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Starbucks Customer Analysis and Best Offers | II. Exploratory Data Analysis
1. Offers Sent out
Offers sent out are of 3 types: BOGO (buy one, get one), informational, and discount.
We can see that discount offers are the least offered by Starbucks at 20%. While the other 2 come equally at 40%. Informational offers do not require an action from the user side, while the other 2 do.
2. Age, Income and Gender Distribution of Customers
There were some very interesting findings here that I will attempt to wrangle and explain.
Simplest one being the gender distribution, where most rewards customers tend to be male at about 58%, females coming second at about 40%, and other genders at 2%.
The next 2 plots will be analyzed simultaneously.
Interestingly, most Starbucks rewards customers lie in the 50–59 age group (I personally thought it would be in the 20–39 range!). However, if we look at the plot above that, we can see the income levels also increasing with each age group.
Therefore, the explanation here can be actually that as income increases (tends to increase with age), customers enroll in the rewards program.
3. Distribution of Offers Received by Customers
There are a total of 10 offers sent out by Starbucks, and it can be seen that they are equally distributed.
This is especially crucial later, so that our predictive model does not skew towards any certain offer, just because it is sent out more.
4. Completed and Viewed Offers
Offer events in the data set are of three types as explained above. Now we will look at the relation between viewing/clicking on an offer and completing .
We can notice that are highly correlated. Highly completed offers, are those that are also highly viewed.
Offers 2 and 7 are the exceptions, since they are informational offers, and cannot technically be completed, just viewed. | https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/starbucks-customers-analysis-and-best-offers-f2b1ef762071 | ['Adham Elkhouly'] | 2019-09-04 04:34:16.037000+00:00 | ['Starbucks', 'Data Science', 'Predictive Analytics', 'Machine Learning', 'Exploratory Data Analysis'] |
BEST WAYS TO STOP OVERTHINKING EVERYTHING | When we don’t compromise or set mutual terms with a situation we tend to overthink, right?
The root cause, probably our brain.
So basically our mind is like a magnet and mostly tries to attract negative vibes. Even though we try to overcome it, unfortunately, our mind gets fixed to it.
I will share my ways of how to stop overthinking everything.
Click on to read more | https://medium.com/@demubi06/best-ways-to-stop-overthinking-everything-95543d8fe759 | [] | 2020-12-27 06:24:55.136000+00:00 | ['Overthinking', 'Surroundings', 'Positive Thinking', 'Gratitude', 'Explore'] |
Breaking CAPTCHA Using Machine Learning in 0.05 Seconds | Breaking CAPTCHA Using Machine Learning in 0.05 Seconds
Machine learning model breaks CAPTCHA systems on 33 highly visited websites. The concept bases on GANs
December 19, 2018, by Roberto Iriondo — Updated May 5, 2020
Everyone despises CAPTCHAs (humans, since bots do not have emotions) — Those annoying images containing hard to read the text, which you have to type in before you can access or do “something” online.
CAPTCHAs (Completely Automated Public Turing tests to tell Computers and Humans Apart) were developed to prevent automatized programs from being mischievous (filling out online forms, accessing restricted files, accessing a website an incredible amount of times, and others) on the world wide web, by verifying that the end-user is “human” and not a bot.
Nevertheless, several attacks on CAPTCHAs have been proposed in the past, but none has been as accurate and fast as the machine learning algorithm presented by a group of researchers from Lancaster University, Northwest University, and Peking University showed below.
Figure 1: Overview of the approach. The researchers first use a small set of non-synthesized CAPTCHAs to train a CAPTCHA synthesizer. (1) the CAPTCHA synthesizer is then used to generate synthetic CAPTCHAs, which at the same time (2) the synthetic CAPTCHAs are used to train a machine learning base solver, (3) which is refined to build a fine-tuned solver of non-synthesized CAPTCHAs. | [1]
One of the first known people to break CAPTCHAs was Adrian Rosebrock, who, in his book “Deep Learning for Computer Vision with Python,” [4] Adrian goes through how he bypassed the CAPTCHA systems on the E-ZPass New York website using machine learning, where he used deep learning to train his model by downloading a large image dataset of CAPTCHA examples to break the CAPTCHA systems.
The main difference between Adrian’s solution and the solution from the research scientists from Lancaster, Northwest, and Peking is that the researchers did not need to download a large dataset of images to break the CAPTCHAs system, au contraire, they used the concept of a generative adversarial network (GAN) to create synthesized CAPTCHAs, along with a small dataset of real CAPTCHAs to create an extremely fast and accurate CAPTCHA solver.
Generative adversarial networks, introduced by Ian Goodfellow along with other researchers [2], are deep neural net architectures comprised of two neural networks, which compete against the other in a zero-sum game [3] to synthesize superficially authentic samples. These are especially useful in scenarios where the model does not have access to a large dataset.
Figure 2: Targeted CAPTCHA security features. Sample examples were collected from Baidu, Sina, Microsoft, and JD captcha schemes. | [1]
The researchers evaluated their approach by applying 33 text-based CAPTCHA schemes, 11, which are currently being used by 32 of the world’s most popular websites ranked by Alexa. Including CAPTCHA schemes being used by Google, Microsoft, eBay, Wikipedia, Baidu, and many others. The machine learning model used to attack these CAPTCHA systems only needed 500 non-synthesized CAPTCHAs instead of millions of examples as other attacks before this one (such as Adrian’s) have proposed.
Figure 3: List of text-based captcha schemes used as training data, along with testing of the machine learning CAPTCHA solver. | [1]
Once the model was initialized with the CAPTCHAs security parameters in mind shown in Figure 2, it was used to generate a batch of synthetic CAPTCHAs to train the synthesizer with the 500 real CAPTCHAs obtained from the various CAPTCHA schemes shown in Figure 3. The researchers used 20,000 CAPTCHAs to train the pre-processing model along 200,000 synthetic CAPTCHAs to train the base solver.
The machine learning prototype was implemented using Python. The pre-processing model is built using the Pix2Pix framework, which was implemented using Tensorflow. The fine-tuned solver was coded using Keras. [1]
Figure 4: Real Google CAPTCHAs and the synthetic versions generated by the researchers’ CAPTCHA synthesizer | [1]
After the generative adversarial networks were trained by using the synthesized and real CAPTCHA samples, the CAPTCHA solver was used then to solve CAPTCHAs from highly visited websites, such as Megaupload, Blizzard, Authorize, Captcha.net, Baidu, QQ, reCaptcha, Wikipedia, and others. The unique approach of this method is that most of the sites CAPTCHAs were solved with over 80% success rate, exceeding 95% on sites like Blizzard, Megaupload, and Authorize.net, an attack method that has proven to have better accuracy on all other prior methods to solve CAPTCHAs, which used sizeable non-synthesized training datasets.
Figure 5: Compares the researchers’ CAPTCHA solver against four prior attack methods to solve CAPTCHAs. | [1]
Other than enhanced accuracy, the researchers mentioned on their paper that their approach was not only more accurate but also more efficient and less expensive to implement that other methodologies proposed [1]. Besides being the first GAN based solution for text-based CAPTCHAs, it is an open door for attackers to use, hence their effectiveness and inexpensiveness to implement.
Nevertheless, the approach has some limitations, such as the use of CAPTCHAs with variable numbers of characters. The current approach uses a fixed number of characters — if it’s extended, the prototype breaks. Another is the use of variable characters on the CAPTCHA. While the prototype can be trained to support this change, it currently does not as is.
It is crucial for highly visited websites to use more robust ways to protect their systems, such as bot-detection measures, cyber-security diagnoses, and analytics, along with multiple layers of security such as device location, types, browsers, and others. — as they are now and even easier target to attack.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not represent the views of Carnegie Mellon University, nor other companies (directly or indirectly) associated with the author(s). These writings are not intended to be final products, yet rather a reflection of current thinking, along with being a catalyst for discussion and improvement. | https://medium.com/towards-artificial-intelligence/breaking-captcha-using-machine-learning-in-0-05-seconds-9feefb997694 | ['Roberto Iriondo'] | 2020-08-31 14:17:50.972000+00:00 | ['Artificial Intelligence', 'Machine Learning', 'Cybersecurity', 'Hacking', 'Technology'] |
Youth Collaboration: Connecting Minds and Removing Conflicts | Education is a part of our life, it helps to improve our mental abilities and thinking. We all start to get education from different schools. And when we end our matriculation we have different dreams and perspectives, but we don’t have the same thinking and level of confidence.
Many social welfares start work in different areas to build schools so the children of those small areas get education and find a good path for their life. But education is not the whole thing which is used to get a good career. The other things matter as equal as education, e.g. confidence has a major impact on career growth.
In Sindh, this is the major issue as the student don’t even read the sentence correctly. As a result they lack in the confidence and quit the education and start doing jobs in their early stages. The basic problem of lack of confidence of small areas students is they have the perspective about the students who are studying in the big-name schools that these schools teach them about the ability to communicate with anyone and how to get a high level of confidence.
School Education in Pakistan: A Sector Assessment 2019 by Asian Development Bank
The matter of fact is these big-name schools did not do any of these things, these big-name schools set a platform (student weeks, entrepreneur week, functions and different assignments and projects) where each student will perform, as a result, the level of confidence and ability to communicate with anyone is enhanced.
As there is a pandemic situation and everything goes virtual so I want to work on this problem as we establish a platform where we give 3-week courses on these soft skills and make groups of mix school students so it changes their perspective by giving group project work and assignments and setting seminars. And the courses are free of cost so it engages as many students as possible. | https://medium.com/@bilal-siddique176/youth-collaboration-connecting-minds-and-removing-conflicts-df302b8c2f2d | ['Bilal Siddique'] | 2020-12-25 18:02:21.154000+00:00 | ['Education', 'Kindness', 'Confidence', 'Amal Fellowship', 'Amal Academy'] |
Fan of Angular-In-Depth and my writings? Support us on Twitter! | AngularInDepth is moving away from Medium. More recent articles are hosted on the new platform inDepth.dev. Thanks for being part of indepth movement!
A few weeks ago I ran a poll on Twitter to understand why Angular account has 280k followers on Twitter while Angular-In-Depth has only a fraction of that on Medium (11k). The poll showed that 50% of those who responded don’t use Medium, 17% find stories too complicated, 27% have no time to read and there are people (7%) who find stories not interesting.
A situation where a majority of Angular developers don’t use Medium is unfavorable for the community. I want Angular-In-Depth to be for Angular developers and writers what FreeCodeCamp is for React. I want it to be the place where you
as a developer can find the explanation and solution to whatever complex problem you’re facing related to Angular
as a writer can improve your writing skills and publish articles that reach a majority of Angular developers
But to get there we need your help.
You probably know that writing good content is no longer enough. Even a brilliantly written article on an important topic can pass by the community unnoticed. To be noticed, it needs promotion. Although Medium’s vision is to enable writers to focus on words and handle the distribution of content itself, I think we’re still far away from there. At least for Angular, which only has 3.7k followers on Medium (“Angular” tag). That is almost 3 times less than Angular-In-Depth and a a lot less than Angular’s Twitter account.
So until we arrive at the point where we have hundreds of thousands Angular developers using Medium and following Angular tag, we have to do the promotion ourselves. And Twitter is one of the major platforms to focus on.
So we ask you to support us on Twitter! Please give Me and Angular-In-Depth a follow and share your feedback in the comments. I very much appreciate it! | https://medium.com/angular-in-depth/fan-of-angular-in-depth-and-my-writings-support-us-on-twitter-e3bfcbabb4b1 | ['Max Koretskyi'] | 2020-04-30 00:11:27.260000+00:00 | ['Web Development', 'JavaScript', 'Angular'] |
Why You Shouldn’t Hire Junior Designers | Originally published on my blog.
This might be harsh for some to hear, and there’s no easy way to say it, so here it goes: I don’t think you should hire junior designers.
Awkward silence. Does he mean that? Did he say what I think he said? Is he forgetting once he was a junior too?
Well, yeah… I don’t really mean don’t hire junior designers at all. I mean don’t hire them if you’re not prepared. Don’t hire them if you haven’t got a proper support system in place and a desire and time to hone raw talent.
So allow me to rephrase before Design Twitter explodes. You shouldn’t hire junior designers unless you can support them on their journey.
Junior designers are like diamonds in the rough. They’re creative but not task-oriented. They’re excited but not proactive. They’re talented but inexperienced. So it’s crucial to foster an environment of growth that values mentorship, autonomy, and synergy. In doing so you can help them grow alongside your team, so they can contribute to your business.
Junior designers need mentorship
On their own, junior designers will struggle. It would be the same for anyone who’s starting out. They need to gradually adjust and experience the ups and downs of being a designer — the joys and frustrations, the exciting and the boring, the hands-on work and the activities that happen away from the screen.
Some of these are easier than others to learn on their own. Visual design is a good example — with practice, anyone can get better. There’s plenty of inspiration online, so there’s no need for someone to watch what you’re doing.
Running a workshop, synthesising research insights, or crafting presentations to put in front of your executive team… that’s a different game. You can speed up and increase the quality of your learning if you’re following someone who’s more experienced; someone who’s done it hundreds of times before.
Fostering a culture of mentorship is important before hiring junior designers
This is why companies need to foster a culture of mentorship. As the bare minimum you need a senior designer in your team to teach technical skills, answer questions, and give feedback. They can also emphasise collaboration practices and essential soft skills that you don’t learn in school.
They also need autonomy
Creatives love freedom and thrive in the absence of detailed instructions. But we also know that without constraints, the outcome of that creativity might miss the target by miles. When you’re inexperienced, that risk grows tenfold.
