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Growing Older, But Not Growing Old | Attitude, Attitude, Attitude
Photo by Alex Wilken from Pixabay
An Irish study a few years ago found one of the most important elements in maintaining physical and cognitive health as we age is attitude. Of course, that cuts both ways.
“Everyone will grow older,” says the study’s lead researcher Deirdre Robertson, “and if negative attitudes towards aging are carried throughout life, they can have a detrimental, measurable effect on mental, physical, and cognitive health.”
If that’s not good enough, here’s what George Burns said about aging:
“You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.”
Remember, that comes from a man who once played God!
I’ve never understood the aversion to getting older.
I remember as a preschooler being in awe of a little restaurant on the corner across from the junior high school in my hometown. The restaurant was torn down decades ago and a new junior high was built across town.
Finley’s corner opened an hour before school started and closed an hour after school ended. My older brothers hung out there with other junior and high school kids.
One day my mother took me into this exotic place and we sat at the counter and drank coca-cola served by the man himself, Mr. Finley. Though my feet dangled from the stool about two feet from the floor, I felt I had hit the big time.
If I had known the quote from jazz great Fats Waller, I probably would have invoked it - “Somebody shoot me while I’m happy.”
It was intoxicating having the legendary Mr. Finley engage me in typical adult to child banter: “How old are you?” “Do you go to school yet?” And me responding in typical child to adult diatribes. “I have a dog.” “His name is Laddie.” “I named him after Lassie, but he’s a boy, so I couldn’t name him Lassie.” (This was the 1950s. Naming was more tied to gender then.)
Maybe it was the familiarity we were building; maybe it was the carbonation or sugar from all the soda. Whatever, it was, I dropped all sense of decorum and referred to Mr. Finley by the name all the older kids used — “Old Man Finley.”
My embarrassed Mother admonished me not to speak to Mr. Finley “that way”.
“That’s alright,” Mr. Finley said. “that’s what all the kids call me.”
My mother and I remembered and laughed about the incident from then on. I also remembered Mr. Finley’s attitude. He was not only amused, but he also seemed sort of proud.
That’s the way I feel. I’ve worked all my life to get older. I’m proud of it and I’m determined to enjoy it.
Not only do I feel intuitively that an optimistic approach to aging will help me live a better life, but there is also more science to back that up.
In 2018, a Yale School of Public Health study found that a positive attitude about getting older significantly reduced the likelihood of developing dementia.
To me having a good attitude about growing older has always been linked to humor.
“He’s so old that when he orders a three-minute egg, they ask for the money upfront.”
That’s from that Burns fellow again. He not only lived to be 100. He started his solo career as a comedian when he was 80.
Sure, with age you may have to moderate your lifestyle a little.
You may not be able to say, eat, drink, and be merry.
You can say, eat (wisely), drink (moderately), walk (once a day), take a nap (when you don’t get eight hours of sleep), and be happy you’ve made it this far. | https://medium.com/crows-feet/growing-older-but-not-growing-old-c9f05f61f6f | ['Max K. Erkiletian'] | 2020-10-23 21:38:14.275000+00:00 | ['Aging', 'Humor', 'Mental Health', 'Lessons Learned', 'Positive Thinking'] |
The Covid Relief Bill is Half a Loaf | Republicans Are Too Tight-Fisted, Again
December 22, 2020
The new Covid-19 relief bill is too limited in scope, and, in a critical failure, it does not provide desperately needed aid for state and local state governments. Once again, Republicans have channeled their inner Scrooge, slashing relief payments for individuals by 50%, and they have taken a punitive approach to Blue states. That will hurt the whole country, not just Democratic-led states, and it is an ominous sign for the incoming Biden administration.
President-elect Joe Biden welcomed the new program, while emphasizing that Congress would need to pass another massive package soon after he takes office. Good luck with that, Mr. President.
Sen. Mitch McConnell seems to be playing the same game that he did in 2009, when Republicans refused to support a stimulus bill despite the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. McConnell’s overriding goal then was to weaken President Obama and the Democrats, not to help ordinary Americans.
McConnell and other Senate Republicans may have agreed to pass the latest relief program mostly to help Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue win their run-off elections in Georgia. Those races will be decided in early January. Afterwards, McConnell will likely do all that he can to obstruct Biden’s initiatives, even if that means a struggling economy and continued suffering for millions of Americans.
Senate Republicans will protest loudly about the evils of deficits when a Democrat occupies the White House and pleads for another relief program. And they certainly won’t agree to repeal the Trump tax cuts, which doubled the government’s annual deficit to $1 trillion long before anyone ever heard of Covid.
The Economy Is Still Weak
After eight months of fighting, the two parties have finally produced a $900 billion coronavirus relief package. That sounds like a lot of money, until you consider the scale of the economic damage the plague has inflicted upon the U.S.
Although unemployment peaked in the summer, it remains very high. Ten million Americans are out of work. The official unemployment rate was 6.7% in November, double the year-ago level.
Furthermore, the all-in unemployment rate was 12% vs. 6.5% in November 2019. This figure includes people who are working part-time, even though they want a full-time job, and discouraged workers who have given up looking for a job.
Even worse, about 40% of the unemployed, or four million Americans, have been out of work for over 27 weeks. If people remain unemployed that long, it becomes increasingly harder for them to find a job. The U.S. economy is not built for such high levels of unemployment; we don’t have the wide social safety nets that European countries do.
Three Main Sticking Points
In April, Congress passed a $2.2 trillion relief program, which prevented the economy from going into a free-fall because of the pandemic. Subsequently, as the pandemic gathered force and unemployment rose sharply, Democrats proposed another $3 trillion program, including $1 trillion for state and local governments.
That was over-reaching, especially because massive direct Federal financial support for such governments is rare. However, the Republicans’ $500 billion counter-offer was a non-starter. The three main sticking points were:
· The amount of additional relief for individuals
· Democrats’ proposals for aiding state and local governments
· Republicans’ demand for limiting companies’ liability for employees’ Covid claims
The negotiations stalled over the summer and fall, even though Democrats gradually scaled back their proposal to $2 trillion. They cut their request for aid to state and local governments by over 50%, to about $440 billion.
McConnell to Blue States: Drop Dead
McConnell basically refused to negotiate with Democratic leaders, attacking their proposal as a “bailout for Blue states”. McConnell blamed the states’ fiscal woes on pension plans that, he said, provided excessive benefits for unionized workers. The proposed bill would allow Democratic-run cities and states to solve “problems that they created for themselves with their pension programs”, according to McConnell.
McConnell even suggested that states and cities struggling with the fiscal burdens caused by the pandemic consider filing for bankruptcy. McConnell apparently was encouraging them to take that drastic step to reduce their pension obligations.
In fact, states cannot file for bankruptcy, and they have to balance their budgets, as a matter of law. Cities can declare bankruptcy, but they have done so only in extreme cases, because of the hugely disruptive effects.
photo credit: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
The Pandemic, not Pensions, Ruined Democratic States’ Finances
In any event, McConnell’s attack was a red herring.
New York, California and most other large Democratic-led states and cities were in sound fiscal shape before the pandemic. Many do provide generous pension benefits, for teachers, police officers, and firemen, as well as bureaucrats. But most of these entities levy the taxes required to fund their programs. Unlike the Federal government, states cannot run deficits.
When Covid-19 hit, sales and income taxes and other revenues plummeted for state and local governments. Meanwhile, their expenses soared, as unemployment claims rose and municipal hospitals dealt with waves of coronavirus patients. Their finances deteriorated very quickly.
One prime example, New York City, was particularly hard-hit. The city’s municipal hospitals handled waves of Covid-19 cases as it became the first epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S. The public transport system, the MTA, saw its ridership plummet and its deficit soar. These financial troubles were caused by the pandemic, not by poor pension funding practices.
This Relief Program Falls Short
The final $900 billion relief package reflects numerous compromises:
· A 50% cut in relief funds for individuals
· No liability shield for businesses against employees’ Covid claims
· No direct financial assistance for state and local governments, except for a small amount for public transit
Unemployed Americans will receive a one-time $300 payment and weekly supplemental unemployment benefits of $300, but only until April. That’s a 50% reduction from the first relief package.
We should be thankful that at long last Congress provided more aid for millions of Americans. However, it was a mistake to cut the amounts so sharply and to phase them out in April. With the recent surge in Covid cases, we should not expect the economy to recover in a mere three months. It’s magical thinking to expect those 10 million Americans to find jobs quickly.
The bill allocates a paltry $14 billion for public transit agencies, with $4 billion for New York’s MTA. The agency has estimated that it will face an $8 billion deficit through 2024 even after receiving these funds.
The Republicans’ refusal to provide any significant aid to state and local governments is not just vindictive; it’s bad economic policy.
Why Should the Feds Help the States? It’s the Economy, Folks
Normally, the Federal government does not step in to shore up state and local governments’ finances. But these are not normal times. Providing Covid-related relief to them is like helping a coastal town in Florida that has been hit by a hurricane, through no fault of its own.
If Congress does not help state and local governments, that will slow down the economic recovery. These entities are typically a large source of stable employment, which helps to support consumer spending. However, they have already laid off 1.3 million workers since March, about 10% of Covid-related unemployment, and they will make deeper cuts soon.
Providing aid to state and local governments to offset the pandemic is also an efficient way to boost the economy. In September, the Congressional Budget Office evaluated the initial $2.2 trillion relief program and estimated that the relatively modest portion ($150 billion) allocated to state and local governments had the largest “multiplier effect”. The CBO calculated that the aid generated 88 cents of GDP growth for every dollar of cost, which was considerably higher than other programs like the small business loans.
So rather than funding a wasteful “bailout”, taxpayers got a good return on their money.
Blue Cities and States Help Drive the National Economy
Major Democratic cities and states are powerful engines of growth for the whole country. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, San Francisco and other cities are centers for industries and services that generate ripple effects throughout the U.S. economy. Several play key roles in international trade. If these cities and their states stagnate, because their governments cannot provide reliable public transportation or keep the streets clean, the entire nation will suffer economically.
McConnell and his ilk don’t seem to understand this key aspect of our economy. Perhaps these legislators, like many of their constituents, resent many Democratic cities and states because they are more prosperous than many Republican-led states. That is not a sound basis for shaping economic policy.
In 2009–10, the Senate Republicans’ refusal to back programs that would boost the economy led to a painfully slow and drawn-out recovery. It looks like they are making the same mistake this time. | https://medium.com/@jryanoconnell/the-covid-relief-bill-is-half-a-loaf-5cf2dd44aba | ["Ryan O'Connell"] | 2020-12-22 21:46:28.518000+00:00 | ['Coronavirus Covid19', 'Politics', 'Congress', 'Mitch Mcconnell', 'Joe Biden'] |
Password Protection with ActiveRecord | Password Graphic
In today’s world, all of our personal information and data is stored somewhere online. Whether it be our bank accounts or even a personalized collection of our favorite memes. All of this information is usually tied to an account on a website protected by a personalized password. Unfortunately, most us of tend to have one, maybe two, passwords that we use for our dozens of accounts scattered across the web. This means that if a hacker were to obtain the password for your meme collection, it wouldn’t be long until they had access to your bank account as well.
So how do we prevent this?
As developers, it is our job to put in the work to protect the common internet user. Luckily for us, ActiveRecord makes this incredibly easy. By simply using ActiveRecord and adding the built in method, has_secure_password, which ensures each user has a unique password, to your model, along with the ‘bcrypt’ gem, we’ve already taken care of most of the core work to make sure your information is protected.
How does this work?
has_secure_password and bcrypt work hand in hand. In fact, has_secure_password add methods to set and authenticate against a bcrypt password. has_secure_password also brings in extra validations. For instance, it requires the user to enter a password upon creation. It also requires the password to be less than or equal to 72 bytes. This lays the ground work for other validations we see today, such as requiring a capital letter or symbol.
Bcrypt
So what exactly is a bcrypt password? Bcrypt is a hashing function that builds a secure password database. It takes the user’s password and “salts” it. Salting is the process of taking a user’s password and adding random bits to it so it is unrecognizable and cannot be unveiled by a hacker.
By using these hand in hand, not only are we getting saving ourselves having to write out protection code manually, and most likely making a grave mistake that could lead to a breach, we are implementing extremely valuable security measures to protect both our users and ourselves from the dangers the web has to offer. | https://medium.com/@matthew-lazewski/password-protection-with-activerecord-7a728f7a578a | ['Matt Lazewski'] | 2020-12-27 22:47:21.270000+00:00 | ['Ruby on Rails', 'Web Development', 'Ruby', 'Coding'] |
Can talent management change the workplace? | Can talent management change the workplace? It’s hyped in companies. Saying talent management instead of human resources. The term brings respect back in the interactive place where the magic happens. Your biggest assets. Your most valuable creator-instruments ever. Your people. Your tribe.
But we all know changing a term doesn’t do the trick. It’s a good start. Yes. But when we don’t realize we want to create abundance instead of idealizing scarcity, it’s no good. We need to embrace all talents of our people. All diversity. And find ways to handle this diversity wisely so the outcome is creating an optimized value for all.
The time for scarcity as a business driver is over. Welcome abundance. Embrace talents and diversity. Here’s some more food for thought from Jessica Donahue, PHR.
© Desiree Driesenaar | https://medium.com/illumination-curated/can-talent-management-change-the-workplace-f3c9254fa343 | ['Desiree Driesenaar'] | 2020-12-07 12:54:46.073000+00:00 | ['Talent', 'Management', 'Company Culture', 'Business', 'Leadership'] |
Exclusion: The Law in Their Pockets — Braille Works | Most of us remember running errands with our parents when we were kids. I have these memories as well, but probably for a different reason. My parents are both blind and, in the 1970s and 1980s, some people had a mindset that supported exclusion over inclusion.
On more than one occasion I recall having a manager or owner of a business pointing toward the door telling my parents they were not to enter with their (service) ‘dogs.’ One of my parents would pull a card out of their pocket or bag. It was official looking, and on it was the law regarding guide dogs in public places. With hesitation, the owners permitted my parents to enter but made them feel uncomfortable.
It didn’t take me long to figure out the treatment of my parents was different than other patrons. I never saw this sort of greeting when shopping with my grandparents. When I was a little older, I began to realize that they needed the law in their pocket to prevent exclusion. Most people cannot fathom something like this happening in their lifetime, yet I can recall it happening on more than a few occasions.
Guide Dogs Weren’t the Reason for Exclusion
One might think that having their guide dog with them was my parent’s main struggle, but it was not. M y parents without their guide dogs. I remember my parents signing papers with little to no explanation of what was on the pages. I remember leaving a doctor’s office with handouts and written instructions, hoping they understood everything they heard.
Our errand runs took a bit longer, and I recall store owners telling my parents not to touch things. People who are blind see through touch. One store owner told my mom she couldn’t afford anything and had to leave. Imagine the anger you’d feel. While it was wrong to treat people this way, there were not many laws before 1990 that prevented this level of discrimination.
Education, With a Catch
My mom attended a traditional public school in the 1950s. The catch was that she had to keep all of her grades at a B or higher to participate. She was to supply her materials, including books. There were no grade or supply requirements for her sighted peers.
My dad went to public school in Ohio, but it didn’t come easy. My grandmother and other parents of children with blindness organized to get their kids into public school. They showed up for their children’s public education. They brailled books, tests, and assisted in the classroom when needed.
Educated and Excluded
My parents experienced inequity in their professional lives. My dad worked hard to prove his worth and dedication; he took all of the needed education to move to the next level. He’d apply for positions he was qualified for to no avail. His boss would say that a blind person couldn’t move any higher than he had. This was not an answer he was going to accept; he earned the right to be promoted. With the law in his pocket (1973 Rehabilitation Act), he eventually received the promotion.
My mom, just shy of her Master’s Degree in English, found work in the education field, but made adaptations on her own.
Concern Based on Misconception
Imagine someone having a lower expectation of you based solely on their perception and misconceptions. There was concern about my parent’s ability to care for my siblings and me. My parents still face lower expectations. The other day, a doctor asked my mom if she felt confident in getting around in her home unassisted. The phrase, “Never judge a book by its cover,” is more accurate than people realize when it comes to inclusion.
What Exclusion Looks Like Today
Exclusion is a denial of equal participation with a person or group of people. I’d like to think the reasons for excluding someone is unintentional. Denial of equal access to information, goods, services, and communication is like shutting the door on a person.
There are many excuses offered when accessibility is not provided. Whatever the reason, accessibility is inclusion, and not providing it is exclusion.
The Law in Action
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a broad law that strengthens the civil rights of all Americans with disabilities. Other laws require equality, but the ADA is the “catch-all” law. It gives everyone equal access to goods, services, and information. And, for many businesses, not complying with the ADA results in a lawsuit.
The legal updates given at the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference in March 2019, reflect the laws in action. One such update focused on the recent slew of accessibility lawsuits. From 2017 to 2018, disability-related lawsuits were up 181%, and there are 2,258 pending federal accessibility cases. The Federal courts are ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in most disability cases.
We can all do our part to make life less challenging for others and promote equality. Be an educated consumer of goods and services. Ask businesses about their accessibility services, look for an accessibility statement on websites, and be willing to support only inclusive organizations.
This post was written by Christine Sket. | https://brailleworks.medium.com/exclusion-the-law-in-their-pockets-braille-works-e14cf2907903 | ['Braille Works'] | 2019-06-11 19:00:36.900000+00:00 | ['Disability', 'Education', 'Discrimination', 'Profession', 'Business'] |
Oronde McClain Foundation: An NGO to the Rescue Against Gun Violence | Get FREE Accommodation
Oronde McClain, who himself is a survivor of Gun Violence, has come up to the rescue of children and people who are being a victim of this crime emerging and reaching heights in this modern world.
Before getting into the McClain Foundation’s purpose, we need to first know about gun violence and what it is. Gun Violence has emerged in the USA with a lack of gun regulation and potential killers being the owners of those. The major focus has been drawn upon this by the government and actions have been taken against those owners. But no light has been shed upon the children especially, those who have been a victim of gun violence and are suffering from mental illness. The reports have suggested that more than 25% of children in America have been a witness to this gun violence and are somewhere suffering inside without proper identification and care.
And these children are left suffering in a gruesome manner without any proper care. These result in the deaths of many children. Not just in America, but gun violence is a disastrous crime that has taken over the whole world and is creating a massive impact on the lives of different individuals. Those who are initiating such violence are sometimes considered as mentally ill or goons and are ignored in most cases.
About Oronde McClain Donate Now
The original face behind this organization, Oronde McClain understands the traumatic phase that children have to go through as he has experienced the same when he was at the tender age of 10. This man of God is a native of Philadelphia who helps mentally disabled children who have been a victim of gun violence. Oronde is the person who believes in giving back to the community and bringing change all around the community through the means of peaceful protests. His main aim is to tell his own story, the traumatic and dangerous incident because of which he is suffering until now, and most probably will be facing it for his whole life. His protests are related to even the rights of the blacks that they are deprived of. “Black lives Matter” is the motto that we hear all around the country of the USA.
The Incident
The breathtaking incident that changed the course of life for Oronde, took place when he was a little child of 10. The historical and controversial ever-existing riot between the black and white community is one of the major reasons for his suffering. This incident happened where he was a mere passerby and got shot in a drive-by shooting near his East Mount Airy Home He is a gunshot survivor, who is a psych tech at Philadelphia VA Medical Center. This extremely disastrous incident took place in 2000, which left Oronde speechless for the next six months. He was also accustomed to a wheelchair for a year and a half. This made a huge impact on his emotions and even led to suicidal thoughts when he was just 12. Three years after that went by with a white helmet, that he had to wear to protect the sensitive area of the gunshot, the splintered 36 segments of which remains.
The man with the hands of Jesus himself on him tried to take his life near about 26 times when he was a teen. This is surprising as well as overwhelming for the listeners or readers who have learned about his life struggles. We, as readers can only feel pity for the life of gunshot survivors like him, but cannot even get close to the actual pain that he had to go through.
This death-like experience made him feel that gunshot should have worked back then but as they said, he had a purpose pre-designated by god for him, to fulfill and change other people’s lives.
Now McClain is a 31-year-old, father to five children. He lives in Philadelphia as a psych at VA Medical Center and helps children and people who are the victims of gunshot violence to survive and not take their lives. He sought his way out through peaceful protests and this laid the foundation of a very special organization: McClain Foundation.
The motivation to run this organization came from his grandfather, who told him that he is alive because of a destined purpose and has a plan already framed by the almighty for him.
He shared a very special thing with the people and that’s when he said that he has worked with veterans. Further, he added that he has never served in the army but his story is synonymous to that of the veterans, i.e, surviving gunshots. To climb that unending ladder of success which only got has put it out there for him.
For him, getting on the top and reaching heights was a tough job to accomplish but the unending motivation and energy made him reach those heights and be on the top.
Another unbelievable incident of his life was when he was declared dead in the hospital for 2 minutes and sixteen seconds followed by a week of coma. This made him realize that he had a purpose in life to fulfill.
McClain Foundation
Intending to protect the victims, Oronde McClain, through his organization, speaks at schools and community centers and meets the victims face to face. His belief to make a difference is one of the reasons this foundation came into existence. He not only meets the victims but teaches them to become a survivor in this world full of gunshot violence and crimes.
McClain Foundation is a Child Care NGO, that also provides accommodation for the homeless child and supports the victims in a full-fledged way. The beneficiary of this accommodation is none but children who are surviving and are receiving medical treatment and are victims of mental illness and PTSD.
This foundation believes in both past and future to make the present count and aspire to designate a powerful and futuristic mindset. The vision of the foundation is simple. It is to strengthen the war violence or gunshot violence victims to become survivors, not voiceless.
PTSD Won’t Define Me- Oronde McClain
This is again marvelous writing by none other than the founder himself. Oronde wrote this book with a background of post-traumatic stress disorder, which helps cure or relieve stress and PTSD for military veterans in getting rid of the post-war trauma.
Oronde McClain has decided to share some coping skills through the help of this book. This is a wholesome form of content involving his life after the gunshot, his attempts of suicide, his struggle throughout, and how he came out of that traumatic phase and decided to change the lives of others.
He also mentioned that he had always been that cool guy in the school but post the devastating incident of a gunshot, he became the most unwanted kid in the school, where other kids used to tease him and made him feel isolated, which indirectly forced him to attempt suicide more than 20 times. To buy the book, you can visit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MZXWRKN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_9BNQES6B4RFQS3DWAECX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
As McClain Foundation is an NGO and provides accommodation for children suffering from gun violence and even their families who have lost someone because of such nuisance. A small hand of help would be much appreciated by our team and the people who require it. You can easily donate by visiting the website and opening the donation page or simply clicking on https://themcclainfoundation.org/donations/ .
Oronde McClain foundation is a sponsored one and is proudly sponsored by a lot of major organizations of Philadelphia including the Philadelphia Police, Freedom Fleet LLC, Mothers In Charge, Mom for Peace, Michelle Joy MD, and many others.
His protests are related to even the rights of the blacks that they are deprived of. “Black lives Matter” is the motto that we hear all around the country of the USA.
This fight between blacks and whites is historical ad a solution to which is not yet found and hence major killings in the USA takes place every year, this being the reason. People kill each other to protect their dignity, which automatically leads to none but violence. Violence without guns is impossible in a massive state of the USA.
Many people were martyred because of this in the past and innumerable of them are killed even in the present. We are not even sure about the end of this chaos among the two communities.
The most famous speech of Martin Luther King Jr. was based upon this particular social evil. Because of such violence, more focus is being shed upon the lives of adults but not on children. They suffer in silence as they can’t express their actual feelings to anyone and that’s what Oronde stands for. Bully at schools and other education institutes is a common factor in this country, which leaves children depressed and suicidal.
We support Oronde because he has helped himself to get out of the trauma and now he is a kind man who not only provides accommodation to the victims but also understands their exact pain. | https://medium.com/@dipak2572/oronde-mcclain-foundation-an-ngo-to-the-rescue-against-gun-violence-f0f52bf8b896 | ['Dipak Haldar'] | 2021-12-22 19:18:08.220000+00:00 | ['Hotel', 'Consulting', 'Digital Transformation', 'Digital Marketing', 'Content Marketing'] |
Samsung SmartThings, Google Nest partnership kicks off | Samsung SmartThings is our current favorite smart home hub, and Google Nest cameras, smart thermostats, and doorbells are among our favorite smart home devices. As was announced in December 2020, the companies behind those products have forged a partnership that brings Nest devices into the SmartThings ecosystem via the Works with SmartThings certification program.
SmartThings users with Nest products can now incorporate those devices into SmartThings scenes and other automations alongside any other Works with SmartThings-certified products. Nest Camera and Nest Hello video doorbell users, for example, will be able to stream video to their Samsung TV or Family Hub refrigerator.
Google joins a host of other major brands in the Works with SmartThings program, including Arlo (security cameras), August (smart locks), Bose (speakers), First Alert (smoke detectors), Leviton (lighting controls), Lutron (lighting and smart shades), Ecobee (thermostats) Philips Hue (lighting), Ring (home security and lighting), Sonos (multi-room audio).
Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details. | https://medium.com/@pam61163529/samsung-smartthings-google-nest-partnership-kicks-off-176da190bb05 | [] | 2021-01-27 17:04:46.712000+00:00 | ['Home Tech', 'Electronics', 'Music', 'Deals'] |
Cheap Web hosting | Your quest for cheap web hosting has finally come to an end, because if you keep reading you would get to know not only how to find cheap web hosts around every corner on the internet but also how to find cheap web hosts who are also good service providers, have a large customer database, extensive support and professional security, too good to be true? Read on. Try our sponsor VULTR
Balance is the key, find the balance of services and the price they are offered at. Finding the right balance makes the most difference. The problem with most web hosting beginners is that it is not as easy task all the time to find a web hosting provider with proper balance. But if you are looking for a web hosting providers who are in your pockets range and you still want to make the best of them, look for the following elements, which you must acquire in your affordable package to get the maximum out of your web hosting experience. Try our sponsor VULTR
The four S of cheap web hosting, the Speed, Security, Services and Support.
Speed:
Speed is the first and foremost factor to be considered when buying a web hosting package that already seems compromised in financial terms. How to tell if your web site is going to be speedy enough before purchasing the web space? simple, just observe the downloading and response speed of the web hosting providers web site, which obviously (and its never wrong) is hosted on their own web servers. If the providers web site is working fine and loading fast and is very responsive then chances are that by choosing those hosts, your website would have the same attributes. Try our sponsor VULTR
Security:
Now if you dont have corporate money in your pockets, do not mean you have to compromise on the security of your data, and your website. Security is a key issue when deciding to chose a web host. Read as much as is available on the hosts web site about their security measures and preferences. Talk to their customer representatives and ask them questions about their security. Find out about some of the previous customers of the company and send them and email requesting information about the web hosting performance of the said company. Gather as much information as you can, remember, the more you know, the more secure you are. Try our sponsor VULTR
Services:
Your affordable web host must offer you some of the very essential services without any additional fees. These services would include features like Control Panel; the front-end software to manage the whole of your account in a point and click manner, additional domains, sufficient disk space, comfortable bandwidth, email addresses, built in scripts and programs e.g. the message board, website statistics. Some web hosts even provide search engine submission services on very low cost shared web hosting solutions. So what is basically required here is just a proper research on the available options and their comparison with each other. Try our sponsor VULTR
Support:
And last but not least is the support. The web hosting support must be 24/7 and the service must be online with beginner help and FAQs. This ensures that the web host have a huge customer database and they are manned enough to cater to the needs of there customers and offer them quality product and services not to mention top notch security. Though you must not forget to document all the contact information about your web host off of their website and somewhere with you, this is because incase of a web server downtime you would know where to contact the web hosts off site, because there own web site may probably be hosted on the same web server and may be down along with all the rest of the websites. Try our sponsor VULTR
When you find all the above specifications along with a good price in a web host you would definitely know that you have finally found a good web host. You would be certain about this discovery of yours when you have the best speed, top security, user friendly interface, option of additional scripts and software and the most important, you would be happy about the price. Try our sponsor VULTR
I have reviewed and experienced many web hosting providers. I have used expensive and cheap and found out that some of the very best ones were the cheap ones. So you must also be always on the hunt for the next best company out there offering just a tad more than what you are getting now, maybe in the same price or maybe even in less because they do exist. Go ahead and do your basic research to find a cheap web hosting company with all the above qualities, that way you will not only just save money, you will be having a rare and pleasant time doing it all. Try our sponsor VULTR | https://medium.com/@web-hosting-seo/cheap-web-hosting-2cd580bef2f9 | ['Web Hosting Seo'] | 2021-12-15 15:19:02.495000+00:00 | ['Web Hosting Services', 'Web Hosting', 'Web Hosting Company', 'Best Web Hosting', 'Web Hosting Provider'] |
Once you are completely aware of your own weirdness expressing it becomes celebratory and a source… | Once you are completely aware of your own weirdness expressing it becomes celebratory and a source of joy, because the power of your freedom now lies in the fact that you no longer care what anyone thinks of you. | https://medium.com/everything-shortform/once-you-are-completely-aware-of-your-own-weirdness-expressing-it-becomes-celebratory-and-a-source-d9fdb69acafc | ['Steve B Howard'] | 2020-12-25 06:27:05.152000+00:00 | ['Short Read', 'Everything Short Form', 'Quotes', 'Short Form', 'Inspiration'] |
How to Backup Your Masternode Keystore on XinFin Network. | How to Backup Your Masternode Keystore on XinFin Network.
This guide will teach you how to store and backup your keystore.
You can set up Masternode using XinFin one-click installer or can use a docker compose file.
For more details on Masternode set-up, please visit the links below
After running the one-click installer or docker compose file, you will get the Coinbase address.
The Coinbase address is the Masternode address while the ‘owner address’ is the address of the wallet where you have staked 10 million XDC. Your rewards will be sent to you on the owner address.
After running the Masternode, you can easily propose and lock the 10 million XDC and become the Masternode. Following this, you can get rewards to the Masternode owner address with its Coinbase address.
Note: It is recommended that you create a backup of their Coinbase address and owner address.
How to create a backup of the one-click installer?
After installing and running the one-click installer, you will find the XDC chain folder that holds your keystore.
You would be required to create a backup of your keystore and save it on a device that is safe against hacks and malware attacks.
How to create a backup of the XinFin-Node (docker compose file)
After successfully running the node with docker, you will find XDC chain folder inside the XinFin node folder
You will have to create the back up of the keystore and save it on a proper device that won’t be afflicted by malware or hackers.
FAQ
1) What if I lost the keystore of Masternode address?
In case you haven’t backed up your keystore and your machines crash, it will result in the loss of all the data along with the keystore. You would then have to resign your masternode from the masternode app and the 10 million XDC that you stacked will be locked for the next 30 days.
Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you store and create a proper backup of your keystore folder to avoid such a situation.
2) What if I lost the private key or keystore of masternode owner address?
If you lose the private key or keystore of the masternode owner address, you will not be able to login to the wallet, and the 10 million XDC tokens you staked will be lost. This would also prevent you from receiving the rewards from the masternode app.
Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you store and create a proper backup of your private key and keystore folder to avoid such a situation.
Note: XDC wallet is a free, client-side interface helping users interact with the XDPoS blockchain. XinFin is an easy-to-use, open-source platform that allows companies to seamlessly generate/integrate wallets onto its blockchain.
XDC Wallet will never manage accounts with sensitive information such as passwords, private keys, or email addresses. In order to ensure the security and privacy of your information, please ensure that no sensitive information is ever saved, stored, or transmitted while using XDC Wallet. Please note that we only have access to the information that is publicly available on the blockchain and we will never hold your assets.
Only users themselves can access and control their funds — this is the purpose of decentralized networks. Your funds are stored on the XDPoS blockchain itself, and we are simply an interface that allows you to easily interact with them. Passwords and private keys are in the users’ hands and are the users’ sole responsibility.
Online community support is available on below-mentioned Telegram and Slack channels.
Join us at our Telegram Development Community or get in touch with our team at the Slack Public Channel.
We would love to hear from you. So, feel free to drop us a line or share feedback at any of our community channels.
About XinFin:
XinFin is an open source enterprise-ready hybrid blockchain for global trade and finance. It combines the power of public and private blockchains with interoperable smart contracts and is fully EVM compatible. For more information on XinFin, please visit XinFin.org or learn more about XinFin in this video.
Useful link for XinFin Masternode
Steps to Setup Masternode on XinFin MainNet
XinFin Mobile Wallet
XinFin Web Wallet
Steps to resign master node
Step by step guide to issue your own token on XinFin network
Step by step guide to swap token on XinFin network
Guide to setup node with one click installer
Watch the video to Setup XinFin Masternode with One-Click installer
Follow XinFin on:
Twitter: @XinFin_Official
LinkedIn: XinFin Hybrid Blockchain
Telegram: XinFinTalk | https://medium.com/xinfin/how-to-backup-your-masternode-keystore-on-xinfin-network-ae3d8237ad82 | ['Xinfin Xdc Hybrid Blockchain Network'] | 2019-11-15 12:20:03.543000+00:00 | ['Xinfin', 'Keystore', 'Masternodes', 'Blockchain', 'Masternodesonline'] |
Introduction to Goal Setting | Brighter Strategies | I originally published a version of this article on our blog.
In January people typically organize themselves into two camps: those who are resolution-ready and those who are not. Some folks are energized by setting new personal and professional benchmarks to achieve, while others find the hype overly contrived and unsustainable.
Have you perfected your list of New Year’s resolutions, or are you waiting for the self-improvement obsessed to come back to earth in a few weeks?
In 2020 the word “intention” has replaced “resolution” as a guidepost for how we approach new goals. An intention is the act or instance of determining mentally upon some action or result. A resolution is the act of resolving or determining upon an action, course of action, method, or procedure. The literal difference is minimal, but the mindset gap is significant. Resolutions embody formality and finality of commitment to an endeavor; intentions, on the other hand, presume less pressure and feel easier for one to achieve.
Your organization’s 2020 intentions
Organizations, unlike individuals, do not have the luxury of choosing whether to set intentions this year. If your nonprofit does not establish strategic goals, it will be nearly impossible to focus on the most important priorities that move your mission forward. As your agency enters a new year, what are its intentions? How will your leaders and you work smarter, not harder, to achieve these milestones throughout the coming months?
At organizational development consulting firm Brighter Strategies, January is all about goal setting. We are here to support our clients and the nonprofit community at large in the Washington, DC, metro area to think and act more strategically in 2020. This starts with creating SMART goals that are tied to an annual strategic plan.
SMART goals are:
Specific: Succinct and to-the-point
Measurable: Include metrics against which you can benchmark progress
Achievable: Ensure the goal is not too lofty to reach within the year
Realistic: Define how the goal tangibly affects your organization’s mission, vision, and values
Timely: Create a sense of urgency by establishing time-bound milestones for attainment
SMART goals give your organization a sense of purpose and direction. They are detailed enough to provide a blueprint for success, and they hold you accountable to the priorities you have determined to be most important in the new year.
Are you ready to set some goals for 2020? Brighter Strategies is excited to help your organization be more intentional as we walk into a new decade. Contact us today to learn more. | https://medium.com/@liz-brighterstrategies/introduction-to-goal-setting-brighter-strategies-d7e258cc4983 | ['Elizabeth Scott'] | 2020-01-15 17:54:48.718000+00:00 | ['Nonprofit', 'Goal Setting', 'Smart Goals', 'Smart Goal Setting', 'Goals'] |
How Consumer Insourcing is Impacting You and Your Business (and 3 Steps to Deal with It) | How Consumer Insourcing is Impacting You and Your Business (and 3 Steps to Deal with It) Rob Volpe Follow Sep 7 · 5 min read
“Home sweet home” has never had the same meaning as it does today. After 15 months of life altered by pandemic, Americans entered the summer of 2021 with dreams of a return to normalcy. But a funny thing happened as life opened up. Some people found that being out of the house and ‘normal’ wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. That ‘insourcing’ and doing things yourself or at home, were as rewarding if not more so than spending money on “outsourced” items and services.
While typically used in reference to corporate operations and whether the work is done in house or by an outside third party, insourcing and outsourcing exist in consumers’ lives as well, especially when you consider the decision to outsource yard or home maintenance, cleaning services, and most commonly, meals.
Navigating to a New Normal participant Kelvin, 56, from the Boston area, described the difference between his outsourced and insourced lifestyle. “I used to live what I call the outsource life. I was working really hard. I’m outsourcing everything when I’m at work. I would order takeout all the time. I had someone doing my laundry. When you think about it, that, in and of itself is a supply chain. So doing stuff like cooking on your own Is really insourcing stuff. We started growing our own food to some degree. Being able to cook what you want allows you to address cravings a lot more quickly than [waiting] to go out to eat.”
Less pragmatic but no less valid was Brad’s experience in New York City. “We just have not gone back to restaurants like we did before. We had a bad experience with one restaurant where they jacked up the prices and you had a time limit. I think because of the past year, year and a half, it just broke that habit. It’s just, I’d rather eat here at home. I think we just got into a rhythm and [are] having fun with eating at home. On the flip side, the reward from eating out, it’s just not there.”
This is insourcing. When you don’t see the value in the time or experience in an outsourced solution, you do it yourself. Gail, 63 who’s now living in rural North Carolina, decided to build a dining table herself. “I wanted to get a table and I said ‘Well, instead of me going out to spend three hundred dollars or whatever, I’ll make my own table.’” Having never made a table before, she ran into some challenges but has figured out the workarounds and is pleased with the results. “That’s my creativity for the month. So, I’m happy about that,” she proclaimed.
A New Value Equation
For Navigating to a New Normal respondents who were insourcing, the themes that emerged were about the diminished quality of the outsourced experience — being rushed at a restaurant instead of being allowed to linger and catch up with friends you hadn’t seen in months, or the value of an object bought at a store that could be done by your own hand. The value of time has changed. American society is not racing to get things done anymore. We’re in a “stop and savor the moment” phase.
Jennifer, 41, a New York City event planner, has found some of her clients are switching up how they have her set up their gatherings. “From my group of people, they’re just not doing bigger … if people are doing barbecues, they do it themselves, something more casual where it’s like, ‘Oh my husband will grill some stuff’ instead of having it catered and more official.”
There was also an undercurrent of safety in everyone’s comments about insourcing at home. “I’ve not been a big going-out-person, but I took it for granted. Now, I recognize that this has been a haven,” said Barb, a retiree splitting her time in San Antonio and on the road with her husband in an RV.
“I would much rather stay at the house,” Kelsey in Salt Lake City told us. “We have a really cool hangout area now. And so partly I think it’s that we took the time to make things nice at home. But I also think I want to be there a lot more than I ever would’ve if the pandemic hadn’t happened.”
3 Ways to Deal with It
Insourcing doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. Here are 3 implications and recommendations for your business to be your consumer’s outsourced solution:
1. Enable Quality Connections — The big insight coming out of the past 18 months is that most people are seeking quality connections with a close circle of friends and family over an extended network of acquaintances. This means lingering over drinks or a meal to have a deeper conversation than was typical pre-pandemic. This is a shift in the value of time. If you are in the restaurant business, urge your staff to resist the impulse to turn the tables over quickly. Let ’em linger to build loyalty. If you are in the grocery or at-home food business, the opportunity exists to help people entertain smaller groups with quality food and beverages. Perhaps some cocktail and apps suggestions on display in the store? If you are in the tech or content business, how could you help enable those connections?
2. Time Well Spent — As Larry, 68 in San Francisco told us, “I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. There’s nothing urgent that would make me get out of the house.” While time is valued by moments to linger, here, you also want to make it worth their while to get out of the house. This is a high bar to clear if you want to regain consumers’ on-premise business. Now is the opportunity to show your value with experiences they can’t recreate at home. Give them a reason to go out and spend their money.
3. Transparency is Authentic — Staffing shortages are creating havoc in many businesses, and some are raising prices due to supply chain issues as well as increased payroll costs. A fatal mistake is leaving your customers in the dark about what’s going on. “At least make your customers aware that you are charging them extra,” Dajon, 24, Phoenix shared with us. “A lot of companies are starting to charge for simple condiments like ranch.” Consumers weren’t born yesterday, give them a chance to have empathy with you by sharing what’s happening and causing your prices to increase or why your service isn’t up to usual standards.
Another factor that is dampening people’s desire to do more outsourcing is the diminishing power of FOMO, which we will be exploring in upcoming conversations with N2NN participants. And there is still the general feeling of anxiety, which this piece in the Washington Post does a great job explaining.
Where are you on this journey? Insourcing more, outsourcing less? What are your customers and consumers valuing most in their experience with you? It may be time to dust off those old value equations and give it some consideration.
This post first appeared on Ignite 360’s Sparks blog post, August 2021 | https://medium.com/thecuriousleader/how-consumer-insourcing-is-impacting-you-and-your-business-and-3-steps-to-deal-with-it-43433f3cf325 | ['Rob Volpe'] | 2021-09-07 18:36:44.446000+00:00 | ['Consumer Behavior', 'Insourcing', 'Outsourcing', 'Marketing', 'Insights'] |
NEED FOR TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION IN THE FILM INDUSTRY | Communication is the basis of every function, and transparent communication is the road to have clear running. In the film industry, where a large number of people- artists, vendors, producers, production houses, and sponsors are involved and to manage the communication between all is what makes the film a success.
Often, a lot of important information gets misplaced and leads to miscommunication in the grapevine that occurs due to too many points of communication. The entire process of filmmaking is highly complex and requires a lot of props and resources but, when the transmission is clear and transparent, it becomes quick to obtain the right resources at the right time, saving both money and time.
The film industry often needs to hold backups in case of sudden requirements, but with the right communication platform, the requirements can be met, and with prior preparation of schedules known to everybody,
Such kind of communication not only creates a sense of trust but also enhances the productivity of the entire chain of the filmmaking process. Regular communication and easy flow of information between the team builds trust and relationships that lead to them continuing to do work with you.
The right level of communication gets you the talent and offers better understanding, and creates a greater focus on the task at hand. A platform that can make coordination and communication flow at ease, and the conversation is not lost is the best way for a conversation that requires documentation and clear understanding.
In the film industry, often the focus is placed on the end film, but in the making of that film, every point of discussion and communication has to be clear and concise. There is never much time to explain and re-explain the flow, so when transparent communication flows through, everybody is a part of the conversation and can focus on the task accordingly.
We at Artha are building something amazing. Do follow on social media to stay updated. | https://medium.com/@arthapp/need-for-transparent-communication-in-the-film-industry-abaff6d5c4fd | ['Artha Application'] | 2020-12-10 10:17:20.219000+00:00 | ['Platform', 'Entertainment Industry', 'Communication', 'Filmmaking', 'Film'] |
The Responsibility of Adopting Bitcoin | There is a saying among bitcoiners, and it becomes more truthful and apparent as time goes on: You don’t change Bitcoin. Bitcoin changes you.
Why is that? At first, I wasn’t sure how to answer this question; I just knew it was true. The reasons behind it remained somewhat of a mystery to me. Yes, Bitcoin is incredibly resistant to change. And yes, sound money lowers your time preference. That is definitely a large part of it. There is also the historical tendency to get rich, so wealth and the economic freedom that comes with it might be another part.
Money, however, isn’t always a blessing. It tends to amplify both good and bad traits. It also has the power to corrupt, and it has the potential to drive people insane. If you aren’t careful, what started as sudden riches can soon turn into a power-drunk ego trip that ends in Bitcoin Derangement Syndrome.
There is plenty of writing on low time preference and wealth already, which is why I want to focus on the third thing that Bitcoin forces upon you: responsibility.
The Individual Is Sovereign
The whole idea of Bitcoin is to remove intermediaries from the equation. Trusted third parties are security holes, and unless we want to repeat past mistakes, it is our collective responsibility to eliminate these security holes wherever and whenever we can. Bitcoin allows for the elimination of trusted third parties because it loops itself into existence from the bottom up instead of being created from the top down. In Bitcoin, your self-sovereignty can be absolute.
Bitcoin emphasizes the sovereignty of the individual both in principle and in practice. It allows economic actors to store and exchange value freely, requiring nothing but a valid cryptographic signature. Group identity, gender, skin color, age, political or religious affiliation — all are irrelevant in the protocol’s eyes. If your transaction has a valid signature, Bitcoin will take you seriously. No matter if you are a person, a dog, or an attack helicopter.
Just like intersectionality is resolved by focusing on the individual, the problem of trusted third parties is resolved by focusing on individual nodes. Remove social and political identities, and the individual remains. Remove trusted third parties and external sources of truth, and the self-sovereign node remains. And just like human dignity is inviolable, the self-validating truth that your Bitcoin node represents is inviolable. If an external authority could interfere with your node’s truth, the whole point of Bitcoin would be moot.
“Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar.” — Artikel 1 des Grundgesetzes für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland
It all boils down to individual nodes. Consequently, it all boils down to the individuals operating these nodes.
Responsibility Is Programmed
There is a reason why bitcoiners speak of “the journey” down the rabbit hole. The only way to get into Bitcoin is to start small and improve incrementally. It is neither easy nor comfortable, but it is also necessary. You can’t do everything “correctly” on day one. The challenges are too large, the paradigm shifts too radical, the tradeoffs too many, and the issues too nuanced.
Consequently, my advice to friends and family remains the same: start stacking sats today. It might not be the perfect advice for everyone under all circumstances, but it is perfect in my eyes for the following reason alone: it forces you to take the first step, which is having some sats to your name.
Once you have acquired some bitcoin, you have skin in the game. And once you have skin in the game, you are on the path to become more self-sovereign. You are on track to take responsibility for your finances, for your savings, for your future, and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, for the future of Bitcoin.
Sounds grandiose? Let me explain: you will learn that you don’t really own bitcoin unless you hold your own keys. You will learn that you can’t be sure that what you’re holding actually is bitcoin unless you validate your transactions with your own node. You will learn that Bitcoin is whatever you decide it to be, that the value of bitcoin does not come from without but from within, and that maximum utility in the world of Bitcoin entails the adoption of maximum responsibility.
The base reality of how the Bitcoin network operates, combined with the growing number of reports of this effect — a personal transformation brought about by the adoption of a Bitcoin Standard — makes me believe that it isn’t only the moon that is programmed, but the adoption of responsibility is too.
Because bitcoin is designed to pump forever, whatever skin you have in the game will soon grow to be a meaningful amount. As the purchasing power of your bitcoin stack grows, your incentive to become a first-class Bitcoin citizen will grow as well. You will want to learn how to do self-custody. You will want to learn how to run your own node.
It goes even beyond the mantras of “not your keys, not your bitcoin” and “not your node, not your rules.” It is in your best interest to support the network, either by running a node, contributing hash power, or indirectly by supporting bitcoin development. And here comes the kicker: running your own node means that you are participating in the network itself, which inevitably involves you in the process of defining what Bitcoin is. Since nobody can tell you what Bitcoin is, you have to decide what Bitcoin is for yourself, over and over again. The network is a growing, ever-changing organism, and the opt-in nature of protocol upgrades will repeatedly force the question of Bitcoin’s identity upon its participants.
What is Bitcoin? And what should it be? The lack of a central authority implies that answering these questions is your responsibility, in perpetuity. However, before you can dare to take on this responsibility, you must take the first step and start saving yourself. | https://medium.com/@dergigi/the-responsibility-of-adopting-bitcoin-87ff96c6e8ef | [] | 2021-03-21 09:07:21.344000+00:00 | ['Responsibility', 'Bitcoin'] |
Halloweek 2020 | Halloweek 2020
How this Halloween will be different than any in living memory.
Photo by allison christine on Unsplash
Hello again, dear readers. It is the most wonderful time of the year once again: Halloweek. And not only is it the week encompassing Halloween, but we’re also living in a very special year. The kind of year that only comes around once a century, once a millennium. It is a year where Halloween will be the least scary day of this whole Earth orbit! How crazy is that? I mean, it’s sad, definitely, and almost certainly apocalyptic, but, like, also wild, right?
Now, I’ll admit, I’m not thrilled about how the weather is turning out. Who is? But remember, this is 2020. A little snow is about as mild as we could have hoped for. Personally, I was expecting it to rain blood. Or maybe there would be a big earthquake and California would fall into the sea. Hell, when I saw white stuff falling from the sky I checked the news to make sure that I wasn’t seeing ash from Yellowstone’s supervolcano. Nope. Just good ol’ fashion mid-Autumn snow.
