:
static const PGLZ_Strategy strategy_default_data = { 32, /* Data chunks less than 32 bytes are not compressed */ INT_MAX, /* No upper limit on what we’ll try to compress */ 25, /* Require 25% compression rate, or not worth it */ 1024, /* Give up if no compression in the first 1KB */ 128, /* Stop history lookup if a match of 128 bytes is found */ 10 /* Lower good match size by 10% at every loop iteration */ }; static const PGLZ_Strategy strategy_always_data = { 0, /* Chunks of any size are compressed */ INT_MAX, 0, /* It’s enough to save one single byte */ INT_MAX, /* Never give up early */ 128, /* Stop history lookup if a match of 128 bytes is found */ 6 /* Look harder for a good match */ };
What about jsonb?
Some time ago jsonb had a problem with the TOAST compression, because the leading portion of the object consisted mostly of a strictly-increasing series of integer offsets. It was fairly incompressible, because the code in pglz_compress() gives up if it’s found nothing compressible in the first first_success_by bytes of a value (this is 1 KB in the default strategy, you can see it above). So, in this thread guys solved this problem by changing item offsets to item lengths and that’s why now the jsonb header looks like this:
* JEntry format. * The least significant 28 bits store either the data length of the entry, or its end+1 offset from the start of the variable-length portion of the containing object. The next three bits store the type of the entry, and the high-order bit tells whether the least significant bits store a length or an offset. * The reason for the offset-or-length complication is to compromise between access speed and data compressibility. In the initial design each JEntry always stored an offset, but this resulted in JEntry arrays with horrible compressibility properties, so that TOAST compression of a JSONB did not work well. Storing only lengths would greatly improve compressibility, but it makes random access into large arrays expensive (O(N) not O(1)). * So what we do is store an offset in every JB_OFFSET_STRIDE’th JEntry and a length in the rest. This results in reasonably compressible data (as long as the stride isn’t too small). We may have to examine as many as JB_OFFSET_STRIDE JEntrys in order to find out the offset or length of any given item, but that’s still O(1) no matter how large the container is.
Conclusion:
Postgresql has normal balanced default auto-compression, but it’s not always enough.
Postgres Pro Compression
You can find official info about compression on database level here.
Postgres Pro brings the page-compression to postgresql world and uses zstd (from Facebook with love) compression library on Linux and zlib on Windows. Developers claim that their implementation can reduce database size from 2 to 5 times.
To use compression you need to create a tablespace:
postgres=# create tablespace compressed_tables location ‘/var/data/cfs’ with (compression=true);
Compressed once the tablespace can’t be decompressed. And also you can’t compress tablespace which was created earlier.
Cstore_fdw compression
You also can look at cstore_fdw — is an open source columnar store extension for PostgreSQL. it may compress data 6x-10x (according to the developers).
But anyway I didn’t try it, because it has some restrictions, like:
“We currently don’t support updating table using DELETE, and UPDATE commands. We also don’t support single row inserts”
So, I leave to try it to you.
Common conclusion.
As I said above, Postgresql has normal balanced default auto-compression, but it’s not always enough. If you have large tables with many rows and many columns, where each value does not exceed 2 KB, you may face a storage problem, because your data won’t be auto-compressed.
In the next articles we’ll consider the rest of compression options.
Feel free to shake hand on Medium or Telegram or Twitter. | https://medium.com/@lk.snatch/postgresql-compression-854a4647ee43 | ['Alex Kuk'] | 2020-01-20 08:20:32.082000+00:00 | ['Postgresql', 'Compression', 'Jsonb'] |
Facebook Sold $301.48 of Access to your Personal Data and News Feed since 2015, Will Sell Over 3X that in next Four Years | Facebook Sold $301.48 of Access to your Personal Data and News Feed since 2015, Will Sell Over 3X that in next Four Years Tobin Brogunier Follow Feb 11, 2019 · 3 min read
Yesterday’s Q4 2018 earnings report shows Facebook has raked in an average of over $300 per US/Canada user selling access to your data and your News Feed since January 1, 2015.
Facebook publicly publishes a quarterly report showing “average revenue per user” or ARPU.
Data Source: Facebook Investor Relations
ARPU is the average amount paid at auction by advertisers to access a Facebook user’s personal interests. Advertisers pay to access data Facebook collects about users along with the rights to display their message to those users on the Facebook News Feed and elsewhere across Facebook and Instagram, which is also owned by Facebook.
Facebook also collects users’ personal information on WhatsApp, a private messaging app Facebook bought for $19 Billion in 2014. Information ‘mined’ from a user’s WhatsApp account is also sold to advertisers who are then able to target that same user on Facebook using data collected by the Facebook company on WhatsApp.
According to a Pew Research Poll released Jan. 16, 2019, 74% of Facebook users are not aware of how Facebook sells their data, or how it impacts their Facebook experience. Most experts agree the reason is a combination of factors including the complexity of how data gathering is related to targeting options and advertising auctions on the platform, along with Facebook deliberately hiding what it is doing with user data.
Facebook makes money by classifying a user according to personal interests in anything from specific video games to Ford trucks to hot yoga then brokering your information to people who want to influence how you think. For example, a political operative could pay Facebook for the ability to tell Ford truck owners Hillary Clinton would ban the sale of ammunition in the United States if elected in order to influence the outcome of an election.
For users, this means who you are may well determine who is trying to manipulate how you think, and what they say to manipulate you. In the same poll, users confirmed Facebook’s algorithm had accurately classified their political identity 73% of the time. | https://medium.com/handwaving-freakoutery/facebook-sold-301-48-of-access-to-your-data-since-2015-will-sell-3x-that-in-next-4-years-83374ce4677b | ['Tobin Brogunier'] | 2019-02-11 13:38:21.709000+00:00 | ['Facebook', 'Social Media', 'Media', 'Media Criticism', 'Data Science'] |
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