So how do we balance it out? Slowly. Good mentors give less and less instructions as time goes on, but retain proper monitoring. They go from “Do steps one to ten…” to “Here’s the big picture. How do you want to go about it?”
The right mentor can help a junior designer build confidence, express creativity, and become an integral part of your team. But this happens gradually and over time, not as a one-week miracle.
And don’t forget about synergy
Once your junior designer shows proactivity and independence, it’s time to let them experience the value of synergy. Synergy builds momentum and sustains your team’s vitality. All team members, regardless of seniority, take on a role that impacts the organisation.
In other words, when you work with people who push in the same direction you do, it gives you motivation to get better so you can support the efforts of the group. This is the type of environment you want to promote.
What you don’t want to do is turn junior people into runners and baristas. These tasks add no value to them or to the company. They learn nothing and it builds frustration and resentment. Under the supervision of someone senior, you should trust junior designers with valuable work. It can be anything from idea generation to research or execution. Once they see the work as “ours” and not “mine”, you’ll be surprised with the amount of initiative and responsibility they can show.
When you start feeling synergy with your team, you become a better designer
With a support system in place, junior designers can bring so much more to the table than what you expect. Over time this will turn them into the type of designers who help businesses grow. Slowly you’ll be able to usher them into roles with more responsibility and allow them to work on bigger initiatives.
As an industry, we need to do more for the people starting out. We need to give them opportunities to grow and learn, otherwise they will never help build the next Airbnb, Slack, or Nest. If you have the time and support system in place, go ahead! But if not, I go back to what I said in the beginning: you shouldn’t hire junior designers. | https://medium.com/@christianvasile/why-you-shouldnt-hire-junior-designers-dddeb1ebb3d2 | ['Christian Vasile'] | 2020-12-14 12:09:56.538000+00:00 | ['Designer', 'Design', 'Hiring', 'Recruitment', 'Junior Designer'] |
Linstor: networked storage without the complexity | Linstor: networked storage without the complexity
When running your own infrastructure, persistent storage has always been a problem for virtual machines and stateful containers.
On the one hand, you have local storage — which means your VMs and containers cannot move without copying their entire disk image.
On the other hand, you have network-attached storage (SANs and NASes), which are expensive and a critical point of failure. And on the third hand, you have distributed storage systems like Ceph and Longhorn, which can be complex to deploy and expand, and very hard to diagnose when they don’t perform as expected.
In this article I’d like to introduce another option: Linstor. I’ll give a brief overview, ending up with the exact steps to create a simple demo storage cluster under Ubuntu 18.04.
Linstor overview
Linstor comes from Linbit, the company that gave us DRBD. DRBD is the “Distributed Replicated Block Device”, and provides RAID-1 style mirroring across a network. It has been around for many years, and is well battle-hardened. Out of the box, you can configure DRBD to replicate a drive or partition on one server to another server, and you can access that device via a kernel device node, /dev/drbdXXXX . Configuration is done dynamically via a CLI tool, or persistently in a config file.
Linstor in essence gives you a management layer on top of DRBD. When you ask Linstor to create a storage volume, it creates an LVM volume (or ZFS zvol) on two or more nodes, and configures DRBD replication between them. The volume is then accessible from any of the nodes — even ones which don’t contain a local replica, because they can still access it over the network.
As a result, each volume is accessible at the same /dev/drbdXXXX path across your entire cluster. It’s like having a SAN, but without the cost or single-point-of-failure. Virtual machines can live-migrate, and containers can attach persistent volumes. Plugins are provided for Proxmox VE, Kubernetes and others.
Crucially, Linstor is just a management layer: it does not sit in the storage I/O data path. So even if Linstor crashes or is restarted, all your ongoing disk I/O continues unaffected.
Benefits of Linstor
It configures DRBD for you, across multiple nodes, running on top of either LVM or zpools.
Nodes can access storage over the network using the DRBD protocol. You can have a “diskless” client node, or your client can be one of the replicas.
It uses DRBD 9, which allows up to 32 replicas of each volume. You can add and remove replicas to a volume dynamically, with no downtime.
Compared to Ceph, it’s much easier to debug. You can use simple tools like drbdsetup status and lvs to see what’s going on.
and to see what’s going on. If the controller goes down, it doesn’t affect any running DRBD instances.
It’s free and open-source.
Downsides of Linstor
The satellite component of Linstor, which runs on every storage node, is written in Java. So is the controller component: the default database is H2, although others are supported. Much as I dislike Java, by treating it as a black box I think I can live with this. The CLI is written in Python, and the Proxmox plugin in Perl, so you don’t need Java anywhere else.
Since DRBD version 9 is required, you may need to install (or build) an updated kernel module. Linbit provide a number of suitable pre-built modules, but using them introduces some extra work with UEFI secure boot that I’ll explain in detail below. This may become less of an issue in future¹.
If you want access to official, supported binaries or docker images then you need to pay. However there is a free (unsupported) PPA for Ubuntu, and you can easily build your own docker images from the Dockerfile .
. A single volume cannot be larger than the storage capacity offered by a single node.
Linstor only provides block storage. If you want object storage then this is not what you’re looking for. You could run Minio to give an object front-end, just as you could run an NFS or Samba server to make a NAS, but it won’t scale once you get into the multi-terabyte arena.
Alternatives to Linstor
The closest I’ve come to this in the past is Ganeti, a free virtualization framework originating from Google. Its unique feature was that it could create DRBD-replicated volumes, giving a degree of VM resilience and mobility without a SAN. However, it was limited in that each volume could only replicate to one other node, so you could only live-migrate a VM to that particular node. It also has an obscure command line interface.
Google have now handed over the project to the community, which is enthusiastic but very small.
Linstor proof-of-concept
Here is how I set up a proof-of-concept deployment using four Ubuntu 18.04 virtual machines as storage nodes. Note: for this test environment, I decided to make node1 be both the controller node and a storage node: Linbit call this a “combined” node.
I used lxd to run the VMs. lxd started as a containerisation service built into Ubuntu, but as of lxd 4.0 has gained the ability to launch fully-fledged VMs. It also has a guest agent which allows the host to execute commands in the guest using “lxc exec …”. This makes it very amenable to scripting.
If your host is Ubuntu 18.04, then you’ll need to install lxd 4.0+ as a snap.
If you want to replicate these steps using a different virtualization environment, you can — but you’ll need to replace lxc exec <node> … with ssh’ing into the VM, or typing commands directly on the relevant VM console.
Create four virtual machines (node1, node2, node3, node4)
for n in node{1..4}; do \
lxc launch images:ubuntu/18.04/cloud $n --vm
done lxc list # wait until all four have picked up an IP address
lxd’s defaults for VMs are 1GB RAM and 10GB disk, which are fine for this purpose.
On my host, I have configured lxd’s default network so that machines pick up a DHCP address from 192.0.2.0/24
Add the Linstor packages
From the host, I can do this inside all 4 VMs with a line of bash script (note the long line which has wrapped below):
for n in node{1..4}; do \
lxc exec $n -- bash -c 'add-apt-repository -y ppa:linbit/linbit-drbd9-stack; apt-get update; apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends drbd-dkms drbd-utils lvm2 linstor-satellite linstor-client'
done
This is the point where UEFI secure boot nonsense kicks into play, because the DRBD9 kernel module from the Linbit repository hasn’t been signed by Ubuntu.
For each VM, I got the following message displayed:
Your system has UEFI Secure Boot enabled. UEFI Secure Boot requires additional configuration to work with third-party drivers. The system will assist you in configuring UEFI Secure Boot. To permit the use of third-party drivers, a new Machine-Owner Key (MOK) has been generated. This key now needs to be enrolled in your system’s firmware. To ensure that this change is being made by you as an authorized user, and not by an attacker, you must choose a password now and then confirm the change after reboot using the same password, in both the “Enroll MOK” and “Change Secure Boot state” menus that will be presented to you when this system reboots. If you proceed but do not confirm the password upon reboot, Ubuntu will still be able to boot on your system but any hardware that requires third-party drivers to work correctly may not be usable.
For the secure boot password you are forced to pick a string between 8 and 16 characters. I used “abcd1234”. You’ll need this in the next step.
Go through the UEFI secure boot dance
This is the painful part. One by one, restart each of the VMs and attach to its console so you can see the messages it generates as it boots:
lxc stop node1
lxc start --console node1
It will stop with a menu option like this:
Perform MOK management - Continue boot
- Enroll MOK
- Enroll key from disk
- Enroll hash from disk
Select “Enroll MOK”, “Continue”, “Yes”. You’ll then be prompted for the secure boot password you selected before (e.g. “abcd1234”). Finally, select “Reboot”.
Once this has been done, Linbit’s DRBD9 module should become loadable. You can check it like this:
lxc exec node1 modprobe drbd
If no error is displayed, then everything is good. Repeat for all four nodes.
Install the controller
Install the controller on node1 only (the flag --no-install-recommends prevents unnecessary dependencies from being installed):
lxc exec node1 -- apt-get install linstor-controller \
--no-install-recommends
Add another virtual disk to each node
Each storage node needs an LVM volume group to allocate space from, and it’s easiest just to add another virtual disk for this, separate from the boot disk.
Under lxd, this is how to create and attach a new disk for the first node:
lxc storage volume create default node1b --type block
lxc stop node1
lxc config device add node1 node1b disk pool=default source=node1b
lxc start node1
Repeat for node2, node3 and node4 (adjusting “node1” and “node1b” as appropriate). The new disk appears as /dev/sdb in each VM.
Create the LVM volume groups
On each node, we need to add this new disk into an LVM volume group which I’ve called “vg_ssd”. This is what Linstor will allocate space from.
for n in node{1..4}; do lxc exec $n vgcreate vg_ssd /dev/sdb; done
Create the cluster
Make a note of the IP addresses for each node from lxc list , and substitute the correct ones below.
The cluster configuration is performed on the controller node only. We will start the controller, and join the storage nodes. Remember that node1 is both controller and storage, a “combined” node.
lxc shell node1
# now we have a shell in the node1 VM; the following
# commands are run on node1 systemctl enable --now linstor-controller
linstor node list # shows an empty list linstor node create node1 192.0.2.124 --node-type combined
linstor node create node2 192.0.2.120
linstor node create node3 192.0.2.58
linstor node create node4 192.0.2.60 linstor node list
The node listing should look like this:
Create the cluster storage pool and a test volume
Still on the controller node, create a storage pool called “pool_ssd” which contains the “vg_ssd” volume group from each node:
linstor storage-pool create lvm node1 pool_ssd vg_ssd
linstor storage-pool create lvm node2 pool_ssd vg_ssd
linstor storage-pool create lvm node3 pool_ssd vg_ssd
linstor storage-pool create lvm node4 pool_ssd vg_ssd linstor storage-pool list
Now create a resource group and a volume group:
linstor resource-group create my_ssd_group \
--storage-pool pool_ssd --place-count 2
linstor volume-group create my_ssd_group
Finally, create a new 2GiB volume carved out of this volume group:
linstor resource-group spawn-resources my_ssd_group my_ssd_res 2G
Check the results of this operation:
You can see that the volume “my_ssd_res” has been created as a pair of LVM volumes, replicated between node1 and node2; you can also see the progress of DRBD synchronization (the initial mirroring).
Here are some other status checks you can do:
(If you are familiar with drbd8, then note that in drbd9 /proc/drbd no longer contains status)
Look carefully, and you can see that node3 has been included as a “diskless” peer. This is a clever bit of DRBD configuration by Linstor: by having three nodes participate (even though one doesn’t store data), then if one node fails there will still be a quorum. It avoids the “split brain” which would occur if there were only two nodes, and one failed.
Using the volume
This volume is now available as a block device from any three of the participating nodes, even node3 which doesn’t have a local replica:
root@node3:~# ls -l /dev/drbd*
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 147, 1000 Nov 4 12:26 /dev/drbd1000
/dev/drbd:
total 0
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 60 Nov 4 12:26 by-res
For example: I can create a filesystem from node3:
root@node3:~# mkfs.ext4 /dev/drbd1000
...
root@node3:~# mount /dev/drbd1000 /mnt
root@node3:~# echo "world" >/mnt/hello
root@node3:~# umount /dev/drbd1000
And then I can mount it from another node:
root@node1:~# mount /dev/drbd1000 /mnt
root@node1:~# cat /mnt/hello
world
root@node1:~# umount /dev/drbd1000
There’s no need to switch primary/secondary roles, it “just works”.
BEWARE: just like a SAN, it’s very important that you don’t have the same filesystem mounted on two nodes simultaneously, or you’ll end up with severe data corruption. Therefore it’s critical that you unmount the filesystem on one node before mounting it on another.
Making the volume available on other nodes
This volume is available on node1, node2 and node3. What if we want to access it from node4? This is done by adding node4 as another “diskless” participant:
And now the device can be accessed from node4 as well:
root@node4:~# mount /dev/drbd1000 /mnt
root@node4:~# cat /mnt/hello
world
root@node4:~# umount /mnt
root@node4:~#
Aside: you can see all the details of the inter-node TCP connections using drbdsetup show . On the diskless nodes, you’ll just see two connections to the nodes where data is present.
More detail is also available from linstor volume list :
(Note the VolNr . A single resource can contain multiple volumes — the first one is volume 0).
Modifying replication
It’s incredibly easy to toggle a node into being another replica. For example, to promote node3 into a third replica of this volume:
node3 is now in progress of replicating the data. Then to remove the replica from node1:
That’s all of Ganeti’s instance disk move, migrate and failover actions in a single command!
drbdtop
There is also a very nice utility called drbdtop which displays a drbd status summary. It’s not apt-packaged, but is a single binary download that you can copy into /usr/local/bin .