(Now before I get angry comments saying I’m tempting fate, take a breath. I have very low readership. This isn’t getting back to God or Mother Nature anytime soon.)
My theoretical naysayer is shaking and salivating as much as King George III in Hamilton, so let’s take his question. “But how do you know something really bad isn’t going to happen on Halloween? It isn’t even here yet!” Surprisingly pertinent question, my negative compadre. Good on you. The answer is obvious when you look into the rearview mirror and see the hellscape of 2020 thus far.
When you watched the ball drop last New Year’s Eve, did you think we would be in the midst of a global pandemic during Halloweek? That Tom Hanks, America’s golden boy, would get sick on the same day that national and collegiate sporting events would end? That March Madness and THE OLYMPICS would be cancelled? That schools and businesses would close and we would watch the death toll climb daily? That we as a country would briefly find new respect for those in service industries and for healthcare professionals? That the new respect would effectively come to a close when armed men stormed state capitols to “protest” wearing masks and keeping some businesses closed because the economy was somehow more important than human life?
Speaking of protest and the value of human life, did you foresee the death of one man in Minneapolis being the impetus of a revolution across the country? That we would all know the name of an EMT from Kentucky that was shot to death in her apartment? That we would see peaceful protestors gassed in front of the White House? That our president would not clearly and unequivocally denounce white supremacists? OK, you got me on that one. At the end of 2019 you probably could have imagined the American president murkily equivocating on white supremacy. Bad example, but the rest of the point stands.
How about the plague of locusts in the Middle East? The Midwestern hurricane? Murder hornets? Did you foresee the west coast on fire? Losing Kobe? Losing the Notorious RBG? Choosing between two seventy-year-old candidates for the presidency? Having Kanye West as a (somewhat) legitimate choice for that election? Not only knowing who Anthony Fauci is, but seeing him portrayed on Saturday Night Live by Brad Pitt? Brad Pitt being nominated for an Emmy for THAT!?
See, I didn’t think you did see that coming. No one saw any of that shit coming. And that’s why Halloween doesn’t scare me. An alien invasion on Halloween wouldn’t be shocking. Australia completely disappearing would elicit an eye-roll. Nuclear Armageddon would be met with a sigh of relief.
2020 has been terrible because it has been full of increasingly horrific surprises. Cataclysm on Halloween wouldn’t be surprising.
Think I’m wrong? Tell me, what happened on March thirteenth? Can’t remember? Nothing extraordinary (at least not by this year’s standards). It was an ordinary day. Why do I ask? It was one of two Friday the thirteenths in 2020. When’s the other, you may ask? November. I would guess that after Saturday, November thirteenth will be the only respite until 2021.
My friends, have a good Halloweek. Enjoy a calm Halloween. Prepare yourself for November third. And enjoy the brief armistice of the upcoming Civil War (Civil War II, the sequel that no one wanted) which I have penciled in for Friday the thirteenth. Also, be warned that this sequel will likely have a disappointing lack of both superheroes and stovepipe hats (a real travesty).
But, our national reckoning is still a few days off. In the meantime, I made some costume suggestions at the beginning of Hallomonth. If you are without a costume for a weird Zoom Halloween party, you can find some brilliant ideas in my October Proposal.
Have a safe and happy Halloween. | https://medium.com/the-haven/halloweek-2020-276d7e8c9b10 | ['Fp Bardrick'] | 2020-10-29 17:10:48.393000+00:00 | ['Apocalypse', 'Covid 19', '2020', 'Halloween', 'Election 2020'] |
Why I’m Eager for Joe Biden’s Presidency | Why I’m Eager for Joe Biden’s Presidency
Source: www.JoeBiden.com
At this writing, Joe Biden is not yet the president-elect. In the early hours of Saturday, 7 Nov. 2020, he and the rest of the world wait for votes to be counted in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. It is Day Five of our Election Week.
But we have a clear idea of why Joe Biden is ready to be the president we need. His remarks a few hours ago on Friday night in Wilmington, Delaware, were pegged as an election update rather than a victory speech. Yet they revealed why he is getting off to a fine start at the president we need.
Biden begins with a majority of the nation behind him. Thanks to voter turnout efforts on both sides building intense interest in this year’s election, Biden also begins as the recipient of more votes than any president in history.
Is this a mandate? I think so. Landslide would be quite a stretch, given the closeness of the election in the final states, the loss of a hoped-for majority in the Senate and loss of Democratic seats in the House, and the undeniable reality that President Donald Trump received the second-highest number of votes ever cast for a presidential candidate. But Biden can be confident that more than 74 million American adults start off with him, and that number is a record and therefore a mandate. Biden and Likely Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris are vessels for the hopes of those Americans.
But beyond vote totals, this election was conducted in full view of a nation convulsed with protest and on the cusp of a movement for racial reconciliation. Biden knows he will have re-built the Democratic “blue wall” in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, as well as captured Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada, because of his campaign’s close work with African-American and Latinx political leaders. He knows that he owes the resurgence of his campaign and political career during the spring to U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., and the black voters of South Carolina in its presidential primary.
Biden wants to be the agent of change for Americans.
“What’s becoming clear each hour is that a record number of Americans of all races, faiths, religions chose change over more of the same. They’ve given us a mandate for action on Covid, the economy, climate change, systemic racism. They’ve made it clear they want the country to come together, not continue to pull apart,” Biden said on Thursday, stretching his hands apart to illustrate the last point. “The people spoke.”
Biden said that he and Senator Harris received briefings Thursday on Covid-19, public health, and the economic crisis. “The pandemic … is getting more worrisome all across the country. Daily cases have skyrocketed and it is now believed we could see 200,000 [new] cases in a single day.”
Biden demonstrated, as he so often does, his empathy for Americans who have lost family members to tragedy, such as the nation’s 225,000 Covid-19 deaths in nine months. He said, “We’ll never be able to measure all that pain and the loss, the suffering, that so many families have experienced. We know something about what it feels like to lose someone, and I want them to know they’re not alone. Our hearts break with you.
“I want everyone to know that on Day One we’re going to put our plan to control this virus into action. We can’t save any of the lives lost, that have been lost. But we can save a lot of lives in the months ahead.”
Concurrent with fighting the coronavirus, Biden pledged that he and Harris would work to strengthen an economy hard-hit by the virus with 20 million Americans unemployed and millions worried about making housing payments and affording the necessities of life.
But in the final portion of his remarks on Friday, Biden exuded optimism for restoring a national purpose that will push the nation forward to solve critical problems rather than wallow in political division and anger.
“You know, we’re proving again what we’ve proved for 244 years in this country: Democracy works,” Biden said.
“But we have to remember, the purpose of our democracy isn’t total unrelenting unending warfare. No, the purpose of our politics, the work of the nation isn’t to fan the flames of conflict but to solve problems, to guarantee justice, to give everybody a fair shot, and to improve the lives of our people. We may be opponents, but we are not enemies. We are Americans.”
“We have to put the anger and the demonization behind us. It’s time for us to come together as a nation to heal. It’s not going to be easy. But we have to try.”
He said that as president, he will work for all Americans. “That’s the job. It’s called the duty of care for all Americans.”
I cannot wait to inaugurate a president who once again cares for the people more than self-interest. | https://medium.com/davidoffkilter/why-im-eager-for-joe-biden-s-presidency-4407453a3039 | ['Douglass T. Davidoff'] | 2020-11-07 07:13:59.737000+00:00 | ['Covid 19', 'Racial Justice', 'Biden', 'Economy', 'Climate Change'] |
Life Skills, why are they crucial? A talk with Arnold Beekes | In the series of interviews to understand new tools, methods and skills for creating the next society, here a talk with Arnold Beekes, CEO of TheNewABC.
I wish I did know about compassion, when I was 18 years old, then I would have performed much better ~ Kobe Bryant
Arnold, how did you decide to deal with this problem? How did you even realize that there is a problem?
Some 15 years ago my flourishing career with a multinational came to an (unexpected) end. At the same time that I lost my job, I got divorced, my father died and we had to sell the house. All the foundations of my life did crumble down. That is when I did realise that I needed new skills to cope with this situation. New skills like self-compassion, dealing with uncertainty, understanding my passion and my strengths. Why had nobody taught me those skills?
As I had always been an intrapreneur, it was for me a natural step to become an entrepreneur. One of my activities was coaching. In my coaching practice I did notice that my clients became younger and younger and that they did experience, stress, burnout and physical problems. That is sad, that in their twenties they are having these challenges. And again, it is clear that they do lack the life skills to cope with a challenging environment. As I do meet unemployed people, employees, entrepreneurs and freelancers from all over the world, they are facing big challenges and they look for solutions (mainly) outside of themselves. That is not going to help you. Like myself, I had to learn to look inside for solutions and directions. That is a major shift in perspective. The turmoil in our personal life and work is largely influenced by bigger changes happening in society.
So how does reality look like?
It is clear that we are in a period of time, which is called ‘transition’, the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another. We are coming out of the Industrial Age (characterized by efficiency, repetition and thus standardization — building a ‘system of sameness’ in every aspect of life) into a new age, which some people call the Information Age. We are not sure about that name, Information Age, as we see information as, the enabler, rather than the purpose and intention in itself. We would like to call it the Age of Connection (characterized by creation, contribution and thus participation — building a ‘universe of uniqueness’), to be truly connected with ourselves, with others, animals and with nature.
The 6 driving forces in this transition are:
● “Deceptive — early stages of exponential growth processes may be deceptively linear
● Disruptive — once exponential growth reaches the inflection point, or “knee of the curve,” they become truly disruptive
● Digitized — more information is becoming digitized, opening the door for a layer of analytics (e.g. machine learning) to be placed on top of it
● Dematerialized — no longer do you have to buy a flashlight or digital camera, you can simply purchase an app on your phone to accomplish these tasks
● Demonetized — as manufacturing techniques improve, technologies are becoming less expensive at an alarming pace
● Democratized — there will be 3 billion more people on the Internet by 2020, leading to more perspectives because these people will be given a voice in the global discourse for the first time”
So, which are these new skills that can help people work in this new environment?
We call them TheNewWorker’s life skills: they are related to observing, communicating, sustaining yourself, and dealing with challenges. For example: relaxing, unplugging, meditation and mindfulness are some of the key elements of this new set of skills to acquire in order to better communicate. Whereas for sustaining yourself you should take care of your sleep, food, health as well as realizing the importance to surround yourself with peers and families, being able to sustain yourself financially and improve your creativity, imagination and innovation.
How can these skills be learned?
In my opinion, traditional schools and universities don’t teach any of the skills needed to successfully work in the new environment. Moreover, these skills are highly needed at work. And again, employees don’t know where to learn them. In order to acquire them you need to internalize new ways of acting and working. To do so, we organize (digital) workshops, case studies and coaching sessions. We are also creating a global community of peers that can support each other. I believe that with these new skills employees will achieve their goal and create a better life for themselves.
Arnold, thanks for sharing this conversation :-) | https://medium.com/ripples-stories/life-skills-why-are-they-crucial-a-talk-with-arnold-beekes-653fa65fd542 | [] | 2017-02-16 17:10:07.660000+00:00 | ['Work', 'Careers', 'Learning', 'Skills', 'Education'] |
A Simple React Hook to Prompt iOS Users to Install Your Wonderful PWA. | The Hook
The whole point of this hook is to load a notification only for Safari on iOS, so we’re going to create a new file called useIsIOS.js . In this code we’re going to do a few things:
Check if someone is viewing our app on an iOS device.
Are they using mobile Safari?
Have they not been prompted to install the app before?
If all of the above is true , then we’ll send them a prompt to install the app and, in the background, store a hasBeenPrompted item in browser localStorage with a timestamp.
We’ll start with creating a state for isIOS with useState .
This is pretty simple:
const[isIOS, setIsIOS] = useState({}); initializes a state — similar to setState in class function. On init, the state is an empty object by setting useState({}) .
initializes a state — similar to in class function. On init, the state is an empty object by setting . Then we use useEffect to do our checks from above.
At the moment, this does nothing except for try to run the checkForIOS() function. So let’s update our file to make it work!
We’ll install moment.js npm install --save moment , then import moment into our hook. We’re using moment to set & check timestamps to see if and when a user has been invited to install our app.
Getting into our checkForIOS() function, we’ll start by setting some variables, using moment, including a timestamp for today , lastPrompt (if it exists), and finally, the number of days since we last prompted our visitor to install the app.
A quick sketch of Astro turned logo, turned splash screen.
Looking at lastPrompt , you’ll see we’re trying to get an “installPrompt” key from the browser localStorage. If it exists, we use moment() to convert it into a Date object, otherwise it returns undefined . Perfect!
Next, have a look at days . This is where we’re checking the time difference, in days, of today compared to the last time the user was prompted to install our app. If they haven’t been prompted before, then we prompt them now!
Check for devices, browser, and OS
I tried a few different options, but this seems to be the most reliable method for identifying Safari and device types on iOS. We’re updating our checkForIOS() function with some old-school, pedantic JavaScript.
Typical JS.
It’s important to ensure that our iOS visitor is using Safari because iOS doesn’t permit other browsers to install our awesome PWA’s!
Do we prompt?
Now that we have our timestamp and device info, we can check if we should send our website visitors a notification to install our PWA.
Looking at our prompt variable, we’re saying:
“if our visitor has no stored timestamp — isNaN(days) — or we haven’t notified them to install our PWA in over 30 days,
— or we haven’t notified them to install our PWA in over 30 days, “and, they’re viewing our website on an iOS device,
“and, they’re using the Safari browser,
then set prompt to true”
Depending on whether our visitor meets all the criteria, prompt will return true or false. | https://medium.com/swlh/a-simple-react-hook-to-prompt-ios-users-to-install-your-wonderful-pwa-4cc06e7f31fa | ['Michael Lisboa'] | 2020-01-13 03:55:12.504000+00:00 | ['JavaScript', 'Web Development', 'React', 'iOS', 'UX'] |
Why You Will Never Meet A True Atheist | I heard a preacher say once that you had a better chance of meeting a martian then you do a true Atheist. Why? Because a table is not a chair.
On the surface I’m sure that statement sounds ridiculous, but let me explain.
I have had many bible studies over the years. Of those bible studies, Proving the Bible Is The Word of God, was always where I started (a study that every christian should be able to carry out, by the way). Even with people who already claimed to be Christian.
Why would I do that? Because many people let their preacher tell them what to think or say and I prefer to let scripture guide me. So the answer was always getting people on a firm foundation so that we could probe further in.
So what’s up with no real Atheists, and whats this table and chair thing
Hebrews 10:16 “ THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM”
God makes it abundantly clear that he has put within all mankind the knowledge of his existence. We have to reject Him to become Atheist. There is a big difference between “disbelief” and straight up “denial”.
Lets say you came into a room with a table and four chairs. Three other people are sitting at the table, You sit in the fourth chair. One person looks at you and asks “is your table is comfortable?” You look at him a little perplexed.
“What do you mean?”, you ask. They point at the chair your sitting on and and repeat “is your table comfortable?” “You mean my chair?”, you ask, a little puzzled. “No!” They say “your table”, yet still pointing at the chair. Only know the other two are staring at you with irritated looks on their faces in agreement with the first person.
So whats the point. Just because someone believes that a chair is table, and they can convince others of the same does not make it true. It is still a chair.
So in that same manner a denial of Gods existence does not affect the reality that He exists and it does not change the facts.
Many would tell you science proves otherwise. Louis Pasteur stated that “Science brings men nearer to God”. I have found this to be true myself.
So men. What can you prove if anything? Doesn't 2 Timothy 4:2 say “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction”
These are our marching orders. Im not saying have to have scripture memorized front to back, but I am saying that we must stand and fight. We must have at least enough understanding to hold our ground under daily attack.
We must hold the Fort!
As you go out this week, inspire another brother in Christ to step and step out into the cause we have chosen in Christ “as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another”.
Go Forth and Conquer!
The Sedated Man | https://medium.com/@mike_7994/why-you-will-never-meet-a-true-atheist-8d5598e636db | ['Mike Baker'] | 2019-04-12 10:04:40.452000+00:00 | ['Atheism', 'God', 'Christianity', 'Study', 'Science'] |
An amateur data scientist: learn programming with a hobby project | Jupiter is not only a planet © Yulia Lukashina
An amateur data scientist: learn programming with a hobby project
My own “research” project helped me to become confident with programming, and prepare myself for the next career level. An overview of the tools and languages involved.
With almost 32 DataCamp chapters finished I still could not call myself a data scientist. It became clear during the multiple job interviews. Although DataCamp and Code Academy offered seemingly a lot of programming practice, I could not write any ad hoc code. That was a big problem.
Start a hobby project
I needed more practice. I checked on the projects that DataCamp suggested, but I did not like them somehow. One of the R beginner’s courses used the International Movie Database (known as IMDB) to explain descriptive statistics and basic data cleaning.
Since I am a movie fan, I got the row data from the IMDB, and started to “play around” with it, as they call it on DataCamp.
I did not have a particular research question in mind. But I must say that making the IMDb data tidy alone took a lot of time and effort.
Practically, every user can add a movie on IMDB. And then rate any movie. This led to a lot of irrelevant entries, like movies nobody watched, or thousands of episodes of the same TV soap opera.
Finding your dataset: Kaggle and Co.
You have actually a big choice of publicly available data sets, like data on economic developments from OECD or Eurostat.
Another source of big data sets for beginners is Kaggle. It is an online platform where you can create your profile, and do all the things you know from other social networks: give likes, follow people, feel happy if someone likes you.
As a perk, big companies publish their data on Kaggle as part of numerous competitions, where you can either win money or get employed by the company.
You may want to use Kaggle as a cloud computing service for free if your PC cannot level the data.
From description to correlation
But let me get back to my IMDB experiment. In the beginning, it took me quite a time to stop making “grammar” mistakes. That only proved the efficiency of my self-learning method.
As soon as I started to keep all commas and brackets in place without consulting Google every time, the coding became very fluent and pleasant. I could go to the next level. The project was developing itself from a full mess into something meaningful.
I started to ask research questions. First, very descriptive ones. For instance, which genre is the most representative? Which genre gets the highest scores?
What is very important is that I found out that “Shawshank Redemption” is the best movie ever.
Then I moved to question about correlations. The database was launched in 1990 (according to Wikipedia). The movies that were released after that date, and especially after the Internet access became a routine part of our life, have much much much more chances to get scored.
That nevertheless does not apply to all movies. Not to “Shawshank Redemption”, for example. It was out in 1994.
Data viz for deeper insights
By plotting data and using other dataviz knowledge from the online courses, I discovered more dependencies. For instance, correlations between genre and rating score, or genre and decade. Before the 1980s you could barely speak about science fiction as a serious movie genre. But after 2000 the genre exploded.
Discovering relationships between movie scores and year of production
The box plots gave me some not so intuitive results. Interesting enough, the meaning of the score is different for different genres. A comedy with 6 is still a good one, whereas a drama with 6 is a very poor and not worth watching at all.
The visualization part of my project made me look for new packages that we did not cover in the online courses. It also helped me to start with generalizations and conclusions.
Movie scores and their relationships to their genres
Never-ending learning
Two years later I turned back to my IMDB notes. I went through the same data cleaning and plotting procedures, but this time wrote the code in Python. I also switched to the Jupyter notebook.
I also used a GitHub directory to track and backup changes in my scripts. I did it more to get familiar with the platform and the concept of branches and merges. Then my project was migrated to Jupyter, and both GitHub and Kaggle were abandoned. I found it easier to track changes by simple copy-paste in Jupyter, and it is fast enough to keep all versions of the code in one workspace without making your PC getting out of breath.
Beyond the data science
The last but not the least, this (ongoing) project helped me to get to know API calls.
One day I read through the IMDB copyright guidelines more carefully. It stated that the results of data manipulations are not allowed to be handled to any third party and can only be used privately.
For this reason, I started to look for some other substantial movie database. I came across The Movie DB. It allowed only API calls, no CSV download, which the IMDB offered. In addition to standard API packages, I got closer to the mysterious JSON format.
I also had to work on my data cleaning script again. Sometimes the data I received made no sense to me. Not due to a syntax mistake, but rather since I either sent a not so well-elaborated request, or failed to get the right data from the JSON.
Two lessons I learned here apart from the coding itself. First, always check the JSON structure exactly. Missing a level prevented me from getting the entire data I needed. Second and quite banal, always read through the documentation carefully.
Old data, new angle
In the end, my IMDB project was such fun that I decided to do more. I polished my research question and turned it into the following:
“How good is the rating of a queried movie in comparison to all others of the same genre?”
Titanic’s (1997) score and its place in the drama genre
As a solution, I got the data on a movie, including the genre, then queried all movies of that genre and then built a box plot, showing descriptive statistics as a box plot with one movie marked as a star.
It was supposed to help in assessing the real value of that movie. It weighted the score and gave the factual span of the scores for similar movies, not just its place within an abstract 1-to-10 scale.
After I finished the data cleaning and descriptive part, I was so excited that I decided to program a small one function Python app to query movie titles and then display them as buttons. A user would then press a button to get a box plot for a movie. But this is another story.
Conclusion
During all this, I learned to write R and Python code fluently, without checking any source for syntax or a function. Fluency is very important to stay in the programming flow.
It is also very helpful if you have a skills test during a job interview.
To put it all together, if you want to get closer to your data science dream, but your current job does not offer you a lot of practice you may go through these steps:
finish an online course
find a dataset with a sufficient amount of a coherent data
get some practice with it using open source tools and languages
publish your results in a data science community
use it as your portfolio
start writing your data science job applications.
Good luck! | https://towardsdatascience.com/an-amateur-data-scientist-learn-programming-with-a-hobby-project-4687735e6fbe | ['Yulia Lukashina'] | 2020-06-02 20:17:29.809000+00:00 | ['Data Science Training', 'Learning Programming', 'Data Science Careers', 'Programming', 'Data Science Skills'] |
What Devices Use Type C Charger? | What is Type C Charger
Type-C Charger, likewise called USB-C, is the latest connector developed by the USB Implementers’ Forum (USB-IF), a team of industry leaders within the consumer electronics community, such as Apple, Intel, Dell, and Belkin. As a number of the world’s most recognized manufacturers are supporting this new technology, it is most likely to be commonly adopted.
It’s included in devices like the latest laptops, phones, and tablets, And, it’ll spread to pretty much everything that presently uses the older, bigger USB connector
Advantages & Benefits of USB Type-C Charger
Here are the main advantages or benefits of the USB Type-C Charger
Hyphen-x 100w USB Type C charger
1.Smaller in Size
The first advantage of a USB Type-C Charger port or plug is that it is really small in size which implies it will certainly take much less space on your devices. The size of a USB Type-C port is nearly the same as that of a micro-B USB port, however, it is much effective and innovative than a micro-B USB port
2.Reversible Plug Orientation
USB Type-C has reverse plug positioning which implies you can connect any kind of USB Type-C connector end to any one of the USB Type-C ports in your devices.
Likewise, you do not need to worry about plugging the USB Type-C connector upside or upside-down
3.Supports Up to USB 3.1
Currently, USB Type-C supports up to the most recent USB 3.1 specification. This implies that if you have a high-speed USB Type-C port in your computer or mobile phone that you can take pleasure in date transfer quicken to 10Gbps.
Well, one point to keep in mind here is that not all USB Type-c ports are USB3.1 ready, it also depends upon the supplier underlying technology(USB2.0/USB 3.0/USB3.1)they actually implemented for the USB Type-C port in their device
4, Power Delivery (PD)
USB Type-C can supply a much higher power as compared to all various other USB Types. The maximum power output for a USB Type-C port is 100W (20V X 5A) which can be used to charge larger devices that include Laptops, Netbooks, and so on
However, it has to be kept in mind that for charging a larger device, the Device (Laptops, Netbooks, and USB Type-C Cable both should support the Power Delivery (PD) feature
5, One Cable for All
You do not need to use any kind of conversion type cables anymore and just one cable is required for connecting all your devices having USB Type-C ports.
6, Type C Charger Backward Compatible (using adapters)
If you wish to connect in your device having older USB Type in a computer with a new USB Type-C port after that you can do so by using Type A to Type C or Type A to Type C adapters as well as cables
What Device Use Type-C Charger?
Phone
Galaxy S20/S20+/S20 Ultra/Z Flip/ Note10/Note10+/Fold/S10e/S10/S10+/ Fold/Note9/S9/S9/Note8/S8/and S8+
iPhone 12/12 Pro/12 Pro Max/12 mini/ iPhone 11/11 Pro / 11 Pro Max/iPhone XS / XS Max / XR / X / 8 Plus / 8
Huawei P10 / Mate 9 / Mate 20X / Mate 20 Pro
LG G7 / V30+ / Nintendo Switch
Google Pixel / Pixel 3a / XL / 3 / 2XL / 2, Nexus 5X / 6P
Sony XZ2 Premium, Sony XZ3,and mord
Laptops
MacBook Pro 16'’/ MacBook Pro 15'’[2016–2019]/ MacBook Pro 13'’[2016–2019]/MacBook Pro 13'’[M1,2020]/ MacBook Air Retina 13'’ [2018–2020]/MacBook Air 13'’ [M1,2020]/ MacBook 12'’ Retina[early 2015–2017]
Dell XPS 13 2 in 1(9365)/ Dell XPS 13 9370/ Dell XPS 15 9560/ Dell Latitude 5480
HP Spectre X360/ Spectre X2/ Spectre Folio/ Spectre-13-af001/ ELITE BOOK 830 G5/EliteBook Folio G1 12.5/ ZBOOK StudioG5 15.6
Lenovo X1/ YOGA730 / E490/ ideapad 720s-13/ THINKPAD X390/C930 13.9/ ThinkPad X270/ ThinkPad New S2 13.3/ ThinkPad T470 ; Razer Blade Stealth 17
Huawei MateBook X Pro/ MateBook X/ MateBook13
Samsung Notebook9(950XBE)/ Chromebook Plus(XE513C24)
Xiaomi Air /Surface pro 7/X and more
Tablets
iPad Pro 12.9'’ 2018/2020(3rd/4th generation)/ iPad Pro 11'’ 2018/2020(1st/2nd generaion)/ iPad Pro 10.5'’/ ipad 10.2-inch [2019–2020] / iPad mini 5 7.9-inch [2019] / Nintendo Switch, and more.
USB Type-C is Taking Over
In years past, phones charged and transferred files through a Micro-USB port and cable. These days, but, it’s more common to find a new standard called USB Type-C
This port technology is faster, more efficient and — best of all — flippable, so you can plug in your cord correctly every time. | https://medium.com/@hyphen-x/what-devices-use-type-c-charger-10aadd59269c | [] | 2021-07-12 07:18:28.221000+00:00 | ['Connection', 'USB Type C', 'Charger'] |
How bullying impacted my life | Disclaimer: This is a very personal blog post. It is about being a victim of bullying, coping with those circumstances and how it can affect a person.
Photo by Kat J on Unsplash
A normal start
I still remember the very first console I got from my parents, the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). I was a very average kid at the time. In school everything went fine and if I had to describe myself it would be as curious and with a lot of fantasy.
Getting the NES did not change much for me at the time. My main things to play with was still Lego to build my fantasies and disassembling old electronics wondering how they worked.
All fun and games
Of all my classmates I always was the shortest one. Transferring to a new school made me the subject of name calling because of that. Nothing I couldn’t handle as I tried laughing it away with humour. There were other kids in my class who had it a lot tougher. Despite that it still bothered me more than I showed. During recess I would hang out with the guys I knew from football. Usually a year older but friendlier than those of my class.
It did not yet spark my escapism. I was still a very social boy who went skating with friends and hung out., but there was a change in the way I gamed. I noticed I would use it to get rid of the frustrations I had. In the games I played I felt strong, tall, untouchable and I could be whatever I wanted to be.
It hits the fan
When I was around 15 years old I fell in love with a girl at school. Even though I was pretty social I was pretty shy on that front., not even seeing she kind of felt the same way.
Because I did not act on it she moved on to another guy who was from my hometown.
One night out with friends I went outside to get some fresh air when suddenly I found myself surrounded. Her boyfriend and all my former buddies from football. Apparently I was threatening the girl, even though I hadn’t spoke to her for a few weeks.
He demanded to see my phone, which was ok for me as I had nothing to hide. Even though he could not find anything he still kept telling me how he was going to teach me a lesson. Luckily my friends came looking for me and the menacing group left.
It was not the end of it though as a few nights later they were at my doorstep. Banging on the windows and door while shouting for me to come out.
One of the neighbours went out to see what all the noise was about. They answered her how they were going to beat me up, not a good idea as the neighbour called the cops.
The group was confronted by the police and told to never bother me again or their parents would be informed.
A few years later a lot of them apologised to me, either in person or by text. Some even pretend it never happened. In the end it became clear that the boyfriend was lying but the damage was done.
From super social to super asocial
The experience scarred me hard and for years I locked myself up in my room. I only went out for the most necessary needs: school and my student job. Going out with friends was a thing of the past, I always had an excuse so I wouldn’t have to go. Whenever I did go outside I was constantly looking over my shoulder, scared of being jumped.
The one thing left to do was to binge watch shows and play games. The last one always one as I played from when I got up until I went to bed. The only time I stopped was to go to school, go to my student job or eat.
It got to a point where my parents were concerned and asked me to please start going out again. But whenever I tried I felt nothing but fear and being uncomfortable.
Battling to improve
As time passed by I graduated and went to high school, where I met a lot of new friends and reacquainted with two old friends. I started going out more with my old group as well.
I tried to deal with the fear by overcoming obstacle by obstacle.
Though I never asked for help, which I wish I had.
My current girlfriend pushed me to go get some professional help and I did. Thanks to those sessions I now see that it was the other guy who was scared. He was afraid his girlfriend would still leave him for me.
How stupid that something as puppy love can create such scars on my end.
Another trick I tried is putting myself on the spot more. Public speaking about the things I love to do seemed the perfect way to do that.
This not only got me further in my healing it also resulted in meeting a lot of new interesting people.
Not completely healed
If you have met me at a meetup or a conference you might have noticed I still hold back a lot. The only exceptions being on stage or through social media. I do try to be social and talk to new people but it’s not always easy. In the back of my mind the fear can still show up, letting me believe that everyone’s out to get me.
When that happens I still tend to grab back to gaming as a remedy. It still offers that relief, that escape from the fears. I do try to limit this, always shielding myself off will do me no good either.
In the same spot
Now I did not write this post for everyone to feel sorry for me or look at me differently. I wrote this for the people that are in the same spot, young and old. If you’re one of them or you can relate to what I just wrote please ask for help from parents, loved ones, friends and even a professional. Life is far too beautiful and there are too many interesting people to meet to live in fear because of a few bad apples.
If you need a chat after reading this feel free to contact me. I’m always open to listen to your story.
Take care,
Kenneth | https://medium.com/@schabrechtsk/how-bullying-impacted-my-life-27fb407c456f | ['Kenneth Schabrechts'] | 2019-02-10 15:15:34.960000+00:00 | ['Short Story', 'Youth', 'Bullying', 'Resistance', 'Personal Development'] |
Python Numpy and Matrices Questions for Data Scientists | I’ve been preparing for Data Science interviews for a while, and there is one thing that struck me the most is the lack of preparation for Numpy and Matrices questions.
Often, Data Scientists are asked to perform simple matrix operations in Python, which should be straightforward but, unfortunately, throw a lot of candidates off the bus!
Me included!
One time, I was asked by a FAANG company to perform a multiplication of two matrices, which I didn’t know back in time.
I find the best way of preparing these types of interviews is to find a niche area and write a post on the topic. It’s a win-win situation for me and my fellow readers.
So, here it goes. In this post, I walk through 4 Numpy/Matrices questions that often come up in DS interviews and code it up in Python.
Photo by Brittany Bendabout on Unsplash
Question 1:
Given a 4x4 Numpy matrix, how to reverse the matrix?
# step 0: construct a 4*4 Numpy matrix
[[ 1 2 3 4]
[ 5 6 7 8]
[ 9 10 11 12]
[13 14 15 16]]
A side-note, np.arange(1,17) returns a Numpy array, and reshape(4,4) generates a 4*4 matrix.
# step 1: to flatten the numpy array
array([ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16])
There are two ways to flatten a matrix depending on the data type. For Numpy arrays, we use np.array.flatten() command; for non-array matrices, we use matrix.ravel(). Please try it out.
# step 2: read the elements backward into a new matrix
array([16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1])
After flattening out, we read the matrix backwards starting from the last element.
# step 3: reshape the matrix back into a 4*4 matrix
Last, we reshape the matrix and turn it back into a 4*4 matrix, as shown:
array([[16, 15, 14, 13],
[12, 11, 10, 9],
[ 8, 7, 6, 5],
[ 4, 3, 2, 1]])
The unique attribute about Numpy arrays or matrices is that we have to flatten it out before reversing it, and there are two ways of doing so depends on the data format (Numpy or not).
Photo by Pete Walls on Unsplash
Question 2:
How do you multiply two matrices?
This type of question could be tricky!
Two matrices? Numpy or not?
The solution largely depends on the data type that it refers to. Overall, there are two solutions: the dot method for Numpy arrays and nested for loops for non-arrays.
Solution 1: Numpy arrays
# step 1: numpy array
# A
array([[0, 1, 2],
[3, 4, 5],
[6, 7, 8]]) # B
array([[10, 11, 12],
[13, 14, 15],
[16, 17, 18]]) # Step 2: dot method
[[ 45 48 51]
[162 174 186]
[279 300 321]]
The one-liner dot method easily solves the multiplication question for Numpy arrays, but I doubt interview questions would be so easy.
So, it’s more likely to do multiplication questions for non-arrays.
Solution 2: Non-Arrays
Step 0: construct two matrices.
Python does not have a built-in data type for matrix, and we use a list of a list (nested lists) instead.
# step 1: create a zero matrix to store results
The reason why we create an empty matrix is to store the multiplication results in the following nested for loop.
# step 2: nested for loop
[[14, 20, 31], [21, 30, 46], [21, 30, 44]]
Let’s disentangle the nested for loops:
for i in range(len(X)): returns the number of rows for j in range(len(Y[0])): returns the number of columns of Y. A side-note: we use Y[0] to access matrix columns and Y to access matrix rows. for k in range(len(Y)): to iterate rows of Y Z[i][j] += X[i][k]*Y[k][j]: fill in the values in Z by the sums of element-wise multiplication.
Recall, the sequence of two matrices multiplication: the elements in the first row from X multiply the elements in the first column from Y, and we add the sums up. Repeat the process until the end.
The above nested loop simply follows the same procedure of calculating matrix multiplication as we normally do. A quick refresh of linear algebra here.
Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash
Question 3:
How to transpose a matrix?
Again, there are multiple solutions depends on whether you are allowed to use Numpy.
Solution 1: nested for loop (don’t use Numpy)
# step 1: create matrices
# step 2: nested for loop
[12, 1, 3]
[7, 2, 4]
Solution 2: using zip() for a list of tuples (don’t use Numpy)
# step 1: create a list of tuples
[(1, 2, 3), (4, 5, 6), (7, 8, 9), (10, 11, 12)]
We use a list of tuples to create a matrix.
# step 2: unzip and zip in one line
(1, 4, 7, 10)
(2, 5, 8, 11)
(3, 6, 9, 12)
# Solution 3: use Numpy array
3.1 np.transpose()
If we can use Numpy, a one-liner can get the job done.
3.2 np.array.T
array([[12, 1, 3],
[ 7, 2, 4]])
Alternatively, we can change the matrix (list) into a Numpy array and use array.T.
Photo by Eduardo Drapier on Unsplash
Question 4:
How to add two Numpy matrices together?
Again, there are two solutions depends on whether we can use Numpy.
Solution 1: np.array()
[[17 15 4]
[10 12 9]
[11 13 18]]
Numpy handles element-wise addition with ease.
Solution 2: nested for loops for ordinary matrix
[17. 15. 4.]
[10. 12. 9.]
[11. 13. 18.]
The code is pretty self-evident, and we have covered them all in the above questions.
On a related note, there are two variations of the question.
4.1 How to stack matrices vertically?
array([[12, 7, 3],
[ 4, 5, 6],
[ 7, 8, 9],
[ 5, 8, 1],
[ 6, 7, 3],
[ 4, 5, 9]])
4.2 How to stack matrices horizontally? | https://towardsdatascience.com/python-numpy-and-matrices-questions-for-data-scientists-167af1c9d3a4 | ['Leihua Ye', 'Ph.D. Researcher'] | 2020-12-30 00:18:10.177000+00:00 | ['Python', 'Interview', 'Data Science', 'Programming', 'Matrix'] |
What Makes a Successful (Online) Design Community? | We conducted a survey to get a better understanding of how designers currently participate in the communities that they are a part of and how they collaborate with others in the industry. Our goal was to gather insights that would help us examine key elements of a cooperative, friendly environment that produces favourable conditions for creative problem solving and collaboration. Since our mission at Design.local is to work together to build resilient communities, this data allows us to stay aligned with our vision. We hope that by sharing our findings and defining the fundamental requirements of a successful design community we can help designers decide what cohorts to join and helps us refine the user experience on our own platform.
So what did we find?
6 Essential Elements of a Successful Design Community:
1. An omni-channel experience
“I really have to go out of my way to collaborate [with and] get to know other designers.”
While it’s more difficult to keep a community engaged and active with everyone online, there are still many ways to leverage social media and provide value to creatives. Most businesses today invest in creating a multi-channel experience for their users. They’ll create a Twitter page, a Facebook page, an Instagram account, a website etc. to increase their reach. While this is still a worthwhile endeavour, most users will find that the experience is not seamless across all the channels and may find it difficult to truly adopt the brand. On the other hand, creating an omni-channel allows for an integrated experience for the user; the company’s message is aligned across the channels, and the interactions remain consistent and effortless. People appreciate efficiency and will more readily embrace a system that works with them rather than against them. You can spot omni-channel experiences if you find it easy to interact with a brand and connect with them readily through any of their channels. This type of seamless experience will make it easier to participate and form an ongoing relationship with the community you choose to be a part of.
2. Dropping value bombs
Dribble, Instagram, and Medium ranked among the top three sources of inspiration for the problem solvers that we surveyed:
Instagram and Medium ranked among the top 3 for sources of inspiration for problem-solvers.
How are they used?
Most problem solvers seem to use social media for tutorials, inspiration and articles.
When asked about the kinds of content that they consumed the most on these platforms, tutorials, inspiration, and articles came out on top. It is clear that we are attracted to value. The more of it we get in one place, the better. These popular platforms are designed to deliver content in manageable amounts so it’s important to pack as much value as you can into everything that you produce. As designers and content creators we ought to keep in mind what we are giving to the viewers of our content, because on the other end of it, as users we are asking ourselves, “How is this relevant and useful to me?” And be wary of producing purely self-promoting content. Always think about what you are giving your audience, whether that’s information, education, or entertainment etc. Creating value consistently is what drives engagement and increases retention. Look out for content that provides these value bombs that you find useful, engaging, and that helps you grow as a designer. A community that is always looking out for the best interest of its users will have plenty of value to go around.
3. Keep it short and sweet
We are often bombarded with so much information online that it leads to mental fatigue and choice paralysis. Through our survey, we learned that while creative individuals look to social media as a source of education and inspiration, they appreciate content presented in a short and easily digestible way. For example, carousels have become a highly popular method for designers to share their knowledge on Instagram — not only are they visually appealing, but they also distill complex topics into key, actionable insights.
Rather than linking to a long article or conversely, presenting photos with no real substance, we can create a series of well-crafted and meaningful images that individuals can swipe through within a few minutes. This way, busy creatives in need of a quick dose of inspiration or knowledge can gain something valuable without feeling overwhelmed.
4. Creating an impact
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels
The subject of making a difference and finding purpose was touched upon in the results of our survey. It revealed that over 90% of our creatives had one or more causes that were dear to them. If you suddenly came upon a large sum of money and were so inclined to donate some of it, there are probably a few charities or causes that would immediately cross your mind as well. As designers, we want to make a difference, no matter the scale. Being a part of a community that provides a way for an individual to do that will create a more fulfilling environment where they feel like what they do, matters. This could be a community that creates a platform for like-minded members to collaborate on a passion project, or simply just providing the resources to form the initial spark. A community that makes its individual contributors feel important will flourish.
5. Thriving on feedback
Image by Patzwerk on Dribbble
Design projects can oftentimes feel daunting because there’s never one “right answer” or an exact template to follow. Many designers, especially those just starting out, experience “Imposter Syndrome” and lose confidence in their own abilities. They have great potential, but lack the support, guidance, and reassurance from the right people to truly thrive. Design communities have the potential to be an amazing source of support and growth for designers of all levels of experience. While more senior designers can offer feedback from their rich experience working in the industry, junior designers or enthusiasts coming from a different field can provide fresh perspectives. Mutual feedback and support helps designers grow, and is one of the most valuable things that a community can provide to its members.
6. Community focused
Image by Yuanlei Huang on Dribbble
Our survey revealed that 85% of respondents find the time to work on side projects. But with so many possibilities, how can designers find one that will make a meaningful impact? Our answer is to look within the local community. Identifying the right opportunities within a local community will naturally bring like-minded people together. Whether it’s a local issue, initiative or not-for-profit organization, there are many ways in which problem-solvers can contribute their creative skills to make their local community a better place. Not only will they gain hands-on experience, they can meet potential mentors and make new friends in the area. This community-focused approach is a powerful tool that will help to establish a strong foundation for a growing design collective. | https://medium.com/@designdotlocal/what-makes-a-successful-online-design-community-f2cadbb3db01 | [] | 2020-05-06 01:21:00.021000+00:00 | ['Online Community', 'Design', 'Design Community', 'Designer', 'Community Engagement'] |
One Question To Create Immediate Clarity & Be Hyper-Focused to Write Copy | Question of the day today comes from one of the students, Jen, that is in our latest CopyU Case Study Program — so this is super exciting!
What is the Case Study? It’s a more intimate environment of our copywriting coaching and mentoring. We work with 10 students one-on-one and support them with their copy and their marketing projects. It’s a lot more 1-on-1 and incredibly super cool
Anyway, this question is a recurring theme that we’ve been observing with a lot of the students, and then one day, Jen asked the question… “Nick. There is so much happening in my world right now there is so much going on that there’s a sense of overwhelm. There’s a sense of frustration and there is a need for me to get clarity and focus and become hyper targeted on what matters most for me right now… And I have no idea what that is!”
So, the first thing that we delve into here is the understanding that it’s never overwhelm that we’re experience. We might associate the feeling with overwhelm — but the truth is that what we are truly experiencing is fear
Flipping this switch of language here and gaining the perspective of, “What am I fearful of here, what is it that I’m worried could potentially happen?”, allows us to tell ourselves a clearer story and paint a clearer picture to get to the bottom of what is concerning us right now
What am I scared of… Is it that I’m not good enough to get the work done? Is it that I’m not going to get it done in the set amount of time? Is it that I don’t know what part to do next and I’m going to fail?
Now we’ve ticked off that first part of the question, let’s get into how to become hyper focused and create some clarity around what to do next
I love Tim Ferriss. Huge fucking fan. I absolutely love him. I delved deep into a lot of his stuff many years ago. The “four hour workweek” is essentially one of the ‘quake books’ for myself. I read it when I was in University in my early 20’s. It’s where all this began. It’s where I began to contemplate and introduce this thought of creating this life for myself. One of the big aspects that he gets across, especially in Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors, is this concept about the one thing…
… and then there’s this book. It’s also called “The One Thing” — and inside it the authors pose this power questions “What is the one thing that I can do right now such that by doing it everything else becomes either obsolete, or unnecessary”
In other words we’re looking for the lowest hanging fruit that creates the highest amount of leverage for ourselves. What I love most about Tim’s approach to this is his perspective of “slowing down and creating space”
Less is more
Slow down in order to speed up
When we’re experiencing this state of overwhelm (see: fear) the mind is going a million miles an hour. The monkey mind is a goddam bull inside a china shop. We up-regulate. Stress increases. Our breathing goes. The fear deepens
By breathing, creating space and slowing down we allow ourselves to gain more clarity + perspective and can identify our highest point of leverage — our one thing
This is what I love about copywriting! It’s always a high point of leverage. Input doesn’t equal output. Anyone can write world class copy and we are one piece of copy away at any single moment in time…
How can we focus on the single bit of copy that matters most for us right now? What’s the project that I can tweak and continue to work on to drive up it’s power?
The truth is that all of this is just a system... This is a law of principles. This is a puzzle we’re putting together. What area of the puzzle needs my attention right now? Tweak it. Test it. Tweak it again and improve it
There’s this beautiful quote that I want to leave you with today…
The clock is off. There’s no race to run. When the next thing needs doing you’ll note. All of this is governed by divine intervention
We create the anxiety for ourselves, we create distress for ourselves, we create the fear for ourselves — all because we think we need to do something right now. We don’t. When the next thing needs doing well know. End of story
This isn’t more. This is about better…
Journaling Prompt: What’s the one thing you can do that’s going to create momentum and create leverage for you. What’s the one thing that you can do right now (i.e. generally a copy campaign, or a marketing campaign) that you can set up and get back on that’s going to continually work for you in the future, without need of energy input from yourself
Nick Maier
@nickmaier__ | https://medium.com/@nick-maier/one-question-to-create-immediate-clarity-be-hyper-focused-to-write-copy-d964cb571bcd | ['Nick Maier'] | 2020-12-15 20:30:46.861000+00:00 | ['Copywriting Tips', 'Words', 'Marketing Communication', 'Copywriting', 'Copywriting Services'] |
What is Internet of Things (IoT)? | What is Internet of Things (IoT)?
IoT is simply a network of physical objects things with sensors & softwares, thus they can share generated information amongst each other, using the network. Just like we do over the internet.
IoT in Manufacturing
Industrial processes are undergoing a radical transformation. IoT has not only optimised the manufacturing processes from the shop-floor to making finished products. But has also enabled us to used this data to get smart insight with AI
IoT in Transportation
Freight and Public Transport services equipped with sensors has made it easy for us to schedule maintenance, optimise fuel and improve security. Now even car manufactures have also started using IoT to enabling things like Autonomous Driving and Accident Detection and Rescue etc.
IoT in Healthcare
Healthcare is fastest growing sector in IoT today and for years to come. From medical machines that enable patient monitoring and troubleshooting to real-time location systems to track medicine dispensation, staffers and patients.
IoT in Daily Life
SYAN brings IoT to your everyday lives with easy to set up Smart Home Automation. Enabling you to Control all your appliances, devices, lights and fans directly from your smartphone. With features such as energy use tracking and analytics, scheduling. Giving you the lifestyle and ease that you deserve. | https://medium.com/@syanautomation/what-is-internet-of-things-iot-d13ffba7ff1f | [] | 2020-12-06 08:26:09.075000+00:00 | ['Smartphones', 'Home Automation', 'Smart Home', 'Internet of Things', 'Technology'] |
Five New Cryptocurrency Startups You Should Know for 2018 | Image by Pixabay.
There’s no denying that in the world of cryptocurrency, there are four main coins people think of: Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and Litecoin. These are the most visible coins, they are worth the most, and they are the most easily accessible via Coinbase, the most widely used exchange. While these coins are all successful in their respective ways, it is not the coins themselves, but the way these coins can be used that makes them truly successful. Now that there are several established coins, the market is blooming with new startups looking to utilize those coins, as well as the blockchain technology behind them.
In the coming year, we will begin to witness a societal shift towards cryptocurrency, especially with online payments. Right now, many developers realize the great potential for cryptocurrency to help their ideas grow, and want to incorporate cryptocurrency into their startups. As we journey further into the age of information, it seems our new technology is advancing much quicker than our governments can regulate it, and cryptocurrency will widen the gap between technology and regulation even wider. From its ability to provide users with a bank in their pocket, to providing an avenue for those who have lost faith in the federal financial systems, cryptocurrency has many reasons why coins are the next gold rush, and there are several promising startups helping make that a reality.
Here are five knew startups you need to know about for 2018:
Cypherium
Cypherium is a cryptocurrency-based startup run by a team of developers with histories at Amazon, Google and Microsoft. This startup sees many flaws in the current blockchain, and wants to address it, not through patching up the current blockchain, but by creating their own superior version in the hopes that it will be widely adopted. Advised by cryptocurrency industry leaders Emin Gun Sirer and Jeremy Gardner, this project seems to be headed in the right direction. Their new blockchain will be widely scalable and permissionless for users.
Cypherium will become the only blockchain designer to implement a multi-level governance design aims to make this blockchain more secure than any other. They will be separating governance both at the protocol and applications layers. Cypherium shows real promise to compete in the blockchain market, especially as it actively seeks regulation so it can be most easily adopted for mass use, and is certainly a startup to keep an eye on for the coming year.
Rentberry
This decentralized, long-term rental platform has been disrupting the rental industry since 2015, and seems poised to take off in the next year. Rentberry uses the blockchain to automate steps in the renting process, from finalizing contracts to paying monthly rent, saving both the landlord and the tenants time and money, while expediting legal agreements between both parties. Most importantly, Rentberry’s blockchain and enhanced contracts technology allows tenants to save thousands of dollars in security deposits.
Rentberry began with $4 million in investments from 11 international investors, and has since gained another $3 million in crowdfunding. Their initial coin offering is currently live, and they are hoping to raise an additional $10 million during their sale. The platform has over 120 thousand users and growing. As the market for rental properties continues to grow, Rentberry provides a trustworthy solution to potential renters and landlords alike, wishing to make the rental process as seamless as possible. With interest from the likes of Forbes, NBC, Wall Street Journal and almost every major cryptocurrency news source, I see this platform exploding over the next several years.
Loci
Loci is a venture-backed technology startup best known for their patent research tool, InnVenn, is finishing a platform expansion which will allow it to include the ability to buy and sell intellectual property. Users do this via Loci’s native coins, called LOCIcoin. Loci aims to improve and update the patent process by posting creation and disclosure of new claims for IP onto the Ethereum blockchain.
Loci understands that patenting ideas and creations can be a very confusing and expensive roadblock to creating, especially for individual inventors as opposed to large corporations equipped with teams of lawyers. They see blockchain technology as the answer, since it can provide a much quicker, safer and more cost-effective way of procuring a patent. Overall, this could encourage more growth and competition on the global market, which is always healthy, and should be a great startup to watch grow over the next year.
Coinlancer
Coinlancer sees a problem within the existing online freelancing markets, and wants to address the problem through the integration of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. Built on the Ethereum platform, Coinlancer addresses the problems currently faced by many online freelancers, such as unexplained account suspension, unaddressed and prolonged disputes, and failure to make payment, with the implementation of a safe, secure and transparent blockchain. Coinlancer will act as the host for job postings and freelancer accounts, as well as a wallet for transactions. For a project to begin, Coinlancer will need the agreed upon payments in escrow with them, offering security to both the client and the freelancer. These projects are paid out in Coinlancer tokens, of which the initial sale is happening now, which can be easily converted to or from over twenty different cryptocurrencies.
Among the technologies used by the Coinlancer platform are distributed ledgers, an open application programming interface, smart contracts, the blockchain and digital signatures. Each of these innovative technologies allow for further growth and optimization of the Coinlancer platform. If you are a freelancer, or in need of a freelancer, this is the platform you should be using, although you’ll have to wait, as full development is expected to finish in October of 2018.
Trippki
Trippki, created in September of 2017, sees a disconnect between hotels and the people that stay in them. They want to bridge that divide in terms of rewards. The Trippki platform is essentially a travel-rewards program that allows hotels to reward guests for staying with them. The platform is decentralized, and offers increased flexibility to hotels when compared with the already offered rewards programs, thanks to its masterful integration of the blockchain. Hotel-stayers can use their earned rewards tokens, called Trip tokens, to pay for hotel stays in the future.
This platform understands that travelers are constantly bombarded with offers for rewards based on their travel, but often these rewards come at a price. With Trippki, travelers will be rewarded for their stay, rather than rewarded because they chose from a list of preferred hotels with deals offered by their travel agent. The Trippki presale is open now, but the technology will not be complete until 2018. When it is ready to be used, I predict it will become a major player in the travel industry.
Are there any other startups you think I need to know about? Let me know in the comments below! | https://medium.com/wespostdotcom/five-new-cryptocurrency-startups-you-should-know-for-2018-b94e7bf8a2fe | ['Luke Roth'] | 2017-12-21 15:26:47.339000+00:00 | ['Ethereum', 'Investing', 'Sentiment', 'Bitcoin', 'Cryptocurrency'] |
We all have scars, some of us just hide them better. | Credits: Pinterest
When I cannot fall asleep, I write. I secretly think this has been my way of therapy and dealing with my emotions for the past couple of years — walking or writing, the two w’s if you might call them. And this is a part of me trying to heal or rather embrace my scars, as my whole life I have been told I talk too much, so naturally I had to silence myself or tone down to please everyone around me and to “appear more reserved” (whatever the heck that meant).
It took me 24 years to learn my writing and rambling was my power — 24 years and many scars.
Let me ask you a question. When you walk down the street, how many people do you see smiling?And how many people do you see in a hurry? It doesn’t matter. They all share something in common — they have all been hurt and it has left a mark on their soul, a mark no smaller than the physical one after a knee surgery.
We leave those scars to envelop our existence until we feel like we are suffocating from them, simply because we are afraid to deal with them. We lack the capacity to admit them, to share them, to embrace them and work on replacing that bad memory we have attached to them. Instead, we need to learn to accept them and honour them, as they made us stronger and more resilient; replace the bad memory with a good meaning — change the narrative around our pains. And wrap ourselves with so much compassion and love, that we are not afraid anymore to wear them boldly. Or not afraid to talk about them to our loved ones.
I understand it is easy to talk about the good with your partner or friend. And some of us do it very well. I have personally witnessed people being in relationships where not much sadness was shared, only joy, only the good — like a carefully curated instagram feed. And I always thought — Wow, I hope this is not me. I don’t want my life, my friendships and my relationship to be carefully curated, I do not want it messy either, but I want somewhere in between, where we are able to talk about how messy it has been, how grateful we are for where we are now. And if you are like me, let me warn you from the start, that being vulnerable and open is not something every partner of yours will want with you. But if they are willing to put in the work, and you are too, overtime you will build up your mutual capacity to share the highs and lows and I can guarantee you — it will last. Because whatever comes up, you will know how to react, so as to not trigger them. You will learn to be patient towards each other. And treat those scars they have with kindness and compassion.
I know you are fighting battles silently that you are afraid to bring to light, afraid you will be misunderstood. But believe me when I tell you, and please, do, the right people in your life care, they would be honoured to help you, to know those deep messy aspects of your life you are afraid to speak. And those people will be patient, they will help you over time feel comfortable enough for you to speak. We have all had pain in our past. Some of us just hide it better. And some of us just have nobody to share it with.
If you will take one thing from this piece, I hope it is that we cannot always be joyful and positive, life does not work like that. Life is extreme lows and heartbreak as well, life is pain and healing and suffering as well. And a person is not one or the other. A person has positives and pieces that need healing.
I guess, as a whole, all I am trying to say is, please don’t create spaces where being raw is not encouraged. Try to accept the scars on you, and on your loved ones. We are not broken, we need acceptance. We want to heal by ourselves, but we cannot do it without support. And changing our perception and rewiring our brains for the highs of life, starts with bearing the lows.
We are not an art gallery, we are human spirits.
And we don’t want to be curated…. we just want to be understood. | https://medium.com/@yoannawithay/we-all-have-scars-some-of-us-just-hide-them-better-ed74f1533af3 | ['Yoanna.. With A Y'] | 2020-12-12 01:11:06.714000+00:00 | ['Compassion', 'Healing', 'Relationships', 'Self', 'Love'] |
Simple Football Predictor: Week 13 Predictions | I have to admit that I’m a little relieved there was no Thursday night football this week. There was no way I was going to have these predictions ready by then. Its 11:30 Sunday morning and I’m just writing this up now. While the model wouldn’t have seen the results of a Thursday night game anyway, so the prediction would have been the same even if the outcome was already known, it still feels more proper to publish these predictions prior to game time.
Week 12 Results:
Win-Loss Model Results
I’ve now predicted 100 games exactly this season, and after a second straight strong week at 11–5, my season performance is now 58–42 or 58%, including 21–9 over the 2 week hot stretch.
On the season the lowest confidence interval is inching toward .500 and meeting expectations, while 55–60% continues to perform much better than expected. The 60–70% intervals continue to underperform, while the highest confidence interval continues to do great.
Against the spread I picked 8–8 last week, continuing a trend of picking very close to or at exactly 50% each week. My season performance is now 29–27–2, a record I don’t expect improved much as the season concludes, the model did have a Mean Absolute Error around 12.5 points, meaning each prediction is wrong by 12.5 points on average, so it more or less is random guessing.
Predictions:
Predictions vs Spread (As of 11:42 Sunday Morning):
Jets(+7.5) vs Raiders: Jets
Falcons(+3) vs Saints: Falcons
Bears(-3) vs Lions: Lions
Texans(+3) vs Colts: Texans
Titans(-4.5) vs Browns: Browns
Dolphins (-10.5) vs Bengals: Bengals
Vikings(-10) vs Jaguars: Jaguars
Cardinals(+3) vs Rams: Cardinals
Seahawks(-11) vs Giants: Giants
Packers(-8.5) vs Eagles: Eagles
Chargers(-2) vs Patriots: Patriots
Chiefs(-13.5) vs Broncos: Broncos
Steelers(-7) vs Washington: Washington
49ers (-1) vs Bills: Bills
Ravens(unavailable) vs Cowboys: Ravens
Quick Observations:
The Jets odds are almost dead even this week. I noted a couple of weeks ago that the 2 times my model predicted a Jets a victory they were leading at half time. This week with a 49.21% chance of victory, and a predicted margin of defeat of .03 points, I’m making the bold prediction that the Jets will be tied at halftime this week, before ultimately stumbling through the second half with less than a 100 yards total offense.
The model has brought back its strong home bias by predicting 12 home victories in 15 games.
I am currently enrolled in the Applied Data Science Professional Certificate program at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. Please reach out to met via LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanielselevan/) or comment below with all questions, comments, project suggestions, or to act as a mentor. All likes and comments will be well appreciated. | https://medium.com/@sully51494/simple-football-predictor-week-13-predictions-78d663e2c189 | ['Nathaniel Selevan'] | 2020-12-06 16:55:41.681000+00:00 | ['Logistic Regression', 'NFL', 'Data Science', 'Linear Regression', 'Predictive Analytics'] |
How to trick you body into losing weight? | I have heard over and over again how hard it is to lose weight. I know the feeling, I have gone through the struggle of trying to lose weight and failing many times. But I finally figured out the trick.
There are multiple factors to look at when trying to lose weight but the most important one is the simple formula below
Calories intake < calories burned =>Weight loss
First you should know how many calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight. Its very easy to calculate with the modern fitness devices we have. Wear a fitness watch and measure how many calories you are burning in an hour in resting state. For eg, my resting calories burned in an hour is between 50–60 calories. Multiply that with 24 hours and you get your daily calories burned in non-active/resting mode. So this means that I can eat anywhere between 1300–1440 to maintain my current weight.
Second thing you need to do is to start calculating how many calories you are eating per day. Again, its very simple to do that. I use MyFitnessPal app. It gives me a rough estimate of the calories intake. In the beginning just enter the amount you need to eat to maintain and try to eat 100 calories less than you normally eat. 100 calories isn’t that much, a slice of bread normally is around 100.
1 pounds of weight = 3500 calories
So if you are eating 100 calories less everyday you will lose approximately 1 pound in a month.
Once you hit a month of eating 100 calories less, measure your weight and update your new weight and new calories intake required to maintain that weight. Now repeat the same process again till you reach your desired weight.
What!!! Its that simple?? Honestly it is if you don’t cheat.
There are other things you can and should do to accelerate the weight loss.
Eat food that helps you feel full for longer time. Food with high fiber and higher protein. Some examples of such food are eggs, tofu, any kind of cheese, melons, quinoa, brown rice, lentils, cucumbers, broccoli, Cauliflower, Garbanzo, Almonds, Cashews, peanuts, oats, yogurt, berries and many more. All these foods help you burn more calories and keep you feel full for longer.
Gain muscles to burn more calories while resting. Its well known that more muscles means more calories burned=> Weight loss. You have to workout to gain muscles, there is no other way around it. Its not that hard to gain muscles, believe me, I have done it. You don’t need to be in a gym to lift weights. If you can get a few variation of dumbbells, you can do it at home. Focus on very basic movements. A couple that should get you going are Bench Press (can do it on the floor), Front squats, Lunges, Deadlifts, bicep curls, shoulder presses, triceps, fly, reverse fly, rows, dips, plank holds, crunches.
Avoid unhealthy habits that can deter you from continuing your healthy journey. Some of the things that are big culprits are — Drinking alcohol, smoking, staying up late, eating out too much. Frozen food, cheating on your meals on weekends. Don’t make excuses to fall into the ugly trap.
That’s all folks! Try it out and share your feedback. | https://medium.com/@gomtimehta/how-to-trick-you-body-into-losing-weight-6e4e92d52f7d | ['Gomti Mehta'] | 2020-12-27 23:26:32.434000+00:00 | ['Weight Loss Tips', 'Weight Loss', 'Healthy Eating', 'Healthy Living', 'Healthy Lifestyle'] |
Important Linux commands for beginners (basic). | Linux
What is Linux?
Linux is an open-source operating system same as Windows, macOS, etc. Linux has been around since the mid-1990s. It’s in your phone, Refrigerator, television, etc. From cars to supercomputers, from small to big organizations, the Linux OS is everywhere.
Distros in Linux
For a while Linux has grown its community to a larger level, spreading its wings to the greater communities.
Some of the famous distros of Linux are:
· Debian
· Ubuntu
· Gentoo
· Linux Mint
· Red Hat Enterprise
· CentOS
· Pop OS
· Kali Linux
· Fedora
· Arch Linux
Linux Distros
Linux Terminal Commands
Now we will see all the important commands of the Linux terminal that at least one should know. I will use the Ubuntu distro for the same because it is most popular for beginners. You can use any distro terminal. In ubuntu shortcut to open the terminal is ctrl + alt + t.
Updating and upgrading packages (Ubuntu):
For update:
sudo apt-get update
or
sudo apt update
The update command will show how many packages need to be updated and the upgrade commands install the packages.
For upgrade:
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
or
sudo apt upgrade
Installing other packages
sudo apt install package_name
for eg., we will download pip for python in Ubuntu:
sudo apt install python3-pip
where sudo => “Super User Do” &
package_name => python3-pip
Inbuilt editor of Linux terminal
Nano is the inbuilt default editor of Linux. To open nano for a file use:
nano filename.ext
And then the editor will open in the terminal that looks like the below image.
nano editor
Note: To save the file press ctrl + o and enter, then press ctrl + x to exit.
Base directory
To know your base directory just use:
echo $HOME
Output: /home/username
Here, the $HOME variable is a path variable that stores the base directory of your system.
Current working directory
To know about your current working directory just use:
pwd
output: /home/username/PythonProjects/JupyterNotebooks
where pwd => Print Working Directory
pwd helps us to show the full path from the base to the current project or work.
working of commands
Going back to the base directory direct
To go back to the root directory from any current directory just use:
cd $HOME
Now run pwd and check you will see that you are currently standing on the root.
output: /home/username
Moving up and down one folder from terminal
I. To move to the parent folder use command:
cd ..
II. To move inside a folder use:
cd folder_name
where folder_name => your folder present in the current directory.
working of commands
list of all files in the current directory
To see all files and folders present in the current directory use these three commands:
I. For only the list of names of the files use the command:
ls
II. For listing the names with details like date and time etc.
ls -l
III. For a list of all files including hidden files and folders with details use:
ls -la
working of commands
Manipulating files and folders
In this, we will see some commands to create delete, and move folders and files.
I. creating a folder
mkdir folder_name
Here mkdir => Make directory
Note: This command will create a folder in the current directory.
II. Removing a folder
rmdir folder_name
Here rmdir => Remove directory
Note: This command will only delete the folder that is present in the current directory and should also empty or else throw an error.
III. Creating a file
touch file_name.ext
Here touch => will create an empty file in the current directory.
IV. Removing or deleting a file
rm file_name.ext
Here rm => remove or use ‘*’ instead of file_name for all files to be removed.
Note: This command will only delete the file that is present in the current directory or else throw an error.
V. Moving one file to another directory
mv file_name.ext directory_path
For example:
mv test.txt ../test_folder
Here, mv => Move
test.txt => file_name or use ‘*’ for all files,
../ => to parent directory of the current directory,
test_folder => folder present in parent directory.
Note: If the file is not present or the folder is not present at their given position this command will throw an error.
“No such file or directory.”
You can also use $HOME/test_folder if the folder is present in the base directory.
VI. Moving one file content to another file or Renaming file.
mv file1.ext file2.ext
here file1 is the existing file and file2 is the rename of the file1.
Note: This command will delete the file1 and only file2 will exist with the same data.
VII. Copying one file to another file.
cp file1.ext file2.ext
where cp => Copy
**file1 should be present in the current directory and file2 will be created automatically.
Note: Comparing to the mv command, the cp command will not delete file1 from the current directory. | https://medium.com/@abdeali004/important-linux-commands-for-beginners-basic-ce37420f0341 | ['Abdeali Stationwala'] | 2021-04-06 18:42:25.768000+00:00 | ['Linux', 'Ubuntu', 'Beginner', 'Automation', 'Linux Commands'] |
Is a 10-Day Silent Meditation Retreat Right for You? | Years ago, if I had accidentally wandered into a Vipassana retreat, I would have assumed it was some sort of cult initiation.
Imagine: 80 participants forbidden from speaking, touching, or making eye contact for 10 days. Men and women kept separate. A 4:00am wake-up bell every morning. Meals prepared by invisible volunteers and eaten without a word. No books, media, internet, games, or group activities allowed: just 10 hours of meditation every day, sometimes directed by the disembodied voice of the esteemed master, S.N. Goenka.
And every evening, in a dark room, with entranced faces glowing in the light of two old TVs, a climactic break from the austere silence: a 75-minute video lecture from Goenka. A chance to gaze upon a friendly human face and to laugh at his humor. An invitation to reflect on what must surely be profound spiritual truths, gradually escalating in authority as the week progresses.
By all appearances, this is a perfect recipe for indoctrination into a strange religious sect of some kind. I recognize some of these tactics from the church experiences of my youth; it’s not the first time I’ve been force-fed metaphysical claims while in a vulnerable state. I walked away from religion years ago and I have no interest in returning. I’m happy as an atheist.
So what was I doing here?
I didn’t wander in accidentally — I was there because I signed up for it. I smiled up at the master, too; I chanted “sadhu, sadhu, sadhu” along with everyone else, obeyed the precepts, and put my full effort into the meditation practice.
And, while my mind readily identified and disregarded the various supernatural claims I was presented with, I found loads of value in the experience. It was unlike anything else I’ve ever done. I’d recommend it to most people. I’d love to do it again.
My goal is to help you identify whether you would benefit from this experience too — or if it could be harmful to you, as it has been for some. I’ll describe what the retreat was like for me, why it’s an outstanding resource, and how it can also be dangerous for the wrong person.
Ten days living like a monk
I had tried meditation a few times in my life but never quite got the hang of it. I could never quite climb out of the river of words that constantly flowed through my mind, and my attempts to do so were sporadic.
I didn’t see much benefit because I was never disciplined enough to gain traction with my practice.
The Vipassana retreat gave me no choice but to go deep. It was carefully set up to remove every distraction. By the end of the 10 days, I had meditated for 100 hours; and instead of reaching that number with hundreds of consistent choices to sit down and practice, I only had to make one choice — to drive to the retreat and follow the instructions. From there they held my hand the whole way through.
Our first task was to learn how to quiet our minds and think about nothing.
Most people assume they’re bad at meditation because they are unable to sit quietly and stop thinking. Their minds continue to run full speed no matter how many times they direct their attention back to their breath.
It was no different for me. I would try to focus on my breath, and 10 seconds later my mind would be zooming across all kinds of memories, hypotheticals, conversations, and other thoughts and feelings. 15 minutes later I would remember, “oh, right, let that go and pay attention to the breath.” 10 seconds of mindful breathing and my mind was off and running again.
As I practiced for tens of hours, though, I got better at it. By the end of the 2nd day, I found that I was able to set aside all thoughts and observe my inhale and exhale for 10 uninterrupted minutes. When my mind started to wander again, it was less than a minute before I recognized it and drew myself back in.
By the 4th day, it had become easy for me to sit an entire hour without thinking a single thought.
People wonder why it’s hard to quiet their minds, and the answer is simple: it takes a long-ass time to build up to that skill level, and a lot of focus. Most people never invest that much time or energy into it.
Imagine trying to gain muscle by only visiting the gym once a month. A Vipassana retreat is like quitting your job, moving into the gym, and hiring a full-time personal trainer. You’re going to see a lot more progress that way.
Now that we had spent 30+ hours learning how to stop thinking, the real work began.
I don’t want to describe the practice in too much detail, because if you decide to try a retreat, I don’t want to give you too many preconceived ideas about what it’s going to be like.
In short: the Vipassana technique deals with noticing sensations in your body and training yourself to react to them impartially.
The idea (based on Buddhist teachings) is that we all have attachments — cravings and aversions — that are the root cause of our suffering. They exist as heavily-used neural pathways; habit patterns of mind and body. When we are presented with various stimuli, our brains automatically go down these pathways that land us in various emotional states. Our lives become miserable because each day we are at the mercy of random, impersonal phenomena that are beyond our control; we chase certain stimuli and run from others, which leads to all kinds of anxiety and poor health.
If you sit still and scan through your body, you’re bound to notice many sensations, both pleasant and unpleasant. The automatic reaction is to revel in the pleasant ones and try to avoid the unpleasant ones.
Instead, the goal of Vipassana is to notice these sensations in all areas of the body while remaining impartial to them, experiencing them with complete detachment and equanimity, in a purely objective way. Some part of you feels warm and comfortable? So it does. Move on. Another part of you feels tense and achy? So it does. Move on. All of these things are temporary. They will all change. They are nothing but electrical impulses. You don’t need to assign a big emotional reaction to them.
If you can learn to accept the good and the bad with equanimity, with the understanding that nothing lasts forever, your brain can experience greater peace, freedom, and happiness… and ultimately you can come to terms with the fact that life eventually ends too, and that’s OK.
As the days go on, all sorts of feelings and realizations can hit you out of nowhere. Some people say trauma is stored in the body, and you’re examining your body closer than ever. You might have some kind of repressed memory resurface, or you might feel overwhelmed with hard emotions. If you can learn to watch that happen without reacting, you can rewire your brain to get rid of the automatic distress response to those wounds.
This style of meditation falls in the category of “insight meditation” because it tends to help you understand new things about yourself and the world.
A few of the experiences that surprised me:
Meditation can put me in a similar mental space as psychedelics. The last few days of the retreat felt like I was constantly experiencing the pleasant fade-out of a mushroom trip, where sanity and realistic perception have been restored to my mind but there is also a deep lingering feeling of calm, peace, and ease.
The technique offered me an incredibly direct and thorough way to explore my mind-body connection. I discovered some patterns I had never noticed before — tension in my legs, neck, and shoulders; habitual contraction deep inside my left side-body. My body felt better than ever, and I noticed my mobility and range of motion were significantly increased when I tried yoga poses, which was not an expected result from sitting in the same posture for hours on end.
I deconstructed some of my ideas about gender and sexuality. I felt myself become more open to the idea of connecting intimately with other men. Part of that came from being surrounded by a group of sincere, intentional guys who really wanted to work on themselves. Part of it was inside my own body as I listened to sensations that I had previously silenced.
When I was at the Vipassana retreat, I was going through a difficult time in my life: my step-mom was dying from cancer. She was the parent who best understood my life choices and encouraged me along my unique path. She’s the one who helped me become interested in bodily awareness, joyful movement, and developing a loving acceptance of others.
Of course, I already knew I was devastated by her impending death, but the retreat revealed how deep my ocean of grief was. I cried a lot. It was very upsetting. There were times when I was curled up in bed, completely overwhelmed, and the bell sounded to summon us to the meditation hall. The last thing I wanted to do was sit quietly and examine myself. I wanted a distraction. I wanted my normal coping mechanisms back.
But I went anyway. I sat. Amidst all the pain, I set aside my worry and turned my attention back to the fleeting sensations in my body. I saw that all the heartaches in life, and all the joys, were ever-changing and temporary. It grounded me in reality and gave me peace, in a much more holistic and durable way than my distractive coping mechanisms ever could. I found that meditation was the most helpful for me when I least wanted to do it.
I left the retreat feeling like a different person, with a sense of calm and patience I could not have imagined before. I soon went to stay with my step-mom and helped administer her home hospice care; I used my new meditation skills to remain receptive and attentive when I might otherwise have been overcome with feelings of despair. She died a week later.
I am glad the Vipassana retreat gave me a chance to process my step-mom’s death before it happened, so I could be intentional about the rest of the time we had together.
In the five years since the retreat, I have often used Vipassana-style meditation as a tool for maintaining sanity in my daily life. It feels like the mental analog of cleaning my room. It clears away the clutter, organizes my thinking, increases my focus, and helps me make difficult decisions.
The benevolence of the Vipassana organization
One reason I decided to trust this organization is because of the revolutionary way in which it operates. I don’t know of any other program that offers so much for free: when you take a course, you are provided with 11 days of wholesome food, adequate lodging, and dozens of hours of instruction — at no charge whatsoever. Most multi-day meditation retreats cost hundreds of dollars, at least.
The organization is entirely volunteer-run, sustains itself purely on donations, and you aren’t even allowed to donate unless you complete a 10-day course. Nobody keeps track of whether or not you donate; and if you don’t have money, you can give back by volunteering or helping to spread the word.
It’s brilliant, really, because it lets the effectiveness of the practice speak for itself. The organization continues to grow because people are so pleased with the results that they give generously to help it continue. Also, as someone who lives well below the poverty line, I appreciate that the course is accessible to the poor.
Every communication I received from the organization was dripping with mindfulness, compassion, and clarity. From the application process, to the pre-course emails, to the way they engaged us on orientation day, it was obvious that a good deal of intention had been put into the information that was shared with us.
They worked hard to create an environment where we could leave behind all the distractions of our daily lives and dive deep into a new practice. All course messages after the orientation day were conveyed via signs rather than verbal announcements so as not to intrude on our headspace. At mealtimes, they would simply ring a bell when the food was ready, and we’d walk into the vacant dining room and serve ourselves from the buffet table, eating in silence. I savored every meal with profound gratitude. Even without the sensory deprivation, I would have considered the food excellent; vegetarian, healthy, and delicious.
I hope it is clear that I have a high level of regard for Vipassana as a meditation technique. It has made a big difference in my life, and there are many things I appreciate about the organization, too.
So, where is the danger that I alluded to before? Why not just write about the benefits, recommend it enthusiastically, and call it a day?
For all the good aspects of this organization, it is important to remember that it is still a religious one, and they ultimately want you to join them. Some of the persuasion tactics are intense and could be harmful for vulnerable people.
The unfortunate coercive practices
As someone who grew up under religious programming and later went through the process of deconstructing that experience, I’m hyper-aware of manipulative dogmas. This awareness comes in handy when people are trying to talk me into accepting their belief systems.
I never felt like I was at risk at the Vipassana retreat because I know how to think critically about spiritual claims. If I heard something questionable, I automatically applied a healthy level of skepticism.
However, not everyone has experience navigating these things. Some people are naturally susceptible to spiritual coercion; others are in a life situation where they are desperate to find guidance and authority. The programming isn’t exactly sinister, so a moderately malleable person is not at great risk, but I’ve seen some people take the information to such a literal extreme that it becomes harmful for them.
My main issue with Goenka’s method is that he ramps up his specific variety of Buddhist messaging — and the insistence that you must maintain the Vipassana practice for 2 hours every day, forever, if you want to be enlightened — at the same time as he’s leading you into an extremely vulnerable and impressionable mental state.
You’re reassured ahead of time: “the Vipassana technique is non-sectarian. You don’t have to be a Buddhist to practice it. It is compatible with any religion. Everyone should feel comfortable coming to learn the technique.”
Technically, it’s true that the technique itself should not conflict with any pre-existing religious beliefs. It only involves attention to the breath, body-scanning, and finding equanimity. There’s no invocation of spiritual forces or deities.
But the course itself absolutely functions as an “intro to Buddhism”, and I don’t recall that being advertised ahead of time. Maybe I was naive, but I don’t think I’m the only one.
On the day you arrive, there is a sort of initiation meeting where they present you with the five precepts of Buddhism and ask you promise to follow them:
to abstain from killing any being; to abstain from stealing; to abstain from all sexual activity; to abstain from telling lies; to abstain from all intoxicants.
Those are reasonable rules for a meditation retreat. You’re essentially agreeing to live like a monk in a monastery for 10 days.
But, also, there is a “repeat after me” section where they ask you to say “I take refuge in the Buddha.” If I had still been a Christian, I would have been extremely uncomfortable with that request. You might as well have asked me to say “I hereby invite demons into my heart.”
Early on in the course, Goenka sets a certain open-minded tone about his own method: “Evaluate the technique for yourself, give it a fair trial, and if it provides tangible benefits in your life, for yourself and the people around you, only then should you accept it.” This seems fair, even noble. It encourages you to let your guard down because you think “This guy isn’t going to coerce me into anything. He’s just offering something, and I can take it or leave it.”
Certainly, the technique does deserve a fair trial for evaluation! One must then decide if it works for them or not. Anyone can get on board with that.
But as the days go on, his tone changes. He presents the theories behind the meditation — and Buddhist ideas such as karma, reincarnation, and “full enlightenment” — as facts. He claims practicing Vipassana meditation for two hours every day is the only way to find true happiness and meaning in life. He proclaims that Vipassana is actually the original kind of meditation that the Buddha taught and that it was passed down by a secret line of masters for 2,500 years — only to emerge into popular use via his personal teacher in the mid-1900s, which (by the way) the Buddha prophesied.
By the end of the course, rather than saying “see if it works for you”, he’s saying: “This technique has been proven to work for many thousands of people around the world, so there can be no question that it works. If you try it and it doesn’t work for you, you aren’t practicing properly, and you need to talk to an instructor to determine what you’re doing wrong.”
Wow! That’s a totally different message than we heard at the start.
A similar bit of logic is found in Christianity. The promise is that if you give your life to Jesus he will come into your heart, change you, and show you perfect love. However, if you give Jesus a fair trial but ultimately leave the faith because it does nothing for you after all, it is commonly insisted that “You must never have been a true Christian. If you had sought Jesus authentically, you never could have wanted to leave his love.”
This is a “no true Scotsman” fallacy and it exists to protect the legitimacy of the faith — because, if people give it a fair trial and reject it, the clear implication is that it doesn’t work for everyone, and then the main tenets of the faith are thrown into question.
Instead of insisting that those who don’t benefit from Vipassana are doomed to be miserable, Goenka could have said “Thanks for giving it a try! If this meditation doesn’t work for you, try to find some other way to gain control of your reactions and develop equanimity in your life.” That would have demonstrated a legitimate concern for the student’s well-being rather than a primary goal of gaining followers of his technique.
He used the same kind of manipulative logic I faced inside of Christianity, and I lost respect for him at that moment.
Despite my disappointment with this tactic, I was able to brush it off easily and focus on the parts that were valuable to me.
But from the conversations of people around me on the last day, I could tell that many people were getting sucked into the same kind of salvationist mindset that Christianity pushes: they needed to make a big effort to maintain this practice if they want a good life, even when the day-to-day reality of it is a massive struggle.
Striving for a perfect practice is yet another form of attachment and suffering. If the goal is to free people from those things, why place these demands on students, setting them up to feel like a failure if they don’t practice for an hour every morning and evening? Two hours a day is 1/8 of your waking life. That’s an even bigger ask than a 10% tithe.
The retreat is incredibly intense and difficult, especially for someone with no meditation experience. A person might enter a rather delicate mental state when you isolate them from all contact with everyone they know, all touch and communication with others, and ask them to sit still and quiet for 10 hours every day with nothing but their own subconscious for company. It pushes some people to the brink of insanity — or beyond, in the case of this young woman who committed suicide soon after her course.
Goenka himself describes the process as a “deep surgery” which can have negative results if you aren’t careful. The organization does try to take some measures to protect you; there is a resident assistant you can talk to if you’re experiencing problems, and they try to screen for mental health problems beforehand.
However, I have read stories of people being in distress and wanting to leave, but being strongly encouraged to stay. You’ve given them your keys and your wallet for safekeeping, so if you want to leave, you have to talk someone into giving those things back to you, and they’re not always eager to comply. “It will be more damaging if you leave halfway through. You need to stay here and keep working.”
The combination of mental vulnerability, loss of autonomy, and religious programming can create a traumatizing situation for some people.
In conclusion
With proper awareness of the risks, most people in sound mental health can find a great deal of value in this kind of meditation retreat. It has the potential to take you past your limits in ways you’d probably never try otherwise, and it leaves you with a powerful practical technique for finding equanimity in your body and mind. It might change your life.
If you’re in a highly vulnerable state, or if you don’t think exposure to the coercion I described would be healthy for you, it’s probably wise to find a less extreme way to learn about meditation.
Despite my complaints, I would recommend a 10-day Vipassana course to most people. Even if you don’t continue the practice afterward, you can still gain some deep personal insights from the 10-day experience.
I would simply encourage you to be on the lookout for manipulation and not to worry too much about how well you maintain the practice after the course ends. There are many kinds of psychosomatic practices that can help you find peace in your life. Maybe Vipassana is the one for you — or maybe not, and that’s OK too. | https://medium.com/interfaith-now/is-a-10-day-silent-meditation-retreat-right-for-you-f59688fed9c8 | ['Joe Omundson'] | 2020-12-19 17:00:04.795000+00:00 | ['Spirituality', 'Buddhism', 'Mental Health', 'Vipassana', 'Meditation'] |
All mothers are equal. | Celebrities’ and their supporting mom
All mothers are equal. Celebrity’s mothers are just like our mothers. Undoubtedly, moms’ are indeed the greatest gift of Almighty. They love their kids, balance a lot of different jobs still manages to take some time out for their kids. When we talking about the mothers of our celebrities, nothing makes us smile wider than watching our celebrities pictured together with their mothers.
Yes! My readers understand my writing style and obviously understand that TODAY I am recalling my memories and wanted to recall the phrase of:
The hands that rock the cradle is The hands that rule the world…
The hand that holds us on our first day are the hands of our mom. Mom is simply a mom of anyone and the moms of these beautiful and talented celebrities have been seen supporting their daughters. Although some of these celebrity mothers did not welcome the idea of their daughters joining showbiz initially but now that their daughters are in the field they are always seen side by side and appreciate her achievements.
Let’s have a look at celebrities and their relationship with their mother:
Hira mani automatically looks 10x prettier while color coordinating with her mom
HIRA MANI…
A well-known actress and the most adoring is that she is even a mom of 2 cute boys’ Hira Mani is the great actress of the present era. She inherited the talent from her mother therefore readers and viewers, I think she is a born actress.
The struggle of becoming an artist in our culture is extremely real; parents aren’t as supportive of this career path as we’d like them to be. So, once we see Pakistani celebrities with their mothers, it’s a heart arming sight to behold!
Kubra Khan posing for a picture with her mother
The struggle of becoming an artist in our culture is extremely real; parents aren’t as supportive of this career path as we’d like them to be. So, once we see Pakistani celebrities with their mothers, it’s a heart arming sight to behold!
Kubra has appeared in several hit serials most of which have been with leading banners and were top-listing plays throughout their run on the small screens. Talking about her parents and family support in making her acting career a success, she said that her mother, who’s hardly-ever proud of her, now feels pride over her achievements.
Sadia Faisal and Saba Faisal giving us some major mother-daughter goals.
Saba Faisal has been associated with the television industry for decades now. She has made an even bigger name for herself in recent times. Her daughter Sadia Faisal has been part of some big projects too. Saba Faisal and Sadia Faisal share a special bond.
An adorable picture of Sanam Jung and her mother.
In a recent Instagram post, Sanam shared some photographs of her mother and wrote a heartwarming thank you note for her mother.
The host and actress started her message with a cute revelation,
“There was a time when she used to dress me up and make my hair. Look how times have changed Ami!”
Sanam continued her text by remembering her childhood. She praised her mother for raising her and her siblings in the absolute best manner and always showing her silver lining to the family.
“When I look at you smiling, it reminds me of how you have raised us in the best possible way under different circumstances. I have seen you excel in your professional as well as your personal life. Looking after four crazy girls along with a loving yet strong-headed husband must have been a tough task…”
Sanam ended her post by saying that her mother is the strongest woman she has ever seen and that she deserves the best.
Momal Sheikh shares lens with her mother.
A happily married mom of a cute boy. Even tries to find some moment free to spend vacations with her happily and mom, especially. Momal Sheikh
I Miss You, Mama
mom is the best friend of Saboor, as she affirmed in her interview that still now she use to go to her mom when she felt worried, and depressed, and requested her to pray for her, she further declared that she knew that almighty will definitely listen to mom prayers as it comes out from the core of heart and with deeper insights.
Saboor regrets in grief and continued that she was blind for future and didn’t know that time will come when she will not find her dearest mom for that she need to wished and pray for her to come in a dream so that she can converse with her
with eyes full of tears she said finally accepted that she missed her even today.
When we talk finally about the love and care of mom whether it could be an actor, director and a producer, housewife working, or simply a mom, many hats off to her dedicated love to their young ones. It’s the reason, when comes the time to make decisions of our life, we rely completely on our dearest mother,
We are extremely close to our mother. She’s always meant a lot to us and has held the place of friend, philosopher, and guide in our life. She’s always been a very best friend; every one of us goes to her for advice for every issue in our life from the smallest things to the biggest crisis. Mother is my backbone, she’s always there for unconditionally.
Martin Vidal Stacy Cellier-Gomez Theresa Smith Chris Smith Steven Tyndall Shirley J. Davis Peter D. Kaizer Pierre Rognion Camille DeAngelis
WebdesignerDepot Mandy Edwards Rebecca Lynn Freddy Daniel Garcia Paul Fairweather | https://medium.com/@m-ammarthegreat/all-mothers-are-equal-83d75120604a | ['Muhammad Ammar'] | 2020-12-28 12:53:16.423000+00:00 | ['Google', 'YouTube', 'Love', 'Yahoo', 'Mozilla'] |
Diary of a Plague Year | A lifeworld is a mesh. An apartment is not a lifeworld on its own; a Zoom account is not a lifeworld. Covid-era politics have severed the ties, the capillaries, that bind together our lifeworlds — make them vascular and robust. | https://medium.com/@no-valis/diary-of-a-plague-year-2c4378f631ea | [] | 2020-12-27 20:24:29.007000+00:00 | ['Ideas', 'Lockdown', 'Philosophy', 'Truth', 'Covid 19'] |
ไม่แบ่งงานใส่คนใน Sprint planning | I am a product builder who specializes in programming. Strongly believe in humanist.
Follow | https://medium.com/chris-dialogue/%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%88%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%9A%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%99%E0%B9%83%E0%B8%99-sprint-planning-72d1e6cfa13a | [] | 2020-09-17 15:40:57.459000+00:00 | ['Scrum'] |
Eclipsed Women: The Need for Scientist-Mothers in Popular Culture | In July of 2021, an article was published in Nature titled: “The parenting penalties faced by scientist-mothers.” This article was one of the first to describe in comprehensive detail the challenges faced by mothers within the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. In reading this article, passed to me by one of my graduate student friends, it was alarming to realize how common penalties are for scientist-mothers, whether being ignored for a tenure position or a significant reduction in publications due to challenges of motherhood. The view of women overcoming these challenges is becoming more accepted, but it is still far from the norm of societal pressures and expectations. These challenges apply to mothers in all jobs and positions, but scientist-mothers have additional challenges not publicly recognized or understood. As a science writer working with amazing female scientists, I do get upset when I see scientist-mothers being overlooked for their hard work and dedication toward both their family and career. Women in science have a difficult enough time getting the funding or credit for their work, which can negatively impact their careers and cause them to lose out on prestigious awards. The fact that some of these women are also successful mothers makes their stories all the more inspiring.
Movie poster for Gravity
The struggles that these mothers face have never been accurately portrayed for the general public, so many people outside the field of science do not understand the pressures of doing research for long hours and having a family at the same time. One of the reasons for the scientist mother's “invisibility” is the lack of popular culture role models for scientist-mothers. I spoke to Dr. Lisa Yaszek, Regents Professor of Science Fiction Studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology about why there is a lack of scientist-mothers in popular culture, including science fiction. According to Dr. Yaszek: “When science fiction presents scientific women as having the opportunity to pursue marriage and motherhood, it’s almost never a matter of having it all — instead, as we see in midcentury films such as Forbidden Planet (1956) and TV shows such as Lost in Space, such characters are asked to make a choice between career and family — and of course, they almost always choose the latter. And if you believe Hollywood logic, it’s a good thing they do so, because it seems that women who try to have it all are doomed to disaster: the human crewmembers at the center of The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) find themselves in jeopardy in part because their female engineer is struggling with family drama that causes her to make questionable professional choices, and in Gravity (2013), Sandra Bullock’s character is simultaneously presented as the most brilliant mind of her generation and as someone who only pursues a scientific career because her child has died and she no longer has a role as a mother.” The choice between family and a career dooms these women characters to never becoming successful scientist-mothers, and thus creating a void of scientist mother role models for women. This makes it difficult for female scientists considering motherhood, as they have no one to look to for overcoming challenges with funding, tenure positions, or publications that are intrinsically affected by motherhood.
Dr. Dana Scully of the X Files, played by Gillian Anderson
A prime example of this choice is in the journey of Dr. Dana Scully from the X-Files. As the show rose in popularity, Dana Scully’s character was considered groundbreaking for women in science, as she wasn’t oversexualized or submissive, but rather fierce and independent, crusading science as truth. Her character was also a dominant part of the story and got a significant amount of screen time, which is unique for a female scientist character in the film. Scully’s character was so impactful when the show first aired in the 1990s that she inspired a whole generation of female scientists, also called “the Scully Effect.”
Scully’s character is assigned to the X-Files to spy on her FBI partner Fox Mulder and his unorthodox methods. Case after case, Scully uses science to explain paranormal and extraterrestrial activity. Throughout her work, she deals with family drama: her sister’s death, her own battle with cancer, and her desire to be a mother. Through the most unexpected turn of events, Scully becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son named William. While any scientist mother may hope to use Scully as a role model for the successes a female scientist can have in her career and being a parent, this wasn’t meant to be. During her time as a mom, Scully isolated herself, showing that she had chosen motherhood oven a career. Not only this, but due to William’s special lineage, he was constantly in danger. At one point, the danger was too much for Scully, and she was forced to give William up for adoption. She then returned to her career as a female scientist for the FBI. Even at the end of the show, when the X-Files was rebooted, Scully was never able to return to motherhood, as the teenage William rejected her entirely. Scully’s entire journey of desiring to be a mother, struggling with motherhood and her work as a scientist, and finally choosing her career, showcases the common struggle that women in science face.
For the few scientist-mothers who do get some screentime, they are portrayed in a rather negative light. From Yaszek’s research, she found that if there is a pregnant woman or mother in science fiction, they are typically cast as victims, needing to be saved by others with better technoscientific skills. “For example, while Children of Men (2006) technically centers on the last pregnant woman on Earth,” Yazsek explained, “the film really follows the adventures of a male hero fighting male protagonists for control of the pregnant woman’s body and future. Interestingly, Mad Max: Fury Road — which is often celebrated as the first truly feminist Mad Max film — does cast a woman as the savior of the pregnant women that all the male villains are fighting over, but interestingly, she herself is single and without child — a lot like the traditional male science-fiction hero.” These negative portrayals often reinforce the choice female scientists feel pressured to make between motherhood and career.
The logo for Mothers in Science, a nonprofit global organization
Off-screen, women don’t always have to make this choice. Isabel Torres, a science editor/writer and science communicator with a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Cambridge (UK), realized that the struggles of scientist-mothers needed to become more visible to show women they don’t have to choose between career and family. She co-founded an organization called “Mothers in Science,” which works to support scientist-mothers, as well as expose their struggles and successes. “Research shows that around 80% of scientists over 40 years old are parents, which means that mothers represent a large proportion of STEM professionals (and students),” Torres stated. “We can’t continue ignoring mothers in STEM and their enormous contribution to the advancement of science and technology. STEM institutions, and the academic system in particular, still function based on a model that does not accommodate the needs of parents and caregivers, and this leads to structural (albeit invisible) barriers that disproportionately affect mothers.” From Torres’ research, she found that the pandemic did nothing to close the gender gap in STEM fields, in fact, it seemed to magnify it. In creating “Mothers in Science,” Torres commented that: “mother scientists are truly an inspiration because, despite these barriers, and the challenges of pregnancy of motherhood, they can lead successful careers in STEM.” Torres’s work highlights that female scientists can succeed at being a mother and a scientist, without feeling the pressure of having to make that tough decision. Mothers in Science has continued to grow since its establishment as more and more women have found the community of support they need.
In fact, many women are choosing to be both a mother and a scientist, though not at the same time. In a conversation I had with a friend who is a female computer scientist and coder, she spoke about how she is considering freezing her eggs, so she doesn’t have to decide. She can focus on her career now, and then have a family later when she’s ready. Egg-freezing is becoming more of a common choice for women scientists, as they remove the stress and pressure of having to choose between two different dreams for themselves. Instead, they can succeed within their scientific institutions and then later have a family. Delaying a family has other benefits, including the added time to build more financial stability.
The hidden stories of scientist-mothers show just how truly inspirational these individuals are, due to the many barriers they face. According to Torres: “Besides facing gender bias and discrimination, scientist-mothers encounter additional obstacles to career advancement. In our global survey, we found that bias and discrimination against mothers (known as the “maternal wall”) are widespread in the STEM sector. For example, mother scientists are offered fewer professional opportunities, such as promotions or invitations to speak at conferences, they are perceived as being less competent by their employers and colleagues, and many reports being removed from research projects or even being fired during their maternity leave.” And this doesn’t include childcare. Childcare can be expensive, forcing many scientist-mothers to sacrifice their career to take care of their children. This sacrifice can significantly affect a scientist-mother's career by reducing publications or time spent on applying for funding.
But the struggles for scientist-mothers only continue. “Another issue is the work culture in the STEM sector, especially in academia,” Torres explained. “Scientists are expected to be ‘visible,’ they need to attend networking events and conferences for establishing collaborations and building their reputation, and they are also expected to work round-the-clock, including evenings and weekends — this is obviously impossible when you have children.” These same stressors do not generally apply to men, as women tend to do most of the childcare and housework. In her research, Torres discovered that the research productivity and visibility of a scientist-mother tend to drop after having children, which isn’t the case for most scientist-fathers. To Torres, these struggles were all-too-invisible for the general public, including the scientist-mothers themselves. Because of the lack of scientist-mothers in popular culture or even within scientific institutions due to the “maternal wall,” these barriers go unnoticed by the general public.
There are other barriers that scientist-mothers face due to the institutions that were created by men, for men, and not for scientist-mothers. Many scientific institutions did not set out with the intent of making things difficult for scientist-mothers, they just weren’t exposed to these individuals’ needs. In an article for Scientific American, Dr. Rebecca Calisi Rodriquez of UC Davis describes the challenges of not having lactation rooms at a scientific conference for breastfeeding mothers. When confronted with this problem, the conference administration admitted that they hadn’t thought about the fact that some of their attendees or speakers would be breastfeeding and need a lactation room.
Mattel’s 2021 Line of Scientist Barbies
For centuries, women have shouldered the load of child-rearing while trying to succeed in society. It’s about time that their struggles were made known to those who can help support them. The need for popular culture scientist-mothers has never been higher. The ball has already begun rolling as Mattel’s Barbie released six new dolls that celebrate female scientists. None of these dolls however were shown to be scientist mothers. As our society shifts to embracing more diversity and openness for problems such as mental health or sexual abuse, the time for scientist-mothers is now. “I have frequently been questioned,” Marie Curie once stated, “especially by women, of how I could reconcile family life with a scientific career. Well, it has not been easy.” For the women who choose to have a family, it will always be a challenge, but providing more recognition and support can help make it more possible.