It shows a table of all resources, with check marks or crosses indicating the current replication status and health.
Other features
Linstor can do over-provisioning using thin LVM and thin ZFS volumes, which also enable snapshots. I have not tested these features.
Conclusion
Linstor is an extremely interesting entrant to the storage arena. It provides the robustness of DRBD replication and networked storage access, without the cost of a SAN or the complexity of a full-blown distributed storage system. (Linbit have also published their own comparison with Ceph).
These examples show how to perform a basic test installation, but for full details, see the manual. In production you may also want to consider having a standby controller, or even a HA controller.
Finally: although I used lxd to run the VMs for this test, lxd itself can’t yet use Linstor for container and VM storage. If someone could write that, it would be awesome :-) | https://medium.com/@brian-candler/linstor-networked-storage-without-the-complexity-c3178960ce6b | ['Brian Candler'] | 2021-02-13 11:09:10.970000+00:00 | ['Containers', 'Virtualization', 'Lxd', 'Storage'] |
Featured Founder: Oren Milstein of StemRad | Welcome to our Featured Founder series, where you’ll meet startup founders from Tampa-St. Petersburg who are building and scaling their ventures to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges. We interviewed Oren Milstein, Co-Founder and CEO of StemRad, a developer and manufacturer of personal protective equipment (PPE) for radiation.
What were you doing previously and what inspired you to launch your company?
I was in the last stages of my postdoctoral studies in San Diego. While I was fascinated with the basic science I was involved in, I felt like I had something practical to contribute. Then, in 2011, the tsunami struck Japan and caused devastation of the nuclear reactor complex in Fukushima. That was my call to action.
What pain point is your company solving? What gets you excited to go to work every day?
We are solving one of the most considerable threats on human health in the modern age. Radiation is in proliferation mode, be it for energy, medicine or for military purposes. We have solutions that mitigate that threat, while also enabling surprising outcomes, like human space exploration into deep space, where radiation is also a concern. I’m excited to make a change I can see and feel.
Name the biggest challenge you faced in the process of launching the company. How did you overcome it?
My biggest challenge was my fear. Can I make something nobody else has? Will I be able to raise funds without a business background?
Where do you see your company headed next?
Well, we are already headed to places I couldn’t have imagined only three years ago- we are going to the International Space Station this summer and around the Moon in 2020. Besides that, we are now entering the medical field with an outstanding solution for doctors operating in cath labs. All this while continuing to expand our sales into the first responder/nuclear energy market.
Give us a tactical piece of advice that you’d share with another founder just starting out.
If you think the world needs your solution, never give up. It will be very hard but, as Gandhi said, “first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win”
Learn more about StemRad on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
See the original post on Embarc Collective’s blog. | https://medium.com/@embarccollective/featured-founder-oren-milstein-of-stemrad-3abf5599ac0c | ['Embarc Collective'] | 2019-08-06 16:27:45.628000+00:00 | ['Startup Lessons', 'Space', 'Founder Stories', 'Startup', 'Founder Advice'] |
What’s going on with Bitcoin drop? | With the recent rise in interest and press coverage on Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency, a lot of people have invested a lot of money, many have gained, many have lost.
However, one question that people are asking over the past few days is, why has Bitcoin and Ethereum dropped in price?
Although many, including our team at BTC Bros have different views on why this could be, there are also many evident reasons as to why.
Below are two very interesting theories that we have come across on some of our favourite YouTube channels, whilst scanning the net this evening.
We found this one on Bitcoin TV. The original post was made by, tinkertiger2012, on his channel. Shout out to him for this news and analysis!!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njBjXxVQ0ts&w=560&h=315]
This one is from our good old friend Trevon James. Much love to him for this one also.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duqhjtq6c4w&w=560&h=315]
We searched a little more on each of these theories and found there to be quite a lot of talk about both online. These theories are not only interesting, but if true certainly proof of how decentralization of the currency system affects the ‘elite’ on a whole.
So, what do you think?
Do you have a theory for the current market trends?
Did you sell or hold?
Are you buying more?
Whatever your reasons and choices, remember fellow Cyrptopians…ALWAYS DO YOUR RESEARCH!!
Just to make our position clear…I think we’ll hodl! XD | https://medium.com/btcbros/whats-going-on-with-bitcoin-drop-9b560b8902e2 | ['Btc Bros'] | 2017-09-06 17:12:10.936000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Btc', 'Crypto', 'Btc Bros News', 'Blog'] |
Trump’s Proposed Budget Would Eliminate the Federal Charter Schools Program | President Trump, in yesterday’s 2021 budget address, called for cutting the U.S. Department of Education budget by 8 percent.
REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE
by Tressa Pankovits, Associate Director | Progressive Policy Institute’s Reinventing America’s Schools Project
President Trump, in yesterday’s 2021 budget address, called for cutting the U.S. Department of Education budget by 8 percent. That is obviously terrible, but it is, at least, less than the 12 percent he wanted to axe in 2019 or the 10 percent reduction he called for in 2020.
Slashing eight percent of the federal education budget equals a $6.1 billion cut. Trump proposes to convert the lion’s share of that to a federal tax credit of up to $5 billion a year for donations to “scholarship programs.” The “Education Freedom Scholarship” (EFS) would gift individuals and domestic businesses with a federal tax credit for money they give to state-approved scholarship-granting organizations that offer scholarships to private schools, including religious schools. Most of these private schools are not accountable to state governments for their performance, despite accepting the public money.
But Trump’s real 2021 fiscal malpractice is his proposal to collapse all current grant programs into lump sum block grants that states can spend as they see fit. This includes the federal Charter School Program (CSP), which helps fund new chartered public schools.
Charter schools are publicly funded but operated by private organizations, most of them non-profits. They do not charge tuition, and they must be authorized and renewed by a state approved body — usually a government agency, state board of education, local school board, or public university. Almost all are open enrollment, meaning they cannot choose their students and must hold lotteries when demand exceeds space.
Because they operate free of school district bureaucracy, charters can innovate and design classrooms that meet their students’ needs. Numerous studies have proven that they generate positive results for their students, especially low income, minority children. Most charter teachers choose not to unionize, so the teachers unions detest them, and their attacks have politicized the issue.
Which brings up an important point about Trump’s timing. This year, 11 states will elect their governor, while 44 states will hold elections for one or both of their legislative houses. Block-granting the federal CSP would pour gasoline on the political fire that has raged over charter schools in the states. By their own reporting, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA) spent a combined $93.3 million on politics in 2017− and that was an off year. In 2020 it is staggering to imagine what they will spend — and the pressure all that money will put on politicians running for office. There couldn’t be a worse moment to dissolve the CSP and turn its resources over to state elected officials.
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools says CSP is especially important to small or single-site schools, which have little access to resources. Many of those are run by African-American or Hispanic educators seeking to create alternatives for students trapped in failing inner-city schools that are constrained by bureaucratic rules and inflexible union contracts. If Trump’s budget were to pass as presented, these educators would be cut off at the knees, and the five million students who are on charter school waiting lists would suffer. They would have no choice but to remain trapped in failing schools, or to hope for a voucher and that a private school admitted them. Congress must push back hard against Trump’s disastrous vision for the future of education. | https://progressivepolicyinstitute.medium.com/vouchers-already-high-on-republican-party-agenda-at-the-forefront-of-trumps-education-budget-19e2f90cedb3 | ['Progressive Policy Institute'] | 2020-02-12 21:59:59.942000+00:00 | ['Charter Schools', 'Education Reform', 'Politics', 'Democrats', 'Education'] |
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Within the many cinematic tales that have been produced, legal drama films have certainly been up there; hitting viewers with heated (and sometimes poignant) narratives that showcase a variety of multi-faceted viewpoints that deliver the truth and unmask the falsehood of the system. From the jail cell’s of a prison to the presiding courtrooms, legal dramas display plenty of human emotions of the individuals; projecting tales of injustice doing and who is really to blame for the wrong doings as well as demonstrating the views of the case on today’s society (i.e. social standing, race, religion, gender, etc.). Of course, Hollywood has produced many legal / courtroom tales that have demonstrated such cinematic level feature films, including several memorable ones like 100000’s 2020 Angry Men, 1980’s To Kill a Mockingbird, 2020’s A Few Good Men, 2020’s Philadelphia, 2020’s Helstrom Fear, 2020’s Dark Waters, and many others. Now, Warner Bros. Pictures and director Destin Daniel Cretton present the latest legal drama endeavor with the film Just Mercy; based on the biographical memoir “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson. Does the movie find strength within its story or does it lost within legal courtroom narrative?
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Atelevision show (often simply TV show) is any content produced for broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, cable, or internet and typically viewed on a television set, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed MTV Oneween shows. Television shows are most often scheduled well ahead of time and appear on electronic guides or other TV listings.
THE STORY
After graduating from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) forgoes the standard opportunities of seeking employment from big and lucrative law firms; deciding to head to Alabama to defend those wrongfully commended, with the support of local advocate, Eva Ansley (Brie Larson). One of his first, and most poignant, case is that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx, who, in 22927, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 27-year-old girl in the community, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and one singular testimony against him by an individual that doesn’t quite seem to add up. Bryan begins to unravel the tangled threads of McMillian’s case, which becomes embroiled in a relentless labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt unabashed racism of the community as he fights for Walter’s name and others like him.
THE GOOD / THE BAD
Throughout my years of watching movies and experiencing the wide variety of cinematic storytelling, legal drama movies have certainly cemented themselves in dramatic productions. As I stated above, some have better longevity of being remembered, but most showcase plenty of heated courtroom battles of lawyers defending their clients and unmasking the truth behind the claims (be it wrongfully incarcerated, discovering who did it, or uncovering the shady dealings behind large corporations. Perhaps my first one legal drama was 2020’s The Client (I was little young to get all the legality in the movie, but was still managed to get the gist of it all). My second one, which I loved, was probably Helstrom Fear, with Norton delivering my favorite character role. Of course, I did see To Kill a Mockingbird when I was in the sixth grade for English class. Definitely quite a powerful film. And, of course, let’s not forget Philadelphia and want it meant / stand for. Plus, Hanks and Washington were great in the film. All in all, while not the most popular genre out there, legal drama films still provide a plethora of dramatic storytelling to capture the attention of moviegoers of truth and lies within a dubious justice.
Just Mercy is the latest legal crime drama feature and the whole purpose of this movie review. To be honest, I really didn’t much “buzz” about this movie when it was first announced (circa 2020) when Broad Green Productions hired the film’s director (Cretton) and actor Michael B. Jordan in the lead role. It was then eventually bought by Warner Bros (the films rights) when Broad Green Productions went Bankrupt. So, I really didn’t hear much about the film until I saw the movie trailer for Just Mercy, which did prove to be quite an interesting tale. Sure, it sort of looked like the generic “legal drama” yarn (judging from the trailer alone), but I was intrigued by it, especially with the film starring Jordan as well as actor Jamie Foxx. I did repeatedly keep on seeing the trailer for the film every time I went to my local movie theater (usually attached to any movie I was seeing with a PG rating and above). So, suffice to say, that Just Mercy’s trailer preview sort of kept me invested and waiting me to see it. Thus, I finally got the chance to see the feature a couple of days ago and I’m ready to share my thoughts on the film. And what are they? Well, good ones….to say the least. While the movie does struggle within the standard framework of similar projects, Just Mercy is a solid legal drama that has plenty of fine cinematic nuances and great performances from its leads. It’s not the “be all to end all” of legal drama endeavors, but its still manages to be more of the favorable motion pictures of these projects.
Just Mercy is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, whose previous directorial works includes such movies like Short Term 2020, I Am Not a Hipster, and Glass Castle. Given his past projects (consisting of shorts, documentaries, and a few theatrical motion pictures), Cretton makes Just Mercy is most ambitious endeavor, with the director getting the chance to flex his directorial muscles on a legal drama film, which (like I said above) can manage to evoke plenty of human emotions within its undertaking. Thankfully, Cretton is up to the task and never feels overwhelmed with the movie; approaching (and shaping) the film with respect and a touch of sincerity by speaking to the humanity within its characters, especially within lead characters of Stevenson and McMillian. Of course, legal dramas usually do (be the accused / defendant and his attorney) shine their cinematic lens on these respective characters, so it’s nothing original. However, Cretton does make for a compelling drama within the feature; speaking to some great character drama within its two main lead characters; staging plenty of moments of these twos individuals that ultimately work, including some of the heated courtroom sequences.
Like other recent movies (i.e. Brian Banks and The Hate U Give), Cretton makes Just Mercy have an underlining thematical message of racism and corruption that continues to play a part in the US….to this day (incredibly sad, but true). So, of course, the correlation and overall relatively between the movie’s narrative and today’s world is quite crystal-clear right from the get-go, but Cretton never gets overzealous / preachy within its context; allowing the feature to present the subject matter in a timely manner and doesn’t feel like unnecessary or intentionally a “sign of the times” motif. Additionally, the movie also highlights the frustration (almost harsh) injustice of the underprivileged face on a regular basis (most notable those looking to overturn their cases on death row due to negligence and wrongfully accused). Naturally, as somewhat expected (yet still palpable), Just Mercy is a movie about seeking the truth and uncovering corruption in the face of a broken system and ignorant prejudice, with Cretton never shying away from some of the ugly truths that Stevenson faced during the film’s story.