References:
“Barbie Launches Six New Dolls Celebrating Female Scientists — Including an Australian Doctor.” ABC News. 2021.
Gewin, Virginia. “Film and Television Tell Children Who Can Be Scientists.” Nature 565 (7737): 126–26. 2018.
Keller, Gary. “The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results.” Bard Press. 2013.
Lerman, Kristina. “Female Scientists Set Back by the Pandemic May Never Make up Lost Time.” The Conversation. Accessed August 12, 2021.
Maigua, Patricia. “Why Media Matters: Images of Women Scientists and Engineers.” ITU. April 21, 2021.
“Mothers in Science.” Mothers in Science. 2021.
Paris, Aubrey. “Unhidden Figures: Portraying Women Scientists in Pop Culture.” United States Department of State. February, 11, 2021
“Portrayals of Female STEM Characters in TV and Film Haven’t Improved in 10 Years.” The Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media. September 25, 2018.
Powell, Kendall. “The Parenting Penalties Faced by Scientist-mothers.” Nature 595 (7868): 611– 13. 2021.
“Quick Take: Women in Academia — Catalyst.” Catalyst. 2017.
Williams, Wendy. Cece, Stephen J. “When Scientists Choose Motherhood.” American Scientist. February 6, 2017.
Interviews:
Dr. Isabel Torres of Scientist-mothers
Dr. Lisa Yaszek, Regents Professor of Science Fiction Studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology
Photographs:
“X Files:” Courtesy of 20th Century Fox and Wallpaper Cave
“Dana Scully:” Courtesy of 20th Century Fox and Wallpaper Cave
“Gravity:” Courtesy of Warner Bros. Studios and Wikipedia
“Mothers in Science:” Courtesy of the Mothers in Science organization
“Mattel’s Barbies:” Courtesy of Mattel Inc. | https://medium.com/@kenna.castleberry/eclipsed-women-the-need-for-scientist-mothers-in-popular-culture-a87930031e21 | ['Kenna Castleberry'] | 2021-09-08 16:33:06.683000+00:00 | ['Science', 'Film', 'Mothers', 'Women In Science', 'Science Fiction'] |
Where are our Public Servants? | The inability of Congress to address the economic catastrophe — not a crisis, a catastrophe — is shameful. While other Western countries have stepped up with relief for individuals and businesses devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, our elected officials mud-wrestle in political gamesmanship.
Nothing gets done for one primary reason: regardless of the nature and severity of a crisis, whether economic, health, security, or otherwise, members of Congress are shielded from it. They simply do not suffer along with the average American. Their paychecks and healthcare are guaranteed. Too many enter Congress with a modest net value and miraculously transform into millionaires. Because they don’t feel our pain, they don’t experience any sense of urgency. And, inexplicably, even appeals to morality, compassion, and civic duty seem to fall on deaf ears.
It’s disgusting. That we continue to vote in these grifters election cycle after election cycle exacerbates the problem. They aren’t held accountable. On the rare occasions where incumbents are bounced, we seem to replace them with more self-serving thieves. The evil are rewarded and the good corrupted, while the bottom falls out of what used to be an American middle class, and too many visit the emergency room for primary medical care, a food kitchen for their kids’ next meal, and homeless shelters for a roof for the night after an eviction.
It’s long past time to restore the mission of the government as “by and for the people” by elevating to leadership positions Americans motivated not by self-interest but by a spirit of service. | https://medium.com/@keenekomeskleen/where-are-our-public-servants-1b495f907cc1 | ['Matt Keene'] | 2020-12-16 19:27:59.898000+00:00 | ['Congress', 'Term Limits', 'Poverty', 'Social Justice', 'Covid 19'] |
May May Knock My Door | Source: JSTOR Daily
"Hide aways, they say, because we don't want your broken parts. I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars. Run away, they say, no one'll love as you are. But I won't let them break me down to dust. I know that there's a place for us." (Keala Settle)
Whenever May approaches and almost knocks my door, I feel the wound of huge void within my soul. I lost a teacher — not just in term of academic, but also life — nine year ago, 19th of May, 2012. His name is Sulaiman Abdulmanan. That date is a day before the annual commemoration of National Awakening Day. And that day always reminds me of him because how selfless he was thinking about the meaning of freedom of thought in relations to human rights. It would be a very long story and I won't feel okay just to write his story in a single brief piece.
Before the pandemic, usually I always tried my best to visit him, his graveyard. You may call me weird because I obsess to not solely visit, but also kiss and sleep beside his place — cemetery. For me, it is the most beautiful and peaceful garden I've ever known. It gives me the sense of comfort and safety. It's green. It's humble. It's homey.
I know it's strange that I call it homey though I hesitate to be buried one I die. I keep thinking about cremation because of two reasons: simplicity and efficiency. Simplicity means I want to totally and fully live this earth, this world when I die. I would like my ash to be blown by the wind. If it's possible, in the forest near by the sea (so far I keep thinking about Costa Rica because it always feels like my second home). Then, efficiency, here is in the sense of: after cremation, nobody has duty to take care of my graveyard, no body needs to pay the tax and/or cost of the maintenance of my cemetery.
"If I cannot live this homeland country to save my one life, I better take my life than they do it for me…" | https://medium.com/@isti-toq-ah/may-may-knock-my-door-ea5ffc6da5ad | ["Isti Toq'Ah"] | 2021-04-25 21:18:06.341000+00:00 | ['Autobiography', 'Home', 'Death', 'Memoir', 'Life'] |
An Open Letter to the Community on OceanOne Beta Launch | Dear Mixin Users,
It has been a while that our team has been working on a secret project and yet another milestone for us: Mixin OceanONE Exchange Beta version is officially released today!
Starting from day one, we have been working hard to get to the next level.
True, We have not been very communicative, but now, it is the time to go public! We have been dedicated to deliver to you the best technology and all of this is possible today thanks to the entire MIXIN team, I am proud to say that MIXIN Network is getting even stronger.
MIXIN is also working with other partners, and collaborating with Nepal’s Global Payment Service Provider City on an Instant Messaging Payment System, which will provide more extensive application scenarios for Mixin’s technologies.
Today, we launched the Beta Version of OceanONE. In the following month, OceanONE will be tested by all the Mixin community members. After the test period we will keep communicating when is the launch of the official version of OceanONE.
To participate in The OceanONE Beta Test Events please click on the following link for more details: https://medium.com/mixinnetwork/oceanone-beta-test-event-aefaf17694e2
Based on the features of the Mixin Network, OceanONE is committed to creating a new generation of decentralized exchanges. In just one week, the cumulative transactions exceeded 10 million in 24 hours.
OceanONE accepts all assets in Mixin Network as base currencies and at the moment, the trading pairs supported are Mixin XIN , Bitcoin BTC and Omni USDT.
For example:
I can trade USDT for ETH, BTC, XIN, SC, EOS
I can also trade BTC for EOS, XIN, SC, ETH
And finally for Xin I can trade SC, EOS, ETH
OceanONE realizes the user experience of “0” transfer fee and “1” second to transfer; it has the following three characteristics:
Transparent: all the transaction logs will be available on Mixin Network, which can be viewed by anyone;
Efficient: Same user experience as centralized exchange
Security: Secured as decentralized exchange. All the assets only exist in your wallet.
We are always looking to expand our ecosystem starting from the Mixin Messenger and now with the OceanONE Exchange, we are grateful to be able to deliver the best technology for our community and we are still hungry for more expansion and bright future.
Mixin Team,
August 13th, 2018 | https://medium.com/mixinnetwork/an-open-letter-to-the-community-on-oceanone-beta-launch-71c15cdfc93c | ['Yasmine Moustatia'] | 2018-08-13 12:04:01.732000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin', 'Etherum', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Blockchain', 'Technology'] |
The Principle of Least Action — I | You notice that there are points on the curve where a shift in y always translates in the upward direction and these points are known as Local Minima. Each dot is at the bottom of the little depression. The lowest possible place on the curve is global minimum.
The condition for a local minimum is that the derivative of the function with respect to the independent variable at that point is zero. This is a necessary condition, but not a sufficient condition. This condition defines stationary point.
Condition for stationary point
The second test is to calculate the second derivative to examine the character of the stationary point. If the second derivative is greater than zero, then the nearby points will be above the stationary point and we would have a local minimum.
Condition for local minimum
If the second derivative is less than zero, then the nearby points will be below the stationary point and we would have a local maximum (Figure 1.2).
Condition for local maximum
Figure 1.2 (local maximum)
If the second derivative is equal to zero, then the derivative changes from positive to negative at the stationary point. This point is called the point of inflection (Figure 1.3).
Condition for point of inflection
Figure 1.3 Point of inflection
Stationary points in higher dimensions :
Local minima, Local maxima and stationary point can happen for function of more than one variable. Imagine a hilly terrain (Figure 1.4), the altitude A is a function that depends on the two variables, latitude and longitude, A(x,y). The top of the hills and the bottom of valleys are local maxima and local minima of A(x,y), but they are not the only places where the terrain is locally horizontal. Saddle points (The very top of hills; these are places where no matter which way you move, you soon go down and vice-versa) occur between two hills.
Figure 1.4 Hilly terrain
Let’s take a slice along the x axis through our space so that the slices pass through a local minimum of A (Figure 1.5),
Figure 1.5 Slice along the x axis.
It’s very clear that at the minimum the derivative of A with respect to x vanishes. We write this as:
Equation 1.1
On the other hand, had the slice been oriented along the y axis, then we would have concluded with:
Equation 1.2
If there were more directions of A, in which it could vary, then the condition for a stationary point is given by:
Equation 1.3
These equations can be summarized. The change in a function when the point x is varied is given by:
Equation 1.4
These sets of equations are equivalent to a condition that
for any small variations in x.
If suppose, we found such a point then “How do we tell whether it is maximum, minimum or saddle?”. The answer is to look at the second derivatives. However there are several second derivatives. For the case of 2 dimensions, the last two being the same.
These partial derivatives are often arranged on a spatial matrix called the Hessian Matrix.
Important quantities such as determinants and trace can be calculated as below:
Using the below definitions we can determine the local minimum, local maximum and saddle points:
If Det H and Tr H are positive, then the point is a local minima. If Det H is positive and Tr H is negative, then the point is local maxima. If Det H is negative, then irrespective of the value of trace, the point is a saddle point.
I have illustrated the above with a simple example.
The point is local minima.
In the next article, we will discuss “System of more than one particle”. Thank you for reading. | https://medium.com/@abhishekansgar-22306/the-principle-of-least-action-i-9d2e6b958910 | [] | 2020-12-23 17:45:18.657000+00:00 | ['Classical Physics', 'Lagrangian', 'Physics'] |
911, I Have A Medical Emergency But Also I’m Watching ‘Avengers: Endgame’ | 911: Emergency Services, go ahead.
CALLER: Hi, my friend slipped and hit his head. Hard. He’s not responding.
911: Okay, sir, don’t panic. Is your friend breathing?
CALLER: I… I can’t tell.
911: I’m hearing a lot of background noise.
CALLER: Right, I should have mentioned, I’m at an advance screening of Avengers: Endgame and—
911: OH MY GOD, NO YOU’RE NOT, NO YOU ARE FUCKING N—
Phone dropped. Chair knocked over. Shouting. Deep breaths. Chair reset. Phone recovered.
911: Are you still there?
CALLER: Yeah.
911: Okay, listen. You’re putting me in a really difficult situation. I’m gonna keep talking with you but you CANNOT tell me what happens, okay? Deal?
CALLER: How can I —
911: IS THAT A DEAL?
CALLER: I — sure. Deal.
911: Great. Now, when did your friend fall down.
CALLER: He was coming back with more popcorn, it was a while ago.
911: Can you be more specific?
CALLER: It’s dark, I don’t have a watch.
911: Think! How long ago?
CALLER: Well, it was right after Hawkeye was killed by —
911: GODDAMMIT—
Phone hurled against wall. Screaming. Angry pacing. Phone recovered.
911: (Whispers) Sir, I am trying to help but you are not making it easy. I’m only still on the line because there’s a chance my manager is listening.
CALLER: I understand.
911: If you do that again, I’ll disconnect you so fast, you’ll feel like Nebula kicked you in the face.
CALLER: The way Nebula kicked —
911: DON’T.
CALLER: Sorry. So, my friend fell about twenty minutes ago.
911: Okay. Is he reacting to stimuli?
CALLER: Stimuli?
911: You know: sound, light, anything like that?
CALLER: Let’s see, he flinched when —
911: STOP. You’re about to reveal a movie detail, aren’t you?
CALLER: What? No.
911: Go ahead.
CALLER: He flinched when the Avengers headquarters blew up, that’s in the trailers, right?
Head slamming on desk. Wail of fury receding into distance.
Pause.
MANAGER: Sir, this is the manager, I’ve been monitoring your call. I hate to interrupt but you’ve left us no choice. I have some questions for you.
CALLER: Okay.
MANAGER: Hawkeye’s death — was it from someone you’d expect? Was it honorable? Or a shock, like, ‘No one is safe?’
CALLER: Let’s just say when it happens, it makes a lot of sense.
MANAGER: Ooooh, I like that, I like that. Was there much blood?
CALLER: Not much, Hawkeye even had the chance to —
MANAGER: No, I mean your friend.
CALLER: Oh! Right. There’s a cut over his eye, and I applied pressure with some napkins until it stopped. Did I do the right thing?
MANAGER: Sure, as long as you — OH MY GOD.
CALLER: What? What’s wrong?
MANAGER: Is that the voice of Peter Parker in the background? It is, I knew they’d bring him back! Was it with time travel, or the stones? No, don’t tell me. Yes, give me a hint! Oh god, why do you do this to yourself, Clark? Don’t you dare tell me! It’s time travel and the stones, isn’t it. I don’t want to know!
911: Hi again. I’m dispatching the ambulance.
MANAGER: Right, the ambulance! Shutting up. But this is killing me. I am literally dying.
911: Here’s the thing: the drivers haven’t seen the movie, either.
MANAGER: We’re all going tomorrow!
CALLER: Nice.
911: Normally we wouldn’t do this, but… could you possibly drag your friend to the lobby?
CALLER: …drag him?
911: Yeah, just take him by the shoulders and pull.
CALLER: Isn’t that bad? Like, if he has a neck injury?
MANAGER: It is, but I don’t see another way around this. Just… just do it real fast.
CALLER: One last thing. I don’t suppose this could wait until the movie is over?
911: (Sigh.) How long are we talking?
CALLER: I don’t know, 45 minutes, an hour, tops?
Muffled discussion.
MANAGER: That’s fine. So you understand, we wouldn’t do this for any other franchise. We’ll still need him in the lobby, though. You never know what could pop up during the credits.
CALLER: Got it. Okay, I’m going now. Thanks for all your help.
911: No problem, sir, that’s why we’re here. And don’t worry about your friend — he’ll be fine.
CALLER: I hope so. I’d hate for him to end up like Captain Ameri —
Click. | https://mistersniffen.medium.com/911-i-have-a-medical-emergency-but-also-im-watching-avengers-endgame-16a4556d8479 | ['Tim Sniffen'] | 2020-05-25 17:14:48.350000+00:00 | ['Avengers', 'Humor', 'Prioritization', 'Emergency', 'Movies'] |
Britney Spears Pop Up Museum in L.A. Gets Fans “In The Zone” | Britney Spears Pop Up Museum in L.A. Gets Fans “In The Zone”
By: Vanessa Castaneda
The Zone: Britney Spears Experience, 6310 W. 3rd St. Los Angeles Photo By Vanessa Castaneda
Fans everywhere have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience Britney Spears at a more intimate level. The Zone: Britney Spears Experience, is an interactive pop up museum that allows her fans to engage with recreations of her most popular music video sets, props and a chance to relive her most memorable moments throughout her music career.
The museum dedicated to our pop princess is on sale now until April 26, 2020. Tickets start at $29 for fans ages 4–12 (before 5pm only) and $39 for adults. Buy your tickets on “The Zone: Britney Spears Experience” through the direct link found on the official website.
It is as if for a moment, you forget you were in a building that once was a vacant K-Mart on West 3rd Street in Los Angeles. Instead, you escape through the sounds of Spears’ music, and accomplished your dream of being in one of her music videos.
According to LA Weekly, The Zone is 30,000 square-feet, located in Fairfax, and consists of ten different Britney-inspired rooms that was co-created by longtime fans, Jeff Delson and Shannon Ramirez.
“It took about two years of conceptualizing and planning to put this together. There’s a lot of detail involved, and as fans, we wanted to make sure we captured all of the little moments. Once we started construction, it took about three months to build it,” Delson told Insider.
Spears herself supported the two and provided input into this major project. She brought her fans a much closer experience by contributing a few of her most famous outfits, including her flight attendant costume as seen in her “Toxic” music video from 2003, her Pepsi 400 outfit in 2004, and her outfit as seen in her “Till The World Ends” music video from 2012. Each costume display also includes a photograph of Spears of when she wore the outfits. | https://medium.com/@nessa_castaneda/britney-spears-pop-up-museum-in-la-gets-fans-in-the-zone-c2512e282324 | ['Vanessa Castaneda'] | 2020-03-27 19:38:50.593000+00:00 | ['Britney Spears', 'Pop', 'Music', 'Museums', 'Los Angeles'] |
Detecting Sensitive Data in Salesforce With Amazon Macie | Since I haven’t based the AppFlow on a Salesforce event I can only run the flow on demand or on a schedule. Since I want to include data that may have been modified I’ll select an incremental transfer based on LastModifiedDate to be scheduled every night at midnight.
AppFlows can be run on schedule, on demand or triggered by a Salesforce event.
Now I can map my Salesforce fields to destination fields. Since I don’t need Amazon Macie to check every field in my source object I can map only those fields I need. This helps to keep the file size to a minimum. In this case I need the unstructured text to analyse (New_Value__c in my use case) and the unique identifier for the Chatter Post in Salesforce so I can directly link to it for investigation. AppFlow also lets me include validations. In the example below I have included a clause to skip the record if there is no value to analyse.
Mapping Salesforce data to an S3 object
That is it. I repeated the steps to create 3 flows. One for each Salesforce source.
One AppFlow per Salesforce Object
They all populated their own unique object in the same S3 bucket as seen below after the first run. So the chatter-data AppFlow job ended with the results being put into the chatter-data object in the salesforce-data-analysis bucket etc. This meant other objects could be added at a later date.
One S3 object per Salesforce Object.
Step 2: Decode Base64 encoded strings
Most standard and custom objects have their field values arrive as text that can be analysed directly. FileVersion data from Salesforce arrives as as a Base64 encoded string. This required a Lambda function to be written on the PUT event of the file-data S3 object that read the originating string and decoded it.
The resulting output was put into another S3 object to prevent the Lambda function from firing recursively.
Step 3: Configure Amazon Macie
Configure S3 bucket for data discovery results
To ensure long-term retention of discovery results you must configure an S3 bucket so Macie can write its findings. I created a bucket called data-discovery-findings.
Configuring where to store the data discovery results
Configure data analysis job
Next you will need to create an analysis job on the S3 bucket. A wizard guides you through the process. For costing purposes Macie will estimate the cost based on the number of objects in the S3 bucket and the size.
Specify the S3 buckets to analyse
The Macie job then needs to know how often to run which can be Daily, Weekly or Monthly.
Macie analyses your data set for pre-defined managed data identifiers. Things like personally identifiable information (birth dates, driver’s licence numbers, passport numbers, national identifiers etc), personal health information (health insurance or medical identification number etc) and financial information (bank account numbers, credit card expiration dates, credit card numbers etc) and even credentials (AWS secrets, Open SSH private keys etc).
For a full list of managed data identifiers check out the following link
However, during the Macie job setup you get the option to include custom data identifiers. These are regular expressions that define patterns to match and keyword combinations to look for within a specified match distance.
That’s it. Once you give the job a name and description you’re good to start analysing your Salesforce data.
Step 4: Review Findings
Once the Macie job runs you can start to see the results of the findings. Amazon Macie will group findings into types. | https://medium.com/swlh/detecting-sensitive-data-in-salesforce-with-amazon-macie-5beb5175bc8 | ['Dave Norris'] | 2020-11-18 02:53:40.891000+00:00 | ['Amazon Macie', 'AWS', 'Sensitive Data', 'AWS Lambda', 'Salesforce'] |
Why is sex so enjoyable and important? | As adults, we often think that we already know everything there is to know about sex. But do we? Knowing the mechanics of sex is relatively simple. But is sex just about the physical aspects? The older I get and the more experience I have accumulated, the more I feel that perhaps most of us have missed entirely the significance of sex.
Early in the beginning of this year, I listened to a NPR broadcast on laughter. Several scientists were interviewed. The scientists made some observations about human laughter and found, quite shockingly, that, most of the time when we laugh, there is nothing funny. Rather, the laughter is used as a form of social communication, perhaps to show friendliness and group harmony. The scientists also remarked that other mammals such as chimpanzees and rats also have a form of vocalization which is the equivalent to human laughter. Again, chimps and rats “laugh” not because there is something funny. It is their way to communicate that they are just playing and not trying to kill each other. Thus, animal laughter is a way to say that everything is alright and there is no cause for alarm. In short, humans and other mammals vocalize laughter, not necessarily because there is something funny, but because it is an important form of social communication.
Now, let us come to the issue in focus — why is sex so enjoyable? On the surface, it seems like a trivial and “stupid” question. As a teacher, I love asking such questions. Many questions which may seem trivial are actually very deep. We may think that “everybody” knows the answers to such questions. But appearance is usually deceiving.
Many people think of sexual pleasure as strictly a physical matter. They are the sexual materialists. It is true that our sexual organs — the glands of the penis and the clitoris are full of nerve endings. But if sexual pleasure is strictly a nerve ending business, then why is oral sex pleasurable to the one giving it? I can’t imagine that there are as many nerve endings in the tongue as in the sex organs. We can perhaps understand this better by drawing a parallel between laughter and the giving of oral sex. As discussed earlier, most of the time, people laugh when there is nothing funny. Similarly, people experience sexual pleasure even when the only point of contact is the mouth or the tongue. The pleasure in giving oral sex is not derived from the physicality of the experience. Rather, it is a psychological phenomenon. Oral sex gives pleasure to the one giving it because of its social meaning. We feel good when our partner moans with pleasure or experiences orgasm. We derive a sense of satisfaction from our ability to bring pleasure to others. My understanding is that some women can even orgasm from giving their partners oral sex. Truly, blessed are those to serve others. Should this be a big surprise? After all, we humans are social animals. Nature rewards us with pleasure when we give our partners pleasure. Beyond what is physical, there are also the psychological, the social and the spiritual dimensions. Isn’t the serving of one’s partner an act of kindness and selflessness?
Human and animal behaviors are usually complex. Things may not be what they seem. This is particularly true when it comes to sexual matters. There is always a danger of reductionism, of simplifying things too much. Another way to discount the significance of sex is to reduce it to an animal phenomenon, devoid of rich human meaning. Recently, a young man posted an interesting remark in my Literati group on Facebook. He asked, “Isn’t sex an animal thing?”
Of course, sex is a kind of animal behavior and we too are animals. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, some of the more thrilling aspects of sex have to do with the fact that sex is an occasion when we can express our animal self. We feel safe enough to let our inner animal out. There is no need to put on a mask to pretend that we are more “civilized” than the other animals. Sex can be both very primal and very good. Many religious people are too quick to dismiss or debase sex as something which is dirty, base and the opposite of what is spiritual. They apparently don’t see the connection between animal sex and spirituality. But I have a different opinion. Sex is spiritual in this sense — it is one occasion when we give up our ego and our need for control. In the heat of sex, we return to what is natural and spontaneous. We don’t need to censor ourselves. It is an occasion to bare our souls.
Some religious people have the notion that sex is okay only if it is engaged in for procreation. Among both Buddhists and Christians, there is an understanding that sex is something we would better do without. In fact, that is one of the reasons for the development of a monastic tradition. Somehow, sex is seen as an obstacle on the path to God. I disagree totally with this attitude. Sex serves many worthy human purposes. Besides procreation, sex serves the purpose of recreation, relaxation, bonding, comforting, loving, communicating, affirming and healing. For better or worse, sex is never just sex. It involves so much more. Any human behavior is likely to have a big component of social communication and signalling. I have not written about the spirituality of sex for a long time. I used to include it as a part of my public dharma talks. Because of this young man’s question, I have decided to write something about it. So many spiritual and religious people are so confused about sex. The universe must have known my intentions. One night, when I was driving home, there was an episode of “On Being” in which the philosopher Alain Botton talked about the deeper meaning of sex.
Towards the end of Alain Botton’s interview with Krista Tippett, he mentioned one spiritual significance of sex. It is a way we express acceptance. For a long time, I have had this thought — nothing beats sex as an intimate act in which one has to be totally vulnerable and trusting of the other person. When someone is willing to engage in such an intimate and vulnerable act with us, it is an ultimate act of affirmation. The meaning of this affirmation dwarfs even the physical pleasure and sensations of sex. Sex is, for good reasons, considered as “dirty” or “revolting” by many. Yet, another human being trust us enough to do it with us. It is, in this sense, an ultimate gift and act of kindness. In more than one way, it is a gift of life and honor. It affirms our own human worth. Of course, on the negative side, being rejected for sex is also of great significance. It is a form of humiliation.
Many people are eager to dismiss the significance of sex. I run an Internet-based group called “Eros, Nature and the Tao.” One female member of the group is Buddhist. Many Buddhists take a very guarded attitude towards sex, just as many Christians do. Since she knew that I am Buddhist, she asked me whether I consider sex “a big deal.” I told her that, contrary to many religious teachings which dismiss or vilify sex, it IS a big deal for most people. Sex is important, not just because it is tied to pleasure, ego and vanity. I feel that the religious dismissal of sex as just expressions of animal lust and ego is crude and uneducated. If we look at Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. we can see that sex is not only a basic need, like food. It is also a high level need — that of emotional, social and spiritual nature. Sex is directly tied to one’s self-image and sense of worth. As humans, we do have a strong need for acceptance.
Like everything else, sex has both a bright side and a dark side. Let us not be quick to dismiss sex as something vile and unworthy for a spiritual person. When sex is offered as an expression of deep caring, empathy and the intent to heal and uplift, it can indeed be sacred, holy and wholesome. It can be a powerful expression of kindness, love, acceptance and an affirmation of someone’s life. | https://kleong54.medium.com/why-is-sex-so-enjoyable-and-important-2d6823a82af9 | ['Kenneth Leong'] | 2019-09-06 02:56:15.006000+00:00 | ['Sexual Healing', 'Spirituality', 'Self Worth', 'Alain De Botton', 'Sexuality'] |
Waking Up Is Hard to Do | Mark Twain once wrote, “I have tried getting up early, and I have tried getting up late—and the latter agrees with me best.”
I’m with you, Mark. I abhor waking up. Every morning, I silence the first of my iPhone’s three alarms (set for 5:30, 5:45, and 6 a.m., thanks to the fact that I work East Coast hours from the West Coast), bend myself reluctantly out of bed, pick crud out of my eyes, and try to convince myself that today is going to be the day I become a morning person. It never works, though—in part, I suspect, because I’ve never learned the proper methods.
I decided to start the “Self-Bettering” series—a step-by-step attempt to optimize each part of my daily routine, from morning to night—by revamping my wake-up ritual. The problem, I learned, is that waking up is still more art than science. Not sleeping, mind you. Sleep is one of the more rigorously examined areas of modern neurobiology. Robust studies have been done of how to sleep, how much to sleep, and how to diagnose and treat conditions like sleep apnea. But the act of waking up—what comes immediately after sleep, in other words—mostly comes down to personal preferences.
“The science is soft on this,” said Tetyana Swan, the clinical coordinator at San Francisco Sleep Diagnostics. Swan had plenty of tips for how to feel well-rested (mostly, make sure you get at least eight hours of sleep per night, and avoid waking up during the deepest part of the sleep cycle), but when it came to the more specific questions I had—which kind of alarm clock is best? what should I eat for breakfast?—she was adamant that it was a matter of taste. “Do what works for you,” she said.
But what does work for me? Like most choices I make, the way I wake up is mostly the product of unexamined habit. I roll out of bed before 6 a.m. because that’s when I need to get up for work. I use my phone’s alarm clock because I’ve used my phone’s alarm clock for the last five years. I brush my teeth as soon as I wake up because that’s what my parents taught me to do when I was young. I’ve never stopped to figure out if these are the best methods, or if better alternatives exist. Because no scientifically optimal method exists, I had to become my own laboratory.
So I spent weeks reading studies of post-sleep alertness, combing through reviews of products and sleep gadgets, and speaking with experts in the field. I used myself as a human guinea pig for the better part of a month—A/B testing every bit of my routine to observe its effects on me. And I came up with what I believe is the optimal way to drag my lazy ass out of bed. | https://medium.com/@kevinroose/waking-up-is-hard-to-do-c720dc9617a8 | ['Kevin Roose'] | 2017-10-10 21:25:24.865000+00:00 | ['Lifehack', 'Sleep', 'Productivity'] |
Living in a Post-Pandemic World | No, settle down. We’re not there yet.
You’d think with all the CDC mask roll-backs and the number of vaccinations you see on TV, that the whole national nightmare is over.
Well, it’s not.
We have not reached “herd immunity.” Herd immunity occurs when so many people in a population have been vaccinated that the virus has no place to go. Various estimates state that between 70% and 90% of the US population must have been vaccinated in order for that to happen. The US population is 382 million (give or take). Only 36% of the population has been fully vaccinated, and not quite half have received the first dose. I’ve done the math: that means to reach herd immunity, approximately 2/3 of the people in the US still need to be fully vaccinated. That’s over 250 million. We’re nowhere need herd immunity.
Sorry about all the math, but it’s important. Just because the CDC or your state government or whoever lifts mask and social distancing and sanitizing restrictions doesn’t mean that that’s a good, sensible thing to do. Why do you think states are offering incentives varying from a free beer up to $1,000,000 for folks to get vaccinated? It’s not because they’re comfortable with the numbers who already have.
The United States embodies a philosophy of rugged individualism (also one of not having paid attention in math and health class). But it also has a philosophy of helping one’s neighbor. Right now the rugged individualists are ahead. Those who refuse to wear masks put themselves in danger of contracting COVID. But, perhaps more importantly, they put at risk those who cannot take the vaccine for health reasons, especially the elderly and immunocompromised. And we’re talking here about real health reasons, not the phony-baloney fake “I’m exempt” cards that you can print up yourself or order off the internet.
(My husband, who works at a store greeter, meets many of these people every day. He says he’s always tempted to ask them what that medical condition is — rhinotillexomania? The store won’t let him. But I digress.)
It’s sad to think that so few Americans are willing to be in the “helping their neighbors” camp. Some are certainly stepping up. TV ads promote helping neighbors get to a vaccination site. Uber is offering free rides, and people are encourage to donate to Uber to help defray the cost. I have heard of buses that give free rides to those who are on their way to get vaccinated.
My husband and I are fortunate. We were able to get our vaccines at a Walmart within five miles of our house, with at most a 45-minute wait for the first shot. And Dan’s employer gave a $100 bonus to anyone who showed a valid vaccination card.
As to side effects, another reason that people cite as being a reason they don’t get the shot, I can report that in my case I had chills and fatigue the next day, but since I get chills and fatigue on a fairly regular basis, it wasn’t really a big deal.
And to the people who think their civil rights are being violated by COVID restrictions: You meekly go along with signs in every place of business that say, “No shirt, no shoes, no service.” Why is “no mask” so much more oppressive? What’s the big deal about having proof of vaccination? Your kids have to prove they’ve had measles, mumps, diphtheria, and other vaccinations before they can be enrolled in school.
The post-pandemic world will be a great one. It’s inconvenient to wear a mask and socially distance (one would hope that hand-washing would not seem very onerous). It’s unpleasant at best not to be able to hold weddings and funerals and graduations without some precautions. And there are people who are genuinely afraid of needles, to whom I would like to say, “Suck it up, Buttercup.” But really, it’s hard for me to believe that 2/3 of Americans are so needle-phobic that they can’t get a vaccination.
And this is not even considering the rest of the world. Travel companies are starting to advertise vacations abroad (with cancellation and rebooking policies). But the real problem is that this is such a global society that even Zoom conferences can’t take the place of face-to-face ones forever (though they do perhaps point out how little business travel really needs to be done and how many people are quite capable of working from home).
But there are outbreaks in Brazil, India, and other countries. We may talk about not letting people from other countries into the United State, but there are still countries that won’t let US citizens into theirs without COVID testing or proof of vaccine.
For the moment, let’s not even talk about how the coronavirus may be (or is) mutating and what that might do to our social structures.
But just know that sometimes “rugged individualist” is a synonym for “asshole,” at least when it comes to matters of life and death. | https://medium.com/@janetcoburn/living-in-a-post-pandemic-world-60e934b27085 | ['Janet Coburn'] | 2021-05-16 14:07:02.397000+00:00 | ['Masks', 'Health', 'Pandemic', 'Covid 19'] |
健行科大 wins the 19–20 UBA finals and claims a double championship. | Recapping the final we look at how 健行科大 won the game and the key moments which resulted in 健行科大 doing a championship double.
健行科大 players celebrate! Image belongs to SSU.org.tw
Although played in an empty arena except for media, journalists, close family and friends of the players, the tense atmosphere was only amplified by the silent stadium. However thanks to the speakers in place that were blasting out hype tunes, the music blended well into the game on the court.
臺灣師大 rushed to an early head-start going 9–2 over 健行科大. It seemed like the occasion was having an effect on the 科大players until a timeout saw them come out with a 18–2 run holding 臺灣師大 scoreless for around 5 minutes.
We are ready to rumble!
師大 struggled to penetrate the defense of 科大. This could be likely because of 石博恩 who’s agility means he is able to recover from positions easily. First quarter ended 11–20.
陳又瑋 struggled on both ends of the floor.
Defense dominated the second quarter as both teams came out of the first quarter break with resolute defending. 科大 in particular played fantastic transitional defense stopping 師大 from scoring of fast breaks. Meanwhile for 師大 they struggled to establish strong offensive rhythms and for me, I think they tried being a bit too smart with their passing. 23–32.
MVP…. hard to pick since this was 100% a team effort.
After the half-time break, it seemed like 師大 were still struggling to get out of a grove as they let 科大 establish a 12 point lead. A crucial timeout was called and on the backs of their Macau big man 容毅燊 they managed to cut the deficit to go within 5. A few clutch plays by #14 簡廷兆 in the dying minutes of the third had 科大 still ahead 43–50.
Stood out early on for 科大.
Starting the fourth quarter 容毅燊 really carried his team and to get them them within 3. However 科大 and specifically 谷毛唯嘉 were able to score when 師大 went stone cold in the fourth quarter. 谷毛唯嘉 was crucail down the stretch either drawing contact to score or being able to break down 師大’s defense.
Delivered when it mattered the most.
Composed and calm this mentality allowed 科大 to hang on when 師大 made their pushes and that was ultimately how 科大 won. For 師大 they will definitely feel hard done by as there was about 5–6 whistles that went against them which were extremely contentious, the offensive foul on 陳又瑋 was a horrible call and the call on 容毅燊 for a moving screen was another questionable call. 師大 had the momentum and had the game down to 3 with 5-minutes remaining so they also had their opportunity.
Unable to score when it mattered the most.
Congratulations to 健行科大 for completing the double. They have made history will be forever remembered in UBA’s history books.
Bench celebrations then getting called for a T.
As stated by UBA chairman there were 3 million people watching via live stream on the final. That’s a positive sign considering COVID-19 and it’s impact on the globe.
Highlights from the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgi7puO_dxk | https://medium.com/@thechairmanball/%E5%81%A5%E8%A1%8C%E7%A7%91%E5%A4%A7-wins-the-19-20-uba-finals-and-claims-a-double-championship-b28ac8710f44 | [] | 2020-03-23 09:16:21.825000+00:00 | ['Taiwan', 'Uba', 'Basketball'] |
A Chinese Supplier of Dog Products Just Offered Me Face Masks | A Chinese Supplier of Dog Products Just Offered Me Face Masks
And that’s an incredibly positive sign
Photo by Michael Amadeus on Unsplash
Starting in 2016, I developed a popular pet product on Amazon. Called the Crusty Comb, it was a special flea comb designed to clean the faces of long-haired dogs like my Bichon Frises. Developing the product required working with a factory in China. They created custom bags for me, attached labels, and shipped them to my company here in the United States.
Today I received a message from the same supplier pitching a new product: face masks.
As COVID-19 has spread worldwide and begun to seriously impact the United States, shortages of essential goods have made a bad situation much worse. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’m living under a general lockdown and shelter-in-place order, which restricts all but essential travel.
With supply chains strained, staff reduced and alleged panic buying, stores have been out of products like paper towels, hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, gloves and surgical masks for over a week. On a visit to CVS pharmacy yesterday, the manager told me that they received a shipment of new supplies (including hand sanitizer) in the morning, and there were lines out the door.
By the time I arrived in the afternoon, the supplies were long gone. They won’t receive another shipment for a week. The situation was the same throughout the East Bay — I visited six stores seeking essential goods, and none had sanitizer, masks or other basic supplies in stock. Even the availability of many foods was patchy — although this does seem to be improving.
Sanitizer, masks and gloves and other basic medical supplies, though, are likely to be unavailable for a while. And even if masks were in stock, I don’t know that I’d buy any. Authorities say that they have limited efficacy at protecting against the virus, unless they have an N95 certification, which means that they filter out 95% of particles down to .3 microns.
And they’re urgently needed in other places. Consumer pharmacies aren’t the only places lacking masks — hospitals are facing a major shortage as well, leading some workers in hard-hit places like Washington State to make masks out of office supplies in an attempt to protect themselves and patients. On a recent visit to UCSF in San Francisco, signs warned that masks would only be provided to patients with respiratory symptoms. Normally, during cold and flu season, they’re handed out liberally at stands throughout the hospital.
At UCSF in San Francisco, N95 masks were restricted to selected patients. Credit: Gado Images.
There’s an obvious reason why masks and other essential medical supplies are barely available here in the United States. Like many products in the modern economy, they rely on a global supply chain that ultimately terminates in mainland China. And until recently, China wasn’t sharing.
Amid its own major outbreak of COVID-19, China’s normally export-focused economy stalled. And what production capacity remained was turned inwards. Even during the peak of China’s initial crisis, the country turned out 200 million face masks per day.
But that’s barely enough to meet the country’s intense internal demand. China (and other countries like Singapore) have issued masks to all citizens. While they may not protect the wearer very much, masks do help to protect others from the coughs and sneezes of the infected, potentially contributing to reducing community spread. As a result of massive internal demand, exports sank, and shortages in the United States and other Western countries grew.
It’s a story which will likely apply to many other products we’ve come to rely on. Face masks are an obvious example, because demand for them has spiked. Reserves were quickly depleted, and so we in the West are feeling the effects of limited supply. As reserves of other made-in-China products are depleted, we’ll likely see shortages in other categories. It’s a byproduct of a supply chain which — especially in technology — has become increasingly serpentine and globalized.
Masks are a bit like the canary in the supply chain coalmine. Shortages here are an immediate indicator of supply problems in China. But other supply challenges will abound as the COVID-19 crisis worsens, and affects larger swatches of the world economy.
Ultimately, though, there is good news (at least when it comes to masks). Through draconian quarantine measures and the mass control of its population, China appears to have gotten the virus’ spread in check — at least for now. As more Chinese return to work, factory capacity is increasing. And factories are increasingly turning their production capacity away from consumer goods and towards essential products.
According to NPR, thousands of Chinese factories have turned to making masks and other COVID-19 related supplies, in a literal “army” of production. Factories are working at 110% capacity, and have brought in new equipment and workers to meet demand. As the virus has abated domestically, demand within the country has dropped. As a result, exports have begun — tentatively — to resume.
This is very good news for countries like the United States, where the virus is just beginning to ramp up. The delay between China’s outbreak and our own has given us crucial time — time for China’s world-leading manufacturing capacity to come back online, and time for authorities and others in the United States to arrange imports of essential goods.
The fact that suppliers are offering shipments of masks to even tiny, lowly importers like me is a very positive sign. It means that production capacity is resuming, and Chinese companies are actively seeking customers for their products outside the country again.
The fact that a former supplier of plastic bags is now offering me masks is also encouraging, and a bit concerning. According to NPR, masks are surprisingly challenging to make. Not just any factory can produce them properly — especially the more complex masks that can achieve an N95 certification. The country has already confiscated over 31 million counterfeit masks that don’t meet standards.
Of course, there’s always the possibility that my dog product manufacturer isn’t actually making the masks they’re selling. It’s a common practice — and was before the pandemic — for Chinese factories to offer their customers products sourced from other local suppliers, which may or may not be marketed under their own brand. When in 2017 I asked my bag supplier about also supplying flea combs, they quickly responded with a variety of options, likely sourced from a local peer.
There’s also the question of whether imports can happen fast enough. Even with courier delivery and rush production, my supplier quoted me a lead time of 15–19 days to receive a shipment of masks. If Italy is any indication, the United States may not have that kind of time.
As factories in China turn their production capacity to pandemic essentials, it’s likely that supplies of other products will experience shocks. Of course, demand for these products is already likely to be lower to begin with. No one is much concerned with buying a dog flea comb in the midst of a global pandemic (and I have exited that market anyway).
Despite production challenges, quality issues and longer lead times, the restarting of global supply chains is a very good sign. Experts are divided on whether China can maintain control of COVID-19 as more Chinese return to work. But if they can — or even if they can maintain rates of infection at reasonable levels — having their production capacity back online will likely have a major impact outside the country.
Today’s globalized supply chains lead to weaknesses, like the inability to receive exports of essential products when local demand surges and production turns inwards. But it also provides strength, in that China can continue to make and sell essential products to the United States, even as our own infections mount and our internal production capacity stalls.
Would I trust a face mask potentially made by a former supplier of dog products? At the moment, that’s not really the question. The question is whether I’d trust it over a homespun alternative made from the lining of surgical trays, or vinyl bought from Home Depot (both of which are in use in Seattle hospitals today). Or if I’d prefer it to no mask at all.
For essential medical supplies, quality assurance is still essential. I’d likely wear an untested mask, if no other alternatives were available. But would I use an untested ventilator? If I worked as a doctor, would I trust an untested respirator to keep me safe while treating a known infected person?
Again, much of this may be a moot point. If Chinese companies are offering these products to people like me, they’re presumably offering more complex medical supplies to the major distributors with the capacity to do their own quality assurance and other testing.
Ultimately, China’s capacity to keep the virus in check, the delays between their outbreak and our own (helped along by quarantine measures here), and a herculean effort to increase production may mean an increase in the supply of essential products just as the West needs them. And it may ultimately save thousands or millions of lives. | https://medium.com/bay-area-covid-19-quarantine-log/a-chinese-supplier-of-dog-products-just-offered-me-face-masks-7fdb6c537a4a | ['Thomas Smith'] | 2020-03-24 19:34:28.137000+00:00 | ['Supply Chain', 'Business', 'Coronavirus', 'Masks', 'China'] |
Personal Care Wipes Market Size Worth $23.1 Billion By 2025 | The global personal care wipes market size is expected to reach USD 23.1 billion by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 5.6%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Several characteristics such as convenience, performance, ease of use, time saving, disposability, safety/regulation, and consumer-centric aesthetics are driving product demand. Moreover, growing population andhygiene awareness are the key factors responsible for the market growth.
Sudden rise in the infant population, rapid growth in urbanization, high disposable income of female consumers, and surge in hygiene consciousness among consumers are having a positive impact on the market growth. Over the past one decade, various kinds of wipes have been introduced such as intimate, wet, flushable, feminine, and scented owing to their diversified applications. Growing concerns pertaining to beauty among men and women and constant increase in air pollution are also driving the demand for the products.
Convenience and effectiveness of these products have slowly diminished the usage of traditional cleansing means. Facial and hand and body wipes are of various kinds, such as wet, hygienic, intimate, and fragrance. Wet wipes are the perfect solutions in many life situations. They can be used as a cleaning tool frequently during water scarcity and unavailability, which is a serious problem in many countries. Additionally, portability of these variants enables all types of users to easily maintain and raise personal and environmental hygiene standards and eventually reduce the risk of cross contamination.
North America emerged as the largest regional market in 2018 owing to growing demand in hygiene and household applications. In 2018, U.S. was the largest market accounting for 61.0% share due to growing demand by the U.S. population for the products that can provide convenience, save time, and still give the same cleaning result. Cost of raising a baby is high in U.S. as baby diapers and wipes are used frequently when taking care of a baby. Due to scarcity of water in many places of U.S., wipes are often used for the purpose of cleaning in restaurants, hotels, and washrooms, thereby making it the largest market.
To request a sample copy:
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/personal-wipes-market
Further key findings from the study suggest:
In terms of revenue, the baby wipes segment is projected to expand at a CAGR of 5.5% over the forecast period
Products sold through the convenience stores accounted for 30.4% share of the overall revenue in 2018
U.S., China, Germany, Brazil, and South Africa are the major countries with the largest market in their respective regions.
About Grand View Research:
Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.
For More Information: www.grandviewresearch.com | https://medium.com/@marketnewsreports/personal-care-wipes-market-e9f1f8e41590 | ['Gaurav Shah'] | 2019-11-21 10:42:42.423000+00:00 | ['Beauty', 'Hand And Body', 'Facial And Cosmetic', 'Personal Care', 'Baby'] |
SCOTUS Prepares Attack on the Right to Privacy | SCOTUS Prepares Attack on the Right to Privacy m2c4 Follow Dec 1 · 5 min read
I referenced last Wednesday’s horrendous Supreme Court decision that declared that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s orders to restrict religious gatherings in order to fight the spread of the pandemic to be an unconstitutional violation of the freedom of religion. The Court’s decision will, of course, mean that more Americans will needlessly die from COVID. But it also sets up the Court for a potential full-scale assault on the right of privacy in this country.
There is no specific right to privacy in the Constitution. The First Amendment gives the right to privacy in religious beliefs. The Fourth Amendment protects the individual from unreasonable search and seizures, although that right has been seriously eroded over the years, especially since the onset of the war on drugs and the war on terror. The Fifth Amendment provides the protection of personal information through the legal prevention of self-incrimination. The Ninth Amendment provides for other rights not specifically enumerated in the prior eight amendments. In addition, the 14th Amendment extended the Bill of Rights to the individual states, declaring “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws”. Since its passage, the 14th Amendment has long been interpreted as providing the right to privacy involving procreation, child-rearing, marriage, and medical treatment.
In their majority opinions, both Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh criticized Justice Roberts, who joined the liberals in dissent in this case, for his citing the precedent of Jacobson v Massachusetts in similar cases involving religious freedom challenges to COVID restrictions that the Court had denied before Amy Coney Barrett was rushed through to take Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat. The Jacobson case involved a challenge to a small pox vaccination requirement back in 1905. Gorsuch, in particular, accused the Chief Justice of justifying the prior decisions by reaching “back 100 years in the U. S. Reports to grab hold of our decision in Jacobson v. Massachusetts” and having “mistaken this Court’s modest decision in Jacobson for a towering authority that overshadows the Constitution during a pandemic”. But, as Roberts points out in his dissent, the prior decisions cited just one sentence from the Jacobsen decision which states “[o]ur Constitution principally entrusts ‘[t]he safety and the health of the people’ to the politically accountable officials of the States ‘to guard and protect”, adding that “the actual proposition asserted should be uncontroversial”.
But it is Gorsuch’s attack on the Jacobson decision that is more disturbing. Gorsuch writes, “Mr. Jacobson claimed that he possessed an implied ‘substantive due process’ right to ‘bodily integrity’ that emanated from the Fourteenth Amendment…This Court disagreed. But what does that have to do with our circumstances? Even if judges may impose emergency restrictions on rights that some of them have found hiding in the Constitution’s penumbras, it does not follow that the same fate should befall the textually explicit right to religious exercise”.