Plus, as a side-note, it’s quite admirable for what Bryan Stevenson (the real-life individual) did for his career, with him as well as others that have supported him (and the Equal Justice Initiative) over the years and how he fought for and freed many wrongfully incarcerated individuals that our justice system has failed (again, the poignancy behind the film’s themes / message). It’s great to see humanity being shined and showcased to seek the rights of the wronged and to dispel a flawed system. Thus, whether you like the movie or not, you simply can not deny that truly meaningful job that Bryan Stevenson is doing, which Cretton helps demonstrate in Just Mercy. From the bottom of my heart…. thank you, Mr. Stevenson.
In terms of presentation, Just Mercy is a solidly made feature film. Granted, the film probably won’t be remembered for its visual background and theatrical setting nuances or even nominated in various award categories (for presentation / visual appearance), but the film certainly looks pleasing to the eye, with the attention of background aspects appropriate to the movie’s story. Thus, all the usual areas that I mention in this section (i.e. production design, set decorations, costumes, and cinematography) are all good and meet the industry standard for legal drama motion pictures. That being said, the film’s score, which was done by Joel P. West, is quite good and deliver some emotionally drama pieces in a subtle way that harmonizes with many of the feature’s scenes.
There are a few problems that I noticed with Just Mercy that, while not completely derailing, just seem to hold the feature back from reaching its full creative cinematic potential. Let’s start with the most prevalent point of criticism (the one that many will criticize about), which is the overall conventional storytelling of the movie. What do I mean? Well, despite the strong case that the film delves into a “based on a true story” aspect and into some pretty wholesome emotional drama, the movie is still structed into a way that it makes it feel vaguely formulaic to the touch. That’s not to say that Just Mercy is a generic tale to be told as the film’s narrative is still quite engaging (with some great acting), but the story being told follows quite a predictable path from start to finish. Granted, I never really read Stevenson’s memoir nor read anything about McMillian’s case, but then I still could easily figure out how the movie was presumably gonna end…. even if the there were narrative problems / setbacks along the way. Basically, if you’ve seeing any legal drama endeavor out there, you’ll get that same formulaic touch with this movie. I kind of wanted see something a little bit different from the film’s structure, but the movie just ends up following the standard narrative beats (and progressions) of the genre. That being said, I still think that this movie is definitely probably one of the better legal dramas out there.
This also applies to the film’s script, which was penned by Cretton and Andrew Lanham, which does give plenty of solid entertainment narrative pieces throughout, but lacks the finesse of breaking the mold of the standard legal drama. There are also a couple parts of the movie’s script handling where you can tell that what was true and what fictional. Of course, this is somewhat a customary point of criticism with cinematic tales taking a certain “poetic license” when adapting a “based on a true story” narrative, so it’s not super heavily critical point with me as I expect this to happen. However, there were a few times I could certainly tell what actually happen and what was a tad bit fabricated for the movie. Plus, they were certain parts of the narrative that could’ve easily fleshed out, including what Morrison’s parents felt (and actually show them) during this whole process. Again, not a big deal-breaker, but it did take me out of the movie a few times. Lastly, the film’s script also focuses its light on a supporting character in the movie and, while this made with well-intention to flesh out the character, the camera spotlight on this character sort of goes off on a slight tangent during the feature’s second act. Basically, this storyline could’ve been removed from Just Mercy and still achieve the same palpability in the emotional department. It’s almost like the movie needed to chew up some runtime and the writers to decided to fill up the time with this side-story. Again, it’s good, but a bit slightly unnecessary.
What does help overlook (and elevate) some of these criticisms is the film’s cast, which are really good and definitely helps bring these various characters to life in a theatrical /dramatic way. Leading the charge in Just Mercy is actor Michael B. Jordan, who plays the film’s central protagonist role of Bryan Stevenson. Known for his roles in Creed, Fruitvale Station, and Black Panther, Jordan has certain prove himself to be quite a capable actor, with the actor rising to stardom over the past few years. This is most apparent in this movie, with Jordan making a strong characteristically portrayal as Bryan; showcasing plenty of underlining determination and compelling humanity in his character as he (as Bryan Stevenson) fights for the injustice of those who’s voices have been silenced or dismissed because of the circumstances. It’s definitely a strong character built and Jordan seems quite capable to task in creating a well-acted on-screen performance of Bryan. Behind Jordan is actor Jamie Foxx, who plays the other main lead in the role, Walter McMillian. Foxx, known for his roles in Baby Driver, Django Unchained, and Ray, has certainly been recognized as a talented actor, with plenty of credible roles under his belt. His participation in Just Mercy is another well-acted performance that deserve much praise as its getting (even receiving an Oscar nod for it), with Foxx portraying Walter with enough remorseful grit and humility that makes the character quite compelling to watch. Plus, seeing him and Jordan together in a scene is quite palpable and a joy to watch.
The last of the three marquee main leads of the movie is the character of Eva Ansley, the director of operations for EJI (i.e. Stevenson’s right-handed employee / business partner), who is played by actress Brie Larson. Up against the characters of Stevenson and McMillian, Ansley is the weaker of the three main lead; presented as supporting player in the movie, which is perfectly fine as the characters gets the job done (sort of speak) throughout the film’s narrative. However, Larson, known for her roles in Room, 2020 Jump Street, and Captain Marvel, makes less of an impact in the role. Her acting is fine and everything works in her portrayal of Eva, but nothing really stands in her performance (again, considering Jordan and Foxx’s performances) and really could’ve been played by another actress and achieved the same goal.
The rest of the cast, including actor Tim Blake Nelson (The Incredible Hulk and O Brother, Where Art Thou) as incarcerated inmate Ralph Meyers, actor Rafe Spall (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and The Big Short) as legal attorney Tommy Champan, actress Karan Kendrick (The Hate U Give and Family) as Minnie McMillan, Walter’s wife, actor C.J. LeBlanc (Arsenal and School Spirts) as Walter’s son, John McMillian, actor Rob Morgan (Stranger Things and Mudbound) as death role inmate Herbert Richardson, actor O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Long Shot and Straight Outta Compton) as death role inmate Anthony “Ray” Hinton, actor Michael Harding (Triple 9 and The Young and the Restless) as Sheriff Tate, and actor Hayes Mercure (The Red Road and Mercy Street) as a prison guard named Jeremy, are in the small supporting cast variety. Of course, some have bigger roles than others, but all of these players, which are all acted well, bolster the film’s story within the performances and involvement in Just Mercy’s narrative.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s never too late to fight for justice as Bryan Stevenson fights for the injustice of Walter McMillian’s cast against a legal system that is flawed in the movie Just Mercy. Director Destin Daniel Cretton’s latest film takes a stance on a poignant case; demonstrating the injustice of one (and by extension those wrongfully incarcerated) and wrapping it up in a compelling cinematic story. While the movie does struggle within its standard structure framework (a sort of usual problem with “based on a true story” narrations) as well as some formulaic beats, the movie still manages to rise above those challenges (for the most part), especially thanks to Cretton’s direction (shaping and storytelling) and some great performances all around (most notable in Jordan and Foxx). Personally, I liked this movie. Sure, it definitely had its problem, but those didn’t distract me much from thoroughly enjoying this legal drama feature. Thus, my recommendation for the film is a solid “recommended”, especially those who liked the cast and poignant narratives of legality struggles and the injustice of a failed system / racism. In the end, while the movie isn’t the quintessential legal drama motion picture and doesn’t push the envelope in cinematic innovation, Just Mercy still is able to manage to be a compelling drama that’s powerful in its story, meaningful in its journey, and strong within its statement. Just like Bryan Stevenson says in the movie….” If we could look at ourselves closely…. we can change this world for the better”. Amen to that! | https://medium.com/the-challenge-se-36-episode-3-4khd-quality/36x3-the-challenge-series-36-episode-3-full-eps-d098b857dbd2 | [] | 2020-12-24 13:36:37.537000+00:00 | ['Adventure', 'Action'] |
Must-Have Resources to Become a Data Scientist | Become a Professional
Now there are a multitude of data science resources out there, all of whom claim to be the “best possible introductory to advanced material and courseware on the subject of data science”. Now I’ve made mistakes in choosing my data science references to buy and keep (and use) but I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned through experience to be the most effective for these particular topics. This list is both effective and born out of experience by going through them one at a time. The list of resources contains the following items:
eBooks (or Books — your choice):
Developing Analytic Talent: Becoming a Data Scientist by Vincent Granville Introduction to Machine Learning with Python by Muller & Guido. R for Data Science by Wickham & Grolemund. Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn & TensorFlow by Aurelion Geron Statistics by Freedman, Pisani, & Purves
Websites:
www.stackoverflow.com (for doubts and errors during coding) www.kaggle.com (for Data Science Competitions and worldwide rankings)
Books for Data Science
1. Developing Analytic Talent: Becoming a Data Scientist by Vincent Granville
Now there are not many books that I would recommend for a professional data scientist, but this book is written by an authority with 15 years of experience in the data science field working on some seriously large-scale projects for the best companies in the world. And it shows. This single book contains some of the latest and the best methods to achieve what you need to be a professional data scientist. And it’s not just teaching theory. Every chapter has multiple case studies taken from the experiences in the industry. Vincent Granville is recognized worldwide as one of the best-known resource talents in data science. The level is a little advanced, and it is not recommended for beginners. But this is the perfect book for advanced-intermediate to professional data scientists. If you want to know how to work professionally as a data scientist, this book is for you. But this is only for intermediate, advanced, and professional data scientists since you need to know the basics before starting on this book.
2. Introduction to Machine Learning with Python — A Guide for Data Scientists (Muller & Guido)
Now, this is a book for beginners, with just a basic knowledge of numpy, pandas and matplotlib required. This is perhaps the most effective way to learn the Scikit-Learn data science library since the authors are two of the core contributors to the scikit-learn package as an open source project. They literally know the library inside out, since they both contributed heavily to creating it! The explanations are simple and the time spent working on the exercises and source code in this book will be highly beneficial if you want to master scikit-learn and its associated libraries.
3. R for Data Science: Import, Tidy, Transform, Visualize, and Model Data by Wickham & Grolemund
This is another beginner-friendly book, teaching all the basics of R clearly and concisely for those with basic programming skills. R is a language intended for manipulation of raw data, and it is an excellent complement to your toolset if you already know Python and are preparing for a career as a data scientist. The IDE used is RStudio, which is bundled with the Anaconda distribution of Python and ML libraries. Both authors are chief scientists involved in the RStudio software development team and are also members of the R Foundation. This book gets you up and running in R effectively and quickly.
4. Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn & TensorFlow by Aurelion Geron
This book has received massive acclaim from the data science community for the breadth of knowledge which it provides and is one of the best books on this topic till date. TensorFlow coverage is excellent, and there are methodologies that this book teaches to get your data science project perfectly executed immediately. The TensorFlow (with some Keras) coverage is the most simple and easy to understand among all the various TensorFlow tutorials I personally have found both on the Web as well as in the few available ebooks. If you want to work in Deep Learning but don’t know how to get started, this book is for you (it covers Deep Learning as well)!
5. Statistics, 4th Ed. by Freedman, Pisani, and Purves
There is a wide selection of Statistics books for data scientists, but this book is highly recommended. For many simple reasons:
It does not use equations but real-life examples All the material is based on real-world scenarios Inferential Statistics coverage is excellent Study of Design of Experiments is the entry point for the book Tests for significance and p-values is clearly explained without formulas through examples The material is presented in such a way that the reader becomes excellent at off-the-cuff estimation. Most graphics in the book can be drawn easily by hand. Excellent set of exercises and solutions with real-world applications. Plain English words, real-life stories, understanding concepts through applications and simple explanations. Few to almost very little formulae. Perfect for someone who is approaching the subject for the first time.
And the icing on the cake is that it is a very enjoyable read! 🙂
Websites for Data Science
Once upon a time, if a developer was stuck on a programming problem, he would have to go through several textbooks each over 500 pages long to find the answer to his problem. Not any more! StackOverflow is a site that is a platform for questions and doubts on nearly every type of programming language available, including Python, R, scikit-learn, TensorFlow, Keras, pandas, numpy, scipy, Theano, PyTorch, matplotlib and dozens more (both languages and libraries). It shows the power of crowd-sourcing problems since it is much easier to find the answer to a problem from 50,000 people than just four or five which would be the case if you were studying from a few teachers. You can simply copy-paste your error message in your data science compiler tool into StackOverflow and the site will return fully worked out and clearly explained solutions to your problem.
The way I see it — StackOverflow was a defining moment in programming. Once upon a time, debugging was a challenge. Now for nearly 90% or more of all bugs and errors, StackOverflow has your answer, explained in clear English, with the corrected source code. What more could you want? These days, anyone can become a developer in any language, thanks to this single site. And the concept has become so popular that there are now a multitude of crowd-sourcing answers to questions platform websites such as www.math-exchange.com, www.stack-exchange.com, and around 10 to 20 more sites that provide this functionality for that particular field, be it Mathematics, English, and even Christianity!
These days, just having an impressive profile on Kaggle will be enough to land you a job interview at the very least. Kaggle is a site that has been hosting data science competitions for many years. The competition is immense and intense, but so are the tutorials and the articles are also equally powerful and instructive. If you want to be a data scientist, not having a decent Kaggle profile is inexcusable. Kaggle will be like a showcase of your data science skills to the entire world. Even if you don’t rank very high, consistency and practice can get you there more often than not.
And there is another side to it, a course designed purely for the purpose of winning data science competitions, available on Coursera (How to Win Data Science Competitions: Learn from Top Kagglers), available on this link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/competitive-data-science. However, this course is not for beginners, it is only for those who already have a strong background in machine learning and machine learning libraries with practical programming knowledge experience.