As Larry Tribe and Michael Dorf note, the phrases “substantive due process”, “bodily integrity”, and “penumbras” are “are a legal dog whistle”. Substantive due process is the doctrine that allows courts to protect certain fundamental rights even if they are not specifically mentioned in the Constitution. Bodily integrity is the the doctrine that individuals have autonomy over their own bodies and that government intrusion into the physical body is unconstitutional. Finally, penumbras refer to the rights implied by the constitution, legislation, or governmental rules. Tribe and Dorf continue, “Each of those terms…is closely associated with Supreme Court precedents recognizing a right to privacy that encompasses contraception, abortion, child rearing, choice of sexual partners, control over one’s intimate private information and determination of how one faces death. Religion, Gorsuch clearly implied, is a genuine constitutional right enshrined in the text, whereas these other rights are just made up and not entitled to similar respect”.
Tribe and Dorf note the irony, or hypocrisy depending on your view, of Gorsuch’s comments. It is only through the 14th Amendment and the doctrine of substantive due process that the states themselves are bound to the Bill of Rights. The 1st Amendment only prevents Congress from prohibiting the free exercise of religion, not the individual states. And if you are going to accept the reading of the 14th Amendment that the states are bound by the Bill of Rights, then you must also accept the reading of the Ninth Amendment that states “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people”. One of those unenumerated rights that exists under the penumbra of constitutional rights happens to be the doctrine of bodily integrity. Jettisoning the doctrine of bodily integrity would technically allow states to ban contraception or even revive policies of forced sterilizations that we saw in the beginning of the 20th century. That is especially concerning considering the reports about immigrant detainees in Georgia being subjected to forced hysterectomies without their consent or understanding.
As Tribe and Dorf summarize, if Gorsuch truly believes there are no unenumerated rights, then there is no right to privacy. They write, “If there are no unenumerated rights, then there is no right to privacy of any sort — a truly radical position espoused by the late Justice Antonin Scalia, joined by Justice Clarence Thomas, in a 2011 case”. And, based on Justice Alito’s rant at the Federalist Society where he attacked abortion rights, gay marriage, and gun control, it appears he too is interested in rolling back certain privacy rights.
Perhaps, Gorsuch does not intend to go that far. Kevin Drum muses that this decision is hardly a harbinger of an attack on privacy but instead “the conservative justices said only that religious gatherings should be considered ‘essential’ and therefore regulated in the same way as other essential activities”. That may be true of the Justices who chose not to write opinions in this case. However, that is not how the concurring opinions actually argued the case. And Gorsuch’s focus on Jacobson and attacks on the very pillars of the right to privacy indicate that he believes that any unenumerated rights are clearly inferior, even subservient, to rights specified in the Constitution. With Thomas and Alito, that would make at least three Justices skeptical of a constitutional right to privacy. | https://medium.com/swlh/scotus-prepares-attack-on-the-right-to-privacy-16a001a28b0c | [] | 2020-12-02 02:49:25.404000+00:00 | ['Supreme Court', 'Law', 'Justice', 'Constitution', 'Privacy'] |
How To Increase The Value Of Your SaaS Business | This section of the website sets out a variety of materials relating to investment banking and private equity to be used for educational and non-commercial purposes only; the author(s) of the blog do not intend the blog to be a source of legal advice. According to Software Equity Group, SaaS software revenues will likely represent about 25 percent of the overall software market in the next five years. 11 percent anticipated free cash flow in 2019 (could be higher). In their popular book Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies, McKinsey & Company described an analysis they did in which they estimated the earnings multiple of the stock market at specific points in time over a forty-year period based on a forward-looking cash flow model. A nice (and deliberate) aspect of the descriptions is that they include eras long enough so that major drops in the stock market (e.g., the dot-com bubble and housing crash) are placed in a proper context. Some software vendors are converting their software delivery and revenue models to SaaS, while others acquire SaaS companies to gain access to this market.
Software vendors across the world are embracing the software-as-a-service (SaaS), cloud-based business model, in growing numbers. Four of the latest SaaS IPO’s (DocuSign, Smartsheet, Z-Scaler, Zuora) are trading at an average valuation of 17x revenue. This is just one admittedly oversimplified way of looking at the very complex formula of valuation. The Dropbox IPO was well-received by the market, quickly pushing the San Francisco unicorn to a higher public valuation than the one it last commanded while private. Those assumptions and their robustness drive the valuation. This misunderstanding created bad assumptions and led to bad investment decisions. The technology-focused investment banker helps reduce the risk of business erosion with improved confidentiality while allowing the owner to focus on running the business. While the number of public pure-play public SaaS companies is limited compared to other sectors, it is important to note that traditional software companies that are public also offer SaaS solutions and increasingly so. Let’s say, hypothetically, there were SaaS companies with very talented management, large revenue bases, high historic growth rates, great products, and proven development and sales capabilities attacking tremendously large markets with incumbents that were constrained by technology and legacy deployments from responding. At deeper levels-operating margins, Capex, discount rates, perpetual growth rates-this gives you a framework to work with.
It is important to emphasize that the revenue-based valuation model is solely based on growth. We know roughly the assumptions the market is pricing into the valuation of these companies. It squared the circle, so to say, for me by explicitly tying the shorthand language of multiples to the more meaningful underlying assumptions about fundamentals. My goal with the above is to make clearer the language we should use to think about SaaS valuations. Luckily we have several powerful tools to make that easier and one of those is our own David Newell. The following chart shows the progression of the average customer life of customers for companies that have been delivering SaaS from one to ten years, at 10% and 15% average customer churn. However, net retention shows customers are continuing to find value in the product, while increasing product reliance and usage, thus driving higher customer lifetime value. While this results in a cash ‘squeeze’ in the early period after the launch of a SaaS product, investors still prefer recurring revenues as they lead to higher lifetime value (LTV) per customer. While recurring revenues are usually preferable to providers and investors alike, the nature of the monthly SaaS subscriptions — as opposed to a one-time transaction fee — shifts the emphasis to customer acquisition cost (CAC) and retention (churn) as keys to the survival and success of SaaS companies.
SaaS companies have similar up-front revenue acquisition expenses as product sale companies, but these up-front investments coupled with long-term returns delays the revenue and profits. It’s better to target those who appreciate the long-term value of your product and see it as an investment in good quality. For the vast majority of the businesses you’ll see on our marketplace, SDE makes the most sense. Next-level documentation is an integral key to making your SaaS business more attractive, especially for the majority of buyers who will not be tech-savvy. While Health IT definitely has its share of high multiple companies like HealthEquity and Teladoc, the vast majority of publicly-traded HIT SaaS companies trade in the 3x to 5x revenue multiple ranges. Using the y-intercept as a measure, at a 0% growth rate, a SaaS company can expect to trade at 2.8x revenue. On the other hand, generalist Enterprise software companies like Salesforce or Intuit tend to trade higher in the 5x to 7x revenue multiple ranges. As we often do we’re leaning today on the data compiled by the Bessemer Cloud Index, which tracks the number of public companies that work in the cloud space.
Data released by venture capital firm Redpoint Ventures show that from 2004 to 2009 the average revenue growth for SaaS companies was around 25 percent. We’ve excluded non-SaaS companies from our analysis, and admittedly there is a prevalence of site and perpetual license models in Health IT as compared to other industries due to a legacy preference for non-hosted protected health data. In order for SaaS companies to maintain profitable, accelerated growth, they must consistently generate higher recurring revenues (MRR) from the same subscriber base. Transactions in the SaaS industry are growing in volume by c. They will be able to calculate your SDE accurately from your gross profit and advise on the applicable multiple based on their assessment of the business and previous transactions. McConnell says $1b of those transactions have taken place over the past 12 months. From 2010, SaaS companies started reinvesting about 50 percent of their profits in growth, and as a result, average growth rates have increased to 35 percent in the past three years. | https://medium.com/@vladiannova/how-to-increase-the-value-of-your-saas-business-34798c8d14c7 | [] | 2020-12-18 14:04:03.218000+00:00 | ['Marketing', 'Saas Marketing', 'Web Development', 'Valuation', 'SaaS'] |
“American Carnage”: Substandard Corporate Healthcare in Rural America | Somewhere along the Appalachian trail — Corbin, KY.
In America, we do not provide substandard Healthcare products and services to the sick, to the elderly, to the socioeconomically challenged, or to the disabled — especially when it comes to life-saving healthcare.
Or, do we?
Recently, I had the privilege of advocating for a family in rural Kentucky — in a small town called Corbin, somewhere along the Appalachian trail.
Corbin, Kentucky is an unlikely place for me to be poking my nose around, but a Kentuckian family came to me and asked for help. So I looked.
Something had gone eerily wrong with the care of their beloved patriarch: Robert Rhoden.
So I looked — I admit wearily, at first, and then carefully.
Robert was an elderly man and his heart was weak.
In Corbin, this now “elderly” man had raised a family and made a life as a “young” man.
And in Corbin, he’d gotten into trouble and gone to the local hospital in September 2017. And, He had certainly died then.
But, as far as I could see, He hadn’t just died, He’d been left for dead — as an inpatient! In a private, federally funded, acute care hospital!
And, yes, Robert was, indeed, “elderly” and He had a weak heart— but He’d come to that hospital to be healed or to find relief…after a lifetime of life! Working and raising a family in the heart of middle America.
Instead, Robert Rhoden died acutely when His heart slowed down dangerously in the early morning that September — hours before He was supposed to be discharged to his home.
The trouble in Mr. Rhoden’s case was that no medical professional seems to have done ANYTHING adequate or standard or legal to try and prevent His death on that morning in 2017 when He lay dying — in a hospital.
I guess He was old and He was sick anyway, so why even try?! Everyone dies sometime — especially “elderly” people, especially people with frail hearts. No harm, no foul….It was his time! Move on!
Right?!
NO! NOT RIGHT!
To be clear, I do not believe for a minute that it was malice that caused Robert Rhoden’s death in Corbin. That would make the cause of His death criminal conduct. This death was not a crime, per se — though some physicians I know would argue that point.
Rather it was almost certainly a series of lax, substandard, negligent and illegal actions by a behemoth corporate Healthcare entity in small town America that conspired to cause Robert Rhoden’s death — from what was a likely reversible, and not uncommon heart condition, called bradycardia.
But, for now, that is just my personal and professional opinion, as a doctor and patient advocate, based on the record His family made available to me to review.
Of course, THEY will say, “mistakes happen. Healthcare professionals are only human too.” THEY will say, “Rhoden was ‘elderly’ and He had a frail heart anyway — He wasn’t long for this world. People die. Why blame anyone?”
Because, THEY, the rote defenders of corporate structures in America, are not in the business of doing justice or fixing broken or unjust corporate systems. THEY are in the business of defending man-made corporations and money interests — and at any cost, it would appear.
And, why would any public advocate, much less someone like me sitting in another state hundreds of miles away, harp on a Healthcare corporation operating in an underserved area — serving forgotten country, “doing God’s work”?
Right!! “Doing God’s work” and billing private and taxpayer funded federal insurance programs quite efficiently for services rendered — substandard, or not at all!
Of course, the answer to the above question is quite simple: I am harping on this corporation’s conduct because it’s exactly in the most underserved and susceptible parts of our country that polished businesses and Healthcare corporations have the very highest level of responsibility to ensure that their services are robust, fool-proof and well-regulated — because in the absence of economic pressure from external competitors to ensure the highest quality possible, anything goes in Corbin, KY!
And because the cost of delivering substandard or negligent health services to folks who are already susceptible and have no real safety margin in the heart of America can be catastrophic to irrecoverable lives — as it was to the “elderly” Mr. Robert Rhoden with a frail heart.
But there are others, too. Not just the “elderly”. There are others who are not “elderly”, but who have little to no socioeconomic margin for tolerating the damage done by substandard corporate entities in rural America — especially in healthcare, where lives literally hang in the balance.
The hospital where Robert Rhoden died is, in fact, part of a large, federally funded corporate health system that covers much of the Appalachian trail and the South. In fact, by design, its administrative structure mimics some of the best and most polished health systems in the Northeast and on the West coast: an efficient insurance and patient billing machine.
So when an “elderly” Kentuckian covered by federal Medicare dollars is left for dead in such an acute care hospital setting, without so much as even a nominal attempt at saving His life, and without much apparent regard for His consent or His family’s (or Kentucky state law — KRS 311.621–643 and KRS 311.625), the question becomes this: How widespread is this level of professional/corporate negligence in a behemoth American healthcare system, serving the underserved and the socioeconomically challenged? How many others have gone through this kind of substandard treatment — in the rural heart of America?
In fact the negligence that caused Rhoden’s death was such a basic process error, it is unlikely it would be a random occurrence in that Health system. The man had provided no legally adequate consent to be left to die, yet He was left to die. THEY know that proper and legally robust informed consent is a requirement in end-of-life or withdrawal/withholding of life-saving care — that, is a basic standard in American medicine, period!
Literally, and I kid you not reader, potentially life-saving treatment was withheld from Rhoden, while Medicare was being billed for His care…on an acute care hospital floor in Corbin Kentucky — NOT hospice, NOT comfort care, ACUTE CARE.
“WHAT?!”, you might ask. “Is Corbin, Kentucky still part of the United States?”
To repeat, it is a certainty that the healthcare facility in which Mr. Rhoden died, very efficiently charged federal Medicare insurance for services rendered — except the man was left for dead without ANY attempt at saving His life, and without ANY explicit or legally acceptable or documented consent from Him or His next of kin…to leave him for dead, that is — as is required by law in virtually every state in the Union, including Kentucky.
So now, it’s up to the civil court system in Kentucky to litigate Robert Rhoden’s death. In order to decide if a breach of duty and a legal violation took place in the care of an “elderly” Kentuckian, somewhere on the Appalachian trail on an early September morning in 2017.
It will only be by holding corporations and their administrators formally accountable for negligent failure that meaningful protective change for others can be achieved — this, I am convinced of beyond a doubt.
Lest, of course, the courts and the citizens of the United States are to accept that in rural and “underserved” America, shiny and well-funded corporate healthcare entities can be allowed to cause their version of “American carnage” unchecked by the law, by standards of professional conduct or by the public — because they simply claim to be doing “God’s work” for people who have access to few, if any, other options!
I don’t think so!
Because, on the receiving end of this kind of corporate carnage in rural America are the earth bound people of Kentucky, and the thousands of other places across America. Places, us “elitist” North-Easterners, have come to call “fly over country” — in our push to create increasingly efficient and well-fortified corporate structures capable of “benefiting the majority” and generating financial windfalls for investors and executives sitting in plush faraway places.
What is “flyover country” in America? Who lives there? Who profits there? Who leaves it for dead — “chewed up and spit out”?!?
To the thousands of Corbin Kentuckys around America….I see you! Many across America see you!
Know that you’re worth more than to be “chewed up, spit out and left for dead” by shiny corporations selling substandard wares.
You’re worth more than the con-artists who take your treasure, your labor, your lives and your votes for money’s sake.
Corbin, you’re worth more than that! I’m sure of it — and so should you be!
How long will you stay “chewed up and spit out”? How long will you tolerate corporate con-artists and substandard treatment?
I suppose time will tell. I suppose that is why we have “juries of our peers” standing to judge right from wrong in our court system. | https://medium.com/@noorchashm/american-carnage-substandard-healthcare-in-rural-america-c6fa962989f | ['Hooman Noorchashm'] | 2019-12-22 15:29:06.515000+00:00 | ['Negligence', 'Death And Dying', 'Healthcare', 'Appalachia', 'Corbin Kentucky'] |
The Sunday Feed! | The Sunday Feed!
A Teetering Mind
We are almost on the cusp of ending 2020 as the calendar might suggest. Rather, it looks like the taste is going to linger for much more than what we expected. Never had I imagined that I would be speaking of macabre events at the beginning of a new year but motivate myself with a much more positive outlook. As hard as I try to look the other way, I find reality staring at me with strong vehemence like a shadow that refuses to disappear even when the sun is out.
As a normal citizen of the world, I do care for the wellbeing of the people who live in different corners and hope for their best. But the figures of the populace and countries affected by the pandemic is staggering with US and India leading the world in the number of cases and fatalities. Well, I do not want to delve any further in the statistic, as the event is as distasteful as its affect. The impact it has had on the countries, the people and the universe is gravely sickening.
Christmas, New Year, this is a time when people all around the world are full of enthusiasm and excitement. They are quite preoccupied in looking forward to a time when they can restart their annual expedition with all the freshness of renewed energy and motivation. It has been seen that around 60% of people, make new-year resolutions or at least they openly admit of making them. My understanding of human behavior is that the figure could be as high as 80% if you include the shy, secretive ones. But if you look around as to how the top 10 countries of the world are struggling to cope with the pandemic, it is highly likely that most will give this resolution ritual a big pass this year.
Well, this is not a good attitude for us to begin 2021 with but it sadly is the reality. People are not sure what is happening to the world. One day the airports are open and then there is an announcement that they will be closed for a month. One day the gym is open and then you are back to walking even if that is not your most preferred way to exercise. One day the restaurants have a sign, “Business as usual” and then the next morning there is a whole list of guidelines to turn the enthusiastic customers away. This is how the events keep changing while the virus scuttles from one place to another like an evil goblin.
I remember when this virus invaded us it engulfed everyone with extreme fear, which later transformed to boredom due to long periods of isolation. Now, there is a high degree of fatigue. People have just had enough. They just want this trespasser to go. The vaccine though in the initial stages of being tested for its efficacy is the perfect weapon we have proudly developed so far. Kudos to all the people who worked on it with extreme passion and fervor! However, the real challenge lies in the administration of the vaccine because I believe it is supposed to be stored in extreme cold temperatures. Which to me is also the big question because while everyone keeps talking about producing the vaccine on a mass scale by relentlessly running the assembly lines 24/ 7, no one actually talks about the logistics that needs to be developed for distribution.
As of today, India has got more than 10 million cases with Brazil having more than 7 million. Even small country like Peru with a population of around 31 million people has got more than a million cases. And unless everyone is vaccinated, there is very high chance that this pandemic will prevail. This makes people think much harder as to what the near future holds for them. Will I have a job in the next year, will I be affected, will I have enough money to survive and if yes, for how long. And this sentiment does not do any good for businesses because they cannot open one day and close the other. They have to run for a considerable period of time and have a respected customer-base to meet the costs.
I personally do not have any answers but I might not be the only one. The stock market’s also as impaired as me when it comes to predicting the future. Up one day, free-falling the other. I hope my predictions are not true but figuratively speaking, we are looking at a period of at least 6 months before some sort of certainty sets in. Economy is usually up or down but it looks like we are about to coin a new phrase in economy called “Tentative” till the teetering mind settles down. One way or the other! | https://medium.com/@john-khalkho/the-sunday-feed-85b1e8d02364 | ['John_Khalkho Yahoo.Com'] | 2020-12-26 23:18:06.380000+00:00 | ['Vaccines', 'Australia', 'USA', 'World', 'UK'] |
The Top 5 Ways to Respond to Destructive Criticism | Criticism is a part of life. Not everyone is going to like how you do things, what you do, or why.
But feedback comes in different forms. Some of it can be put to use. Some of it can’t. How do you recognise the useful from the not so useful, and respond with grace?
What is constructive feedback?
Constructive feedback or criticism is meant to be offered in a helpful, non-threatening way. It’s intended to help you grow, to help you learn and is thought to be true and valid. For example:
“I thought you prepared really well for that presentation, but it would have been even better if you’d cut down by a few slides.”
Notice here that the person isn’t saying “You did a good/bad presentation” or “You are boring”. It’s neither a bland statement of true or false, nor is it an attack on you as a whole person.
If you can see that yes, you had a few extra slides in, then you can see the feedback is intended to assist and it’s specific to this thing you did — namely, creating a presentation. That’s feedback you can acknowledge and use the next time you make a presentation.
What is destructive feedback?
Quite simply, destructive feedback is either not valid or true, or it is a true criticism but it’s been told to you or presented in a really unhelpful way. So to take the above example:
“You just can’t help yourself when you present — you always have to add extra details in that aren’t necessary.”
Or, more directly:
“You bored us with that presentation.”
Why this is destructive
1. It uses unreasonable qualifiers
I’ve selected these examples specifically, because the first one demonstrates the use of an unhelpful qualifier — “always”. As soon as you hear “you always…” you can be almost certain it’s not going to be followed by anything helpful.
It’s also often quite hard to respond to something like that, that’s said with confidence, because chances are you’ll be surprised or feel a little attacked by the comment, making it hard to remember the times when you probably didn’t do things the way they’ve said you did.
2. It attacks you as a person, not your actions
Nobody wants to be attacked, point blank, as a person. Someone saying “You’re boring,” as a response to a presentation you did, is extraordinarily unfair and unhelpful. How can you possibly action that response?
The Top 5 Ways to Respond
If you can deem the feedback you’ve been given to be truly destructive, there are five ways you can respond…
1. Disagree with the criticism
We’re always told that we should accept criticism because it’s constructive to do so. Sometimes this blurs the lines — yes, we should, but only if the criticism is constructive. If it really isn’t, then why be passive and agree to its truth?
It is assertive to calmly disagree with someone’s unhelpful criticism.
For instance, the above example and possible response might be:
“You just can’t help yourself when you present — you always have to add extra details in that aren’t necessary.” “I did add in a few extra details this time, but I certainly don’t do this every time. On this occasion, I felt they were helpful to include.”
Notice this isn’t “making an excuse”. It’s calmly stating the logic behind your actions, to ensure that the destructive feedback isn’t accepted as a matter of course. After all, a passive response to this piece of destructive criticism may make it easier for someone to keep on delivering that kind of feedback.
Sometimes, an assertive response not only helps you to clarify what’s going on, but might also help the person giving the critique to realise they will have to be a bit more constructive in future.
2. Say “thanks, but no thank you”
If someone offers up a destructive piece of criticism designed to try and make you feel inferior, it’s reasonable to thank them, but then make it clear you’re all good and don’t really require further input.
This is especially helpful if you’re dealing with someone who is routinely in your life, making comments that aren’t helpful (e.g. a family member, or your boss). If you have a belligerent presence in your life, setting some boundaries will help in the long run.
An example:
“You really suck at presenting. In future, I should just do it for you.”
Okay, an extreme thing for someone to say, but these kinds of criticisms that are used to put you down but also elevate the speaker are really hard to respond to in the moment. After all, maybe you didn’t give a perfect presentation, but if you accept this kind of statement, will you get the chance to try again?
Probably not.
In which case, it’s thanks, but no thanks:
“It’s interesting to hear your feedback, and now that I know how you feel, I’ll be working to do better next time.”
Or, even more assertively:
“It’s good to know how you feel. But I think there were some things that went well, and others not so well. I’ll work on the not-so-well things for the next time I present.”
Essentially, you want to make it clear that you can see there are areas that may require improvement, but it’s still rejecting the idea that 1. It’s just you as a whole person, and 2. You should just bow to their criticism and let them take over.
3. Use it to learn about them
If someone has given a really obviously destructive piece of criticism, it’s worth questioning where this has come from, and why.
Maybe you have been doing something that’s really bothering that person, but they just aren’t sure how to constructively tell you about it (so they’ve settled for a crappy approach). Or maybe there’s something else going on with them (in which case, nothing to do with you). Or perhaps it’s something that they do themselves, and they’re levelling the criticism at you to distract from their own issues…
There might be any number of reasons.
It can be worth questioning where the criticism is coming from. After all, they’ve shown you a side that isn’t exactly helpful or kind to you.
Use the opportunity to take away some lessons from dealings with that person. What do you think might be triggering them? Is it even about you? You might ask about this if you’re comfortable, but if they just seem to be the person who takes things out on you when things aren’t going well for them, it might be worth deciding not to listen any further.
If you can’t ask what’s up, don’t speculate too wildly, or assume the absolute worst.
Take the lessons you can from it, and move on.
4. Defuse the situation
This is particularly for anyone presenting what feels like very aggressive criticism, designed to escalate or challenge you to rise to it.
The aim here is to defuse a difficult situation, which can be done by only agreeing with an accurate part of what they are saying (if there is one). For example:
“You haven’t done any of the chores I asked you to do. You’re so completely useless and unreliable.”
The response being something like:
“Yes, I haven’t done the chores. I will make time tonight to do them, and next time let’s agree a good time for both of us.”
Remaining calm, and refusing to be upset by the criticism, will help defuse the situation. Ignore the parts that are an unhelpful attack and only agree to the little truth embedded within (if there is one).
If there’s literally nothing true in what they have said, it’s better to simply disagree (see point 1!).
5. Ask questions, then follow up
Another approach that might suit a work or other longer term situation is to question and follow up on the criticism that’s been given.
This does two things: first, it may help defuse any aggression, because you are responding rationally and calmly to feedback given, assuming positive intent even if the criticism is destructive. Second, if the person has spoken without really thinking about how you might use the criticism, it puts the onus on them to clarify or explain, rather than on you to somehow use the criticism that hasn’t been thought through/doesn’t seem constructive.
You haven’t actually acknowledged it as true, but you are ‘acting as if’ to dig into the motivations and intent behind it, and to try and get something from it, if it’s possible (it isn’t always, but asking questions may help!).
If our example is “Your presentations are so boring,” you might ask clarifying questions like:
“Are you saying that I should have fewer slides?”
“Would you recommend that I get extra training?”
“What is specifically wrong with how I presented?”
or even: “How would you act on this feedback?” for anything that feels overtly destructive.
Once again, you are under no obligation whatsoever to try and make destructive criticism into something helpful. But you may wish to try if this is someone you’re likely to keep getting feedback from.
If you can determine a few actual actionable points through questioning the criticism, consider following up — show that you take feedback seriously, and want to action things that can legitimately be actioned.
Obviously, if you decide the criticism is just unnecessary and not actionable, there’s no need to follow up. But this can be a good way to show that you have a good will towards feedback, and if you’re likely to get more criticism or feedback from this same individual, they may take a bit more time to think through what they’re about to feedback on, next time. | https://christinacare.medium.com/the-top-5-ways-to-respond-to-destructive-criticism-9453f97f0e8 | ['Christina Hope'] | 2019-07-13 09:20:08.224000+00:00 | ['Communication', 'Leadership', 'Careers', 'Relationships', 'Self'] |
Battery Powered wireless outdoor security camera reviews | Home security Camera is great priority to possess , especially if you’ve got a family. If you own an out sized home or estate, it’s going to be difficult to stay watch your entire property. Moreover, staying alert all the time wouldn’t allow you to possess a traditional and relaxed lifestyle. You’ll need something reliable which will assist you keep watch your property. If you want to monitor your indoor then battery powered wireless outdoor security camera is the perfect.
You may also interested: Battery powered wireless outdoor security camera reviews
This review of the simplest outdoor battery powered security camera with smartphone app in 2020 can assist you do exactly that. By integrating motion detection and alarm notifications, your house, farm, or property are going to be continuously guarded. the simplest advantage of putting in a solar-powered wireless camera is that your security isn’t compromised by an influence outage or by a wire failure. This enhances safety and ensures that no intruder surrounding your house will go unnoticed.
If you’re considering investing during a home security camera, especially an outside model, power adapters can really get within the way. Sure, you’ll use an cord and clips to secure everything in situ , but what if you would like to mount your camera to the fence surrounding your property or up during a tree? What if you merely want the pliability to maneuver your camera from your backyard to your front room — and back outside again?
Camera Specs and Features
The camera is that the star of your system, and what you’ll want to spend tons of your time watching . Cameras vary on variety of features including the standard of image it produces, additional functions like night-sight , and the way and where the camera stores its video feed.
Image quality: Budget cameras often mean sub-par image quality, but that’s not always the case. shop around and you’ll find some models that record in 720p or 1080p and offer broad viewing angles of 100 degrees or more. For higher-end cameras, quality is never a problem and 1080p is fairly standard.
Night vision: Nighttime is one among the most important areas of concern for homeowners, so naturally, you would like your camera to be ready to function in the dark . Many cameras include infrared capability. The range of the night-sight varies so confirm you’re getting a useful visual distance.
Where does the video feed go? Does the camera store to an SD card, which you’ll got to manually remove to transfer the data? Does it attend your smartphone, or upload to services like Dropbox? For the best security, you would like the info to be protected in multiple places. Another factor is what percentage days of footage are archived. If you aren’t proud of the amount , you’ll be ready to purchase additional space for storing .
Extra Features
Certain additional features can increase the functionality of your security system, creating a way safer home environment. counting on the feature, these also can approach the worth . That’s why you would like to spend a while brooding about what you would like . Here are some relatively common camera system bonus features:
Two-way Audio: These allow the safety camera to tug double duty, letting you get a glance at visitors at the door and ask them.
Smartphone integration: this enables you to access video feed remotely, flash lights, sound alarms, deactivate triggered systems, and more. this might or might not require a subscription to a service. Not all cameras integrate with all types of smartphones (Android, IOS, and Windows) so check ahead to form sure it’s compatible.
Sirens: So your camera has detected intruders or wild animals. does one want to scare them off? A blast from a 100+ decibel siren will do the trick. Note that these sirens may violate local noise control laws, so check before time before making the acquisition .
Types of Security Cameras
The first thing that’ll influence your decision is where you’re installing the safety cameras — Indoor or your outdoor. Of course, there are cameras that are versatile just like the ones we’ve just seen which you’ll install anywhere.
Indoor Security Cameras
Indoor security cameras are a simple way of keeping tabs on your house, kids, and pets. Most of them are pretty simple to put in and are plug and play systems.
Indoor outdoor security cameras are divided into three categories:
Hidden Camera: They’re usually small and discreet cameras that you simply can install to ascertain what your kids, pets, or babysitters are up to. counting on your needs, you’ll pick between exposed or hidden nanny cams. Many people are using those hidden or nany security cameras.
Pet Camera: Absolutely perfect for your pet or dog monitoring. These are pretty almost like nanny cams, except they typically have some extra features. for instance , most pet cams have built-in speakers in order that you’ll interact together with your pets.
Baby Monitors: They’re an excellent thanks to watch your kids and you’ll choose people who monitor a baby’s movements or sound or just capture video. you’ll buy baby monitors that also control humidity, have built-in speakers and mics, and far more.
Outdoor Security Cameras
Based on their shape, you’ll divide outdoor security cameras into four different categories:
Bullet camera
Dome Camera
Pan, tilt, and zoom Camera
Box Camera
Now, bullet security camera system are usually small in size and may perfectly blend into any environment. a number of these outdoor security cameras can even be used underwater and you’ll buy them as both wired and wire-free versions.
Technician Showing Cctv Security Camera, Dome security cameras system are called burglar-proof and that they are an excellent choice if you think that someone might attempt to tamper with them. They’re also pretty discreet and may have wide viewing angles.
If you’ve got an outsized backyard and wish to hide tons of ground, you ought to check out pan, tilt, and zoom cameras. These outdoor security cameras are most ordinarily utilized in airports, supermarkets, and retail stores.
Box cameras are extremely durable and are proven to figure excellently in harsh weather . They’re high-quality cameras that are easy to line up.
Which is the best Battery powered wireless security camera?
Blink Security Camera
Blink entered the house security camera playing field in 2016 with sleekly designed indoor and outdoor cameras for both options. While the cameras have a variety of great features, free data storage, and a totally wireless design, they’re missing a couple of key aspects we’re wont to seeing.
For example, the indoor camera is missing night-sight and therefore the free data storage is merely good for up to 2 hours of footage. That’s not enough to hide an entire night, including a weekend trip of town. Plus, Blink doesn’t offer you an area storage option.
However, if you simply need some light video surveillance, Blink’s basic features perform admirably, so it’s an honest choice for basic home security. And it’s pretty cheap. for fewer than the worth of the Apple Pencil, you’ll get one Blink indoor camera and a sync module (you’ll need this so as to use your camera).
This is absolutely a battery powered wireless security camera system for your smart home. You may also interested to know more about blink security cameras different latest model: Blink xt2 outdoor/indoor smart security camera review
Zumimall Security Camera
COMPATIBILITY: Zumimall security camera is the best in 2020. This solar array power supply for rechargeable battery camera is meant specifically for the ZUMIMALL wireless security camera to supply you with a convenient thanks to keep your security running safely round the clock without fear about changing batteries
NON-STOP POWER SUPPLY: The designed this security camera power supply to supply an influence output of three .7W along side using high-efficient materials to make sure reliable performance even within the end of the day . It’s ideal to be used both day and night, in both the summers and winters to stay your security cameras up and running
You may also interest about zumimall: Zumimall security camera reviews
WEATHERPROOF PERFORMANCE: The solar array system is meant to handle anything Mother Nature can throw at them. With an IP65 Weatherproof design, this security camera solar array can withstand snow, storms, rain and more that are quickly drained to make sure future use. | https://medium.com/hidden-security-camera/battery-powered-wireless-outdoor-security-camera-reviews-29a94bb3432c | ['Smart Locks'] | 2020-04-19 12:02:20.337000+00:00 | ['Safety', 'Security Camera System', 'Security Camera'] |
Why I Want to Stop Writing | Why I Want to Stop Writing
When Someone You Love Dies.
Memories are dusts / remnants of those beings / that became dead in us
Whose bloods have left permanent etches / on the scrolls of our hearts.
Memories are crumbs / we forget what the bread tasted like
And try to rack our brain / to remember its freshness.
When someone you love dies / your heart becomes a sepulcher —
A grave where you bury them alive / for fear of them becoming dusts.
You make your heart into a sacred gallery / where you keep all their pictures
For fear of their memories being cobwebbed.
But then / these memories are crumbs /
No matter how tight you try to hold onto them / they slip from your palms.
You try to picture the face of your loved ones / you try remembering their smiles,
But even their dimples become needles in your hearts / it pierces your soul,
pierces your very existence.
Memories are shreds / they forever remain fragments
and can never be made whole.
See- when someone you love dies / you need not cry,
There are some pains more than tears / such pains come with laughter.
You see them in every shadow / cast on the walls.
Same way when you lose a loved one / and move on after three weeks,
You realize the fragility of life.
You realize life is more fragile than the bones of a sickle cell carrier.
Memories are this poem / one second after I write them. | https://kalaharireview.com/why-i-want-to-stop-writing-83a3943b67d0 | ['The Kalahari Review'] | 2020-12-15 19:17:42.538000+00:00 | ['Nigeria', 'African Poetry', 'Oluwatunmise Adeyemi', 'African Literature', 'Poetry'] |
Request tracker and global errors logging strategy with Reactotron and React native | Sometimes we need a simple debbuggin and logging method to improve the software development process.
For a react native app we can use Reactotron tool, available for macOs, Linux and Windows.
Download and install Reactotron (simple install). Create a new react native app with the command below (requires npm):
npx react-native init myapp
3. Install Reactotron in project
npm i --save-dev reactotron-react-native
4. Let’s configure ours loggs and trackers in Reactotron. Add one file on the root with the name ReactotronConfig.js, with the content:
import Reactotron, {networking,trackGlobalErrors} from ‘reactotron-react-native’; if (__DEV__) {
const tron = Reactotron
.configure()
.useReactNative()
.use(networking()) // tracker for all http requests
.use(trackGlobalErrors()) // logging all global errors
.connect(); console.tron = tron;
}
5. In index.js file, import the ReactotronConfig file.
import ‘./ReactotronConfig’;
6. On the android device or emulator, you need to redirect port 9090 from the device to your local machine. For that, we will change the android script in the package.json file
"scripts": {
"android": "adb reverse tcp:9090 tcp:9090 && npx react-native run-android", ...
7. Now, you can run ‘npm run android’ on the terminal, with the Reactotron open.
For testing, add this two lines in your App.js file:
console.tron?.log('App initialized with Reactotron!');
fetch('https://google.com').then(res => {});
The result is below:
Obs: Always use console.tron?.log(message or object), because this way you don’t need to worry with the production mode.
Thank’s for reading. If you have any questions or feedback leave a comment! | https://medium.com/@wellsilva-developer/request-tracker-and-global-errors-logging-strategy-with-reactotron-and-react-native-765766a00ab7 | ['Wellington Júnior'] | 2020-12-23 02:33:40.233000+00:00 | ['Networking', 'React Native', 'Logging', 'Reactotron', 'Request Tracing'] |
Learn English with Game of Thrones: The Best Episodes | Learn English with Game of Thrones: The Best Episodes
Using data to find the best episodes of Game of Thrones to learn English with
Photo by Chris Curry on Unsplash
If your native language isn’t English, you probably watched the dubbed version of Game of Thrones or needed subtitles to watch the original version. That’s OK; even I find the language in Game of Thrones a bit complicated. But, what if I tell you which are the episodes in this great TV show that cover only basic English words? Throughout 8 seasons, there must be some episodes where the characters use simple vocabulary, right? This is true! That’s why I used transcripts to find Game of Thrones episodes with the easiest vocabulary, so you can have fun watching them without subtitles. I’ll also compare the vocabulary used in Game of Thrones with shows like Friends and The Simpsons to know which TV show would be better to learn English with.
What Game of Thrones (GoT) episodes among the 73 are the best for you to learn English?
The British accent, speech pace and vocabulary used in episodes are some things that make GoT hard to follow even for native speakers. However, I ranked the 73 GoT episodes by difficulty of vocabulary, so you can re-watch them in English, starting with the easiest episodes. For example, I found that Oathbreaker (S6E3) and Beyond the Wall (S7E6) are the episodes in which characters used simple English vocabulary. I bet that If you watch them, you’ll be able to understand dialogues more than in the episode The Laws of Gods and Men (S4E6), which is the hardest episode to understand because of its hard vocabulary.
You can find all the Game of Thrones episodes in the image below. The episodes furthest to the right cover more basic English vocabulary
The code behind this analysis is available on Github — Image by Author.
The best episodes to learn English with Game of Thrones
The following are the top 10 episodes with the easiest vocabulary among all Game of Thrones episodes aired. Re-watch them without subtitles and you’ll understand dialogues more than in the average GoT episode:
S6E3: Oathbreaker
S7E6: Beyond the Wall
S8E2: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
S2E4: Garden of Bones
S2E10: Valar Morghulis
S8E4: The Last of the Starks
S3E6: The Climb
S8E5: The Bells
S2E1: The North Remembers
S3E2: Dark Wings, Dark Words
Also, I found that Battle of the Bastards (S6E9) and The Red Woman (S6E1) are one of the episodes with fewer words spoken. I believe that happens because they have scenes with many fights, so less dialogue. If you watch them, you’ll have fewer hard words to worry about!
Tip: Check the vocabulary used in every episode before you watch them. You can easily do so by checking the chart ‘Every Word Said in Game of Thrones (Level 3and above)’ below.
Should I Learn English with GoT, Friends or The Simpsons?
Choosing a TV series to learn English is a hard task. Most people would recommend you a movie or TV show based on what they like or what worked for them to learn English, but let’s be honest, not everyone learns with the same formula.
If I have to follow what my research results suggest, I’d recommend watching Friends to someone who started learning English. At the same time, The Simpsons and Game Of Thrones would be an excellent choice for intermediate/advanced English learners who want to improve their vocabulary. However, here at Learn Language with TV, we encourage you to learn a language with content you love, so even if your English is basic, you could watch The Simpsons or Game of Thrones and improve your skills. After all, you already know which are the easiest episodes from those TV shows, remember?
Image by Author
Each TV show has some vocabulary that was created or is only spoken in their episodes. They’re labeled as ‘unique words’ in the chart above. Game of Thrones has many of these words, such as Winterfell, Westeros, Dothraki and Khaleesi. You can find more words like this in the following wordcloud with the shape of one of Daenerys’ dragon:
Character names were excluded, but I kept family names created on the TV show- Image by Author.
Which character Speaks the Most in 7 Seasons?
In case you’re interested to know which characters speak the most in almost all episodes in Game of Thrones, I ranked them by each season. To do so, I calculated which characters speak the most in the series and then classified them into seasons.
Play with the chart below to find how many times your favorite character speak in each season!
Image by Author
What hard words are they saying in 73 episodes?
Now that you know the easy episodes from Game of Thrones, it’s time to reveal my secret to learning languages with TV. To increase my English vocabulary when watching an episode of a TV show, I use the table below. You can find which difficult words you’ll hear in the 73 Game of Thrones episodes in a couple of seconds by using the table. You can filter by word, episode or season!
Image bu Author
This is how I increase my vocabulary in 4 languages by watching TV with the table above, step by step:
Step 1: I search the name of the episode I’m going to watch in the table above.
Step 2: I check the hard words repeated a lot of times in the episode by sorting the table by the ‘Repetition’ column
Step 3: I look up the meaning of hard words that I never heard before and are repeated a lot of times in that episode
Step 4: Watch the episode and have fun!
If you do this, you’ll increase your vocabulary and also the chances to understand dialogue in an episode, which includes deep conversations, jokes, etc.
Conclusion
I know how it feels to be unable to understand dialogue when watching your favorite TV show. In this article, I used my data science knowledge to find the Game of Thrones episodes with the easiest English vocabulary, so you can re-watch them and have fun learning English. I also compared it with other TV shows to find the ideal show for you to learn English with.
The code behind this analysis is available on Github. | https://medium.com/learn-languages-with-tv/learn-english-with-game-of-thrones-the-best-episodes-94eb4fba11d2 | ['Frank Andrade'] | 2020-11-16 00:17:34.957000+00:00 | ['Game of Thrones', 'English Language', 'Data Science', 'Data Visualization', 'Language Learning'] |
More about clarity breaks | I mentioned the idea of a “clarity break” yesterday and thought I’d unpack it a bit more. It’s a concept that I’ve struggled with over the years, but find great value from when I do it regularly.
The EOS Worldwide blog defines it as:
A clarity break is a regularly scheduled appointment on your calendar with yourself. You define what regular is — a half hour daily, two hours weekly, a half day monthly. It’s up to you. The doing of it is what matters. Next find a place to meet with yourself… I like Panera Bread personally. Just take a blank pad with you. Using technology tends to become a distraction. We are tempted to just do one email or just surf the web for that one project back at work. Don’t do it. Back to you and that blank pad. Stare at it and your mind will help you. The important things will surface. Ideas will pop up. Try it. You’ll be amazed.
It really can be quite amazing, though it’s also rather intimidating. You’re sitting there with a blank piece of paper and nothing worth writing. If you can break past those first few minutes, though, things will start to roll. For me, the content varies a lot: sometimes it’s mostly work-related, sometimes more personal tasks, and sometimes just random. Not every session is perfect, but collectively they add up nicely.
The idea is not unlike your time in the shower, when you let your mind wander and you often come up with new ideas or remember something you were supposed to do. This is just an intentional version of that.
Getting Ready
I’ve done a few things to help make my sessions more useful, and one is better prep. First, I take another look at my calendar for the coming days so I can have that fresh in my mind.
Next, I do a short meditation session with Headspace. I’ve never been much on meditation, but taking three minutes to clear my head before I start is key.
I kind of relate it to this ridiculous scene from “ The Waterboy “. Coach Klein leaves his head for a few minutes, but when he’s done he’s ready to dig right in. That’s how I am with Headspace; I try to relax for a few minutes, and when it’s over I snap back and dig in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnh4ZrnoANU
Ideas to use
From there, I have a few prompts that I give myself each time.
Highlights: What are some things that have gone well recently?
What are some things that have gone well recently? Gut Feelings: What am I feeling? What am I nervous about?
What am I feeling? What am I nervous about? People: I think about the other three people in my house, and the other six people at our company, one at a time, to see if anything pops up. I’ll often have random thoughts like “Oh yeah, I need to check in with Brooke about project X”.
I think about the other three people in my house, and the other six people at our company, one at a time, to see if anything pops up. I’ll often have random thoughts like “Oh yeah, I need to check in with Brooke about project X”. Goals and Priorities: Looking ahead, does anything show up there?
Looking ahead, does anything show up there? Random: I leave a section on the side for any other random things that come to mind.
I don’t do them in order, and I rarely have something in every category. They’re just good prompts to get things rolling and then I follow wherever my thoughts take me.
In my case, I use my reMarkable tablet for these breaks. It has no apps or features, and is essentially just digital paper. No distractions, but can save and sync my notes. Perfect for something like this.
Do you ever intentionally take these kinds of breaks? | https://medium.com/@mickmel/more-about-clarity-breaks-3fc0ecdc004c | ['Mickey Mellen'] | 2020-11-18 12:38:22.901000+00:00 | ['Clarity Break', 'Waterboy', 'Eos'] |
Programmatic UI with Navigation | Delete Storyboard
To properly remove storyboard from a project using UIKit with the iOS version above 13.0, there are several steps to follow.
First, of course, delete the Main.storyboard and ViewVontroller.swift from the project.
Then open Info.plist and find Main storyboard file base name and click on minus to delete it. In the version above iOS 13, we have to find Storyboard name in Application Scene Manifest and delete it as well, or there will be an error.
Click on the “minus” icon to delete.
Delete also the Storyboard Name.
Now the removement of storyboard file has been complete. If we run the app now, the screen should be totally black like the picture below. | https://medium.com/%E5%BD%BC%E5%BE%97%E6%BD%98%E7%9A%84-swift-ios-app-%E9%96%8B%E7%99%BC%E6%95%99%E5%AE%A4/programmatic-ui-with-navigation-8a22bef12fce | [] | 2020-10-12 10:33:04.453000+00:00 | ['Swift', 'Uikit'] |
The Slacker’s Guide to Rebranding Yourself as a Data Scientist | First Things First
I’m a strong believer in Yoda’s wisdom: “Do or do not, there is no try.” For me, either you do something or you don’t. Failure for me was not an option, and I took comfort in knowing that I won’t really fail unless I quit entirely. So first bit of advice: don’t quit. Ever.
Do or do not, there is no try. — Yoda
Begin with the End in Mind
Let’s get our online affairs in order and start thinking about SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimization. The simplest way to think about is the very fine art of putting as much “stuff” as you can on the internet with your real professional name out there so that when somebody searches for you, all they will find are the stuff that you want them to find.
In our case, we want the words “data science” or “data scientist” to appear whenever your name appears in the search results.
So let’s start littering the interweb!
Create a professional Gmail account if you don’t already have one. Don’t make your username be [email protected]. Play it safe, the more boring, the better. Start with [email protected], or if your name is a common one, append it with “data” like [email protected]. Avoid numbers at all costs. If you have one already, but it doesn’t follow the aforementioned guidelines, create another one! Create a LinkedIn account and use your professional email address. Put “Data Scientist in Training” in the headline. “Data Science Enthusiast” is too weak. We’ve made a conscious decision and committed to the mission, remember? While we’re at it, let’s put the app on our phone too. If you don’t have a Facebook account yet, create one just so you could claim your name. If you already have one, put that thing on private pronto! Go the extra mile and also delete the app on your phone so you won’t get distracted. Do the same for other social networks like Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Set them to private for now, we’ll worry about cleaning them up later. Create a Twitter account if you don’t already have one. We can take a little bit of leeway in the username. Make it short and memorable but still professional, so you don’t offend anybody’s sensibilities. If you already have one, decide if you want to keep it or start all over. The main thing to ask yourself: is there any content in your history that can be construed as unprofessional or mildly controversial? Err on the side of caution. Start following the top voices in data science on LinkedIn and Twitter. Here are a few suggestions: Cassie Kozyrkov, Angela Baltes, Sarah N., Kate Strachnyi, Kristen Kehrer, Favio Vazquez, and of course, my all-time favorite: Eric Weber. Create a Hootsuite account and connect your LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. Start scheduling data science-related posts. You can share interesting articles from other people about data science or post about your own data science adventures! If you do share other people’s posts, please make sure you give the appropriate credit. Simply adding a URL is lazy and no bueno. Thanks to Eric Weber for this pro-tip! Take a professional picture and put it as your profile picture in all of your social media accounts. Aim for a neutral background, if possible. Make sure it’s only you in the picture unless you’re Eric (he’s earned his chops so don’t question him! LOL.) Create a Github account if you don’t have one already. You’re going to need this as you start doing data science projects. BONUS: if you can spare a few dollars, go to wordpress.org and get yourself a domain that has your professional name on it. I was fortunate enough to have an uncommon name, so I have ednalyn.com, but if your name is common, be creative and make one up that’s recognizably yours. Maybe something like janesmithdoesdatascience.com. Then you can start planning on having your resumé online or maybe even have a blog post or two about data science. As for me, I started with writing my experience when I first started to learn data science. Clean-up: when time permits, start auditing your social media posts for offensive, scandalous, or unflattering content. If you’re looking to save time, try a service like brandyourself.com. Warning! It can get expensive, so watch where you click.