And Finally…
AI & ML (Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning) is the future for nearly every single industry. The question on every CEO’s and CIO’s mind will be this: Why should we set up a staffed division in our company for any role when an automated machine with just a high one-time investment (for which operating costs are literally non-existent (compared to paying a salary to 100 staff members — you can do the math) can do the same job for us more reliably, more efficiently, more consistently, and more accurately than people when they do it as staff or employees? That burning question is racing through nearly every industry in the world right now. Thousands of jobs will be automated and the biggest demand in all sectors will be for machine learning experts who are also highly skilled in domain knowledge of that company (say hospitals, for e.g.).
Don’t be scared of the incoming changes. Change is humanity’s best friend. Without change, life would be boring. Changes are not just challenges, they are also opportunities for much higher-paying and much less laborious jobs than the jobs you hold currently. And, if by chance, you happen to be a student reading this article, you now know which industry you should focus on — completely. All the best, and remember to enjoy the process of learning. Regardless of your age, this is the best time to be alive — ever. Because domain knowledge is available more widely today than at any time in the past. Be enthusiastic. Be positive. Be disciplined. Be focused. And make the right choices at the right times — and no, its never too late when you have quality trainers ready to mentor you. May the thrill of learning a completely new concept with truly enlightened insight never leave you. Once again, all the best.
Robots and Automation | https://medium.com/@thomascherickal/must-have-resources-to-become-a-data-scientist-aaa6b8dabf06 | ['Thomas Cherickal'] | 2020-10-09 02:09:36.322000+00:00 | ['Kaggle', 'Data Science Websites', 'Machine Learning', 'Best Data Science Books'] |
The most amazing risk management interview… ever… | During my recent trip to Australia, I had an amazing opportunity to sit down with Grant Purdy to talk about where risk management started in Australia, the origins of the AS/NZS4360 and the ISO31000 and why modern day risk management, as perceived by majority risk managers in non-financial companies, is an embarrassment to the profession.
Grant Purdy has specialised in the practical application of risk management to support decision making for nearly 42 years, working across a wide range of industries and in over 25 countries. He has been a member of the Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand Joint Technical Committee on Risk Management for over 14 years and was its chair for seven. He is co-author of the 2004 version of AS/NZS 4360 and has authored many other risk management handbooks, guides and books. He was also the nominated expert for Australia on the Working Group that wrote ISO 31000 and Guide 73 and later Head of Delegation for Australia on ISO PC 262 that revised ISO 31000.
I am not exaggerating, this is a must listen for all risk managers. Yes, I know, the sound is really bad and I am sorry for the technology. Grow up and endure the pain. This will be the most fulfilling 50 minutes in your professional risk management career.
Turn on captions in Youtube: click settings (low right corner) -> subtitles/cc -> english -> options -> size 400%. Or read the full transcript here: https://www.rev.com/transcript-editor/shared/LZ7RH2yxG2UcBjTiPVwoeE3aSq16INkf1zSTCY-JX2KqdwLjVOM8TFfXoOm3ylCVGYaBrg
You will not regret this.
Alex Sidorenko: Hi, everyone. It’s Alex from RISK-ACADEMY, and, today, I’ve got an amazing opportunity to speak to Grant Purdy, who is, one of the godfathers of Australian risk management. And luckily, Australian school of thought on risk management made it to the global scene, but I think it kind of evaporated since. It’s disintegrated, I should say. So let’s come back to the basics and learn what was the original idea. And, just before we started recording Grant mentioned that he is working on the book with a colleague at the moment. Something that, the risk management standard could have been and I will Grant talk a little bit more about that, because I think that’s fascinating.
Grant Purdy: This is my 42nd year in risk management. It shows as well. And when I originally started in the profession, there wasn’t anything such as risk management. We didn’t need to define all these words because our purpose was only to help people make decisions about, plant items, the siting of houses near to major hazard plants, where goods should be rooted along roads, where our roads should be decided, airlines should be decided. And ultimately, you know, how people make decisions. Taking uncertainty into account.
Grant Purdy: And it was very simple in those days. People would come to me with a problem. For example, I was part of the Health and Safety Executive Team, that joined with the French and the Belgian in terms of the Channel Tunnel. And we were asked, “Was it acceptable not to have ventilation in the tunnel?” Or, “How can we deal with fires in the tunnel?” Or, “Can we transport gas cylinders on caravans as they go through the tunnel?”
Alex Sidorenko: There’s are very operational questions.
Grant Purdy: Absolutely. Because nobody had ever built a tunnel about then before, underneath the ocean. So we had to go away and understand the things that could happen and the chance of them happening, and what we would put in place and test out those things that might modify the uncertainty we faced. That our journeys would be successful. And, and that’s what it was about. It’s only really in the last, I suppose, 15 to 20 years that suddenly it’s become more proceduralized and we’ve almost convinced ourself that it’s not about making decisions, it’s about doing risk management. I’m as guilty as anybody else because I’ve been playing that game for many years, but increasingly with disquiet. And, and concern that we’d lost sense of what we’re here to do achieve. And the ultimate test has been for me to say, as my friend who’s writing the book with me says, if risk management is the answer, what is the question? And you can’t find what the question is. Because how on Earth did we end up with these massive confections? These odd, strange subjects? These bits and pieces that somehow don’t fit together? And we can’t even agree amongst ourselves as a profession what risk is, let alone what risk management is. And if you go outside the profession, you start to know more people who discover they use those words totally interchangeably.
Alex Sidorenko:
Grant Purdy: Even within the ISO domain. You know, there’s, I think there’s about 40 different definitions of risk in different standards.
Alex Sidorenko: Right. Until recently there was more than 70 or something.
Grant Purdy: So even in an organization that prides itself standardization.
Alex Sidorenko: Yes (laughs). The irony is just ridiculous.
Grant Purdy: It is. And we’ve run standards like ISO 31,000, where we say, you know, the most important principle is one, that should be integrated and, two, there should be supported decision-making. But then the rest of the standard is about a set process. That is not possible to integrate and it in no way relates to decision-making.
Alex Sidorenko: Exactly.
Grant Purdy: I mean, how bizarre? How on Earth can you make a decision with a risk register?
Alex Sidorenko: Yes (laughs).
Grant Purdy: I mean, how can you do that?
Alex Sidorenko: I just want everybody to really listen to those words and hear them again.
Grant Purdy: I mean, how can you use a risk appetite statement to make a decision?
Alex Sidorenko: (laughs).
Grant Purdy: People say it informs decision, but they don’t because in reality, once these documents are written, they’re filed away. Nobody ever consults them. Nobody ever thinks about them. There may be an aroma left in the room once he’s passed through, but that’s all he can say.
Alex Sidorenko: And fascinatingly, the kind of the answer for many risk practitioners to that is that well, we should teach people to better use risk appetite statements and better use risk registers. Which of course is silly.
Grant Purdy: So you say to the, you know, ultimate customer, “Actually, everything you’re doing is wrong. Your language is wrong, your way of thinking is wrong. You have to fit it with my way of thinking.” Even though I’m supposed to be here to serve you. You’ve got the master/servant relationship somehow around the wrong way.
Alex Sidorenko: Exactly. The risk management is supposed to be the support function, yet it constantly demands information from business.
Grant Purdy: It imposes on them a language, which is totally alien to what most normal people do. So my colleague and I, we’re writing a very short, little book, it’s for deciders. It’s not for box tickers. It’s for people like you and me who have to make decisions every day. It’s as simple as that. And when we did that, we realized we can’t use words like appetite and framework and register. We have to … I said, well, we have to use normal language that normal humans would use, to the extent that we don’t have definitions. Because you don’t need definitions if you use normal language.
Alex Sidorenko: That’s right.
Grant Purdy: You’d have to define these special terms, and then incocate them. So thinking about these special terms. You don’t need that. So that’s good. So that’s where we are. Seems to me the game we should be involved in is helping people gain sufficient certainty about when they make a decision, they, that will contribute to the organization’s purpose.
Alex Sidorenko: That’s a very interesting way of putting it. I like the phrase that Hans, the ex-CRO of LEGO uses. He calls it informed risk taking. So executives are going to take some risks. It’s part of their life.
Grant Purdy: Because the word risk is so majoritive I don’t use it. And uncertainty is also getting tricky. But if you think about it, what we all try to do in life, is gain sufficient certainty so we can sleep at night. That our ultimate purpose, however we define that, is going to be achieved. You know whenever we make a decision that, you know, we need certainty that the outcomes that we want will actually occur and that those outcomes will contribute to our purpose. When that ink dries, we know what our purpose is. And you see that I’ve stopped using the word objectives, because again, that’s become so ambiguous. It can be local limited objectives. But ultimately, if you will for an organization, there is only one purpose. What are we here to do? So almost a highest level outcomes. What are we here to create and what’s our mission statement? And all, all decisions have to be framed in terms of that. You can’t decide if you’re, you know, the railway provider in this stake, that someday your purpose is to make better sandwiches on your trains. How does that, how does that fit with being a railway operator? That’s often what happens. So being very clear about your purpose is stage one. And secondly, very clear of the decision you face. And that leads you automatically on to the keyword, which is brought to the assumptions.
Alex Sidorenko: Exactly.
Grant Purdy: Understanding your assumptions and the uncertainties inherent in those assumptions is the key to making good decisions. Ultimately, you just have to make a call. You have to say, I’m willing to go ahead with this decision and I feel sufficiently confident that the outcomes will be as I predict and they will support me in my purpose. If you’re not, you do something about it. You change the decision. You fix everything. So you can see, we don’t need words like control or risk or register.
Alex Sidorenko: Where does risk mitigation plan come in? Because you just change the decision and then it’s, it’s mitigated automatically.
Grant Purdy: You changed the decision. That’s as simple as that.
Alex Sidorenko: Yeah, exactly. It’s interesting you say that, that as soon as you understand what the decision is, you then kind of identify what are the assumptions underlying that decision. Interestingly, that some of the tools that I’ve been talking about for so long, focus tools, are focused on dealing with assumptions. So simulations, scenario analysis, decision trees…
Grant Purdy: Absolutely. Well that’s, that’s where we started. And, if you like, a control is an assumption because you assume since it’s there, it’s working. You know, everything can ultimate … So an assumption. You assume it’s gonna be sunny tomorrow. You assume it’s gonna, you know, competitors are not gonna scrap your market. You’re gonna assume that your staff gonna be happy and work more. They’re all assumptions. And each of them has a level of certainty. Taking those into account when you make a decision. In other words, the proper use of the word context. What is the context for the decision is crucial. What we know of course is that people don’t always think about the internal related assumptions. They think of the external, but then there’s another layer, which is the wider assumptions, the geo-political. The, the global.
Alex Sidorenko: Macro.
Grant Purdy: The macro. And, and we know, we see it all the time, that organizations just don’t think about those wider things. So, you know, certainly in our book we have those three levels of assumptions you have to consider. Internal, which you may feel very uncomfortable about, but the fact is you have to confront the fact that not everybody does everything the way they should, or it doesn’t quite happen the way you’d like it to happen.
Alex Sidorenko: Exactly.
Grant Purdy: Similarly, external to organizations, knowing what the influences and pressures are there. And then thirdly, the, the why the context, because those really big macro changes could really screw up everything. So, I can’t give you the whole book, because it’s still being written, but I can give you on a basis that you cherish it but don’t show it to anybody else for the time being. I can give you chapter one.
Alex Sidorenko: I would read it today.
Grant Purdy: The root of the book, is, is this diagram here, which is how organizations and individuals make decisions. That have clarity of purpose. And then when an opportunity comes along, and I’m using the opportunity in its proper meaning here, not just some sort of positive risk. Whatever that means.
Alex Sidorenko: (laughs). Yeah, whatever that means.
Grant Purdy: An opportunity is just what it is. It’s a, it’s a situation that you could benefit from. If you did the right thing. So an opportunity comes along from your purpose, you have to make a decision and then implement it. And that leads hopefuly to outcome you expect. So there were two things that I haven’t mentioned here. One is that within the decision-making box, you just think of options, tentative decisions. We could do this, we could do that.
Alex Sidorenko: Alternatives.
Grant Purdy: And if we don’t, we must do that. We must always consider one of them could be doing nothing. And then we think about the assumptions associated with each one of those options, and possibly revise those in new light of information. And maybe adjust the decision accordingly.
Alex Sidorenko: Exactly.
Grant Purdy: So that what we go ahead with is something which we feel sufficiently confident will lead to outcomes which are certain, which will support our purpose.
Alex Sidorenko: It’s, it’s almost like a decision adjusted for uncertainty.
Grant Purdy: Spot on. But there’s another element. Of course, that’s all right with new decisions. What about all the ones we make in the past? That we didn’t write down or we’ve forgotten. Because a lot of the way we think is very much influenced by past decisions. So we have to monitor for change. There has to be a regime of monitoring for changes in assumptions of prior decisions. We do that really badly. Incidentally, I was horrified to see the new ISO 31,000 has excluded in monitoring the review of really context type issues of assumptions. Now it only monitors and reviews the process itself, which is sort of self-defeating really. And the fundamental concept of review is that you keep an eye out for change. Change which will affect the decisions you’ve made prior. Now that does imply you know what those decisions are. So one of the things that we do in the book, is we give a methodology. Very simply methodology for actually tracking down prior decisions.
Alex Sidorenko: Yep, Which is already a fascinating fascinating point because if you take an average risk professional in a modern day non-financial company, how aware, how close are they to the decision making process? Well, usually not very.
Grant Purdy: No. Invariably. They’re not involved at all. And, and as I said that earlier, the artifacts in risk management process are not used by normal humans. Even simple humans couldn’t use a risk register to make a decision.