Do Your Chores
No kidding! When you’re doing household chores, taking a walk, or maybe even while driving, listen to podcasts that talk about data science topics like Linear Digression and TwiML. Don’t get too bogged down about committing what they say to memory. Just go along with the flow, and sooner or later, the terminology and concepts that they discuss will start to sound familiar. Just remember not to get too caught up with the discussions that you start burning whatever you’re cooking or miss your exit like I have many times in the past.
Meat and Potatoes
Now that we’ve taken care of the preliminaries of living and breathing data science, it’s time to take care of the meat and potatoes: actually learning about data science.
Screenshot by the Author
There’s no shortage of opinions about how to learn data science. There are so many of them that it can overwhelm you, especially when they start talking about learning the foundational math and statistics first.
Blah!
Tell me and I forget,
teach me and I remember,
involve me and I learn. — Old Chinese Adage¹
While important, I don’t see the point of studying theory first when I may soon fall asleep or worst, get too intimidated by the onslaught of mathematical formulas that I get so exasperated, and ended up quitting!
What I humbly propose, rather, is to employ the idea of “minimum viable knowledge” or MVK as described by Ken Jee in his article: How I Would Learn Data Science (If I Had to Start Over).
In his article, Ken Jee describes minimum viable knowledge as learning “just enough to be able to learn through doing.”² I suggest checking it out:
My approach to MVK is pretty straight-forward: learn just enough SQL to be able to get the data from a database, learn enough Python so that you could have program control and be able to use the pandas library, and then do end-to-end projects, from simple ones to increasingly more challenging ones. Along the way, you’d learn about data wrangling, exploratory data analysis, and modeling. Other techniques like cross-validation and grid search would surely be a part of your journey as well. The trick is never to get too comfortable and always push yourself slowly.
To the list-oriented, here is my process:
Learn enough SQL and Python to be able to do end-to-end projects with increasing complexity. For each project, go through the steps of the data science pipeline: planning, acquisition, preparation, exploration, modeling, delivery (story-telling/presentation). Be sure to document with your efforts on your Github account. Rinse and repeat (iterate).
For a more in-depth discussion of the data science pipeline, I recommend the following article:
For each iteration, I suggest doing an end-to-end project that practices each of these following data science methodologies:
regression
classification
clustering
time-series analysis
anomaly detection
natural language processing
distributed ML
deep learning
And for each methodology, practice its different algorithms, models, or techniques. For example, for natural language processing, you might want to practice these following techniques:
n-gram ranking
named-entity recognition
sentiment analysis
topic modeling
text classification
Just Push It
As you do end-to-end projects, it’s a good practice to push your work publicly on Github. Not only will it track your progress, but it also backups your work in case your local machine breaks down. Not to mention, it’s a great way to showcase your progress. Note that I said progress, not perfection. Generally, people understand if our Github repositories are a little bit messy. In fact, most expect it. At a minimum, just make sure that you have a great README.md file for each repo.
What to put on a Github Repo README.md:
Project name
What goal or purpose of the project
Background on the project
How to use the project (if somebody wants to try it for themselves)
Mention your keywords: “data science,” “data scientist,” “machine learning,” et cetera.
Don’t ignore this note: don’t make the big mistake or hard-coding your credentials or any passwords in your public code. Put them in an .env file and .gitignore them. For reference, check out this documentation from Github.
For a great in-depth tutorial on how to use Git and Github, check out Anne Bonner’s guide:
For the Love of Math
And finally, as you get better with employing different techniques and you begin to do hyper-parameter tuning, I believe at this point that you’re ready to face the necessary evil that is math. And more than likely, the more you understand and develop intuition, the less you’ll hate it. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll even grow to love it.
I have one general recommendation when it comes to learning the math behind data science: take it slow. Be gentle on yourself and don’t set deadlines. Again, there’s no sense in being ambitious and tackling something monumental if it ends up driving you insane. There’s just no fun in it.
There are generally two approaches to learning math.
One is to take the structured approach, which starts on learning the basics first and then incrementally take on the more challenging parts. For this I recommend KhanAcademy. Personalize your learning towards calculus, linear algebra, and statistics. Take small steps and celebrate small wins.
The other approach is slightly geared for more hands-on involvement and takes a little bit of reverse engineering. I call it learning backward. You start with finding out what math concept is involved in a project and breaking down that concept into more basic ideas and go from there. This approach is better suited for those who prefer to learn by doing.
A good example of learning by doing is illustrated by a post on Analytics Vidhya:
Supplemented by this article:
Take a Break
Well, learning math sure is hard! It’s so powerful and intense that you’d better take a break often or risk overheating your brain. On the other hand, taking a break does not necessarily mean taking a day off. After all, there is no rest for the weary!
Every once in a while, I strongly recommend supplementing your technical studies with a little bit of understanding the business side of things. For this, I suggest the classic book: Thinking with Data by Max Shron. You can also find a lot of articles here on Medium.
For example, check out Eric Kleppen’s article:
Talk to People
Taking a break can be lonely sometimes, and being alone with only your thoughts can be exhausting. So you may decide to finally talk with your family, the problem is, you’re so motivated and gung-ho about data science that it’s all you can talk about. Sooner or later, you’re going to annoy your loved ones.
It happened to me.
This is why I decided to talk to other people with similar interests. I went on Meetups and started networking with people who are either already practicing data science or people like you who are aspiring to be a data scientist as well. In this post-COVID (hopefully) age that we’re in, having group video calls are more prevalent. This is actually more beneficial because now, geography won’t be an issue anymore.
A good resource to start is LinkedIn. You can use the social network to find others with similar interests or even find local data scientists who can still spare an hour or two every month to mentor motivated learners. Start with companies in your local municipality. Find out if they have a data scientist that works there, and if you do find one, kindly send them a personalized message with a request to connect. Give them the option to refuse gracefully and just ask them to repoint or recommend you to another person who does have the time to mentor.
The worst that can happen is they said no. No hard feelings, eh?
Conclusion
Thanks for reading! This concludes my very opinionated advice on rebranding yourself as a data scientist. I hope you got something out of it. I welcome any feedback. If you have something you’d like to add, please post it in the comments or responses.
Let’s continue this discussion! | https://towardsdatascience.com/the-slackers-guide-to-rebranding-yourself-as-a-data-scientist-b34424d45540 | ['Ednalyn C. De Dios'] | 2020-06-11 21:36:15.717000+00:00 | ['Data Science', 'Towards Data Science', 'Careers', 'Job Hunting', 'Data Scientist'] |
Damac Properties Dubai: UAE property prices set to rise in 2022 | According to experts, AE property prices will continue to rise in 2022, owing to supportive economic reforms and an accelerated vaccination program that has aided in the recovery from the coronavirus-induced slowdown last year.
Despite analysts’ alert of a “vulnerable recovery,” Damac Properties founder Hussain Sajwani believes Dubai’s “incredible” property market rebound is the start of “something long term.”
To sell their developments, world’s best developers such as Damac and Emaar have unveiled enticing packages that include Dubai Land Department registration fee waivers and flexible payment plans.
“The UAE property market will perform well,” said Haider Tuaima, head of real estate research at ValuStrat consultancy.
Damacc properties
“We have developers who are offering appealing payment plans, and mortgage interest rates are low.” More international investors will enter the market to purchase property in the coming year.”
The UAE property market, which softened as a result of a three-year oil price slump that began in 2014 due to oversupply concerns and the ensuing pandemic, has turned the page and is recovering as people move to larger homes with outdoor amenities amid an increase in remote working and online learning.
Furthermore, economic support measures and government initiatives — such as residency permits for retired and remote workers, as well as the expansion of the 10-year golden visa programme — have aided in improving market sentiment.
MrTuaima stated that the price increase “is sustainable, but it will only be moderated by the fact that we have a lot of supply coming in, particularly in the apartment submarket.”
According to him, developers expect to deliver 50,000 to 60,000 units next year due to increased demand for residential property.
HawazenEsber, chief executive officer of Majid Al Futtaim Communities, expects the property market to continue to recover next year as the government takes effective measures to combat the pandemic.
He claimed that Dubai had succeeded in positioning itself as a safe global city as a result of its pandemic preparedness measures, healthcare system, and Covid-19 testing requirements. | https://medium.com/@uae-offplan/damac-properties-dubai-uae-property-prices-set-to-rise-in-2022-407a5b8fc42b | ['Umair Kazmi'] | 2021-12-24 11:47:29.615000+00:00 | ['Projects', 'Emaar', '2022', 'Property', 'Real Estate'] |
On the True Nature of Choice | Weekly Essay
True choice is always a choice for the best.
A person never chooses the worst of two options if he understands both options in full, and it is only when he fully understands his options that he can be counted as actually choosing between them.
And so, presented with a genuine choice, a person always chooses the better. And if this simple principle is true, then the more genuine choices a person has in his life, the better things he will choose.
But you see, choice is restricted not only by external circumstances: it is also restricted by the internal circumstances of being human. Drives, desires, impulses and instincts — these inner forces are just as constricting as the material circumstances outside us.
The problem with the modern idea of freedom is that it focuses on material emancipation but not inner emancipation. Modern freedom ends with the individual’s desires: a liberation of the individual from all forms of physical slavery so that they may pursue their wants and needs unimpeded.
But this limited notion of freedom has completely forgotten the most ancient form of slavery, the form of slavery which the ancients knew quite well: the slavery of our own passions. If we are to talk about freedom, genuine freedom, we cannot end with external slavery: we must account for the slavery of our inner lives.
To locate genuine freedom — a choice that is truly unrestricted and unconditioned — we must go deeper than the modern notion of freedom. This genuine freedom is freedom from internal as well as external compulsions. And what may seem like slavery to the modern notion of freedom may actually be freedom in this truer, deeper sense: a freedom from our own rampant desires as well as the rampant desires of others.
Once we can secure some degree of freedom from our own instincts and impulses — either by satisfying them, abating them, resisting them, channeling them, disciplining them, or otherwise consciously directing them — then we will have expanded the domain of possible choices available to us. And, having more choices, we will be able to choose even better things.
The word choice itself can be misleading. Nothing is free. The way we act when we are free is predictable; this alone undermines the idea of pure freedom or choice. And the predictable thing that happens when we expand our genuine freedom, freedom from internal demands as well as external demands, is a demand for yet greater things. The more immediate concerns, now fulfilled or transcended, open our minds to greater and more general concerns.
And so, it is far more accurate to say that freedom, genuine freedom, is merely an opening for better things to happen. The freer we become, the better things we consistently choose, and the more that good choices, moral choices, begin to come out spontaneously from us.
Freedom taken to its fullest expression always turns out to be moral. Freed from both external and internal compulsions, we begin to turn towards service to others; we search for significance to our lives beyond our own selfishness; we accumulate power, wealth, and wisdom not merely for ourselves but in order to create structures and systems for the benefit of others.
Freedom in this genuine sense, rather than its liberal modern sense, is equivalent to the good. Freedom is not a prerequisite to the good, as it is classically conceived, a mere preliminary stage in moral action — it is good, if it is genuine freedom.
And so, when we pursue the idea of freedom in full, freedom of choice begins to look less and less like the model of rational self-interest or political libertarianism and more and more like a transcendental ethics. The less conditioned we are, the purer we become, and our purest unconditioned existence is revealed to be, in the final analysis, pure goodwill. | https://medium.com/@misatheus/on-the-true-nature-of-choice-857c2d48a8b6 | ['Misatheus'] | 2021-05-22 14:20:16.675000+00:00 | ['Goodness', 'Essay', 'Morality', 'Choices', 'Freedom'] |
How we run a fully remote team of 13 people: All the gory details | How we run a fully remote team of 13 people: All the gory details
Reflecting on the year 2016, I notice that all of the milestones and accomplishments were due to one thing: people. And I have found the best people for Bobsled Marketing all around the world — all working remotely.
There are only 2 people I’ve met in person from Bobsled. One happens to be my husband Tom, and the other is a contractor who lived close by and I also met up with at a conference in Bangkok.
Me and Brent, one of just 2 people I have met from Bobsled Marketing face-to-face.
Everyone and everything else in the company is managed remotely, online. Tom and I recently moved from the US back to Australia to have our first child, with no disruption to the business.
I hesitate to call remote working a “trend”, because I believe it to be much more than that. Big, systemic changes are shaking up the workforce. Millennials prioritize lifestyle and meaning in their job above a secure salary. Parents are done with choosing between their career and their families. Reliable, fast internet and cloud software tools mean that we don’t have to be working in the same place, at the same time, to be hugely productive.
So how does remote working actually work in practice at Bobsled? Here are some of the top successes and challenges I’ve faced in building a remote team of 13 this past year.
Thinking & hiring remote-first
Many established companies need to reverse engineer their remote working arrangements. They have and office with employees who commute, and may decide to offer telecommuting as a perk. Something I’m grateful for in retrospect, but was simply a necessity at the time, is that remote work was the default when hiring team members. There are 2 benefits to this:
The reality is, one can access an entirely new pool of talent by making positions available to work remotely. Many accomplished professionals are looking for such positions.
It also allowed me to build the company to run fully remotely right from the beginning, making remote work the default, rather than an exception or a workaround.
Best in class cloud software tools
As a service based company, communication between team members and with clients is paramount. There are two tools which are indispensable to what we do: Asana, a project management tool, and Slack, a chat tool.
Asana allows us to set up projects with detailed timelines, easily link to resources, and who’s responsible for delivering each component. Managers can easily see how much work each team member has on their plate and can re-distribute tasks.
Slack took the online business world by storm in 2016 and it’s easy to see why. We pay for a premium subscription so that we can add clients to a single channel and communicate with them there. Having an asynchronous chat tool like Slack:
Eliminates chains of emails between the team, as well as clients
Creates an audit-able record. If there’s a “he-said, she-said” situation internally or with a client, we most likely have a written record on Slack (or Asana) of what conversation actually took place.
Is a conduit to our team culture. “See you around on Slack” is a frequent sign-off from team calls, since it’s now our default communication channel.
Other tools we use:
Google Drive for file storage and documenting Procedures
Toggl, time tracking for contractors
Payoneer, for paying non-US staff and Gusto for managing payroll of permanent US-based staff
Hey Taco! A Slack plug-in that allows team members to recognize & reward each other. This has been huge in building a shared value of “in it together”
VPNs, for folks working in coffee shops or outside of a secure home network on occasion
Clear roles & reporting
For a while, we had some team members “float” between Project Managers to help manage projects. My reasoning at the time was so that the team could easily cross-pollinate knowledge. In reality, it created issues with accountability and unclear expectations. What’s clear now is that reporting lines need to be crystal clear. Now, we have 3 “pods” on our operations team, with a Project Manager who’s accountable for driving results on each account and managing 2 direct reports.
Defining the exact responsibilities of each role, as well as the capabilities (more innate, but often still coachable personal qualities) only happened recently. But it made an enormous difference in helping people understand where they should be spending their time and energy. Identifying responsibilities & capabilities by role allowed us to promote 2 team members and help them move forward in their careers. Setting concrete KPIs for each job type is a goal for next year.
Creating and maintaining a culture
This week we had a virtual year-end awards ceremony, where we gave each person on the team awards like, “Most prolific use of emojis”, “The Sherlock award”, and “Most likely to be cooking an elaborate lunch”. It was a fun way to recognize all the personalities on the team and shows how you really can build meaningful relationships even if you only know someone in an online context. I also had a cartoonist create characters from everyone’s profile pics for them to use on Slack and elsewhere online, and gave them out at the awards ceremony. Here’s mine!
Everyone wants to work somewhere where they feel their talents are recognized and valued, and that they’re making meaningful contributions to customers. That’s certainly the case for me, and something I’ve been very deliberate to build at Bobsled.
The chit-chat and morning teas in a traditional work setting exist for a reason. They do help to quickly develop a culture and relationships amongst a team. You have to be more deliberate and persistent when creating a remote culture.
Challenges with a remote team
Conference calls. We’ve tried Skype, Slack group calls (unfortunately these are still super buggy), Uber Conference, Zoom Meeting, and Google Hangouts. We seem to have a 50% hit rate when it comes to team conference calls. If anyone has a suggestion here, please let me know!
We’ve tried Skype, Slack group calls (unfortunately these are still super buggy), Uber Conference, Zoom Meeting, and Google Hangouts. We seem to have a 50% hit rate when it comes to team conference calls. If anyone has a suggestion here, please let me know! Getting a read on how people are doing. In an office setting, you can “walk the floor” and pick up on the energy of the team. You’ll learn about people’s hobbies & family, how they work, etc, just by observing them in action. In a fully remote environment, there’s less room for visual observation of your colleagues. For better or worse, we all have to be a bit more candid with each other, because you just can’t pick up facial cues or body language in a chat app. For some people it’s a relief to just get on with their work without the distraction of office chit-chat and morning teas. But it’s still important to do a digital ‘drop-in’ and make sure people have what they need to be productive and that they’re not burning out.
In an office setting, you can “walk the floor” and pick up on the energy of the team. You’ll learn about people’s hobbies & family, how they work, etc, just by observing them in action. In a fully remote environment, there’s less room for visual observation of your colleagues. For better or worse, we all have to be a bit more candid with each other, because you just can’t pick up facial cues or body language in a chat app. For some people it’s a relief to just get on with their work without the distraction of office chit-chat and morning teas. But it’s still important to do a digital ‘drop-in’ and make sure people have what they need to be productive and that they’re not burning out. Scheduling. With just under half of the team in the US, me & Tom in Australia, and everyone else in Europe, it’s hard to schedule team calls at an ideal time for everyone. We’ve all had to become masters of calculating international time zones. Generally there is a couple hours’ overlap of everyone’s working hours, which is critical to getting things done. The same goes for working with clients who are in different time zones. Truth be told though, it’s nice to have a few hours each day when not everyone is online and you can get on with your work with less distraction.
With just under half of the team in the US, me & Tom in Australia, and everyone else in Europe, it’s hard to schedule team calls at an ideal time for everyone. We’ve all had to become masters of calculating international time zones. Generally there is a couple hours’ overlap of everyone’s working hours, which is critical to getting things done. The same goes for working with clients who are in different time zones. Truth be told though, it’s nice to have a few hours each day when not everyone is online and you can get on with your work with less distraction. Distractions at home. I’ve called this out as a challenge, but it’s only a short-term one. When you’re first adapting to working at home, you might see distractions everywhere. But once you set up your space, get into a groove, and realize that this stuff just has to get done, you do just… get it done. And as a manager you have to trust that others will also get to the same place. It will be pretty clear if they can’t.
Julie, our Operations Manager, and I were chatting recently (on Slack of course) about how much more efficient working at home is. There’s no commute, you can often choose when and where you’re getting work done. For me, I’ve really been needing my afternoon nap. My naps don’t affect anyone negatively because I can get started a bit earlier or work a bit later. The same goes for parents going to school recitals or picking up a sick kid from daycare. As long as the work gets done, clients and colleagues are kept in the loop — it matters less where and when work happens.
Having said that, it takes time, effort, trust, and a dedication to the concept to make remote work, ‘work’ for your company. | https://medium.com/@kirimasters/how-we-run-a-fully-remote-team-of-13-people-all-the-gory-details-ce266af62c46 | ['Kiri Masters'] | 2016-12-23 00:11:22.556000+00:00 | ['Remote Working', 'Women In Business', 'Work From Home', 'Digital Marketing Agency', 'Female Entrepreneurs'] |
Paying for Water Is a Great Example of How We Failed as a Race | Illustration by Karthik Pasupathy
The water level in lakes around Chennai has shrunk down to 1.3%. A major portion of the city is now thriving at the mercy of water that is supplied through private tankers and municipal water trucks.
Bengaluru, which was known as the city of gardens and lakes, is facing a severe water crisis. The municipal water board recently said that they can supply water only for 60% of the city’s population. The city is running on a water deficit of 800 million liters a day.
INS Kadamba, the naval base in Karwar, is facing a severe water crisis due to the shortfall of water supply from Gangavalli river. The base recently bought 5 million liters of water from Mumbai through its fleet tanker INS Deepak.
In Maharashtra, 136 out of 355 Talukas has been declared drought-hit.
All the above incidents provide a clear indication that India, one of the fastest developing economies in the world, is facing the worst water crisis in history.
A 2018 NITI aayog report says that 600 million people are affected by the water crisis, 40% of the population might lose access to clean drinking water by 2030.
If this doesn’t scare us, I don’t know what will.
Water, which was once free, now comes with a price tag.
Rapid growth and Failing monsoon
If you’re thinking “What’s the reason?”
It’s us humans.
We’re growing too rapidly without considering the consequences. We’ve destroyed forests and water bodies at an alarming rate, without even giving a second of thought about where would we store all the freshwater.
Cities like Bangalore has tripled in size over the past few decades. Result? It lost 79% of their water bodies over the past four decades. This along with industrial activities deeply affects the monsoon.
Chennai’s original monsoon is supposed to be from June to August. But, for the past couple of years, the city has experienced storms and cyclones only during the months of November and December. Last year, we’ve failed to receive that too.
Cities are the worst victims of the water crisis compared to small cities, towns, and villages. We have no infrastructure to store freshwater. Every apartment complex comes with a built-in clubhouse, gym, and car parking. But, how much have thought has gone into collecting and storing rainwater during monsoon. City Dwellers only rely on groundwater that won’t last more than a few months.
The price we pay
When there is a demand for something, it instantly becomes a fast-growing business. Water tankers make the most of the situation. The price of water has doubled over the last few months and is likely to triple if the monsoon gets delayed further.
Our generation is fortunate enough to have had the “drinking straight from the tap” experience. Our future generation won’t have the privilege. They will have to drink water that is coming from a purifier.
We’ve lost our chance to taste the water in its purest form.
The Future
We’re at the peak of technological innovation. We were able to take high-speed mobile data to every corner of the country in less than 5 years. But, we can’t do the same for clean drinking water.
Technology has provided us with tools to solve a lot of problems. But, we’re not using them to solve the right problems.
We have the smartest minds amongst us. We can come up with numerous solutions to solve this problem.
Imagine a machine learning algorithm that monitors weather patterns and tells the government when to expect rainfall. A concrete infrastructure that collects and saves rainwater from large buildings, malls, and apartment complexes. An IoT system that could monitor the city’s water consumption and tell the authorities how to efficiently fulfill the city’s water needs. And, an app that allows people to report when they see leakage or freshwater getting wasted.
We’ve polluted the air, melted the polar ice caps, punched a huge hole in the ozone, killed 60% of the animal population, dumped nuclear waste into the ocean, and sucked our earth dry. We shouldn’t be worrying about an upcoming economic crisis. Instead, we should worry about a major ecological crisis that could put all our lives in danger.
It’s time we come together and start thinking about building a sustainable ecosystem for our future generations.
Originally written for Endangered Blog. | https://medium.com/indian-thoughts/paying-for-water-is-a-great-example-of-how-we-failed-as-a-race-8ee7227f983 | ['Karthik Pasupathy'] | 2019-06-20 12:18:19.595000+00:00 | ['Water', 'Climate Change', 'Environment'] |
Davis Instruments AirLink air quality sensor review: A professional air quality monitor for your home | Davis Instruments AirLink air quality sensor review: A professional air quality monitor for your home Christopher Dec 21, 2020·4 min read
Three things set Davis Instruments’s air quality monitor apart from the competition. First, its AirLink monitor can detect particulate matter as small as 1 micron that’s floating in the air; the competition we’ve reviewed is only capable of detecting particles measuring 2.5-microns or larger. Second, the AirLink can be deployed indoors or out; everything else we’ve reviewed is designed for indoor use only. And third, AirLink reports its findings to Davis’ WeatherLink software, so the sensor can be used in conjunction with the company’s highly regarded weather stations.
The AirLink is a deceptively simple piece of hardware. Its ABS plastic housing measures 2 x 3.5 x 1 inches (HxWxD) and is bare of ornamentation apart from the Davis logo embossed on top. The sensor can be set freely on a tabletop or mounted to a wall via a bracket attached to the back of the housing. It can also be used outdoors and has an operating temperature of 14°F to 140°F. Should you decide to deploy it outdoors, you can slip a second plastic cover over it, which increases its dimensions to 4 x 4.5 x 1.5 inches. Keep in mind that you’ll need to plug the sensor into an AC outlet.
[ Further reading: The best indoor air quality monitors ]The AirLink provides a range of air quality data similar to other air quality sensors. It pulls real-time data from the NowCast air quality index, tracks air quality trends, displays weather data, and delivers real-time text and email alerts about changes in air quality.
Davis Instruments The AirLink can be placed on a tabletop or mounted to a wall.
The list of pollutants the AirLink monitors is pretty short compared to other sensors. It tracks only particulate matter, the mix of particles and droplets in the air produced by our environment. Some particles, such as dust and smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen by the naked eye. Others—those with a particle diameter of 10 microns or less—are too small to be visible without an electron microscope and are fine enough to be inhaled. These are classified as PM10, PM2.5, and PM1, with the number denoting their diameter: 10 microns, 2.5 microns, and 1 micron.
Mentioned in this article Awair Element Read TechHive's reviewSee it These particles can get deep in your lungs, exacerbating existing medical problems such as asthma and heart disease and causing allergy-like symptoms and shortness of breath in otherwise healthy people. PM1, which is less commonly tracked by consumer-level air quality monitors, has recently been strongly linked to the occurrence of cardiovascular disease. Davis’ AirLink tracks all three types.
Before setting up the sensor, you’ll need to download and register an account in Davis’ WeatherLink app. Then, making sure Bluetooth is enabled on your phone, tap the Account icon in the upper right of the app’s home screen, tap the Add button next to Devices, and choose AirLink. From that point, the app effectively walks you through powering on and connecting the sensor.
Like any effective air quality sensor, the AirLink pulls hyperlocal air quality data (it asks for access to your location during the setup process) to contextualize your home’s readings. An overview of the most salient information is displayed right at the top of the apps’ home screen: the current AQI score as well the score for the previous hour; the current weather; PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 readings; indoor temperature and humidity; and sunrise and sunset times. It’s an at-a-glance snapshot perfect for quick check-ins.
Davis Instruments The AirLink can be used outdoors with its protective cover in place.
That was all I needed to know most of the time, but more detailed air quality information is displayed in designated sections as you scroll down the screen. In order, you get a full 7-day and hourly weather forecast; finer parsing of AQI readings, including an hourly average; indoor temperature/humidity/heat index readings; and a Records section that lets you view the high and low AQI for any particular day that your AirLink has been in use. You can jump directly to any of these sections by selecting the appropriate icon from a fly-out toolbar on the right of the app.
Mentioned in this article Davis Instruments Vantage Vue Read TechHive's reviewMSRP $395.00See it This is all included with the free Basic plan. You can upgrade to the Pro plan for $3.95 per month via in-app purchase to increase the speed of data uploads and to get historical data and charts along with monthly summaries. A $7.95-per-month Pro+ plan is also available, but add-ons like “Pest Management tools” suggest it’s aimed at industrial users.
The AirLink is a pretty utilitarian device, as you’d expect from a company whose business is professional-grade environmental hardware and software rather than consumer devices. Blending in with or complementing your home furnishings certainly wasn’t a design concern, and the device lacks features like an onboard display or color-coded LEDs that make consumer-grade air quality monitors intuitive to use—with or without a phone.
Michael Ansaldo/IDG The WeatherLink app provides an overview of the air quality when you first open it.
What you’re paying for is the quality of the air quality data. Davis has a global network of hundreds of thousands of weather stations that are used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Citizen Weather Observer Program, and other institutions.
If you live where wildfires, urban pollution, or other environmental factors are degrading local air quality, the accuracy AirLink offers is particularly beneficial, especially if you have health issues that render you vulnerable to pollutants. It’s also worth considering if the weather is your jam, personally or professionally, as it integrates with Davis’ personal weather stations.
More casual users, however, will probably be better served by something like the Awair Element, which can also report on carbon dioxide, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), and humidity levels in the air. This slightly less-expensive device, however, is limited to measuring larger (PM2.5) particulate matter.
Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details. | https://medium.com/@christo97690739/davis-instruments-airlink-air-quality-sensor-review-a-professional-air-quality-monitor-for-your-5a722a3b64f5 | [] | 2020-12-21 08:51:52.942000+00:00 | ['Deals', 'Lighting', 'Mobile', 'Streaming'] |
Regarding Gumpaste and Gumbrushes | The dental industry needs to rebrand and make everything gum focused rather than tooth focused. Yes, having good teeth is important, but having healthy gums is equally or more important. We grow up being told to brush our teeth twice a day with our toothbrushes and our toothpaste. This sends the wrong signal and ingrains this tooth-centric attitude in us from a very young age. As we get older, we learn that it’s really all about the gums. Receding gums and gum disease are the issues that result in painful surgeries and other bad stuff.
Highlight this sentence if you think the dental industry should change their lingo and start calling toothbrushes “gumbrushes” and toothpaste “gumpaste” and that we should be telling our kids to “brush their gums.”
Highlight this sentence if you think I’m cuckoo.
Respond to this post if you actually know what you’re talking about or are a dentist. | https://medium.com/i-m-h-o/regarding-gumpaste-and-gumbrushes-3479ec2cb3d6 | ['Luke Esterkyn'] | 2015-05-19 18:19:48.341000+00:00 | ['Teeth', 'Gumbrushes', 'Gumpaste'] |
10 Ways to Question and Think Before Entering a New Market | Urgency
Do people want this product or do they need it? Is there a sustainable urgency in the market? (Renting an old film isn’t an urgency situation, yet willingness to attend the premiere of a new movie is extreme urgency because it happens once.)
Market Size
How many people buy this type of things effectively? What is the number of customers of other competitors in the market meeting this need? (The market for underwater basket knitting courses is very small, but the demand for car sales is huge.)
Potential of Pricing
What is the maximum price a typical buyer can pay for a solution? Does this price leave a satisfactory profit after covering the costs? (Gum sells for $ 0.1, but the plane costs millions.)
Cost of Customer Acquisition
How easy is it to acquire new customers? What is the material and moral cost of making a sale on average? (While stopover facilities on rural roads cost less to acquire customers, contractors could spend millions to make large supply deals.)
Value Creation Price
How much does it cost in terms of both money and effort to create and distribute the offered value? Is the profit he dropped worth it? (The cost of creating an online course is very low, but R&D for a new electric car can cost a lot of money.)
Uniqueness of Product
What is the distinguishing feature of the product or service you will market from its competitors? Does this feature really make a difference? How easy is it to imitate this? (There are many grocery stores but very few startups offering space mining services.)
Speed to Market
How fast can you create your new product? Can you keep this pace? (A garden shears are all it takes to prune trees in your friend’s garden, but setting up a new airline can take years.)
Pre-Investment:
How much should you invest before selling? (To become a cleaner you need a few cheap cleaning supplies. To search for gold, you will need millions of dollars to buy land and excavation equipment.)
By-Product Selling Potential
Is there a secondary product that you can offer to customers associated with the product? (Customers who buy razors need shaving foam and a few extra razors, but you buy a Frisbee and keep playing until it disappears or breaks.)
Continuity Potential
How much additional work is required to continue selling after the initial supply is created? (Business consultancy requires continuity of work to be paid, but after a book is published, it can continue to be sold continuously.) | https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/10-ways-to-question-and-think-before-entering-a-new-market-77e54a78dfb6 | ['Selim Furkan Gul'] | 2020-12-29 17:38:35.534000+00:00 | ['Product Design', 'Marketing', 'Startup', 'Market', 'Product Development'] |
Ahh I’m Pregnant! | Photo by John Looy on Unsplash
I haven’t exactly spoken about my journey towards getting pregnant, so here it is.
I never knew I would feel so much pressure from my own self to get pregnant.
I used to say to other women and friends, “Don’t stress about it! It will happen when it’s the right time! If you stress about it it will only make the process worse and it wont happen.”
So much for practicing what I preach…
I never thought about what it would be like to try to get pregnant until it was my turn.
I had a few situations that were building up my stress levels and hindering my chances of getting pregnant and giving me false hope of being pregnant.
Here they are listed below, because what’s a blog post in 2019 without a list:
1- Crazy levels of stress at work — I was a teacher.
2- Wanting to be pregnant so badly that it was getting out of control in my mind.
3- Trying to time it perfectly so that I wouldn’t be pregnant in my best friend’s wedding.
4- Having an App on my phone that would give me the exact time of ovulation and all that jazz.
and those are just a few of the ones I remember — yeah, I was out of control.
Friends getting pregnant easily also doesn’t help, nor do the stories people tell of how they didn’t want to get pregnant but did by accident, making you want it to happen that much more.
I got so overwhelmed by all of my thoughts that I sat down and had a talk with myself.
I promise its not as crazy as it sounds…
Basically I made a decision to delete that stupid app and just literally have fun trying.
Once it happens it happens.
Although it is easier said than done, but I really wanted to do this for myself.
Fast forward 6 months later…
My husband and I had a performance at this one bar downtown and I was 4 days late.
I didn’t want to think too much into it because it had happened the month before but somehow I still hoped it was true.
I told husby to stop at the pharmacy and I will take the test in the morning if Aunt Flo didn’t show up.
I woke up at 4:30 in the morning, because I’m weird that way, and thought to myself, “meh, why not take the test, now?”
Three minutes later (though it felt like light years) there it was…
The pink plus sign on the stick.
I just sat there staring at it for a good five minutes and I couldn’t believe that it was true.
Am I really pregnant? Is this for real?
Then it clicked and I flew out of that bathroom and jumped on the bed scaring the living shit out of my husband screaming at him that I was pregnant.
Poor guy had a slight heart attack getting woken up like that and didn’t completely understand what happened — probably thought it was a dream.
Obviously, I couldn’t go back to sleep so I decided to call one of my best friends back in the States, let’s call her Wings, and share my news before I burst.
The moment I called, it was like Wings knew.
I mean why on earth would I be calling her at this hour?!
We had our chick-flick moment, laughed, cried, it was great.
Twenty minutes later, phone call over, I’m too happy and excited to go back to bed…
So what does a completely sane and stable newly pregnant woman do?
I clean around the house a little, dust, sweep, do the dishes, fold whatever laundry was left, and then set up the perfect breakfast to be able to re-share the news with the husband when he woke up normally, and all his neurons were firing properly.
Once he woke up, poor guy started telling me about this dream he had of me finally being pregnant and scaring the crap out of him — I mean, seriously, could he be more adorable?
The details were so on point and I just looked at him with the silliest look on my face, you know the one, that cheesy uncontrollable smile from cheek to cheek that children have when they see Mickey Mouse for the first time.
He looked at me, confused, and I finally said, “Honey, it wasn’t a dream. I am pregnant or at least that’s what the test says.”
Now, it was his turn to have that silly look on his face.
We hugged for a good hour in utter disbelief and then decided to keep it a secret and tell our families in a fun way on Christmas.
We went to Maliks Bookshop, a place to print and get customized items, and made everyone a special mug that revealed that Baby Sugar was coming August 2018 to households near you.
I, on the other hand, was a bit panicked on what I am supposed to eat at the Christmas dinner before we tell everyone the news, so I met up with my bestie, let’s call her Godmother (I don’t have to explain that nickname do I?)
She happens to be a dietician/nutritionist, which is such a blessing, and I told her the good news as well as got advice on what to do about the food.
I also had no idea as to how I was going to keep the secret till Christmas Eve, since I absolutely stink at lying and keeping secrets from my loved ones.
I kept it cool until we revealed the good news.
Reactions were explosive to say the least. Everyone was beyond happy and celebrated with us in their own special way. They all expressed how they cannot wait to meet the little one.
Clearly, the pregnancy was healthy, and went almost according to due date plan, but by now you all know that Melody has a mind of her own so she felt she was ready to meet and greet the world two weeks before her actual due date.
I will tell you more about the pregnancy itself on another day!
Woah, I rambled a lot — hope you enjoyed the fun times like I did.
Mama Sugar Out! | https://medium.com/@mandymehanna/ahh-im-pregnant-68247544a593 | ['Mandy Mehanna-Sugar'] | 2019-04-01 12:30:04.322000+00:00 | ['Blog', 'Baby', 'Pregnancy', 'Family', 'Parenting'] |
What is Bio Melt Pro? | What is Bio Melt Pro?
The Bio melt pro is a weight loss supplement made with natural ingredients. This is a scientifically proven formula which has no side effects. This is for people who are having excessive weight gaining problems. It is 100% safe and has no toxic elements.
How does Bio Melt Pro work?
The weight loss supplement Bio Melt Pro works when the human body is on rest and mostly while sleeping.
So, this is how Bio Melt Pro works. Also, there are a few things that you can also do besides taking this supplement which you will find in the next section.
Bio Melt Pro: Ingredients & Real Weight Loss Benefits ?
Bio Melt Pro Review
The “bigger dream” and “most people's expectation” in this world is to feel good. And here, these people would feel good with improved health in routine life. However, despite them practicing emotionally and psychologically in everyday life, they cannot keep themselves energized or revitalized.
In fact, some try a few tips, tricks, food schedules, workouts, ways of rest, etc. Here, all they want is a fast and sweet way to improve their health and lives. But as they are older, they would feel guilty to do their daily activities without their beloved help.
Naturally, people will follow the eating scheme and fitness plans to keep their body fit at a younger age. However, they fail to care about the potential outcome. Or, some people don't keep it entirely for a lifetime. When users adopt something about their health at a younger age, users should look at how this will boost their health today and tomorrow, without complications.
Men and women of all ages strive for health, weight loss, physical strength, chiseling, etc. They should, therefore, take every step necessary to obtain the possible outcome more efficiently. But, what if it's terrible or excellent for them? That’s why users deserve to get what they’re looking for. This would make them more willing to spend money, well-being, and life on such things.
With the release of the Bio Melt Pro reviews, many web users are questioning the product's effectiveness on their health. People are now asking whether the supplement is a scam or works, as John Thomas claims.In a report, he shares about 6 tips and tricks that helped himc ut the undesirable, life-threatening fat. Read more of his weight loss testimony here.
This post thus mimics John’s statements and compares it to what other users say about the benefits of Bio Melt Pro, which includes the six tips that may help manage a healthy weight. 4045
An Overview of Bio Melt Pro Pills
According to the creator, Bio Melt Pro contains entirely pure and real ingredients. In his report, John adds that he blended the components together after a rigorous inspection. He ensured that a supplement with these ingredients would be a healthy and consistent weight loss remedy during that process.
According to APN News, “Bio Melt Pro can be thought of as a weight-loss supplement that has been made using several natural ingredients.” APN News highlights Goji Berries, Gotu Kola, Amla, Grape Seeds, Oliver Water, and Bladderwrack as the significant components in this weight loss formula.
Since the supplement has been complimentary so far, and natural therapy is not harmful. Users might think that this is the magic that will make their life safe and fit. Instead, it emphasizes offering a natural, effective, and healthy weight loss solution, not to provide an overnight weight loss solution. Tampa Bay NewsWire says that the supplement can minimize consumers' health risks and improve their well-being, nutrition, and exercise. At the end of the day, an extension can help a specific cause. People can try to sustain a healthier lifestyle that requires training and a healthy diet to make sure the supplement works successfully.
An article in the Sleep Foundation notes that sleep loss may be the source of low weight gains for too many people worldwide. The supplement effectively encourages a deep and safe evening sleep that allows consumers to eliminate unwanted livestock from their bodies quickly.
Bio Melt Pro Ingredients
Bio Melt Pro uses ingredients tested and are processed in state-of-the-art facilities. A third party is often inspected to ensure consistency and safety. Five active ingredients are available. The components are burning calories, enhancing metabolism, and other significant health benefits. The other additives are to help digest the key four ingredients and to sustain them.
Goji Berry: Native to Asia, the weight loss is very successful. Many weight-loss experts recommended this berry. It also encourages acceptable blood sugar levels, improves the immune system, and successful weight loss. The Health Line news has confirmed that it raises levels of power.
Grape Seed: It's a nutritional supplement, which prevents fat accumulation in the body, which facilitates weight loss. It decreases low cholesterol levels, encourages high blood pressure, and improves metabolism. It enhances the immune system as well. More benefits of this ingredient.
Amla Seeds: It's known for minimizing fat in the belly. It is very rich in intestinal fiber. It encourages acceptable blood sugar levels. Besides, it strengthens their immunity. It also increases brainpower and metabolism.
BladderWreck: An herbal herb known over time, it can detoxify the body. It also contains iodine to help users control the weight of the thyroid gland. What is it like? Their thyroid gland makes hormones in the thyroid. If these hormones do not hit a healthy stage, their bodies' hormonal functions are slowed down, and their appetite increases.
Water Olive: Very high in antioxidants. By decreasing oxidative stress, antioxidants reduce damage to cells. Fat is very quickly burned, and blood pressure is lower. It also encourages a healthy heart and promotes a healthy brain.
Gotu Kola: It's an Asian-born weed. According to David Freston, it promotes weight loss, boosts the circulatory system's health. Plus, it provides valuable minerals and vitamins that control their metabolism.
Click here for official website | https://medium.com/@anshulkumar989719/what-is-bio-melt-pro-4cc4d1449514 | [] | 2021-12-11 06:06:03.675000+00:00 | ['Weight', 'Weight Loss', 'Weightloss Recipe', 'Weightloss Foods', 'Weight Loss Tips'] |
This Perspective Shift is The Only Way to Really be a Successful Writer | Five years ago, I had a shift in perspective that finally let me do the one thing I’ve wanted to do all my life: be a full-time working writer. I quit my day job a few months later, in the summer of 2015, and I haven’t had to work for someone else since.
In the winter of 2015 I had a terrible job and I needed a way out. I didn’t have the bandwidth to worry about anything other than what I could control. So I just started writing.
Shifting from the nearly constant effort to get someone else to make me successful and just putting everything I had into doing the best work I could and letting everything I couldn’t control take care of itself was a game changer.
I’ve had this on my mind a lot this week.
This idea that when it comes to creating something, there are things we can control and things we can’t. Let’s start here: Entrepreneurism is a weird mix of things that come very, very easy to me and things that feel like a constant, existential crisis.
I was not built to work for someone else. I’ve never enjoyed it. I have a high tolerance for the unpredictable nature of finances when it comes to owning your own business.
But I’m a borderline introvert and the constant need to put myself out in front of people freaks me out a little. Not the teaching part. I love that. The selling part.
And I’m a pretty classic enneagram 4, which means that I spend my life constantly feeling like there’s something that everyone else has that I’m missing and that comes out in great big billowing spades in this whole entrepreneurial thing.
Why, why, why is this so much easier for that person over there and so hard for me? What am I missing? What am I doing wrong? Why can’t I figure this out?
That’s a constant little soundtrack running in the background of my brain all the time. It’s not jealousy — I don’t want anyone else to have less. I don’t want to take from anyone. No. An enneagram 4’s deadly sin is envy. I can’t stop myself from envying what seems to come easier to someone else.
I am not in charge of the things I can’t control.
That little sentence changed my life, once it finally chiseled its way into my head a little bit. And I am not in control of a whole host of things that, trust me, I wish I was.
I’m not in control of whether or not what I write is ever published, unless I self-publish it. And if it is published, especially if I self-publish it (including blogging), I’m definitely not in charge of how well it is received.
I cannot control how many people read my words and I cannot control how the people who do read them react to them.
Will they share them with their friends? Will they be moved by them? Will they understand them the way I intended them to? Will they use them the way I wanted them to?
Not only do I have no idea about the answers to any of those questions — I’ve finally realized that it’s none of my business.
In case you’re curious, that’s not easy. Because my writing sure as hell feels like my business. And I would definitely like to exert some control over what happens to it after I write it and put it out in to the world.
I especially would like to be able to control how much money it earns me.
But — deep breath here — I can’t do that, either. Not really.
I can set goals for myself. And I can do the things I do have control over with as much diligence and perseverance as I can muster up. And in that way, I can feel pretty confident of my ability to earn a living.
But some parts of this whole ‘working writer’ thing are just not under my control. Like how much a publisher will get behind my work and push it out with their arms that are so much longer than mine. Or whether my work will catch fire with readers and go viral.
If I could predict viral-ness — hell, if anyone could — then I would make it happen regularly. That’s not a thing, no matter what promises some of the gurus might try to tempt you with.
But the good news is that there is plenty that I do control.
I am in control of my work ethic. In fact, I am the only one who is. Just me.
I’m in control of the quality of the work I put out into the world.
I’m in control of whether or not I stagnate or continue to learn.
I’m in control of my attitude. This is a huge one, even if it sounds kind of out there. Attitude becomes . . . everything else.
I’m in control of the risks I choose to take.
I’m in control of my own persistence.
I’m in control of my own definition of success.
I’m in control of finding my own people, in my own niche.
I’m in control of being honest with myself about where I can improve and then doing the work to make that improvement.
I’m in control of whether or not I show up for this thing. No one else. Just me. That means if I’m not showing up, I’m in control of figuring out why and fixing the problem.
I’ve been doing this a long time and what I’ve learned is that these things that I can control — they add up to something substantial.
In fact, they add up to something so substantial that even if you have a bunch of crap that you can’t control stacked against you, these controllable things are the backbone of your business if you let them be.
But, because you control them, you have to actually let them be. You have to do them. Imagine success like a vampire — you have to invite it in. And you invite it in by showing up, doing the work, insisting on quality from yourself, taking risks, continuing to learn, persisting, and keeping your attitude in check.
Do those things and the things you can’t control lose some of their power.
Those things you can’t control are awesome. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you that they didn’t matter. Who doesn’t want a publisher who splashes their work all over creation or to write something that readers fall so deeply in love with that publishers don’t even matter?
But they aren’t everything unless you let them be. | https://medium.com/the-write-brain/this-perspective-shift-is-the-only-way-to-really-be-a-successful-writer-449eb605897e | ['Shaunta Grimes'] | 2020-02-22 14:09:18.320000+00:00 | ['Work', 'Productivity', 'Self', 'Creativity', 'Writing'] |
Transportations Going on it’s Finest | We see transportation has been one of the greatest aspect in growth of development of a place, coz it helps reach one place to another and would bring our more and more opportunities!
Great one UAE and Israel. | https://medium.com/@lindsaycaron12/transportations-going-on-its-finest-89e0d50e0f14 | ['Lindsay Caron'] | 2020-12-17 09:47:00.952000+00:00 | ['Uae', 'Israel', 'World News', 'Government', 'Transportation'] |
What should you be doing? | Over the initial years of my experience in Information Technology industry when I worked with various large and medium sized organizations, I programmed, worked in solutions / sales engineering and more. Learned many things across various domains and technologies. Met and built a small network. Then I transitioned to multi-tasking around Education & Information Technology.
Did I face roadblocks, yes — many !!!
People
Lack of opportunities
Lack of resources and more.
Here is what you should be doing if you want to overcome similar roadblocks that you are facing:
Build weekly, monthly, yearly and long term goals
Have ToDo lists
Build priorities & alternatives
Plan what you will do and what you will not do
Learn to say no and push back on things that don’t resonate with you. Saying yes to everyone does not solve the problem, that will increase your problems
Build small steps which you can repeatedly do on daily & weekly basis mapped to small outputs
You need to go step by step
Many people make a mistake of making a grand goal and struggling on next steps
You won’t reach your goals in one shot
It’s a step by step journey which you have to go through with struggle each day & week meeting deadlines, completing work, interacting with people and building your network.
Learn to create / write articles, websites, blogs and goals — nothing helps more than building goals and writing them down
Learn to give more than you consume especially in knowledge areas. People value others who share and discuss knowledge without expectation. That builds your genuine network which is where your success is. Collaboration and sharing with others to enable their success with no expectations is key to authentic network building
Every 3 to 6 months pickup something that you don’t know, learn it, teach it, discuss it, work on it
Volunteer for more than what is expected out of you — go an extra mile in your tasks
Learn to thank those who helped you on your journey
Email me at: [email protected]
Visit my URLs: | https://medium.com/@neil_19458/what-should-you-be-doing-ef5f90151bf4 | ['Neil Harwani'] | 2020-01-14 07:42:08.274000+00:00 | ['Productivity', 'Motivation', 'Positivity'] |
3 Stories to Make the World Small | 1. Superman’s Island
In elementary school, a young Clark Kent first discovers he’s hypersensitive. He can hear faint noises miles away and see right through walls, doors, even people.