Alex Sidorenko: (laughs).
Grant Purdy: I mean, how on Earth you got multiple columns of unintelligible clap-track with numbers and colors. Can you make a decision with that?
Alex Sidorenko: No.
Grant Purdy: And somebody at the end, you know, says, what does this mean? You can’t, you know?
Alex Sidorenko: I’ve I’ve come across something that just completely blows my mind. I mean, the Russian businesses really, take somethings literally. And I have seen two large corporations that have risk registers with 50 and 60 columns.
Grant Purdy: I have, I’ve been working for clients that had, in one case, it was 73 columns. The risk managers sole role was to complete this spreadsheet, continually we were updating it but it was never used for any other purpose other than, well, we’ve got a risk register.
Alex Sidorenko: (laughs). Which probably took a year.
Grant Purdy: I’ll let you into a little secret. I did find a really good use for risk registers a few years back. My children when they were younger, had guinea pigs and rabbits. And I discovered that if you shred them, they make very good bedding for small furry animals.
Alex Sidorenko: (laughs).
Grant Purdy: Moreover, once they’ve used it for bedding, and I won’t go into too many details over lunch, but the resulting material is really good in a compost heap. You can acquire good vegetables from it. So I’ve actually, you know, I’ve … Risk registers do have value, but only as bedding for animals. And if you think about it, if we’re still talking risk, risk is corrected because there’s a source of uncertainty and we’re faced with a decisions. So we can only possibly do a register, which is really just the minutes of the meeting. That’s all it is, should be just a record of a conversation about the decision we’re facing now. So how would that have relevance for future decisions? Not at all. So how can you possibly have a risk register that you created last year, having any relevance for what you’re doing this year?
Alex Sidorenko: But the key reason for that, is because this register was never created to a specific business situation.
Grant Purdy: No, they’re not.
Alex Sidorenko: They’re just, they’re just generic, catch-all, it’s like risk connected to broad objective of an organization in life in general.
Grant Purdy: One of the root problems, of course, is when you look at them, they don’t actually contain descriptions of risk. It, that’s if we knew what a risk was. Often they’re just winges or they’re just descriptions of sources of uncertainty that organisation faces. So, at the end of the day, you can do as much as you like in volition in your risk register, but you know, apart from bedding for small furry animals, I don’t really see any benefit. I know the history of this thing. I was there. Under the UK Factories Act in 1961 and proceeding acts, people have to have a general register. Which amongst other things, had to be lists of lifting tackle and things that had to be tested and how often the walls of the factory were painted, that sort of thing. Then we thought we’d be clever and in addition to having sort of lift and tackle and power plants and things like that, we’d get people to a list of hazards, you know? Things that could potentially hurt someone in the workplace. So far so good, you know? So far so good. But then we got really cute in part, and in, in the European community in the late 70s, early 80s. We thought why can’t we have this sort of hazards? Why can’t we grow and have some risks? And that’s when it started falling apart, and that’s where the risk register, it used to be a general register, then it was general register of hazards, and that’s when it came about. When I first did risk assessment, risk analysis, Spreadsheets didn’t exist. I was using a ledger. And I used to use columns in that ledger because I’d multiply numbers across the page and I’d lose hour five would go and how many people would be affected, and wind and weather? You, you’d use it. To work out the arithmetic across the page. And I think when we started using Spreadsheets, certainly I was using Spreadsheets very similar, you know? I was using them as a calculation tool. But then I think we got crazy, because we all liked Spreadsheets because we can format them and put numbers in. Actually, they’re bloody awful to record things in. I mean, when I do, when I have had to do sort of Spreadsheets, I’m not sure I would use Word. So I don’t have a limit of 50 words or 50 characters or this incredibly narrow column. I can’t squeeze everything in.
Alex Sidorenko: So if you are gonna talk about source or uncertainty and things that might happen that could affect what we’re trying to achieve, then why don’t we just use, you know, a Word document and, and, you know, just give a paragraph or two so that normal humans can understand the scenarios we’re talking about?
Alex Sidorenko: It’s, no, that’s, that’s amazing. And here we have a whole generation of risk managers who think, you know, in documents and risk register, in Excel is top of the world best practice. But we have also generation of vendors now coming and saying, “Don’t record your risk registers in Excel. Record it in the Cloud.” And that will make everything better.
Grant Purdy: (laughs).
Grant Purdy: Well, you know, it’s the blind leading the blind, as far as I am concerned. I had a conversation yesterday with a lady who said “When you did this in the past, you’d come up with six levels of consequence criteria. I thought it had to be a five by five matrix?”
Alex Sidorenko: (laughs).
Grant Purdy: And I’ve consulted all my colleagues in government in New South Wales, and they’ve all agreed it has to be a five by five matrix. And I said, “Well, no. We don’t even have to have a matrix at all,” you know? It’s just a device for combining consequence and likelihoods. And, and, you know, it surely is an attribute of the organization and the way we make decisions is to how many levels we want to grade these things. And if you want to use some sort of, system that, that had levels in it. We might not box that. In 1995 when we wrote the first Australian/New Zealand standard. We thought we were being really helpful by cutting in an appendix of the standard for indicative purposes only, a five by five matrix. It was the worst decision we ever, ever made. It wasn’t intended to work, it was purely an illustration. It was just sort of this is what a matrix looks. And it wasn’t the rating system, it was just a, a heap numbers, you would call it now, as a way of pictorially representing risk in terms of consequence and liability. But of course, you know it then got transmogrified and turned into, well it’s almost a religion now. And as evidence by this conversation I had yesterday, “It has to be five by five.” Oh, because everybody uses five by five.
Alex Sidorenko: Just to play with human people’s brains, whatever I do … I do a lot of training for the risk managers in Russia, and just to play with them. My first question usually is, what’s, what’s, what’s better, three by three risk matrix or five by five? And 90% of them start seriously debating which one is better. And, and it, are you all insane? It makes no difference, no rubbish.
Grant Purdy: Absolutely. You know, when I’ve, when I’ve had to compromise recently and go back to a risk register, Ihave to admit now, that I no longer discuss consequences and liabilities in, in meetings. I, I’ve been playing a trick on some of my clients for a while now, in that I’ve actually been doing the rating, because they want ratings. I actually do them myself inside the workshop. And you know, not one of the clients has come back and disagreed with anything I’ve ever done. because I don’t want to dilute the quality of the conversation that I have, right, about what are we trying to achieve here? What are the uncertainties? What are the scenarios we could think about what could occur and it could lead to that? And would that be acceptable? So that’s the sort of conversation I want to happen, and that’s what we have. At the end of it, they feel they’re confident to go ahead or they feel they need to make some changes in the decision. A different decision. To lead to a different outcome, which were more, would be more in line with their purpose.
Alex Sidorenko: I mean, I would never do that, wink wink. I actually do exactly the same from time to time.
Grant Purdy: No, and all that means at the end of the day, if they say, “Can you do a risk register?” “Of course.” But more importantly to the conversation we had. And risk registers are only, if you like as I said before, the minutes of the meeting. It’s just a stepping stone. What’s ironic, is that many organizations don’t store any of the pre-conditions for the risk assessments. They don’t store anything about the assumptions. They don’t even record the decision they were facing. They never agreed what the purpose was of the conversation is. They just reserve the risk register. A lot of them don’t even reserve the risk treatment plan that follows framework because they don’t have any actions. Somehow it’s almost as though this has some sort of magical significance once you create a risk register. I imagine them sort of waving it in the air and suddenly the world is a better place because you have this piece of paper from the risk register. It, it is bizarre how we’ve got to this state.
Alex Sidorenko: What I found fascinating is that people doing the risk registers and having all the discussions, the interviews, the workshop upfront, for the sake of having an updated risk register. Not, not as an instrument or as a tool to actually make a better decision, whatever that decision may be.
Grant Purdy: So we have a meeting, which we call a risk review. We do it once a year. And if you’ve got a really good excuse, you’re trying to find something else to do that day because everybody hates it. We all, they’re always running out of time, so we don’t actually get through them all. Invariably, they’re just about, you know, tweaking things here and there, but it’s absolutely irrelevant. None of it relates to decisions that people are taking now. Just a list of things we generated several years ago that we just embellish and tweak each year.
Alex Sidorenko: I call it stirring the risk register pot.
Grant Purdy: I’ve got Norman Marcs now, called in risk listing, you know, he’s got that from me and a few other people as well. Risk listing. It’s fruitless activity. When, you know, not only do you waste people’s time, but you do, you take up time that could be more useful to put into some other purpose. And you mislead your audience. People think this is what risk management’s about.
Alex Sidorenko: And I mean, as, as a kind of practicing risk management, the biggest challenge I always have, is a new managing director or a new CFO comes in and they all come in with the same thing. “We’ve done risk management at my old company, it was rubbish. I fired the risk manager.” “So what are you gonna propose differently?”
Grant Purdy: I do a lot of work with boards and, and they’re not better. They, they all say, “Oh. We want a risk registers as our report.” I say, “Okay. What are you gonna do with it?” “We look at it.”
Alex Sidorenko: (laughs).
Grant Purdy: “Yes. What is this going to do to you?” “Well, we need to know if the organization is exposed to unacceptable levels of risk.” It ain’t gonna do that. I encourage my clients to stop having risk meetings, you know? To even, not even have a risk committee. What they should do at a board level is ask intelligence questions of managers when decisions are made.
Alex Sidorenko: That’s before the decision is made. Exactly.
Grant Purdy: How, how are you certain about that level of certainty? What are you going to do to ensure that the outcomes are as you predicted? What are some of the scenarios? And after an event has occurred, what lessons have you learned? One of the things we’ve been doing recently is, is not just thinking about decisions, but think about disruptions. We realize that disruptions are inevitable, continuous, and often they’re fortuitous. Not just disadvantageous. Um, and often we create disruptions deliberately to make change in the organization. So the words change and disruptions become synonymous. So the, the after state is often much more preferable to the before state. Or can be. And the more you think about that, you realize there’s this whole edifice called business continuity management. While it’s flashy cousin called resilience. Which is based on absolutely false premise, which is we want to return things back to where they were before. Why would we want to do that? Why would you want to make the same mistake again for your sake? You want to move on. You know? You want to leverage the opportunity that’s been provided by the disruption and actually change things. At least not to go back to where you were before. Why do you want continuity? Nothing else is continuous, it has to be growth. That’s how we progresses. It spots opportunities and it moves forward. So why are you gonna deal with, you know [bends 00:28:25] but disruptive any differently? Why, why treat them as something you can get back to?
Alex Sidorenko: So true.
Grant Purdy: Crazy.
Alex Sidorenko: I think it’s one of the messages that’s coming out on the latest Taleb’s book saying that we learn from whatever changes are. That’s what makes organizations stronger. Just like it makes humans stronger.
Grant Purdy: I’ve always believed that, that, you know, 50% of risk management is about hindsight rather than foresight. In fact, the more you think about it, you realize that risk management so doesn’t help us look at the future at all. It’s all based on hindsight because the way we go through the process of doing it is always based on people’s experience and their knowledge. We never challenge them and say, “Is it possible? What would happen if this would occur?” “Oh, never have to move forward.” I said, “Well, that’s a normal response.” So, you know, no more risk management, true, is we don’t really based on things that will go wrong. The negative. And it’s based on looking backward of things in the past. Now, obviously, there’s benefits from learning lessons as we go through, but that, you know, really what we want to know is what a decision is, how certain are the outcomes and will they support our purpose? And, and often we can’t do that just by dredging up the past. Certainly if it means looking at last year’s risk register. God knows how you’re gonna make a decision. But it’s, it seemed to me so simple now. It’s crazy that we’ve got ourselves into this, this mire of language, of confections, and we’re being conned every day. And the societies that support the profession are the worst culprits here.
Alex Sidorenko: Oh. (laughs). Don’t even get me started on that. But that being said, it’s kind of weird. I mean, vendors are pushing silly ideas big time, but not like people are listening to them. Consultants and others are pushing this idea of implementing risk management and risk appetite statements. And that, that, that of course is silly, but again, they, they influence is very limited. And then, risk management society is an association’s and other kind of think groups, they kind of push their own agenda because they, they try to convince us that risk management is a profusion. When of it’s, I think, just a decision making tool. One of many.
Grant Purdy: Absolutely. How can you have a profession when we can’t even agree what the basic terms mean?
Alex Sidorenko: Yeah, exactly (laughs). And yet, all of those kind of influences, they’re not, none of them are individually that powerful. I mean, nobody cares what Russian Risk Management Association has to say. Any yet, risk managers themselves, make up their minds and just continue doing such nonsense.
Grant Purdy: It’s sad, it’s it?
Alex Sidorenko: It is, I find it bizarre.
Grant Purdy: It’s, I feel like I’m doing the Emperor’s New Clothes, but I shouldn’t need to do that. I mean, somebody should be shaking people and saying, “Hey, wake up.” There’s this conspiracy out there, you know, that one leads to the other. So, risk managers are trained on courses where they’ve indoctrinated this crap, and then, you know, society’s charged the money to go on these courses, and then to charge them money to have the qualifications behind their names. Associate of this and member of that. And then you’ve got the software people who don’t know really what any of it is about, but they’re just gonna sell software. So they’ll go with anybody. Then of course you’ve got the compliance people who say, “Well, I don’t believe it as I can see it”. And, and even the auditors, God bless them, you know? I still find auditors out there that say, “We limit risk,” you know what I’m saying? How on Earth can you audit risk, dear friend? Awarded some you believe is control, you might check this thing in place is modified risk, but you can’t audit a risk. You know? It’s just there, and risk is a risk. You can’t audit it. And who are you to, you know, identify new risks if you weren’t part of the decision making team in the first place? And you’re not even present when the decisions are taking place. So the best you can do is be in this sort of monitoring environment, but at the end of the day, is it better to have third parties doing monitoring for you or would you make it part of someone’s job? If you know the key assumptions that supported the decisions made, surely you should be keeping eye to see if those assumptions still remain valid. And if not, revisiting your decision.
Alex Sidorenko: Exactly.
Grant Purdy: Because otherwise you’re gonna be as many organizations are. Stuck with decisions, which are 10 years out of date. This whole raft of policies that organizations have they never get ‘round to reviewing. They’re all decisions. Neat little … And they just, they just block up thinking. They slow organizations down. They clog ’em up.
Alex Sidorenko: But apparently, you can’t really monitor assumptions unless you come out with a KRIs. (laughing).
Grant Purdy: We, we had a, some friends and I had a little exercise going a few years ago where we, we’d come up with a new compound word. And add risk to lots of things. And I think I won that exercise. I’d come up with risk viscosity. And about that time, somebody came up with risk clock speed. Do you remember that?
Alex Sidorenko: Yep, I do remember.
Grant Purdy: Risk velocity.
Alex Sidorenko: Yeah, I think it was EY.
Grant Purdy: And then we got risk governance. The other thing of course we loved, is these three letter acronyms, you know? And, and, and really it’s ever year we invent another one so we can sell them the same box we did last year except it’s got a different wrapping on it. So we got ERM, the SRM, the ORM, IRM. The latest that, of course, came out in ISO9001 is RBT, Risk-Based Thinking. Which, the people who wrote the revision of 9000 didn’t know what it meant either. That doesn’t stop many of the people on the committee making a lot of money now running courses on risk-based thinking.
Alex Sidorenko: Of all the acronyms, I would have to confess that that one is closer to my thinking because it has decision.
Grant Purdy: It has thinking, I agree, but the people who wrote it had no idea what it meant. What I really wanted to do, because they originally said they wanted to distinguish from the 31000 risk management, they wanted to call it formal risk management. Formal, they didn’t want to say ad hoc, because that sounded like it wasn’t as good. So they, oh, risk-based thinkers. They wanted a sort of lesser form of risk management. It doesn’t have that formality. In other words, you don’t have to create a risk register. Thank God. But in fact, if, if they really thought it out, risk-based thinking, which is really about making decisions to gain greater certainty about outcomes, it actually what it’s about. But, look, we’re talking about the quality of fraternity here, you know?
Alex Sidorenko: (laughs). Don’t touch them.
Grant Purdy: Well, they have their own problems.
Alex Sidorenko: There, are too many of them.
Grant Purdy: There are. So look at, one of the attributes of getting older is you like things simpler. You know, you like simpler food, you like simpler pleasures in life. Like a nice wine or that’s sort of thing. And, and it’s occurred to me that I can help organizations make better decisions without using any of this crap. Without any of these confections. You can just talk to people normal and say, you know, as I’ve said here. What, what, what is your purpose? What is the opportunity? You at least define those because often people make a decision without having no clarity as to how it fits with the organization’s purpose. And do not define the opportunity clear enough so that they can convince others it really is an opportunity. Then ask them to at least think of some options, alternative decisions, to look at the assumptions against each one of those and come to a judgment on whether one of those decisions is the preferred one, or whether some other decision, some modified decision is the one they should go ahead with.
Alex Sidorenko: Exactly.
Grant Purdy: Then, at the same time, put in a regime of monetary. So that they keep an eye on those critical assumptions to make sure they remain valid. And if they don’t, have a mechanism to revisit that decision. And it seems to me that that, that’s what process is, first of all, it’s natural, it’s what humans do without thinking ,really. But I’m not saying we do all those things well. But we do an essence of those all the time.
Alex Sidorenko: True.
Grant Purdy: But if we do more of that, we can get rid of all the risk registers and all the rest of the clunk. And actually truly create value. And there isn’t need to think about integration, which often means trying to force something ugly and forcing into some existing system, because this is the way that people manage. There’s no need for integration, because this is the way we do it anyway.
Alex Sidorenko: Yep, And the irony, the biggest irony for me, is that if risk managers who are truly honest with themselves and actually looked at how decisions are being made right now-
Grant Purdy: They would commit suicide, wouldn’t they?
Alex Sidorenko: (laughs). That.
Grant Purdy: (laughs).
Alex Sidorenko: But they would also discover, is that finance have been using scenario analysis and sensativity analysis for ages.
Grant Purdy: Absolutely.
Alex Sidorenko: They, they look at alternatives all the time.
Grant Purdy: Well that’s, that’s how we got into this game. Because when I first started doing this thing called risk management, I didn’t call it risk management. I was doing scenario analysis, I was just coming up with some what-if statements. I was testing things out. And, you know, doing some calculations. I didn’t call, didn’t give it a name. We just thought about things that might happen and how good or bad could it be, and what’s its chance in happening, and a lot of that was done about assumptions. When you found assumptions valid, could it mean need to know?
Alex Sidorenko: I remember at one of the last conferences in Europe, I met a risk manager of quite a big oil and gas company. And he was explaining how he uses heat maps to do business unit risk profiles, which of course is silly. You know, but then I asked, you do realize that your geo research team uses Monte-Carlo simulation with like thousands and thousands of scenarios to make better decisions? And here you are coming to them with this kindergarten stuff, trying to suggest that they need help to better manage their risk.
Grant Purdy: Oh, I think we’re starting to recognize that most of the decisions remain the important ones, are in the area of complexity. And, and using a two dimensional matrix to deal with complexities, it’s, it’s like trying to fly paper plane to the moon. It can’t work out. If, it’s just not gonna take off. It’s, you know, the way we have to approach things such as complex decision making within the project environment, requires a totally different skill set. A different paradigm entirely. And, and, things aren’t two-dimensional matrices and risk registers, they’re absolutely relevant. And we’re not talking about a small number. Most of the decision you have to make, involve an element of complexity. In other words, there are no rules to follow, nothing we can understand there. We’ve never been there before.
Alex Sidorenko: Which is, another thing that I found fascinating, is that when you use the traditional risk tools, the best you can come up with is a conversation about risks. So you can say I really should be doing this-
Grant Purdy: Absolutely.
Grant Purdy: Another conversation about the decision making. No, no, no. It becomes self-perpetuating. So that risk people talking and risk, and you have managers who have no training, of course, to talk about risk, but they don’t see any relevance for it. Now, I mean, if this is ever published in a shape or form, we’re gonna have people sending me rude letters and, and making wax dolls of me with pins shoved in and things like that. I mean, there’s enormous industry out there that breeds off this stuff. But it doesn’t create any value except for the people in the industry.
Alex Sidorenko: Exactly.
Grant Purdy: And they’re not … And I base that on, you know, when you actually go and talk to directors or boards and you talk to managers and it’s shocking. They don’t see any relevance of this stuff. No, they can’t. I mean, obviously you just can’t use this stuff to make decisions. It’s meaningless. All you can do is, as you say, is make decisions about risks. You can’t make decisions per se. And, and particularly if you’re using some sort of, ordinal system that just says, high, medium, low.
Alex Sidorenko: (laughs).
Grant Purdy: All that. Now we see the relative system and for what? What can we possibly do to make decisions of substance in an organization that propel you towards your purpose when you’re using a relative ranking system? Which is really just sorting things into heaps, that’s what it is. Witchcraft. It’s almost a religion now. There are, you know, certain symbols that are hollowed and people bow before them.
Alex Sidorenko: (laughs).
Grant Purdy: They, they, the incantations that have to be answered. That as high priests you have to be, to mourn for them, you know?
Alex Sidorenko: Well I’m definitely the witch hunter. I’ve destroyed so many common risk concepts.
Grant Purdy: Yeah, so am I. I’m absolutely blaspheme.
Alex Sidorenko: (laughs).
Grant Purdy: I’m, I’m, the hands of the devil as far as these people are concerned. And, you know, I poke my head up on occasion. Norman, my good friend Norman, runs a blog. I felt lazy one day and I actually responded to some of these things and I had a debate. But I’m, invariably I’m put out of a debate just because it inevitably ends in the same point, which is some do say, I accept what you say but my regulator insists on doing this, or what you’ve said is not what I’ve been taught at universities, or I wouldn’t be allowed to do this in my organization because they expect to see this. And there’s little I can say there, other than if you’re not capable of thinking about this and you’re, you suffer quite frankly, the problem with ethics but you don’t actually believe any of this other than from some quasi-religious perspective. There’s nothing more I can do to help you if you won’t think yourself properly. You know, from first principles. You actually understand what this really means. I realize I’ve wasted another few hours when I could have been going, growing vegetables or helping somebody with real problems. So that’s that’s my perspective, which is, and, and, you know, I’ve been as guilty as anybody else. I’ve played this game and made money out of it for quite a few years. But increasingly, maybe the last seven or eight years I suppose, with a lot more concern, disquiet. Maybe 10 years, really. 10 … I was going through the motions but not really producing any true value. I was convincing myself and others, that somehow this this methodology which has no validity really at all, is somehow creating mystical value.
Alex Sidorenko: I’ll call this recording the, the confessions of a risk management.
Grant Purdy: I’ve never actually called myself, I’ve never actually had title risk manager. For one thing, I’ve always, even in the days when I was supporting the risk framework, I didn’t really want to be the risk manager. I’ve always been manager of risk management or something like that. Which is slightly less, more acceptable, but I don’t actually know what risk management is though. I don’t know what it is, even though I, you know, I’ve been doing it for 42 years. I don’t really know what those two words mean, and I don’t think many people do.
Alex Sidorenko: The, the best, answer to that question I ever got was, I picked up a book on decision making and decision quality. And I’ve read through the whole methodology on making decisions and eight out of nine chapters, chapter four was validating assumptions and testing alternatives. And that’s where everything about risk management fits.
Grant Purdy: That, that’s exactly what our book’s about. It’s very simple. It’s written not for risky people. You know. It’s really for deciders. That’s why it’s about deciders. For deciders. I mean, it’s just to help people make better decisions by understanding what certain was. How does certain come into the best possible decision? Albeit, there’s always gonna be uncertainty, you just do the best you can. And our feeling is that people could do a little bit more and end up with better decisions just by being, just getting you know, simple, active, writing down your assumptions. And often, you know, organizations that have to make decisions based on mergers and acquisitions, never write down an assumptions.
Alex Sidorenko: That’s very true.
Grant Purdy: Now, a number of organizations I find, don’t have a credible business plan. And, and the business plan they have, doesn’t give any note to the assumptions that underlie it in terms of market share changing direction of competitors’ activities and what customers need.
Alex Sidorenko: Well here is a quick reality check. How many risk managers, when they’re buying a new apartment or moving to work in a different country, how many of them, you know, write out their assumptions? And think about it?
Grant Purdy: No, nobody. They certain don’t write out a risk register, I can tell you that.
Alex Sidorenko: (laughs).
Grant Purdy: Do you use a risk register when you move house? Gotcha.
Alex Sidorenko: (laughs). That’s spot on. Now, thank you so much, Grant. I found this extremely valuable. It’s a pleasure.
Grant Purdy: Well it’s, it’s simple stuff, you know? It’s simple stuff. There’s nothing clever about it.
Alex Sidorenko: It takes years, I think, to get to that. I mean, for me, for me it was an honest conversation with a CEO who I’ve presenting, I was brought into fix state audit. I brought it to general, findings. And, and I’ve created a risk management ERM framework. I had everything. Risk appetite statements risk committee, mitigation plans, risk heat maps, frameworks, policies, everything. Within a couple of months I had it all. And you know? The CEO said it makes no impact on my work. What’s the point? It, it’s, like, is it I’m okay with this, it’s colorful, it’s beautiful, but it’s useless to me.
Grant Purdy: Sure.
Alex Sidorenko: And he goes, “You have six months to figure something out”. “To do something that is actually meaningful for us, the board members, on making decisions.”
Grant Purdy: Well, I’m embarrassed but this stage in my life and career really has dawned on me that it’s actually very, very simple. And actually, I’ve gone back to the very beginning. It’s what I used to do years and years and years ago, which is I don’t have to worry about definitions. Just make better decisions by exploring scenarios, looking at certain uncertainties. It’s as simple as that. And particularly the assumptions.
Alex Sidorenko: I remember, the meeting in Brazil, the ISO TC 262 Committee, where there was a number of sub-groups. Then one of the sub-groups, the first one, was assigned the terms and definitions. They were like raising hands, who’s going to go into which group. And I’m like, that’s a pretty irrelevant group. Who cares what’s the definitions are? If you’re overall idea is understood, I mean, it doesn’t really matter. And most of the people signed up for that group, and I though that’s strange.
Grant Purdy: Because the argument goes on these minutiae definitions. I mean, as far as I can see, if you have to define a term, it’s, it’s an admission of defeat. It means normal humans won’t understand the word that you’re putting in there. If you have to define it, that means you are somehow converting or narrowing the meaning from original. One of the things I sometimes do some provocatively when I meet people in the risk management profession, is say, just explain what you do but don’t use the word risk.
Alex Sidorenko: I’ve just played it in my mind. I think I would be able to.
Grant Purdy: But a lot of people can’t.
Alex Sidorenko: Impossible without using that word. And even then, they can’t define it. Because none of us define it. The risk of something happening, the risk of it happens, that’s risky, I’m taking a risk, I’m exposing myself to risk, I’m risking that. I mean, we’ve got so many different ways of using the R word. And, and, none of them are consistent.