Since he doesn’t know how to control these powers yet, all the impressions overwhelm him and trigger a seizure. Clark runs away and hides in a closet.
Eventually, the teacher calls his mom to the scene, and she starts speaking to Clark through the locked door:
“Sweetie, how can I help you if you won’t let me in?” “The world’s too big, Mom.” “Then make it small. Just focus on my voice. Pretend it’s an island, out in the ocean. Can you see it?” “I see it.” “Then swim towards it, honey.”
Once he hones in on the one thing right in front of him — his mom — Clark calms down and leaves the closet.
Social media, the internet, our state of constant connection — Clark Kent isn’t the only one who’s hypersensitive. It’s all of us. We share and communicate so much, we too can see other people’s insides; their thoughts, wishes, feelings. It creates a lot of noise too, and we can hear it, even if it’s made far away.
Cheaper entertainment, travel, remote work. As consumers, workers, experiencers, we hold more power to choose than ever. It scares us. There’s too much of everything, and it puts a grave responsibility on our shoulders: What do we do with our limited time? Because we’ll never get to it all.
Unfortunately, we can’t replay our lives like movie scenes. Our moms won’t always be there when we want to run and hide. But we can still make an effort to find our island.
Let the universe be big. You hone your senses. Quiet your mind. Calm down. Focus. Zoom in on the next thing that matters. And then swim towards it.
2. The Wall
In the 1970s, there was an electrician in Philadelphia. The man’s job was to install freezing cases in supermarkets. You know, the long ones with glass doors, from which you pick up your milk and frozen pizza. To set up his own little workshop, the man bought an old bakery.
One summer, he decided to rebuild the front wall. It was made of bricks, about 16 feet high, and 30 feet long. After he had torn down the old one, he called his two sons to the site. They were twelve and nine years old. He told them that they were now in charge of building a new wall.
The boys’ first task was to dig a six-foot hole for the foundation. Then, they filled it with concrete, which they had to mix first — by hand. Clearly, this wasn’t just a job for the summer holidays. For the next year and a half, every day after school, they went to their father’s shop to build that wall. To the young brothers, it felt like forever. But eventually, they laid the final brick.
When their dad came to audit what they had done, the three of them stood back and looked at the result. There it was. A brand new, magnificent, 16 by 30 feet wall. The man looked at his sons and said, “Don’t y’all never tell me that you can’t do something” — and then he walked into the shop.
The electrician’s name was Willard Carrol Smith. It’s the same name he gave his oldest son. Today, we know the 12-year-old as Will Smith.
When Will recounted this story on Charlie Rose in 2002, he said:
You don’t try to build a wall. You don’t set out to build a wall. You don’t say, “I’m gonna build the biggest, baddest, greatest wall that’s ever been built. You don’t start there. You say, “I’m gonna lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid. There will not be one brick on the face of the earth that’s gonna be laid better than this brick that I’m gonna lay in these next 10 minutes.” And you do that every single day, and soon, you have a wall.
“Brick by Brick,” as we might call it, is a story about the value of hard work. But it’s also a story about happiness. Because what Will also said is this:
I think, psychologically, the advantage that that gives me over a lot of people that I’ve been in competition with in different situations is: It’s difficult to take the first step when you look at how big the task is. The task is never huge to me. It’s always one brick.
That’s more than a competitive advantage. It’s a philosophy of relief. By choosing to focus on the next step, the next brick, not the end result, Will never feels overwhelmed. That’s happiness and, if we make that same decision, it’s available to us all.
3. The Bowl
A monk told Joshu, “I have just entered the monastery. Please teach me.” Joshu asked, “Have you eaten your rice porridge? The monk replied, “I have eaten.” Joshu said, “Then you had better wash your bowl.” At that moment the monk was enlightened.
I eat a lot of cereal. Every time I do the dishes is a chance to remember this story. Leo Babauta shared it years ago. He added:
Remembering to do these things when we’re done with the activity isn’t just about neatness. It’s about mindfulness, about completing what we started, about being present in all we do instead of rushing to the next activity. Don’t get your head caught up in all this thinking about the meaning of life … instead, just do. Just wash your bowl. And in the washing, you’ll find all you need.
Some tasks feel inherently comforting, but all tasks offer comfort if we let them. Enough-ness is transferable. You can bring it to all your activities. Whatever life demands of you, if you do it with intention, the outcome won’t matter so much because, simply by being there, you gave it your best.
Life is big, but it’s made of small moments. Every event is a tiny piece of an infinite puzzle. Washing your bowl is choosing to enjoy the shape and detail of each one. And since the puzzle will never be complete, you might as well start doing that today. | https://ngoeke.medium.com/3-stories-to-make-the-world-small-31be8544a66c | ['Niklas Göke'] | 2019-10-17 12:09:59.095000+00:00 | ['Happiness', 'Stories', 'Self', 'Psychology', 'Mindfulness'] |
Toxic traits that need addressing in any design team | Individualism
I don’t know about you, but I certainly tried to do everything myself in the early years of my career. And because I tried to do everything myself, I experienced burn-outs more times than my then-fragile mental health should’ve allowed. When I wanted things done “ correctly” (whatever that means), I had to do it myself. The mentality was flawed and evidently dangerous. By letting myself be more collaborative with my peers, I slowly got out of this bad habit of mine. I ask for help more often these days, making fewer assumptions and asking for help when I need it.
In my experience, I’m not an exception in any way. Individualism is not uncommon in the Design industry. The mainstream public still believes the superstar-designer myth, which in turn affects how we see ourselves as professional designers. For instance, Jony Ive didn’t single-handedly create Apple’s most iconic designs. I know firsthand Apple’s Design teams to be massive, spanning across many disciplines. Although I never met him, I see Jony as a great Design leader, and there’s no doubt he will come down in history as one of the most prominent Design figures; but no, he did not do it all alone. Even if we, the designers doing the workday in and day out, know Design can’t be done in a silo, many still internalise individualism (including myself). Our stubbornness for it is even more evident when we fly solo.
By learning the difference between owning the work we do and isolating ourselves from our peers (within Design & beyond), we can learn how to let go, to delegate, to better collaborate, and, therefore, to develop productive and healthy work practices. While flat structure promises autonomy, overvaluing those who can get things done on their own without needing supervision or guidance can lead to a lack of accountability developed within the team’s culture. Moreover, more junior members may feel like they’re being neglected with no assistance or long-term career development.
The flat structure should instead be about transparency and open communication, focusing on a shared mission and how everyone is working toward them; i.e. holding people accountable as a group rather than as individuals. Meanwhile, make sure that credit is given to all those who participate in each project, not just the leaders or most public person. When building a new team, leaders ought to intentionally develop a culture where people bring problems to the group. One tangible tactic is not only using staff meetings as a place to report activities, but also a place to solve problems taken place within the organisation. | https://uxdesign.cc/toxic-traits-that-need-addressing-in-any-design-team-388bc7a60685 | [] | 2020-12-20 07:01:11.168000+00:00 | ['Work', 'Design', 'Design Thinking', 'Technology', 'UX'] |
Secretum Tokens (SER) Private Sale Explainer | Upon completion of the first round of our private sales, we like to announce that the second round of our proposed series of private rounds has begun. And subsequently, we will carry on with all other private rounds in a consecutive manner, as laid out in this publication.
In order to make things quite clear, we would like to maintain that the minimum contribution for any of the private rounds that are presented in this document is $5,000. We are seeking to build a sustainable and strong community in private sale, that would be interested in project development. SER tokens are much cheaper in this current round, and prices increase progressively in subsequent rounds.
SER Private Sale Rounds Details
We are currently in the second round of our private sales, and as previously mentioned, subsequent rounds shall be conducted without any intermediate delays.
Below is a glimpse of the the current and coming rounds, together with other important details:
Second Private Round (Current Round):
Duration : Ongoing till January 25, 2022.
Token Allocation : 4,000,000 SER tokens
Token Price : $0.35
Deadline : January 25, 2022. 24:00 hours EET.
Third Private Round :
Duration : January 26, 2022 till February 28th, 2022.
Token Allocation : 3,000,000 SER tokens
Token Price : $0.50
Deadline : February 28th, 2022. 24:00 hours EET
Public Sale :
Duration : TBD
Token Allocation : TBD
Token Price : $0.7
Deadline : TBD
IDO :
Duration : TBD
Token Allocation : TBD
Token Price : TBD
Deadline : TBD
Please Note: Each private round will be completed when the deadline is reached or when the allocated tokens are sold out.
How To Invest?
We have arranged a rather easy and transparent method of investment at the private rounds. If you would like to partake in the private sales, please follow the steps below:
Write an email to us at [email protected]. Indicate the amount you wish to contribute, provide the name of stablecoin/crypto with which you want to make payment and give the address of Solana Native Wallet to which you would like to receive your tokens.
(We highly recommend using Phantom or Trust wallet. Please visit https://docs.solana.com/wallet-guide)
When we receive your email, we will get back to you with instructions on how make your payment
Make a payment (corresponding to your initial declared amount) and send us the transaction ID
After we have been able to confirm your payment, we will provide you details about a transaction of SER tokens to your wallet address. You need to have a Solana native wallet in order to receive your SER tokens
Token Release And Vesting
We have a smart contract for token release. After investment, your tokens will be released with vesting accordingly;
20% of your SER will be sent to you immediately, — the equity will be protected with world-class security and credited to you 10% quarterly 3 months after the token generation event (TGE) in line with the private sale vesting schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Why Investing Using Email?
We chose to use this method in order to maintain a close relationship with our early investors. We want to be certain about them joining the network and not searching just for investments without building partnership or contributing to the community
2. Why is $5k the minimum investment?
We are seeking to build a sustainable and strong community in private sale, that would be interested in project development not just token trading when the price goes 2x, 3x etc.
3. Which cryptos are accepted for investment?
We will accept all major cryptocurrencies including USDT, USDC, BTC, ETH, SOL. If you have a doubt about your choice of crypto, please reach out to us.
4. Can I participate in all the rounds?
Yes, you are at liberty to participate in all rounds as you wish. We encourage all contributors to participate freely without any limitations.
5. When will SER tokens be listed on Exchanges?
TGE is planned for February 28, 2022. SER tokens will be listed on exchanges in Q1 2022. | https://medium.com/@secretum/secretum-tokens-ser-private-sale-explainer-ebd4de14056d | ['Secretum App'] | 2021-12-24 12:51:42.380000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Blockchain', 'Messaging', 'Trading'] |
this is my final draft. edited twice. | Why is it so hard for me to finish the last two percent of a project, written piece, or any self-initiated creative work I produce?
Is it the fear of feeling exposed, pure laziness or something deeper within creative people? Do we feel that once we release something into the real or virtual world, it’ll be open to criticism or attacks?
Starting to write this was a challenge for me, but the point of the challenge was to write and finish it within a strict 48 hour time-frame. Putting thoughts, experiences and opinions outside of my own head and sharing them seems so daunting. Do I therefore pretend this is my own TV show and commentate every word I’m writing? No… sometimes.
A couple of years back I met two friends in a beer garden of a bar. One of them was on their way to study at a renowned Arts school in Sweden, and the other was his best friend and biggest cheerleader. I asked the young man if he had an online portfolio or Instagram I could follow, or if I could see his work somewhere. A majority of his projects were living in storage, online and offline and he wasn’t ready to share. He, too, seemed to have a fear of sharing his creative work. He wasn’t his own biggest cheerleader, but his own worst critic. Sound familiar?
When he told me this, I shifted into the classic “older & wiser” gear, and told him something I wish someone had told me a few years ago. Maybe someone did, but I was too stubborn to listen to and act on it. “Put your work out there, build a portfolio, let people see how you’ve progressed, let them see your first painting and your 34th and, through that, see you grow.” His friend then exclaimed, “this is what I keep trying to tell him! He really needed to hear it!”
Is that what we need? Cheers from a different crowd once in a while?
We need to learn that we can both be the player and the crowd cheering for them.
There are so many different versions of your work that could have been shared, could have been made or written, but at the end of the day the only version is what you put out there. It ends up being the most genuine, with your human touch battling with your need for perfection. Polished creative work doesn’t necessarily tell me a story of that artist’s process, struggles, mistakes or all those different versions that came before it. Sometimes a work in progress is ready. Will something that is 90% complete make more of a difference in the real world than something that never came to life outside of your sketchbook? Of course.
A mentor during an internship once told me we needed to get something out there (a 30 second video in this case), and it would never happen if I kept trying to perfect what I was working on. There was a deadline in place, and at the end of the day I was the only one who was going to notice a tiny mistake or what could have been done better. I’m not saying paying attention to detail, putting care and craft into your work is bad. I’m only saying that it will end up consuming us to an unhealthy point. I am focusing on the creative process, not a big agency deadline with applied pressure. This lack of pressure or deadline with self-initiated projects might be the biggest hindrance for us. Sometimes sharing the behind-the-scenes is just as important as the work itself. If we want to get extra cheesy, “it’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”
What if you publish work you think is complete and will be praised, only to find it ripped to pieces, would that be a more devastating feeling than receiving comments and criticism on work you knew wasn’t your complete best at the time? This gives more room for growth within the time that would have been spent on “perfecting” something. I don’t believe in perfect, I believe in progress. Visible progress is something I personally admire in people.
I’ve written this as an encouragement for myself. I’ve started a project that I’m becoming more and more scared to share with the world. This is me practicing what I preached to that young man at the bar. Put it out there, be vulnerable, be open and who knows if something great will come out of it?
Creatives out there: do you relate? If not, do you have any ways to help others overcome this?
P.S. Stay tuned for that project. | https://medium.com/the-reflection-collection/this-is-my-final-draft-edited-twice-779a93f46555 | ['Gréta Ben'] | 2020-12-21 10:47:36.612000+00:00 | ['Artist', 'Writer', 'Portfolio', 'Creative Struggle', 'Creative Process'] |
Google Cloud Data Catalog hands-on guide: search, get & lookup with Python | Search, get entry & lookup using Python
Search Catalog
Let’s start by looking for all BigQuery datasets the service account has at least read access to, inside your organization.
(1)scope = datacatalog.SearchCatalogRequest.Scope()
(2)scope.include_org_ids.append(<organization-id>) (3)results = datacatalog_client.search_catalog(scope=scope, query='system=bigquery type=dataset')
The first line creates a search Scope object. The second uses it to inform Data Catalog we wanna search at the organization level. To be more restrictive scope.include_project_ids could be used instead of scope.include_org_ids — and search would be scoped only to the provided projects in that case. Please notice both fields are lists, and at least one of them must be provided in any search request. The third line makes the API request and stores the response in the results variable.
There’s a trick here: search_catalog() returns a GRPC iterator that has kind of a “remote references collection” to the search results. Actual data is fetched only when you iterate over it, as follows:
(4.1)
fetched_results = [result for result in results] OR (4.2)
fetched_results = []
for page in results.pages:
fetched_results.extend(page)
# Extra processing might be added here. (5)print(fetched_results)
4.1 is a straightforward way to fetch all results, since the Iterator transparently handles pagination for you; 4.2 is a bit more verbose, iterating over one page at a time. The second allows you to add extra logic to the processing, such as checking if more data needs to be fetched when iterating over large resultsets or adding a timeout between new page requests to avoid API usage to exceed quota.
If you created a dataset as suggested in the Environment setup | Create sample data assets section, you should see below content among search results:
search_result_type: ENTRY
search_result_subtype: "entry.dataset"
relative_resource_name: "projects/<project-id>/locations/US/entryGroups/@bigquery/entries/<entry-id>"
linked_resource: "//bigquery.googleapis.com/projects/<project-id>/datasets/datacatalog_quickstart"
To get the expected results, the service account needs at least Data Catalog Viewer and BigQuery Data Viewer IAM roles. As Data Catalog automatically indexes assets managed by BigQuery and Pub/Sub, granting it the Pub/Sub Viewer role is also recommended for a better experience, although not required to follow this guide’s exercises.
Depending on the number of results returned by the first search, it will be difficult to analyze them. Also, datasets’ names may not tell us meaningful information about all of their content. We can use another search qualifier and look for more specific sensitive data. Searching for assets containing columns with the word “email” in their metadata — which includes name and description — might be a good starting point:
datacatalog_client.search_catalog(scope=scope, query='column:email')
WOW! There’s a table with “email” information:
search_result_type: ENTRY
search_result_subtype: "entry.table"
relative_resource_name: "projects/<project-id>/locations/US/entryGroups/@bigquery/entries/<entry-id>"
linked_resource: "//bigquery.googleapis.com/projects/<project-id>/datasets/datacatalog_quickstart/tables/table_2"
Let’s get more details…
Get Entry
Get Entry allows us to view the catalog Entry associated with the suspicious search result. As it refers to a table, we have chances to find useful information, including its columns schema. As mentioned in Data Catalog hands-on guide: a mental model article, relative_resource_name is the link between a search result and its underlying catalog Entry .
How does it work?
datacatalog_client.get_entry(name='projects/<project-id>/locations/US/entryGroups/@bigquery/entries/<entry-id>')
And the expected result is:
name: "projects/<project-id>/locations/US/entryGroups/@bigquery/entries/<entry-id>"
type: TABLE
schema {
columns {
type: "STRING"
mode: "REQUIRED"
column: "name"
}
columns {
type: "STRING"
mode: "REQUIRED"
column: "email"
}
}
source_system_timestamps {
create_time {
seconds: 1561338828
nanos: 211000000
}
update_time {
seconds: 1561338828
nanos: 335000000
}
}
linked_resource: "//bigquery.googleapis.com/projects/<project-id>/datasets/datacatalog_quickstart/tables/table_2"
bigquery_table_spec {
table_source_type: BIGQUERY_TABLE
}
Interesting! There’s an “email” column in datacatalog_quickstart.table_2 .
Thanks, Data Catalog! We wouldn’t guess it just by reading the dataset and table names. Spoiler: this amazing finding will be useful when demonstrating how to attach tags :).
Lookup Entry
In the previous example, we got the catalog Entry in 2 steps: identified a suspicious search result and requested its associated entry from the relative_resource_name . Probably there will be cases in which you will know (or guess…) the asset’s resource name before performing a catalog search, but will still need to get its catalog entry — e.g., to attach Tags to a well-known data asset belonging to one of your most important projects.
Coming back to our fictitious scenario, since we found a table_2 table with an “email” column, let’s also check for the existence of a table_1 in the same dataset. If it exists, we can analyze its columns metadata.
Replacing the table’s name in the already known linked_resource value allows us to understand Lookup Entry usage:
request = datacatalog.LookupEntryRequest()
request.linked_resource = '//bigquery.googleapis.com/projects/<project-id>/datasets/datacatalog_quickstart/tables/table_1' datacatalog_client.lookup_entry(request=request)
And the expected result:
name: "projects/<project-id>/locations/US/entryGroups/@bigquery/entries/<entry-id>"
type: TABLE
source_system_timestamps {
create_time {
seconds: 1561346951
nanos: 38000000
}
update_time {
seconds: 1561346951
nanos: 86000000
}
}
linked_resource: "//bigquery.googleapis.com/projects/<project-id>/datasets/datacatalog_quickstart/tables/table_1"
bigquery_table_spec {
table_source_type: BIGQUERY_TABLE
} | https://medium.com/google-cloud/data-catalog-hands-on-guide-search-get-lookup-with-python-82d99bfb4056 | ['Ricardo Mendes'] | 2020-10-03 22:06:39.994000+00:00 | ['Google Cloud Platform', 'Data Analytics', 'Data Catalog', 'Big Data', 'Data Science'] |
Task #9: Share your Referral Link! | Task #9: Share your Referral Link! 🚀💰
This is a very exciting task - we're almost at our 100k goal of BLADE users, so this task rewards you for simply sharing your referral link - what could be easier? Get referral rewards AND enter for the Task Marketplace rewards! Complete the task by following the steps below:
Sign up in pc - https://ads.blade.software/referral/ddf92ce7-90a5-46e3-b0aa-cef6c2ab96e4
Share your referral link on social media
Submit your info in the form - https://adbank.lt.acemlnb.com/Prod/link-tracker?redirectUrl=aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZiaXQubHklMkZUTTllbWFpbA==&a=649230075&account=adbank%2Eactivehosted%2Ecom&email=FrfV1gqWL0lH5Z7u5S98c3s3PQGmvHXjyw%2Fse0%2FzfL0%3D&s=af8cf7c81b4cd316a3ee99f578aca267&i=242A310A32A1177
We’ll distribute the rewards at the end of the campaign!
It's that easy! Go ahead and share this with your friends so they can earn ADB too. | https://medium.com/@adhikarikishor302/task-9-share-your-referral-link-92f126cb14c5 | ['Kishor Adhikari'] | 2020-12-11 02:58:47.171000+00:00 | ['Adb Token', 'Eth', 'Cryptocurrency News', 'Crypto', 'Btc'] |
The open book: what writers don’t tell writers about writing (part 1) | Hi. My name is Caren Gussoff Sumption. I’ve been a professional writer for more than 20 years. I’ve published 5 books. I’ve been anthologized more than 100 times. I’ve won awards and fellowships and even a medal. I wrote the chapter on setting for the writing book, The Gotham Writers’ Workshop Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide From New York’s Acclaimed Creative Writing School, which you may, even, have on your shelf.
But no, I can almost guarantee that you’ve never heard of me.
That sounds like a whine. I assure you, it’s not. I mean, I’d love to be famous. Hell, I’d love to live just off my writing. But I’m productive. I’m working. I’m publishing.
I’m not sad. I’m as satisfied with my lot as one can be, while still remaining slightly hungry.
I’m — also — tired of all the secrets writers keep from one another (and from everyone else) about the realities of the writer’s life. Pick up a guide, read interviews, take a class — even go through an MFA program — and you’ll learn lots about craft and practice. Super good advice that may shave years off your slog towards objectively good writing (though, again, really, what you need to do is to read, a lot, and write, a lot…but the advice you’ll glean has value). You may even get a bit of guidance on writing queries and outlines and how to submit to magazines and publishers (also good things to know, really).
But you’ll never hear anything about all the betweens and durings and afters. Very few of us will be able to make a full living off writing, even fewer will become well-known. Dedicating so much of yourself to something that may or may not make a bathtub’s worth of splash, with all the sacrifice, the hours (no! years), the energy…after a while, takes endurance, and that endurance requires one or more of the following: financial generosity of loved ones, drugs and alcohol, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, desperation borne of the realization we are lousy at all other things, or (being serious here) a truly comprehensive support system, care for one’s mental health, and a whole lotta self-care.
You’ll read a lot of motivational quotes about never giving up and doing what you love and chasing your dreams and how so-and-so writer and such-and-such story got 7 million rejections before it was accepted. But the truth is: rejection still sucks. Morale gets low. Faking it until you are actually making it is exhausting.
You’ll hear all about how to write a book, but nothing about how to weather self-doubt when a book fails (books fail, even when they are good). How BookScan, the god of whether your book gets stocked at stores, works…or even, wtf BookScan even is. How to cope when you see your book on the remainder table or in the stationary aisle of Family Dollar…or, gut-punchingly, signed copies at Value Village and Half Price Books.
Is it because we think teaching this will scare off baby writers? Is it because we can’t show weakness? We don’t want to admit to being the writer who has failures and disappointments because then we’ll…stink of it?
Or because we want to believe we are ahhhhhh-teestes who are above such worldly, mundane matters, and that writing, our writing, is mystical, magical storytelling-from-the-very-center-of-humanity’s-id that admitting it is subject to the whims and whimsies of capitalism and luck is taboo?
We teach writers how to write. How to be writERs. But not how to have and sustain a career. To fail better and longer. To define success. To keep at it.
I’m no sage. I’m a working writer. I don’t have all the answers, but I have some. And those, I’ll give to you as best I can. | https://medium.com/@spitkitten/the-open-book-what-writers-dont-tell-writers-about-writing-part-1-ed7467062053 | ['Caren Gussoff Sumption'] | 2020-12-11 02:35:43.335000+00:00 | ['Writing', 'Writers Life', 'Publishing', 'Writers On Medium', 'Writers On Writing'] |
The Syrian Road to Justice: Statement | The Syrian Road to Justice: Statement on the Submission of a Criminal Complaint on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Germany
We are 42 Syrian and international feminist and human rights organisations and 38 individuals and we welcome the filing of the first criminal complaint in Germany pertaining to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Syrian government-run detention facilities. Alongside seven Syrian survivors, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) filed the complaint to the German Federal Prosecutor jointly with the Syrian Women’s Network (SWN) and Urnammu on 17 June. We would like to express our support to all survivors of SGBV and our full solidarity with the Syrian women and men who took this legal step.
As Syrian feminist organisations working in Syria can attest, SGBV is a common occurence, yet incidents are often under-reported, individualized, and hidden. Moreover, according to the Human Rights Council’s report, “I Lost My Dignity”, SGBV against women, girls, men, and boys has been a persistent issue in Syria since the civil uprising in 2011. The Syrian state authorities and allied militias have perpetrated rape and sexual abuse of women and girls and men during ground operations, house raids, and at checkpoints, and in official and unofficial detention facilities.
Given the documented systematic occurence of SGBV during the ongoing conflict in Syria, this legal action is a critical step in achieving justice for victims of SGBV, and we urge the German judicial authorities, already utilising the principle of Universal Jurisdiction, to broaden their investigation and prosecute such crimes as crimes against humanity.
However, a comprehensive investigation into SGBV crimes will require staff with sufficient gender expertise and experience to support survivors of SGBV. Without the right questions and expertise, survivors are not able to report their experiences in a safe and supportive way. Without this, investigations will miss the structural and endemic abuses being committed systematically across Syria. Investigations currently risk portraying sexual and gender-based crimes as isolated acts against individuals rather than as part of widespread attacks against a civilian population, and thus as crimes against humanity.
Survivors of SGBV, and particularly female survivors, are discriminated against in multiple ways, within social, economic and political spheres to public and private life. They often face a lifetime of trauma, social discrimination (stigma), and gender-based violence (such as ‘honour’ crimes). Some experience violence and abuse as a result of their actual or perceived attack. As a result of this discrimination, many female survivors of SGBV choose to keep their stories to themselves and do not participate in the pursuit of justice, out of fear of a societal backlash. Moreover, due to insufficient specialised support and protection services for individuals pursuing justice avenues, many SGBV survivors refrain from taking legal action out of fear of reliving or exacerbating trauma.
In order to combat these barriers and enhance legal access to justice for survivors of SGBV, we address European member states, international justice mechanisms, and the Syria community at large with the following demands:
1-) Legal accountability for all international crimes that took place during the Syrian conflict, including sexual and gender-based Crimes, and regardless of the perpetrators’ political affiliations.
2-) Gender-sensitive analysis for all international crimes committed in Syria from the beginning of investigations. This entails increasing female practitioners with gender expertise at every step of the litigation process in order to help survivors speak up for justice: More female police officers, criminal investigators, lawyers, judges, etc.
3-) Increased support and specialist services for SGBV survivors to ensure they are able to seek justice and hold the perpetrators of abuse to account.
4-) Awareness-raising and community-mobilising initiatives to tackle social discrimination (stigma) which causes greater suffering for SGBV survivors and prevents them from seeking justice.
As feminist and human rights organisations, we believe that transformative justice* for SGBV survivors will not only mean their perpetrators are held to account. Their fight for their rights extends beyond the courtroom to every home and street in Syria and beyond. Until survivors are given the care, respect and support they need, international crimes will continue to go unpunished and basic humanity will fall short. For it is only through a transformative justice and accountability process that a lasting peace in Syria can be achieved.
Organisations:
Amals Healing and Advocacy Center Badael Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies Center for Intersectional Justice Civil Rights Defenders Dawlaty EuroMed Rights Families For Freedom Freedom Jasmine Garden Court Chambers Guernica 37 Global Fund for Women Humans of Syria Impunity Watch Jana Watan Madre Mazaya Women’s Center Mwatana for Human Rights Open Society Justice Initiative Release Me Saneat Al-Taghyeer Souryana Al Amal Strategic Advocacy for Human Rights Syrian Female Journalists Network Syrian League for Citizenship Syrian Women’s International Initiative Syrian Women’s Network Syrians for Truth and Justice Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights The Syria Campaign Urnammu Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Women Now for Development Women Survivors Zomoroda Women’s Center Zenobia Association for Syrian Women Musawa The Syrian Women Detainees Rousl Group Ogarit of Droit Leben Frieden
Individuals:
Ahmad Malas- Actor Alissar Hasan- Journalist Amani Al-Ali Bayan Rehan- Human Rights Defender Diala Brisly- Artist Dima Nachawi- Artist Jihad (Jay) Abdo- Actor Fadia Afashe- Artist Khawla Dunia- Writer Edward Watts- Film Director Hamza Al-Khateab- Physician Joey Ayoub — Human Rights Activist and Writer Joumana Seif- Human Rights Lawyer Laila Al Shami- Writer and Activist Laila Awad- Actress Lama Kannout- Writer and Researcher M-Sami AlKayial -Writer and Journalist Mariana Karkoutly- Human Rights Defender Maya El Ammar- Freelance Feminist Journalist Milad Amin- Filmmaker Najlaa Khamri- Actress Naser Danan- Physician Racha Rizk- Musician Rasha Abbas- Journalist Soumaia Talo Alolabi- Freelance Journalist Wafa Mustafa- Campaigner Waad Al-Khateab- Film Director Leila Al-Shami- writer & activist Sarah Khayat — Artist Eyad Aljarod — Director Mosab Al Nomire — Writer and Journalist Rachael Chadwick — Action For Sama Saeed Al Batal — Director Heaven Jackaly — Writer and Journalist Bu Naser Taffar — Writer and Musician Wael Kays -Writer and Journalist Wael Kadlo — Filmmaker Malath Alzoubi -Journalist
*Identifies harm, allows for healing, demands accountability and transforms behavior | https://medium.com/@syriaroad2justice/the-syrian-road-to-justice-statement-f8da114ef1ba | ['Syrian Road Justice'] | 2020-06-18 16:08:26.819000+00:00 | ['Syria', 'Justice'] |
How to issue your own token on Ethereum in less than 20 minutes. | Now let’s get started:
Open the contract you downloaded in your Text Editor.
Go to Line 3–15 and look at the comment section. Although this is a comment section, this will help you down the track. For me, 0Fucks was my first one :). Basically you send 0Fucks to someone when you don’t care.
Change Line 4 to the title of your Smart Contract
Change Line 6 to the Ropsten Ethereum address you created in MyEtherWallet
Change Line 7’s Symbol to your respective coin name (Keep it short)
Change Line 8 to the name of your token
Line 3 — 15
Next:
Go to Line 102 and change “FucksToken” to “(YourTokenName)
Do the same for Line 115
Go to Line 116 and change the symbol name, the same as the ones you did in the comment section
Do the same for Line 117
Change Line 120’s Address to be the same as the one you generated in MEW
Same goes for Line 121
For the decimals and total supply on Line 118 and 119, you can just leave it as it is however I’ll explain it just for visibility. On total supply there are actually a few considerations. First one is that the standard (and max) is 18 decimals, meaning that a coin can be splitted in 18 parts.
The second one is that let’s say for example you want to issue 100 tokens, on the total supply part you have to put 100 followed by the number of decimals that you choose.
Ex: If I want to emit 100 tokens, what I will put on total supply is: 100000000000000000000; and so it goes.
Lines 102–105
After that we are done with editing code. Yep, that was easyyyy. Now we are going to do some cool stuff…
Go to http://remix.ethereum.org/
In the browser/ballot.sol, paste the code you just edited! If something red comes up, there is something wrong in the code. If there is yellow warning it’s alright, let’s hope for the best.
Now Under Compile →Details →Choose the Token you are creating
Under ByteCode press the 📋button to copy the ByteCode to your clipboard —( Into this section, what may appear are different things on the ByteCode. What you have to copy is the “object” ByteCode, adding a 0x in the beginning. So you will have 0xByteCode.)
Remix Editor
Go to MEW where we will start to deploy the contract. Remember we want to be on the Ropsten Test Network so make sure the top right hand corner says
Navigate to the Contracts tab → Press Deploy Contract
Paste your ByteCode into the ByteCode box. Your gas limit should automatically update
Access your wallet by going into the Private Key → Enter your private key →Unlock your wallet
Now press Sign Transaction →Deploy Transaction
ATTENTION: This is the moment where you have to cross your fingers for the first time during a few seconds. 🤞
Click on the transaction tx or access https://ropsten.etherscan.io to check if the contract went through. If it didn’t, start again and try to figure it out what you got wrong. If it did, you are a basically Vitalik 2.0, be proud.😎
If everything works out, this is a sample image of what you should be seeing.
Now we are going to register this contract. To do that:
In the Overview Tab → Click on the Contract Address
Go to the Contract Code Tab → Click Verify and Publish
Nearly there… The following steps are really important. So look carefully. Basically what we are doing here is trying to guarantee that the code fits what you saying you are deploying and registering this on the network. FOREVER.
So if you commit mistakes, it will be wrong forever. What a friend told me that on the Blockchain:
Get it right once or get it wrong forever.
Now you have 5 things to do on this page.
Be sure that the contract address field corresponds to the contract address that you have just deployed. Remember contract address is different to the MEW address you created so make sure not to get them confused The contract name has to match the one in the code, in my case is this: contract FucksToken. This was on Line 102 in your code To check which version of the complier, go back to the remix page where you got the BYTECODE from and look at the URL, the complier version will be there. In most cases it should be: v0.4.19+commit.c4cbbb05.js , but you want to try updated ones if by any chance this doesn’t work. On Optimisation, choose No (We haven’t enable it before). On ENTER THE SOLIDITY CONTRACT CODE BELOW, copy the whole code from Remix, and paste in that area. NOT THE BYTECODE, but the code itself. Can also be copied from your text editor.
Now, leave the other fields in blank and click on Verify and Publish.
But be aware… This is the moment that you were waiting for… It is about to happen!
FINGERS CROSSED AGAIN FOR VITALIK’S SAKE. 🤞
The final boss…
The moment of truth…
Success!!!
If a success page come along with green checkmarks and stuff, you did it! You’ve made it, I’m proud of you, now you are a cypher punk, a part of the crypto movement. Yaaaaaaay!
If a red message comes along…try it again and see where you might have missed a step. I’m happy to help if you leave a comment below but remember Google is your best friend 😉
To confirm that it works, go to https://ropsten.etherscan.io/ and look into your MEW Address, not the contract one, but your public address. If you can see your coins there, now you can relax and live the crypto dream in peace! At least until the next BTC rally :)))))
To be able to send these tokens, you need to access your MEW account by Viewing Wallet Info →Accessing and putting in your private Key →Unlocking Wallet →Select the option Load Tokens. After that they will show up to be transferable.
Final Considerations:
You just made your own Cryptocurrency Token. This is the simplest way I have been able to put a token together. However, this is just the token creation process, it is not a crowd sale contract. I will upload another tutorial very shortly.
You’ve just unlocked some Blockchain superpowers and I hope this helped you become more interested and involved with the amazing space. But remember that with great powers come great responsibilities. I truly hope you use your ideas for good and don’t be another scam.
Leave any questions or comments in the section below and share with everyone if you are working on something interesting. The bitfwd community is always keen to help with cool and meaningful projects. | https://medium.com/bitfwd/how-to-issue-your-own-token-on-ethereum-in-less-than-20-minutes-ac1f8f022793 | ['Moritz Neto'] | 2018-09-25 11:51:41.393000+00:00 | ['ICO', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Ethereum', 'Token Sale', 'Token'] |
Bitcoin Whitepaper (Bahasa Indonesia) | We are a community focusing on cryptocurrency analysis (fundamental & technical analysis) that also empower blockchain projects to be able to raise their funds
Follow | https://medium.com/cryptowatchasia/bitcoin-whitepaper-bahasa-indonesia-36331482c471 | ['Christopher Tahir'] | 2018-10-08 15:09:17.803000+00:00 | ['Bahasa Indonesia', 'Bitcoin', 'Whitepaper', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Blockchain'] |
Who Am I? | Author’s note: I find it fascinating how we — as humans — constantly question who we are as a person.
How do we define ourselves?
How does the world perceive us?
How do others see us?
We are… FLUID.
We morph, we change, we transform.
Every minute, every second of the day.
Sometimes, it’s minuscule, a shift so slight, in a blink of an eye, we have missed it completely.
Sometimes, we wake up to a realization that we are now far away from the person we were yesterday.
“When did I turn into this person?” We would ask ourselves every now and then.
After my mother’s death though, my understanding changes.
Whoever I am,
whatever I am,
in the end,
I will be just another collection of memories.
And with that understanding, came another understanding,
it is completely up to me what kind of memories I want to be when I’m gone.
In the end,
we are all,
who we choose to be.
It was a liberation. | https://medium.com/afwp/who-am-i-d21d068045bc | ['Agnes Louis'] | 2019-12-09 15:31:01.378000+00:00 | ['Poetry', 'Life', 'Identity', 'Self', 'Self-awareness'] |
Coq au Vin | Coq au Vin, or chicken in wine, is an old French dish that can be traced all the way back to Julius Caesar. It has withstood the test of time and is as popular today as ever.SLOW COOKER SIZE: LARGE
4 thick-cut slices sugar-free bacon3 to 4 bone-in chicken leg quarters (about 3½ pounds, leg and thigh pieces)1 medium onion, chopped2 tablespoons tomato paste2 teaspoons dried minced garlic4 tablespoons butter8 ounces white button or brown mushrooms, sliced1 cup chicken broth1 bay leaf1 teaspoon salt½ teaspoon ground black pepper½ teaspoon dried thyme1 cup dry red wineFresh thyme leaves1.In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 6 to 10 minutes. Remove the crisp bacon and let cool slightly. Cut the bacon into ½-inch pieces and set aside.2.Add the chicken quarters to the skillet with the bacon drippings and cook over medium-high heat until brown, turning to brown evenly, 5 to 7 minutes. Place the onion in the slow cooker and place the browned chicken on top. Spoon the tomato paste and garlic over the chicken. Sprinkle with the crisp bacon.3.Add the butter to the bacon drippings in the large skillet and melt over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they release their moisture and it evaporates, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to the slow cooker.4.Pour the broth into the skillet. Cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits, for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the broth over the chicken. Add the bay leaf, salt, pepper, an | https://medium.com/@plansketo/coq-au-vin-177e2b0a1b57 | ['Keto Plans'] | 2020-12-25 10:31:36.058000+00:00 | ['Fitness', 'Bhfyp', 'Diet'] |
#8 DevOps Diary: No more Docker? | Hey everyone, I hope you have/are having a lovely day and Welcome to week 8 🥳
This week’s newsletter is out later than usual since life kind of got in the way. I hope you enjoy it anyway and you are having a great Sunday.
News 📣
Kubernetes is dropping Docker support — don’t freak out. Unless you have a self-managed cluster, it likely does not affect your use of Kubernetes nor your Kubernetes workflow.
What does this mean? ❓
Video Explanation by TechWorld with Nana “Kubernetes is dropping Docker support — What does it mean for YOU?”
Let’s have a look at some of the alternatives that you can use to Docker — Docker images without Docker
Blog Posts (and other written content)🗞️ | https://medium.com/@anaisurl/8-devops-diary-no-more-docker-78336329d96c | ['Anaïs Urlichs'] | 2020-12-13 15:50:15.601000+00:00 | ['Kubernetes', 'Training', 'DevOps', 'Docker', 'Newsletter'] |
Xavier Becerra is Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services; how did he vote on health issues in Congress? | Xavier Becerra is Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services; how did he vote on health issues in Congress? GovTrack.us Follow Dec 17, 2020 · 5 min read
Former Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA34)
There has arguably never been a more important time for the Department of Health and Human Services, dating to its 1953 founding, than during a global pandemic. President-elect Joe Biden has nominated former Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA34) as the department’s head.
Currently the Attorney General of California, he served as a member of Congress from 1993 to 2017. His nomination must be confirmed by the Senate.
How did Becerra vote on issues of public health during his congressional tenure?
Voted to pass Obamacare
More commonly known as Obamacare, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed the House by 219–212 in March 2010. Becerra voted in favor, as did most Democrats by 219–34. Republicans unanimously opposed by 0–178.
“123 Americans will die today because they do not have health insurance. Another 8,000 will lose their health insurance today,” Becerra said on the House floor the day the chamber passed the legislation. “Today we will accomplish what 100 years of Congresses could not. We will pass health care reform, not just for some, but for all Americans.”
In 2018, a number of states led by Texas sued to overturn the law’s constitutionality, on the basis of 2017’s congressional repeal of the individual mandate, which had previously required all Americans to purchase health insurance or pay a financial penalty. The individual mandate had previously been upheld by 2012’s Supreme Court decision National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius as the crux of the entire law, so plaintiffs argue that ending that provision down means the entire law must be struck down accordingly.
After the Louisiana-based Fifth Circuit Appeals Court of Appeals ruled in favor of that legal argument, a different group of states led by California — and thus led by Becerra himself — appealed that decision to the Supreme Court in a case titled (what else?) California v. Texas. The Court will likely issue a decision a few months from now, though current signs from November’s oral arguments point to Becerra’s side likely winning.
Didn’t cosponsor repeal of Cadillac taxes on more expensive health insurance plans
The so-called “Cadillac tax” was a controversial Obamacare provision, which would add a 40% tax on employer-sponsored health insurance plans above $10,200 for an individual or $27,500 for a family. While it was intended to tax only the most expensive plans, some studies estimated it could apply to as many as 82 percent of plans.
Most Democrats opposed the provision, despite supporting Obamacare overall. The provision’s implementation had been delayed more than once, most recently, scheduled to take effect in 2022.
A 2015 bill to repeal the Cadillac tax attracted 156 Democratic cosponsors along with 32 Republicans. But although more than 80 percent half of House Democrats cosponsored the bill, with 156 of the 188 House Democrats at the time, Becerra was not one of them.
While GovTrack Insider was unable to locate any explicit statements from Becerra explaining why, Paul N. Van de Water of the nonpartisan Center for Budget and Policy Priorities explained the reasoning for most of the tax’s proponents. “The excise tax has a strong policy rationale: it will help slow health care cost growth. In fact, it’s one of the ACA’s most important cost-containment measures,” Van de Water wrote. “It will discourage employers and employees from buying unusually high-cost health coverage that promotes the excess use of health care.”
The Cadillac tax’s repeal was nonetheless included inside a larger omnibus spending package that passed Congress and was signed into law in December 2019, after Becerra had already left Congress.
Voted to allow abortions after 20 weeks
In March 2015, through the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, the House voted 242–184 to ban all abortions occurring 20 or more weeks after conception. Republicans voted almost entirely in favor by 238–4, while Democrats voted almost entirely against by 4–180. Becerra voted against.
“Arkansas asserts that its ban on abortions after 18 weeks is aimed at protecting maternal health. Its ban, however, disserves that purpose,” Becerra wrote in an amicus brief for a lawsuit challenging Arkansas’s recently-enacted law. “Indeed, overwhelming scientific evidence establishes that highly restrictive abortion laws (like Arkansas’s) lead to worse health outcomes for women and also fail to lower abortion rates. Moreover, there is a direct connection between restrictive abortion laws and higher maternal mortality rates.”
2015’s House-passed bill never received a vote in the Senate, even though the chamber was then (as now) controlled by Republicans. The House passed it again by 237–189 in 2017, after Becerra left Congress, but while a majority of senators voted in favor by 51–46, that failed to meet the three-fifths margin required for Senate cloture votes.
In the current Congress, no similar legislation has passed either chamber, likely because Republicans figure their best shot is no longer legislatively but rather through a Supreme Court repeal or narrowing of Roe v. Wade.
Cosponsored a public option
Obamacare required all Americans to have health insurance through purchasing private health insurance. Some Democrats thought that didn’t go far enough, advocating the creation of a so-called “public option” run by the government. To some extent this already exists, through the government-run Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for the low-income. But no government-run healthcare option exists for all Americans, as it does in Europe or Canada.
Becerra cosponsored a 2010 bill to establish a federal public option. It didn’t receive a vote and the public option has never passed, but Biden supported the plan in his 2020 presidential campaign. “As in Medicare, the Biden public option will reduce costs for patients by negotiating lower prices from hospitals and other health care providers,” Biden’s official plan reads. “It also will better coordinate among all of a patient’s doctors to improve the efficacy and quality of their care.”
President Barack Obama himself endorsed a public option in a 2016 column for Jama: The Journal of the American Medical Association, lamenting that it wasn’t included in the 2010 law because of reluctance on the part of a few Senate Democrats — most of whom (like Joe Lieberman or Ben Nelson) were no longer still serving by 2016.
An estimate by the Congressional Budget Office calculated that such a public option would add an additional $158 billion to the deficit over a decade.
This article was written by GovTrack Insider staff writer Jesse Rifkin.
Like our analyses? Want more? Support our work! | https://govtrackinsider.com/xavier-becerra-is-joe-bidens-nominee-for-secretary-of-health-and-human-services-how-did-he-vote-2369dc196723 | [] | 2020-12-17 18:49:36.803000+00:00 | ['Biden'] |
What Quarantine feels like from an Autistic Perspective | When quarantine started for me, my college campus closed down and I didn’t physically go to college for a week since my college was setting up the online schooling system – I had just got back from my family vacation in Florida with my family which just made it that much harder due to Autistic difficulties with Transitions.
It felt like everything was happening fast and it felt like my college life was slowly turning into something that I would feel isolated with during quarantine, and the last few months proved that.
I started to feel less like myself – Sometimes being angry and hostile whenever I felt hurt by NT mental health advice from one of my family members.
I started to experiment with my pronouns and with my gender, and I am proud of myself for doing so, while my family still uses she/her for me, and I’ve accepted that I cannot ever change their beliefs because it is on them to change their own beliefs, not me.
Anyway, in-real-life friends, I found real help since I had a difficult time with logging on to classes sometimes, but I was thankful and grateful that I didn’t have to physically go somewhere while taking a bus, and that I do not have to attend class while getting dressed.
But, in the end, I persevered
While I was going through this ending semester, which will finish tomorrow for me, I kept thinking about things that I feel would never happen to me in real life. For example, finding a joy-friend/date-mate.
I felt more dead inside since I know that my finding some “soulmate” will never happen and that I won’t even have one. Of course! As my Pilates instructor told me: “I don’t even know what will happen in the future, and as one of my family members told me, just because I had a shitty experience with my first love doesn’t really mean that I can jump to conclusions about it”.
But, of course, my – Still healing from my first-relationship-looking ass doesn’t even know it yet.
As for my field placement experience since I am an Autistic social service work student, I had an easy time with my weekly field activities at first, but then I began to notice that my peers were having a difficult time with them since they were also dealing with their personal lives while balancing online placement.
Online Placement
There was no organization for me since I had a hard time finding a placement and the place that I wanted to get a placement at was closed because of COVID-19.here were some weekly field activities that didn’t teach anything. And the reason? Well, read on…
The Social Service Work Field
The entire Social Service Work field runs on the same carceral – Anything that has to do with the corrupt and often fucked up justice and law systems. Especially a certain kind of justice/law system that diminishes a person’s sense of humanity by making them into a white supremacist cosplayer that upholds capitalism and state-sanctioned fascism system, and that it also runs on the same systemic discriminatory oppressions that it preaches against.
The Injustice Law/System and Christian Church Places Undue Constraints on the Social Services System Constrains Access to Services
Conservative religious and Christian/Xtian fundies attempt to seem trendy and with the times, but their misogynistic beliefs aren’t even in line with the complex realities of life anymore.
If I have to be frank based on what I’ve observed on fundie Tumblr {I’ll say more about it later on). I’ve heard from a classmate of mine (let’s refer to her as J) that she didn’t want to fail placement ever again while I was there for her and for my other classmates who were also dealing with similar shit too…
Another thing that I’ve also realized is how entirely fucked both my college’s system and the SSW field is since they both still rely on capitalism, ableism, along with many other forms of oppression, all the while claiming that they are against the bootlicking clowns they are. | https://medium.com/artfullyautistic/what-quarantine-feels-like-from-an-autistic-perspective-6f556c6819b | [] | 2020-12-14 20:10:12.141000+00:00 | ['Autism', 'Personal', 'Covid 19'] |
[Case Study] Cashify, an online marketplace for pre-owned gadgets, drives 359% uplift in revenue using WebEngage | Originally published on WebEngage.
About Cashify
Today, almost any gadget you buy comes with a certain buyback benefit. This means once the gadget grows old or wears off, you can sell it to the original seller. Online marketplaces such as Cashify make buying and selling pre-owned smartphones and other gadgets such as laptops, gaming consoles, smartwatches, DSLRs, etc. easy and convenient!
Founded in 2015 by Amit Sethi, Mandeep Manocha, and Nakul Kumar, Cashify enables users to purchase gadget accessories, repair and recycle gadgets on its website and mobile app. Cashify has 40+ offline stores, has sold over 21 lakh devices, and paid 1200 cr+ cash to users for selling their used phones.
Adopting the right retention platform that meets Cashify’s expectations
To deliver a seamless experience of selling pre-owned gadgets online, Cashify decided to adopt WebEngage’s Retention Operating System to:
Get a unified view of each user
Segment high-intent users based on their actions performed on the Cashify app/website
Engage with users in a personalized and automated manner through multichannel campaigns
Here’s a glimpse of the use cases that Cashify has implemented using WebEngage. If you want to get detailed insights into Cashify’s success story, you must check out the detailed version.👇
In a gist…
Goals
Drive more revenue through mobile phone buybacks
Deliver exceptional user experiences
Boost user engagement
Foster brand loyalty
Challenges
Assisting users at every stage of their lifecycle
Micro-targeting the users based on their behavior & preferences
Solutions
Optimize conversions at every stage of the funnel
From installing the Cashify mobile app to completing the checkout or buyback, the user goes through 4 stages of the funnel. Now there are significant chances that the user might drop off at any stage before converting. This translates into minimal conversions and loss of buybacks. So, Cashify decided to create and implement an effective engagement strategy to target specific users with relevant communication at each stage of the funnel using the WebEngage Journey Designer.
Encourage high-intent users to convert
Businesses want to sell their products at the ‘best price’ and buyers too want to buy products at the ‘best prices’. In Cashify’s case, it’s the users who define the ‘best price’ by requesting multiple quotes before selling their gadgets. So, Cashify sends highly targeted engagement campaigns to only those users who have requested a quote three or more times to maximize Cashify’s chances to optimize buybacks.
Motivate maximum users to complete the checkout process
Driving maximum conversions is the North Star Metric or key goal for most of the businesses. To motivate the sellers to sell their gadgets on the platform, Cashify introduces discounts and cashback offers. Now, there are instances where the users might use a wrong coupon code or end up using an expired coupon unknowingly. In this case, the users miss out on the added benefit of using the coupon.
Maximize user referrals
Cashify created an exclusive journey for users who entered an invalid coupon code on Cashify’s website/app while checking out. To meet their objectives, the team at Cashify introduced a Refer and Earn program, wherein the user is given a unique referral code and is asked to share it with friends and/or family. To amplify the effect of the Refer and Earn campaign, Cashify has created a user engagement journey on the WebEngage dashboard.
Results
Cashify streamlines the sales funnel by sending highly engaging, and personalized campaigns across multiple channels. This helps the brand to improve its overall conversions. It also enables Cashify to understand its users better and reduce the chances of funnel drop-offs. Cashify witnesses some outstanding results. | https://medium.com/@kinjal-shah/case-study-cashify-an-online-marketplace-for-pre-owned-gadgets-drives-359-uplift-in-revenue-ec953ff8b02 | ['Kinjal Shah'] | 2021-07-05 12:08:15.278000+00:00 | ['Marketplaces', 'Online Shopping', 'Case Study', 'Gadgets', 'Customer Engagement'] |
If You Don’t Have a Side Hustle, You’re Missing Out | 1. Excitement
Many people have a hobby. Whether its fishing, collecting stamps or gaming, there are countless things people use to bring joy to their life. I find my enjoyment in side hustles, I think it spawns from my addictive personality. I’ll get incredibly invested into certain projects, devoting hours of my time and get a rush of excitement as I begin these side hustles. I often keep them for a few months, but by then my interest has waned and I move on to something else. I like to keep things fresh and with side hustles this is easy to do, there’s often no commitment and no risk in switching. There is nothing more exciting than making your first amount of money from a project. No matter what your day job is, or what your financial situation is, that first $10 you make from a side hustle will be the most exciting $10 you’ll ever make. | https://medium.com/swlh/if-you-dont-have-a-side-hustle-you-re-missing-out-a06a87b2f658 | ["Jake O'Brien"] | 2020-07-07 06:21:01.754000+00:00 | ['Money', 'Side Hustle Tips', 'Side Hustle', 'Entrepeneurship', 'Entrepeneur'] |
Eco-Friendly Products That You Should Use Now | Items made of plastic may be convenient for you to use now, but once discarded, it can take more than a thousand years to decompose.
Years and years of non-biodegradable garbage accumulation has had major negative effects on the land, water, and air all around us. To lessen the world’s carbon footprint, more and more people are opting to use eco-friendly versions of items that they use in their everyday lives. In the Philippines, stainless steel, bamboo, and paper are popular alternatives.
Here is a list of eco-friendly and biodegradable products you should use now.
Reusable and Biodegradable Utensils
The food industry is a major producer of single-use plastics and other non-biodegradable items due to its convenience. When ordering take out, you can easily request for them not to include any plastic utensils. Instead, choose to use one of these eco-friendly cutlery.
● Stainless Steel Utensils & Straws
○ Stainless steel is a good reusable alternative compared to plastic because it is easy to clean, extremely durable, and is heat resistant. Stainless steel utensils, when properly maintained, can last with you for a number of years.
● Bamboo Utensils & Straws
○ Bamboo is a good alternative to plastic due to its sustainability. The material is biodegradable and is a crop that is able to be harvested quickly.
● Paper Straws and Plates
○ Paper is one of the quickest materials to decompose. It is also one of the cheapest alternatives.
Reusable Drinking Containers
All over the world, millions of single-use plastic bottles are purchased every minute. Only a small percentage of which are actually recycled. Most of them end up in a landfill or worse, littered in different bodies of water. Help save marine wildlife by opting for these reusable drinking containers.
● Glass or Ceramic Containers
○ Instead of buying bottles of water everyday, avail of a water dispenser. This can greatly decrease your daily costs. Use a glass or ceramic mug instead.
● Stainless Steel Tumblers
○ Stainless steel tumblers are useful for hot and cold drinks because of its insulation. It can keep your drink at your desired temperature for an extended period of time.
● Paper Coffee Cups
○ When ordering from your favorite coffee shop, ask your barista to serve your drink in a paper cup. You can combine this with a stainless steel straw to really lessen your carbon footprint.
Eco-Friendly Bags
Plastic bags are one of the largest contributors to plastic pollution. The difficulty with finding an alternative is developing a bag made of organic material that can hold a heavy weight. Here is a list of reusable bags made from different eco-friendly materials.
● Reusable Cloth Bags
○ Bags made from natural fibers such as cotton or canvas are extremely popular because of its accessibility. These bags can easily be folded and stored in your car, a cabinet, or even inside of another bag.
● Synthetic Fibers
○ Laminated Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is mostly seen in reusable grocery bags. These are used because it can withstand extremely heavy loads.
● Biodegradable Bags
○ Paper bags are easily decomposable, but are still single use items. New alternatives are being developed all over the world out of organic materials that will be reusable and can be shaped into the form of a plastic bag.
Compostable and Recycled Everyday Items
Companies all over the world are trying to incorporate compostable and recycled materials into their products. Here are a few examples of everyday items you can purchase to help save the environment.
● Toothbrush
○ Companies have thought of a way to create biodegradable toothbrushes. They have combined a wooden handle with biodegradable bristles made of different crops.
● Recycled Clothing and Shoes
○ To lessen the accumulation of single-waste plastic and other non-biodegradable items, clothing and shoe companies are coming up with innovative ways to recycle them. Some have weaved the artificial fibers into jackets, shirts, and shoes.
Key Takeaway
Save the world in your own little way by choosing to use reusable and biodegradable items. To save costs, purchase items that are easily obtained in the Philippines such as stainless steel, bamboo, and paper. Ensure a bright future ahead for you and the next generations to come. | https://medium.com/@ariel.manoban/eco-friendly-products-that-you-should-use-now-8ba1f1801608 | ['Ariel Manoban'] | 2019-05-17 02:09:40.752000+00:00 | ['Philippines', 'Stainless Steel', 'Stainless Steel Suppliers'] |
A teardrop | Photo by Christian Sterk on Unsplash
A teardrop from
your eyes,
that's when I decided
not to be harsh
but to be gentle.
Seeing a drop of tears in your eyes
hurts more than
a thousand hurtful words.
I have to see you happy
to make myself truly happy. | https://medium.com/@nimzkitchenrecipes/a-teardrop-20cfe06baddf | ['Nimz N'] | 2020-12-24 06:26:36.999000+00:00 | ['Tears', 'Poem', 'Emotions', 'Love', 'Poetry'] |
I am sorry. You died last night. | You were hit by a car at Howard & 7th in San Francisco when you were riding your bike through the intersection. I was a passenger in the orange prius. We saw the SUV hit you, and speed off. We screamed ‘No! No! No!’. But our screams were not heeded.
You did not know what hit you, how could you?
I wish you were made of steel
The man I was with and I ran to you. I tried to find your pulse. I couldn’t. I held your hand, someone yelled at me not to touch you. We stayed with you. You were not alone. We were loving you. We wanted to save you, help you, protect you.
The EMT came fast, and gave you CPR until they got your heart started. But you know it was not enough.
I am so sorry it wasn’t enough. I am sorry that we weren’t magic. That we couldn’t conjure a Patronus to protect you. That we were not superhuman or superheros. That we didn’t have miracles in our pockets from Elon Musk to bend time — just for 10 seconds. If we could have, we would have.
We were sorely lacking. We were just humans.
I am sorry you died last night. I knew last night you were young, I now know you were — just 26 years old. You were killed with so much life left to live, so much potential, so much in front of you. I am so sorry you died having been here so briefly.
You were loved.
Your friends and roommates have reached out — they love you so much. People who love and are loved have had the sweetest taste of life. I am thankful for those who loved you so, and I am sad you don’t get to be an old loved and loving woman.
Your friends and family know you were not alone. I told them, don’t worry. I wanted them to know that we strangers were with you, not as strangers but as your human family caring desperately for you as our own.
For a few hours last night I was holding you in full recovery. Imagining you riding your bike, laughing as if 8:24pm had never happened. Then I read that you had died.
I am so sorry you died. I am so sorry we couldn’t save you.
You did not suffer, you felt no pain. I believe you were enjoying the summer evening light, your mind thinking how beautiful it was, and that you were filled with life — with joy, because you are clearly that kind of young woman.
I know that you are now at one with your God in whatever name or form. I know that you are at peace.
I will continue to think of you in the sunshine, spending beautiful evenings, laughing with those you love. Godspeed.
I am so sorry you died last night. I will never forget you.
26-year-old Kate Slattery was killed last night, 22 June 2016 she was safely riding her bicycle and was struck by a speeding SUV running a red light at the intersection of Howard and 7th Street in San Francisco, California | https://medium.com/@zibbyz/i-am-sorry-c2751286635c | ['Pamela Day'] | 2016-07-15 19:03:25.267000+00:00 | ['Humanity', 'Love', 'Death', 'San Francisco', 'Cycling'] |
Importing Bulk CSV Data Into MySQL Using Python | Importing Bulk CSV Data Into MySQL Using Python
1. Overview
The main objective of this tutorial is to find the best method to import bulk CSV data into MySQL.
2. Prerequisites
Python 3.8.3 : Anaconda download link
MySQL : Download link
sqlalchemy : To install sqlalchemy use the command: pip install sqlalchemy
3. Prepare or Identify Your Data
To begin, prepare or identify the CSV file that you’d like to import to MySQL database. For example, we loaded iris data from GitHub.
3.1 Import Libraries
import os
import sys
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
from sqlalchemy import create_engine
import seaborn as sns
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import mysql.connector as msql
from mysql.connector import Error
import csv
3.2 Extract the Data
# Loading data from github
irisData = pd.read_csv('
irisData.head()
df = irisData
df.head() irisData = pd.read_csv(' https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Muhd-Shahid/Learn-Python-Data-Access/main/iris.csv',index_col=False irisData.head()df = irisDatadf.head()
3.3 Create a Table in MySQL Database
To connect from Python to a MySQL database, we use sqlalchemy and mysql.connector:
Specify the connection parameters
# Note: please change your database, username & password as per your own values
conn_params_dic = {
"host" : "localhost",
"database" : "irisdb",
"user" : "root",
"password" : "sql@123"
}
Define function to establish connection mysql.connector
# Define a connect function for MySQL database server
def connect(conn_params_dic):
conn = None
try:
print('Connecting to the MySQL...........')
conn = msql.connect(**conn_params_dic)
print("Connection successfully..................")
except Error as err:
print("Error while connecting to MySQL", err)
# set the connection to 'None' in case of error
conn = None
return conn
Define function to establish connection using Alchemy
# Using alchemy method
connect_alchemy = "mysql+pymysql://%s:%s@%s/%s" % (
conn_params_dic['user'],
conn_params_dic['password'],
conn_params_dic['host'],
conn_params_dic['database']
) def using_alchemy():
try:
print('Connecting to the MySQL...........')
engine = create_engine(connect_alchemy)
print("Connection successfully..................")
except Error as err:
print("Error while connecting to MySQL", err)
# set the connection to 'None' in case of error
engine = None
return engine
Define a function to create table
def create_table(engine):
try:
# Dropping table iris if exists
engine.execute("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS iris;")
sql = '''CREATE TABLE iris(
sepal_length DECIMAL(2,1) NOT NULL,
sepal_width DECIMAL(2,1) NOT NULL,
petal_length DECIMAL(2,1) NOT NULL,
petal_width DECIMAL(2,1),
species CHAR(11) NOT NULL
)'''
# Creating a table
engine.execute(sql);
print("iris table is created successfully...............")
except Error as err:
print("Error while connecting to MySQL", err)
# set the connection to 'None' in case of error
conn = None
4. Running Time
For measuring execution time of each method, we used timeit.
# Example
def run_method(n):
for i in range(n):
3 ** nfrom timeit import default_timer as timer
start_time = timer()
run_method(10000)
end_time = timer()
elapsed = end_time-start_time
print('function took {:.3f} ms'.format((elapsed)*1000.0))
5. Methods
5.1. Using one by one inserts
To establish a baseline we start with the easiest methodology, insert records one by one:
def single_inserts(engine, df, table):
for i in df.index:
cols = ','.join(list(df.columns))
vals = [df.at[i,col] for col in list(df.columns)]
query = "INSERT INTO %s(%s) VALUES(%s,%s,%s,%s,'%s')" % (table, cols, vals[0], vals[1], vals[2],vals[3],vals[4])
engine.execute(query)
print("single_inserts() done")
5.2. Using execute_many()
The mysql documentation : using executemany
Execute a database operation (query or command) against all parameter tuples or mappings found in the sequence vars_list.
# Define function using cursor.executemany() to insert the dataframe
def execute_many(conn, datafrm, table):
# Creating a list of tupples from the dataframe values
tpls = [tuple(x) for x in datafrm.to_numpy()]
# dataframe columns with Comma-separated
cols = ','.join(list(datafrm.columns))
# SQL query to execute
sql = "INSERT INTO %s(%s) VALUES(%%s,%%s,%%s,%%s,%%s)" % (table, cols)
cursor = conn.cursor()
try:
cursor.executemany(sql, tpls)
conn.commit()
print("Data inserted using execute_many() successfully...")
except Error as e:
print("Error while inserting to MySQL", e)
cursor.close()
5.3. Using_csv_reader()
def using_csv_reader(engine, datafrm, table_name):
try:
# Here, change your own path to dump the temp file
datafrm.to_csv('./Learn Python Data Access/iris_bulk.csv', index=False)
# dataframe columns with Comma-separated
cols = ','.join(list(datafrm.columns))
# SQL query to execute
sql = "INSERT INTO %s(%s) VALUES(%%s,%%s,%%s,%%s,%%s)" % (table_name, cols)
sql = sql.format(table_name) # Here, change your own path to read the temp file
with open('./Learn Python Data Access/iris_bulk.csv') as fh:
#sub_sample = [next(fh) for x in range(records)]
reader = csv.reader(fh)
next(reader) # Skip firt line (headers)
data = list(reader)
engine.execute(sql, data)
print("Data inserted using Using_csv_reader() successfully...")
except Error as err:
print("Error while inserting to MySQL", e)
5.4. Using to_sql() (sqlalchemy)
def using_sqlalchemy(engine,datafrm,table):
try:
datafrm.to_sql(table, con=engine, index=False, if_exists='append',chunksize = 1000)
print("Data inserted using to_sql()(sqlalchemy) done successfully...")
except Error as err:
print("Error while inserting to MySQL", e)
6. Results
conn = connect(conn_params_dic)
engine = using_alchemy()
create_table(engine)
Define a function to compare the performance of each method
Here, we are running only three methods execute_many, using_csv_reader, and using_sqlalchemy because we know already single inserts will take more time compare to other three. So, if you want to check performance time for single inserts also then you can uncomment below code.
#-----------------------------------------
# COMPARE THE PERFORMANCE OF EACH METHOD
#-----------------------------------------
def compare_methods_to_insert_bulk_data(conn,engine,df):
# Delete records from iris table
engine.execute("delete from iris where true;")
print("Data has been deleted from iris table..........")
print("")
# Including single_inserts method
#methods = [single_inserts, execute_many, using_csv_reader, using_sqlalchemy]
# Excluding single_inserts method
methods = [execute_many, using_csv_reader, using_sqlalchemy]
df_performance = pd.DataFrame(index=range(len(methods)), columns=['Total_Records','Method_Name','Time ()']) k = 0
for method in methods:
start_time = timer()
if method==execute_many:
method(conn, df, 'iris')
else:
method(engine, df, 'iris')
end_time = timer()
df_performance.at[k,'Total_Records'] = len(df.index)
df_performance.at[k,'Method_Name'] = method.__name__
df_performance.at[k,'Time ()'] = end_time-start_time
# Delete records for the previous method and prepare test for the next method
engine.execute("delete from iris where true;")
print("Data has been deleted from iris table........")
print("")
k = k + 1
return df_performance
Compare the performance of each method for 1000, 5000,10000, 50000,100000,1000000 records.
df = irisData
# Repeating our dataframe 6667 times to get a large test dataframe
bulk_df = pd.concat([df]*6667, ignore_index=True)
print(len(bulk_df.index)) df_performance_list = []
for records in [1000,5000,10000,50000,100000,1000000]:
print("records = %s" % records)
df_cutoff = bulk_df[0:records]
df_performance = compare_methods_to_insert_bulk_data(conn,engine,df_cutoff)
df_performance_list.append(df_performance) method_performances = pd.concat(df_performance_list, axis=0).reset_index()
method_performances.head()
Visualize the performance of each method
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(15,10))
for method in method_performances['Method_Name'].unique():
subset = method_performances[method_performances['Method_Name'] == method]
ax.plot(subset['Total_Records'], subset['Time ()'], 'o-.', label=method, linewidth=2, markersize=10)plt.xticks([1000, 5000,10000, 50000,100000,1000000])
plt.xlabel('Number of records in dataframe',fontsize=12)
plt.ylabel('Execution Time (second)',fontsize=12)
plt.title("COMPARING THE DIFFERENT INSERT METHODS", fontsize=15)
plt.legend()
# Change your own path
plt.savefig(".../Learn Python Data Access/all_methods.png", dpi=600)
plt.show()
# Closing the cursor & connection
cursor.close()
conn.close()
7. Conclusion
Now, the main question is what should we use? the answer is it depends. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and is suited for different circumstances. Here, we used very simple data with only five variables. Data can be complex , and system configuration can be different . As per our example, the fastest method is to use execute_many() however, using csv_reader() is also fine method to import the data.
All code for this article is available as a Jupyter Notebook on GitHub.
For PostgreSQL
Comparison of Methods for Importing bulk CSV data Into PostgreSQL Using Python.
Stay Positive! Stay Safe! Keep Learning :)
Thanks you for reading! | https://python.plainenglish.io/comparison-of-methods-for-importing-bulk-csv-data-into-mysql-using-python-5890dbf57419 | [] | 2020-12-18 15:50:11.972000+00:00 | ['Python', 'MySQL', 'Programming', 'Pandas', 'Data Science'] |
The power of rewriting your story with business coach Liz Theresa and Rabbi Jacob Rupp | I had the pleasure of interviewing Liz Theresa. Liz Theresa, business coach and founder of LizTheresa.com, has been helping entrepreneurs find clarity and uniquely market themselves with confidence for the past 7 years through her strategic website design and clever copywriting services. She wants every entrepreneur to rise and be the star of their own business. She’s also the creator of Concept to Creation, her flagship branding and web design program. Liz lives with her husband James, a US Air Force Veteran, in the Boston area. When she’s not working with clients, she’s recording episodes of her podcast Liz on Biz, shopping for things she doesn’t need at Target, or dancing like no one is watching (except they are) at Zumba class.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you please share your “backstory” with us?
With pleasure! I never expected my life to be what it is now…but, I think most people feel that way, right? In my younger days, I had absolutely ZERO interest in business. I never hustled to sell newspapers and I didn’t top the girl scout sales cookie board. During my adolescence, I was just busy being myself — a very normal (albeit, high-achieving) girl from a super small town in Massachusetts. I worked at the grocery store up the street when I was 16 (which is where I met my now-husband.)
I got knee-deep in the arts when I was young — doing lots of theatre and minoring in it during college. It turns out I hated the vanity of showbiz — so, rather than pursue my dream of being a regular on Days of Our Lives, I pushed my life in a different direction. I always had a talent for writing and ended up focusing my studies by majoring in English. I didn’t stop going to school after I finished my bachelor’s because I genuinely didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life — which is why I got a Master’s from Bridgewater State University.
During that time (the economic woes and throes that plagued 2009 to 2011), my parents’ business hit rough waters. They asked me to help — so I started googling things like marketing and how to increase sales. If you asked me then what marketing was, I’d have shrugged my shoulders and said that’s what people who sell Avon do, isn’t it? Of course, the only marketing I’d heard of was ugly multi-level stuff. I had no idea that my attempt to help my parents improve their business would end up spurring a business of my own.
Once I learned a little about online marketing, I got hungry for more of it. I read articles daily and to test my knowledge, I offered freelance social media and à la carte design services to small businesses. I learned that marketing is only effective if a business has a strong and solid foundation — which is why I redirected my services to be focused on branding, strategy, and website design/development.
Oh — and I couldn’t get a job — because no one could get a job in the digital space unless you had 3 to 5 years experience — which was hilarious because Twitter was only 2 years old at the time.
That’s when I hired myself.
What role did mindfulness or spiritual practice play in your life growing up? Do you have a funny or touching story about that?
I genuinely didn’t discover my spiritual side, at least — my spiritual side in its most developed form, until I divorced my first husband in 2016. Our divorce rocked me to my core and came as quite a shock. When someone you care about leaves your life for any reason (death, divorce, separation), it’s a trauma for you mind, body, and soul. Going through any type of trauma forces you to pause and go within — whether you want to or not. I spent a good amount of time wondering who I was if I wasn’t married to him — and how I could possibly continue to fit into this world.
I met a wonderful therapist who recommended I start meditating. Being willing to try anything to help myself, I dove right in and downloaded the Headspace app. I’d thought meditation was supposed to make you feel calm… I didn’t expect that it would come with all these other benefits: being less quick to anger, less reactive, more empathetic and accepting toward others, more focused and mentally clear — to name just a few amazing things.
All of this self-exploration led me to getting published my very first time in 2016, in an online publication called Elephant Journal. I titled my article, “How to get Divorced and not want to Die,” and I still get emails from readers about my journey to this day.
Meditation is just one modality I cited in this article for its impact on my healing / spiritual awakening — I also explored hypnosis, read a ton of books, and rediscovered some of my former hobbies — all of which helped me reconnect to who I really am. Someone who’s really pretty cool — I now enjoy hanging out with myself. Alone time can be so much fun!
How do your mindfulness or spiritual practices affect your business and personal life today?
So much of my work depends on having positive, healthy relationships with my clients. If we get along, my clients are more likely to grow and make the most use of the strategies I teach them about. This said, daily meditation and self-care is a necessity — not an option or something I do “when I have time.” My mindfulness and spiritual practice is what gets me in the right headspace to be most effective when it comes to coaching and supporting my clients.
Do you find that you are more successful or less successful because of your integration of spiritual and mindful practices? Can you share an example or story about that with us?
The worst thing I can do is say, “I’m too busy to meditate.” I don’t say that anymore.
I actually used to work on LizTheresa.com stuff for 5 days a week. Now, I’m down to 3 or 4 days per week. (Yes, only 3 or 4 — you read that right.) It’s not out of laziness, but because I have a personal commitment that takes me away on Wednesdays — and then, if I don’t have to work a Friday, why would I want to?
To make my 3 to 4-day workweek possible, I hired an incredible woman who specializes in time management. She doesn’t market herself that way — but in my opinion, she should. She fundamentally changed my relationship with time. I don’t earn less because I work less — — it’s just that when I do work, I get a LOT more done than I used to. And it’s thanks to her. (Her name is Tessa and she’s the founder of the Palmerton Group — in case anyone here would like to look her up!)
A big part of my work with Tessa was contingent on keeping up with my daily meditation which keeps me clear, calm, and focused. She also taught me the Pomodoro method which I would call a mindfulness technique that helps you be more effective with time.
What would you say is the foundational principle for one to “lead a good life”? Can you share a story that illustrates that?
“To lead a good life” is to live a life according to your values. My #1 value is family and relationships — which is one of the greatest parts of self-employment in the first place. My obligation on Wednesdays is family-related, which is why it spurred me to change the way I do business.
I would recommend determining what your values are. I’m really big on helping my clients design and grow a business they love — which emphasis on the word love. No one loves a business that makes them feel trapped or stops them from spending time doing things that matter. I might even say — for seasoned entrepreneurs who may be reading this, if you have the business blues, it very well may not be your business’s fault. It might just be that you’re not living a life in accordance with your values. You might have blamed your business for this — when you’ve neglected to remember it’s YOUR business and YOUR life.
What small changes could you make to even the coming week to make sure you’re “leading a good life?” I suggest making them and seeing how that makes you feel.
Can you share a story about one of the most impactful moments in your spiritual/mindful life?
After my divorce was finalized and during the latter part of my spiritual healing, I joined a self-help book club. We read a book called The Universe Has Your Back by Gabby Bernstein. The premise of this book is that if you want something to change in your life or to happen for you, that you need to simply ask for it. You ask the Universe (or God — or higher power — whatever you believe in) for what you want, and it will be yours — so long as it is in your highest good, that you really do want whatever it is, and that you’re ready to receive it.
It sounds a little out there, I know. Please stay with me.
I went to dinner after the book club meeting with my friend Lauren who’d hosted it. She asked me simply, “Do you have something you’d like to ask [the Universe] for?”
I paused and considered the question. I took a breath and thought about it. Then, I said, “I would like to ask for emotional intimacy.”
If you’d asked me *right* after my divorce what I wanted, it was to be married again. It was something I said to my therapist on repeat. I just wanted to be married again, because I’d forgotten who I was when I wasn’t married. I’d had a boyfriend at that time, too, who probably would have married me (even though we were very wrong for each other.)
Here I was — and the number one thing I wanted wasn’t to be married, it was to have emotional intimacy.
I went on to tell her that I wanted emotional intimacy — however it would like to show up and however it may be in my highest good — a new friend, new closeness to someone I already know, or romantic. What was so staggering about this is that romance was no longer a requirement. I’d finally enjoyed spending time with just me — and I valued myself enough to not need someone else to do that for me.
And what happened? Two weeks pass — and BOOM. I run into my ex-boyfriend James at the very place we’d met all those years ago — the grocery store up the street from my parents’ house. Love hit me like a high-speed train and we were married within the year.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
My mom, for sure. I’m very fortunate to be following the example my parents set by being self-employed — although my business is very different than theirs was. My parents worked in manufacturing — and that’s something I would never do. I’m happy working in service for now.
My mom’s always been a huge role model for me. She’s compassionate and hilarious at the same time. I went to only one interview after I completed my Master’s program. It was for a random dot-com that happened to have an office here locally. The position was to write product descriptions for wigs. Yes, wigs. Like “wear THIS wig out for girls night!” — that sort of thing.
I was pretty excited for the interview — since getting an interview for a creative position during an economic downturn was pretty hard to do. I showed up dressed to the nines in a brand new outfit with a graphically-designed resume. I glowed the whole time.
At the end of the interview, my interviewer (the company’s art director) said, “I’ve got to level with you. This job will suck the soul from your body. You’re way too creative to be here.” Verbatim.
I paused and thought to myself, “Does that mean this went well or is this not a compliment?” Before I could think of anything to really say in addition, he showed me to the door and I walked to my car in total confusion.
I took a breath and called my mom. Exasperated, I told her what the man had said and explained, “Mom, all I want to do is help businesses market themselves better.”
And she replied, “Liz, you don’t need permission to do what you want to do. If you want to help businesses, go do it.”
And she was right. ☺
Can you share 3 or 4 pieces of advice about how leaders can create a very “healthy and uplifting” work culture?
Following the golden rule is huge. Treat others the way you want to be treated. That goes for your team. My team has told me they think I handle them with kid-gloves. If that’s the case, it’s also why no team member has ever quit working with me because of the way I treat them. Being kind to your team is not removing your boundaries. It’s about respecting theirs and playing to their strengths.
I also have a monthly team kick-off call to talk about our company’s most recent wins and upcoming challenges so we’re all always on the same page. Creating ways to boost transparency and interpersonal communication within a team can be a challenge when everyone works remotely, but I think we’ve done a pretty good job at taking care of each other.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Kindness is contagious. Elaborating on what I said above, when interacting with someone in any context (professional or personal), I always stop to take their feelings into account. I would love for more entrepreneurs to run their businesses with empathy — which can be especially when any professional confrontations or conflicts arise. Warmth can keep relationships from going off the rails — and I think everyone can agree that everything works better when we all get along.
How can people follow you and find out more about you?
They can follow me anywhere online @LizTheresa. I love Instagram! You can also join my Facebook group Internet Fame to get connected and inspired at https://www.facebook.com/groups/InternetFameNow/. Last but not least, I have a FREE copywriting training video available for streaming at FreeCopyVideo.com.
About the author: Jacob Rupp is a coach, author, speaker, podcaster, and rabbi. He is the founder of Lift Your Legacy, a community that helps people live a more authentic life. He has a regular, syndicated column that appears in ThriveGlobal and Medium magazine. To learn more about him or to listen to the Lift Your Legacy podcast, search iTunes or visit his site: liftyourlegacy.live | https://medium.com/authority-magazine/the-power-of-rewriting-your-story-with-business-coach-liz-theresa-and-rabbi-jacob-rupp-9e67b6dfe056 | ['Jacob Rupp'] | 2019-02-05 14:34:35.856000+00:00 | ['Entrepreneurship', 'Mindfulness', 'Relationships', 'Leadership', 'Spirituality'] |
We’re building Iboto.ph to get political and fight for something. | I never felt as helpless as I did during the 2016 elections.
Given, I was barely out of my sophomore year in high school and didn’t know much about politics. Like many others, I grew up with the notion that the government was just an inherently bad thing. I watched scandal after scandal play by on the television, listened to my Social Studies teacher spend the entire period ranting about presidents and eras revised and proofed from our government-approved textbooks, while overhearing relatives complain about things that I wasn’t really sure of yet — like taxes, rising gas prices, or our sovereignty.
When you attend gatherings and small workshops for “activists” or the safer term, “community organizers”, you go around the circle and introduce yourself, your school, pronouns, and what politicized you. To this day, I’m still unsure of how to answer that last part.
My generation is desensitized to the failures of a government because it had been ingrained in our heads that it would never work for us. We grow through (quite privileged) phases of political apathy, because it’s widely-accepted that there’s nothing we can do about it. Political talk is forbidden: nobody gave a fuck about it in school, you risk causing rifts during family gatherings, and it goes nowhere.
I had barely turned sixteen when I saw Rodrigo Duterte sworn into office and a Marcos almost entering the Vice Presidency. In the months leading up to that election, it was impossible to ignore the shittalking Davaoeño but falsely easy to assume that no one could seriously vote for someone like him, right? He had practically no skills as an attorney, is marked only by family power, and dozens of human rights cases against his misguided view on drugs and criminality. Then: I saw every corner of the world filled with overwhelming support that I was near-voiceless against. From tricycle drivers to my own private Catholic schoolmates, they were all entranced by his promises and his ill formality and how he was going to change the Philippines — he swore, and it would be bloody.
I was angry and senseless, but I didn’t know if I had a right to be. I couldn’t vote then and hadn’t discussed these views much with others aside from soft conversations with teachers and friends. I kind of understood why things had gone to the point where we had voted in Duterte, though. The success of his campaign is built on a history of Philippine struggle and affirms the longstanding plight of the masses, so tired of the cyclic nature of corruption that we (or at least 39.01% of the population) had decided to settle for anyone who could seem different. Our frustrations had become so entrenched that it seemed like someone spitting out rape and murder could save us.
But of course he can’t. And of course we’re tired of broken promises. | https://medium.com/iboto/were-building-iboto-ph-to-get-political-and-fight-for-something-f9e1e90e2a1a | ['Chia Amisola'] | 2019-04-29 11:48:56.981000+00:00 | ['Philippines', 'Elections'] |
In a New York state of mind | In a New York state of mind
Empire State (image by author)
She woke to find something prodding insistently into her thigh. And a voice in her ear. “Carrie?”
Oh god. It was dim and dark, she had no idea where in the world she was, there was probably an early flight involved, and now this.
“Carrie? Are you awake?”
She groaned. Fatal mistake. A hand began stroking her bare skin somewhere south of her ribs. She groaned again. Rolled away. The glowing red digits of an alarm clock worried her eyeballs. 04:55
Shit. Was there a dawn flight? Where was she?
It was coming back now. Anything under twenty-four hours was a layover, and she’d flown into JFK mid-afternoon. Heathrow had been the usual mean and cramped unpleasantness; if there was one thing the English were really good at it was making anybody without the right accent feel small. A pleasure to get onto American Airways into a business class seat. A grandmotherly flight attendant had fed her ice cream and coffee and cookies while she looked at a sparkling white Iceland rolling below.
She had meant to get a bit of sleep on the flight — east to west always meant a long day — but there was so much to see outside the window, and champagne to taste while she regarded Greenland, Canada, Boston ten kilometres down.
And Hank waiting at Arrivals.
Hank, such an American name. He was almost certainly the owner of the thing prodding into her, its cheerful little tip keen to take up where they had left off last night.
A hand reached up and over her body, drawing her in, a warm furry chest pressed against her back, a gentle kiss against the back of her neck, fingers lightly stroking the underside of one breast.
Men!
Carrielle Watson, travel photographer, considered her options. If she rolled over, whatever was prodding into her buttock cleft would have more ready access, and she wasn’t ready for that just yet. She was now fully awake, and if it was getting close to dawn, she should really be out on the streets photographing, not fucking.
And she did have a flight coming up. Tokyo. Damn. What time did it leave? Maybe she should be packing rather than fucking.
That hand had found its way to her nipple, and was gently teasing it awake. That felt good. It was also sending signals to the rest of her.
She rolled over, pressing herself firmly against the front of her bedmate, and snuggling down so that her nose was pressed against his throat, and more importantly, that questing prong down below wasn’t in imminent danger of entry, at least until she remembered where she was in her cycle. Had they used protection last night?
Carrie certainly remembered something pink and rounded and totally unprotected in her mouth, tasting of man tang. Probably not quite so savoury at the moment, several hours and climaxes later.
The man before her had a beard — she could feel it against her face — and that meant it was Hank. Good. He was a silhouette against the dim rectangle of tall windows…
Tall windows. Holy crap. Now she remembered. Hank had lifted her bags into the boot of the yellow cab, and told the driver, “49th and Park, please”. Her first time in New York, Carrie had watched the towers of Manhattan grow closer. A glimpse of the Empire State Building, and then they were among them, those concrete canyons, traffic and people thick on the streets. New York, New York.
The cab pulled up outside some old brownstone complex that seemed to occupy a whole block. A liveried doorman stepped forward. Carrie looked up at gold lettering.
“The Waldorf-Astoria?” She turned to Hank.
“Last chance to see,” he replied. “They are closing for renovations soon. Thought you’d like it.”
“Wow!”
Carrie purred happily into Hank’s shoulder. Dear man. It was a big deal to a young Aussie woman to be pampered into an icon. An elaborate lobby, bellboys, marble staircases, a grand clock…
Just enough time to dump her bags in a fancy but faded bedroom, and then they were back on the streets again, cameras clicking, Carrie scooping New York up into her Leica.
The Carnegie Deli, walls covered in movie stars, a corn beef sandwich about as big as her head. Empire State Building, where Hank kissed her for the first time — “Yum, pickles!” he had said, before going in for another — Central Park, Strawberry Fields mourning John Lennon — dead longer than Carrie had been alive, but still there were fresh flowers marking out a giant peace symbol — and a long dinner at Mickey Mantle’s, where Hank had consumed a giant steak and drank a beer from a glass about the size and shape of a baseball bat. Carrie had insisted on a Manhattan. Or two.
Full of good food, cocktails, and a golden glow of happiness, Carrie had collapsed gratefully into the Waldorf’s king-size bed. And Hank’s embrace. And now here they were, ready for another round.
She wriggled herself up past Hanks’s beard and explored his lips. Somewhere lower down, another set of lips was welcoming a new member into the fold.
Hank’s turn to groan. “Have to be quick, Carrie.”
She stopped what she was doing. “When’s my flight? I can’t remember.”
“One thirty,” Hank said.
“Plenty of time, then.” Carrie resumed her movements.
“Not if we want to shoot Central Park at dawn,” Hank said, not slowing his own rhythm. “I can’t let you go without something special.”
It was another half-hour, all told, before they were scooting out through the grand front entrance, deserted and the predawn. “Need a cab,” Hank muttered, grimacing at his watch. He signalled to a doorman. “Trump Tower, please.”
The doorman opened the door of the first cab, giving the address to the driver. “Trump Tower!” the cabbie howled. “I been waiting an hour. What about Kennedy or Newark?”
“Peel off,” the doorman said, snapping the door shut before Carrie could slide in. He thumped the yellow roof. “Use your power steering and pull away!”
He beckoned to the next cab, whose driver made no fuss. Hank slipped him a bill, and the doorman touched his hat.
Carrie smiled at the driver. “G’day, mate!”
The driver flicked the meter on, “Aussie, eh? Got a kangaroo for me?”
“Not this trip, sorry, gave ‘em all away.” She reached into her camera bag, pulled out a wrapped chocolate and dropped it into the tray. “Have a Caramello Koala?”
Trump Tower was only a few blocks away, but Hank stopped him short at a food trolley, and ushered Carrie out.
“Two bagels, two coffees, no chatter,” he instructed the cook.
Hank balanced the paper cups in his hands and gave the bagels to Carrie. “No eating!” he ordered, “Central Park is just up that way.”
They crossed a street and turned a corner. He set the cups carefully down, and pulled a Canon out of his camera bag, fussing with the lens before picking up a coffee and handing it to Carrie. “Breakfast,” he said, indicating the diamond necklace in Tiffany’s window, raising his camera as the first rays of the morning sun caught Carrie’s hair.
There was time to shoot Central Park alive with dog walkers and joggers, catch the R Line down to the Staten Island Ferry to say hello to Lady Liberty coming and going, and back for a late checkout and final embrace at the Waldorf.
Carrie slid her bottom into seat 4A, her state of mind to New York, her time zone back to London, and slept most of the fourteen hours to Tokyo, snuggling deeper down every time the flight attendant suggested a meal.
Britni | https://medium.com/grab-a-slice/manhattan-transfer-1998cdfc4d8 | ['Britni Pepper'] | 2020-03-12 09:01:28.061000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Waldorf', 'Fiction', 'New York'] |
10 Data Structure, Algorithms, and Programming Courses to Crack Any Coding Interview | Many junior developers dream of making it at one of the larger tech companies, but, to be honest with you, getting your first job is never easy. It is, in fact, one of the hardest things in your life and you need to put your best effort to find a job in your dream company.
Most of the computer science graduates dream of working for Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple but only a few programmers clear their difficult coding interviews.
The single most important reason for failing those coding job interviews is the lack of knowledge and practice. It pretty obvious that if you don’t know what to learn then you are bound to fail, hence it becomes increasingly important that you prepare hard in advance.
Unfortunately, I learned this a little too late, after spoiling my chances at Microsoft and Amazon, but you don’t need to. You can learn from my experience and prepare better for your programming job interviews.
So, the big question is, how do you prepare for coding/programming job interviews? Which subjects should you read up on? Which questions will you need to solve? How do you deal with coding and other technology related questions?
When I was hunting for my first job there wasn’t much help available; we were totally reliant on our textbooks of programming languages and data structure to prepare for interviews, but things have changed in the last 10 years.
Nowadays, you not only have dedicated books to prepare for the coding interview, like Crack the Coding Interview Questions, but you have online courses and Coding Bootcamps to practice for coding interviews.
I really like the boot camps because of their methodology, focus, and rigorous practice but they are a bit expensive and not every computer science graduate who is looking for a job can afford that.
Another option is online courses like Software Engineer Interview Unleashed, which are both cheap and provide you similar kind of interactive guidance you get in coding boot camps.
There are a lot of coding interview courses available on popular course sites like Udemy and PluralSight but you need to choose the right course which can help you to achieve your goal.
10+ Data Structure and Algorithm Courses for Programming Interviews
In this article, I am going to share some of the best online courses to prepare for coding/programming job interviews, and based upon your experience and skillset, you can choose one or two courses from this list to prepare for your next job interview.
Most of these courses are focused on data structure and algorithms, which are the most important topics for any coding interview but they also teach you problem-solving and other aspects of Job interview e.g. questions from a programming language like Java and C++, Database, and SQL concepts, Linux commands, etc.
Once you have gone through one of these online training courses, you would have enough knowledge to take on your job interview as well as know where to go for further improvement.
This is probably the best coding interview course for Java programmers. Though no programming language is required, if you don’t know Java, the author will teach you.
In this course, you will learn how to analyze algorithms like searching, sorting, and other algorithms.
You will also learn how to reduce the code complexity from one Big-O level to another level, an important skill to impress the interviewer.
Furthermore, you will learn different types of data structures and how to choose the right data structure to solve a problem.
Remember, choosing the right data structure can drastically improve the CPU and memory profile of an application.
For example, using a set to solve duplicate elements problem make it a lot easier. You will also learn how to find Big-O for every data structure.
By the end, you will be able to write code that runs faster and uses low memory. You also will learn how to analyze problems using one technique many programmers forgot to prepare.
Here is the link to join this course —Data Structure and Algorithms Analysis — Job Interview
This is an ideal course for all levels of programmers, particularly Java programmers. If you are looking for a good programming/coding interview course in Java, this is the one. You can use it to start from scratch or just refresh your knowledge before going to an interview.
If you have attended coding interviews then you may know that dealing with System design questions is not easy, especially if you don’t have much experience in real-world software development.
Things like caching, scalability, fault-tolerance, Microservices, database design are important to design software but not easy to master. This course provides a good introduction to all the things you can keep in mind while designing a new system like a website, an application, or just an app.
This course is a must if you want to crack the coding interview but even if you are not preparing for an interview, you will learn a lot about software architect and design by going through this course which will eventually make you a better programmer.
Here is the link to join this course — Grokking the System Design Interview | https://medium.com/hackernoon/10-data-structure-algorithms-and-programming-courses-to-crack-any-coding-interview-e1c50b30b927 | [] | 2020-09-23 06:55:01.868000+00:00 | ['Java', 'Programming', 'Coding', 'Interview', 'Software Development'] |
Intimate Murder (Fiction): Villain and Victim Rising To Satisfy Inner Lusts | Nothing is more personal than reading about a character’s life’s flicker out. As a writer, it’s easy to understate a good, intimate murder when compiling its text.
My murder is not the kind that comes by a gun or a knife. I’m talking about something far closer and more personal — like the electric intimacy shared between two new lovers maneuvering their way into each other’s arms for the very first time.
A hand slips beneath a shirt and it touches the rarest of white-meat. It’s sensitive and the flesh reacts to it. This interaction isn’t unwanted. The joining of it’s owner’s hand to the other’s says that it’s accepted, even encouraged. Before we know it, kisses increase, bodies are explored, and two bodies will become entwined. A murder can be written into this space and be just as sensual, taking intimate homicide to a whole new level of creep.
For a writer who yearns to bring these two worlds together, the challenge is to get intimacy and crime to lie together and have a reader be comfortable with this inevitable yet awkward union. I want you to want to witness the development of its relationship and savor it as it reaches its tumultuous conclusion.
Other writers often use short, cliched phrases to describe their criminal’s villainous deeds and then punctuate them with words like ‘crime’ and ‘evil individual’. The villain dies or goes to jail and it’s a satisfying outcome for everyone. The readers are guided to the safe side of morality knowing that the writer shares in their disdain. Evil is bad and banished. Everyone’s happy. It’s tidy. An easy out.
But it’s not fair to cast-off such an important person when there is still so much potential left inside their being to discover! A killer, yes, but a living soul too.
What brings a villain to take a life in the middle of coitus?
Sure, we must feel for the victim but there is a whole other side to explore that rarely gets a look in. What about the villain who lives on? Do they feel a sense of loss, gratitude or pleasure when taking the life of another? What motivates someone to snuff out a life in the first place? What is to be gained by planning, committing and concluding this action? Evil or not, there’s something else for readers to enjoy (if they have the stomach for it), to go into a whole new world.
A murder story can be so much more if it’s allowed the oxygen to breathe and grow into something wonderful — take us down new pathways that lead us to new understandings. Murder is more than hate strapped to a psychopath, just like sex isn’t just a fuck. What about the lead up into the bedroom and all the suspense before it? What about the moments when two people meet and find an interest in each other that take them to a bedroom to bring us all that suspense?
Murder isn’t simple. It’s not an assumed act and then we move on. It’s a deeply personal act. It ought to be unpacked more, teased out. If a writer can do this well, then readers are able to slip beneath a villain’s skin to find out what they feel from their side of the emotional tapestry.
Like sex, murder comes with a set of very unique emotions and sensations that aren’t experienced at any other time. Villain and victim ride sensuous waves of anticipation until the encounter reaches its climax. The destinations are different but the journey is uncomfortably similar. Writing a good death scene into fiction is absolutely amazing when done right! (sorry, a self-indulgence bomb was dropped there!)
Characters who have had no instructions on how to feel that way have to access parts of themselves they’ve never used before. If the murder is done face to face, they need to see and touch each other in ways rarely felt, seen, heard or smelt before.
It’s like sex but deliciously dangerous!
My murder is written like a good lovemaking scene. Rather than studying the actions in a fuck, I like to get to know the emotions inside my characters. I want to find out what’s going on inside their heads for them to make the decisions they make. What changes happen inside their bodies as two people begin to get closer to each other?
Discovering self, wanting inner peace and demanding respect is the same for all of us, including murderers. Self awareness, identity and acceptance is important to everyone, including a psychopath. You may disagree and feel that their needs are somewhat skewed but they’re not as skewed as you may think, not in every psychopath. Everyone wants to obtain the golden ring. How they get it is the only difference.
SEETHINGS was written to twist murder on it’s head. Read it now for free on *SMASHWORDS. (*limited time)
–Michael Forman (Author) | https://medium.com/@mitchellfelding/intimate-murder-fiction-villain-and-victim-rising-to-satisfy-inner-lusts-82077adc3a5a | ['Michael Forman'] | 2020-12-26 03:22:27.238000+00:00 | ['Murder', 'Sex', 'Fiction', 'Writing', 'Reading'] |
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