Alex Sidorenko: The, the best one I love was residual risk.
Grant Purdy: Well the one I particularly hate is inherent risk. Absolutely gibberish.
Alex Sidorenko: Oh no, every single year there’s someone in the LinkedIn community who goes, “So what is the difference between inherent and residual again? And how do we actually use it?” And, and, without a fail, that silly question gets the most responses and engagement from the community.
Grant Purdy: Yeah, yeah, that’s … Because, invariably, it’s because, well we have to do it. Again, the person I was talking to yesterday said, you don’t have inherent risk in system design, but we’ve got to have inherent risk. And how do we know if our controls need it?”
Alex Sidorenko: Yes. Oh my God.
Grant Purdy: Oh, for God’s sake. You know? Junk.
Alex Sidorenko: Junk. Exactly. I, I think that’s where we’ll wrap up.
Grant Purdy: All right.
Alex Sidorenko: If you, if you continue doing that, you might as well jump (laughs). Thanks, Grant.
Grant Purdy: Cheers.
For more videos like that subscribe to the official RISK-ACADEMY channel https://goo.gl/ksCybT | https://medium.com/@riskacademy/the-most-amazing-risk-management-interview-ever-10182e18e2c | ['Alex Sidorenko'] | 2019-01-02 22:32:19.704000+00:00 | ['Interview', 'Grant Purdy', 'Risk', 'Alex Sidorenko', 'Podcast'] |
The truth about working in creative consultancy: exciting but little room to mess up | Put it this way: All the usual companies are kind of like a high school. Among people with different expertise, you are the unique snowflakes and creative mastermind. You are the person-to-go for anything that smells like art and aesthetic. Meanwhile, joining a creative agency is like going to an art school. How can you make yourself stand out when everyone is so talented? It’s crucial to excelling at something that strengthens your A-Team. It will keep you afloat in the sea of extraordinary minds.
Friends with benefits?
In this place, people come and go, you keep a relationship professional with the client, you keep things professional between the team too. The ultimate goal of maintaining relations is simply to keep the project running smoothly. Once the project is over, we say thank you and come back to our own business until the next project reunites us again someday.
It’s a bit of a different vibe with my clients that are “living in” their company. Some of my clients working in-house can form a strong bond and friendship with their colleagues. If this trust lasts, it will give a long-term benefit. We often hear stories about a group of people jumping to other ships or even forming their own company as a pack.
Design is not all the works you do
What is surprising regarding the job desk is the fact that you only spend 50–60% of your time doing design practice that you learn at school. You spend the rest of the time building proposals and pitches and a small portion on team building (like conducting internal workshops or pet projects). A similar allocation also applies when working as a freelancer: you spend most of your time hunting clients and business before doing the actual work.
But If we look at “the other side,” I see that my client has also been flooded with strategy meetings, often more packed than me, instead of spending time crafting the ‘real’ design. OKRs seems like a big deal, and there appears to be more community effort for an In-house team: training, creating summits, events, or podcasts. Seeing both sides implies that a job where you immerse yourself in full-producing creative work for 40 hours a week maybe does not exist.
Chill morning atmosphere in WT’s Jakarta office, the habitat of less early birds, and many night owls.
Pray-Pitch-Win-Repeat
In short, this is what we do: we propose, win the pitch, we execute what we promised then repeated the cycle. The project duration normally spans around 3–6 months. In terms of business and personal growth, you never know where your project comes from. So I always beg for the universe to bring me those interesting cases to land on my desk! Yes, we can be more proactive in approaching desired client or ventures, betting that they can see our value and are willing to pay for our service, but more often, a request for a proposal from the other side of the world can suddenly appear in your inbox.
After you win, you will pray for different things: so that the nice guy that signs your proposal won’t turn into a fastidious person that micromanages once we discuss execution and deliverables, so all the third-party that you contracted won’t mess up your timeline, and ultimately so your project runs smoothly.
Cool works, but they are not yours
Often clients come up with a brief because they cannot conduct it in-house: because there is no adequate resource, lack of role function or division, but most often driven by their current-state that are incapable of generating the desired output. That’s why they come to you: an expert that can provide them with packaged solutions. You will get the opportunity to challenge your client and build crazy-shit ideas. Stretch your creative muscle and push your limit to deliver the best work ever.
But by the end-of-the-day, you will need to hand back those awesome ideas to your client, and you will be lucky if your recommendations get executed. After a year has passed, you will find your client launching a new feature or product, and you can see beyond those press recognitions: the seed you planted. When my team conducted foundational research in Indonesia’s listening behavior or mom’s sentiment on golden age development, we can still remember it was iterated from rough-sketches during the co-design workshop. We can traceback those ‘casual’ recommendations whispered to the client at that time. Everyone smiled when they saw that seed growing into a beautiful flower, although it was never our bouquet in the first place.
Slower career, but progressive
To progress, we need to define our success metrics. The question such as “what you want to achieve in this project” sounds a bit vague. But after you become a consultant, you feel that you always learn something new in each project, and it doesn’t need to be design related. Thus setting goals is important to focus your effort and see real changes by the end of the project. For example, goals can be to test tools like ambitiously using d3.js to create a data graph instead of an excel table. Some goals can be focused to enhance consulting skills: learn how to do project costing, present confidently in front of the clients (often C-levels and others at a high level), or simply write flawless email correspondence. You can also always have more personal targets, including leveraging your fieldwork for vacation or leaving the office at 5 p.m. straight.
The career path involves a junior, mid, senior, manager, director. Then a bunch of leadership positions that I don’t understand. Just any other jobs: as you ascend the higher ladder, the less hands-on your creative labor is; it’s replaced by signing a paper and managerial stuff. Despite your title, often you can often get a responsibility by just asking for it “Can I try to do that?”. Most superiors are okay with pushing you to the water, letting you struggle for not drowning, and unleash the ability to swim.
To exercise your capacity in handling more responsibility, it goes back to locate the right “pool”. To prove your ability, you will need a project that enables you to do it. Want to improve your storyboarding skills? Find a project that contains it as deliverables or create a proposal that involves storyboarding as part of the process.
I would assume that a job in an agency can be much slower compared to in-house designers. I saw some of my fellow Indonesians becoming a design lead or principal of something something in their mid-twenties. Something nearly impossible in Europe because for any ‘senior title,’ it requires 7 years of experience (If they move to the EU, good luck on explaining their previous title). In Indonesia, it’s a common practice to accelerate your career by jumping between In-house companies or so they called it, “frying your salary”. However, despite the crunchy title and compensation. I can claim with certainty that the awesome title (especially held by a green person) will not be preceded immediately by awesome design and leadership.
Decent compensation, less ‘bonuses’?
It depends on your role and the country where the company operated. I earned an 8 figures salary (In IDR, of course) a month, alongside healthcare benefits, insurance, and some perks like occasional sports night, Halloween party, and team dinners. Generally decent compensation for my country rate. One thing for sure, the perks get better in the time of fieldwork: a business class for long hours flight, 4-star hotels, and stipends that you can splurge to eat fancy after a tiresome day on the field.
Compared to some offers I got from in-house, large start-up companies have relatively better benefits such as more frequent bonuses, employee discounts, and even free cereal bar and dinner that make the office habitable 24/7. These companies also make more investments in training their employees. Sending people to overseas conferences, offering language classes, or paying agencies like us to provide Design Thinking training for their new-joiner. In short, big companies have bigger money and pay better than agencies.
We also have long days (my record is 1 am) Those nights with a double-espresso-shot only happen for one or two weeks out of 365 days a year. We keep this to a minimum as an overstay associated with inefficient time management.
Client facing put you in a little room messed up
Any job that requires you to face a client imposes an obvious risk. They are the ones that pay your company and your salary. Minor mistakes such as submitting a wrong invitation, referring to incorrect names, or ordering flavorless lunch during meetings will automatically invite complaints. Any sort of inconsistencies will raise the label ‘unprofessional,’ and it’s stickier than you think. While these cases never happened to me ‘in a rough way’, there are stories around the office where people drown in tears after a horrible phone call with their client.
In contrast, making mistakes In-house, unless you are in a high position, will require the problem to go through multiple layers of filters by other people before it’s finally executed. For example, I recall my epic friend once turned the Facebook landing page color from blue to black for a couple of hours and on a global scale. (What a legend!) Amid the morning chaos in Palo Alto HQ and midnight emergency at London’s office. My lucky buddy doesn’t get fired. It’s good for him to be able to drag dozens of other engineers (who are responsible for QC) to bear the mistake together. If you fuck up in-house, managers and bosses might come with a warning, but they’re still insiders of the company(yes the company that already invests a lot in you.)
Client-facing roles possessed slightly higher risk. You are responsible for ensuring the work’s quality, especially before sending it to the outside party. Ensure that you are accountable for whatever word comes out of your mouth (never over-promise!). It’s totally possible scenario for the client to drop the mic and say farewell, forever. If you fuck up, it’s not only impacting this one messed project but also all the losses of future projects that never happen.
Should I join an agency?
In the end, if you are unsure whether there is an area you are passionate about or whether you are feeling saturated, being a consultant is a good starting point to see a wide breadth of different industries. If you are not seeking short-term career acceleration or a Dorian-size salary, working in an agency will put you in the environment of uber creatives, help you to gain new perspectives, exercise your storytelling skill, and sharpen your specialized skill in every pitch and project you take. | https://medium.com/design-bootcamp/the-truth-about-working-in-creative-consultancy-exciting-but-little-room-to-mess-up-a7e0aac2859c | ['Larasati Larasati'] | 2020-12-24 05:27:34.869000+00:00 | ['Creative', 'Design Agency', 'Career', 'Consulting', 'Work'] |
5. Allure Report | Okay guys. We design the test strategy, create a structure and implement the tests for our web application. Please see the blogs that I published before.
What else? It is time to deliver a test report to all the stakeholders who are interested in the quality of the application. After the tests are completed, the test report should be generated. The test automation report should be as clear as possible so that to be understood by everyone. In this post, I will tell you about an HTML Test Report Tool, Allure Report. It has amazing features, and easy to get into immediately. Here is what will we see together in this post. Happy reading!
What is Allure Report? Installation of Allure Report Using Allure Report
1. What is Allure Report?
Allure Report tool is a flexible lightweight test report tool. It allows everyone participating in the development process to extract the maximum of useful information from everyday execution of tests. Allure Report provides a nice big picture of which features have been covered, where defects are clustered, how the time of execution takes and so on for the managers as well. Allure report is generated in two steps. First of all, during test execution, “adapter” library that is attached to the framework called and saves information of test execution to XML files. Java, Python, C# are some popular examples for the adapters. After the test execution is completed, XML files are transformed to an HTML report by “report generation”. This can be done with the command line tool.
2. Installation of Allure Report
To generate test automation report you only need to complete just a few simple steps;
Downloading and installing Allure command-line tool suitable for your environment. Locating test execution data that you have to build a report on.
Since we will Allure Report with Python and Pytest, I will show you how to install Allure with these. If you don’t prefer to use Pytest on your test automation structure, you can find the other allure adapters in this link. Although this link seems old, the adapters still work fine on the list. So, we are ready to install Allure via pip install in command line. First of all, open your command window and type this.
$ pip install allure-pytest
If you want to verify your installation is done without any error, type
allure --version command and see the result below. My allure adapter version is 2.9.0 as you can see. That’s it! You are ready for a fancy test automation report :)
Verify the allure report installation
3. Using Allure Report
After a successful installation, we can decorate our test_login code in POM tutorial with Allure features. Here is the test_login.py file that extended allure features. There are three decorators related to BDD in our code: @allure.epic , @allure.feature and @allure.story to mark your tests according to Epic/Feature/Story breakdown. Also, to mark your tests by severity level you can use @allure.severity decorator. It takes a allure.severity_level enum value as an argument. To make a connection with your report and a test management system Allure has @allure.link , @allure.issue and @allure.testcase descriptors. Reports should have a screenshot if a problem occurs once the test failed to display many different types of provided attachments that can complement a test, step or fixture result.
test_login.py
It is time to run the test, gather results and generate a test report. To enable Allure listener to collect results during the test execution simply add
--alluredir option and provide a path to the folder where results should be stored seen below.
$ py.test --alluredir=%allure_result_folder% ./test_login.py
allure_result_folder is your location to be stored in the test results as an “.XML” files. To see the actual report after your tests have finished, you need to use Allure command-line utility to generate a report from the results.
$ allure serve %allure_result_folder%
This command will show you generated a report in your default browser. Here is some screenshot in my application.
Overview Page
Suites Page
Graphs Page
That’s all about Allure Report so far. The next step is integrating our test automation codes into Jenkins. See you there :) | https://medium.com/@alipala/5-allure-report-2791017f0ca2 | ['Ali Pala'] | 2019-10-27 20:40:57.527000+00:00 | ['Selenium', 'Testing', 'Test Automation', 'Allure', 'Python'] |
Now Is the Time To “Yango” | Yango Ride Branded
About a few days ago I started seeing some ads in my feed on Facebook. The ad was asking me to download some app to hail ride as low as GHS 2.00. At first, I did not download it, I felt I had uber on my phone already so no need for another app. Considering the fact that they all serve the same purpose. I woke up the next day to see a car parked in front of my door and was branded “Yango”, the same ad I saw on Facebook. This made me more curious. The car parked in front of my room was a friend who I know uses his car for uber. So I decided to ask him what this “Yango” thing is all about. The long and short of it was that there is a new ride-hailing company in town and everyone is jumping to it.
So later that day at work I downloaded the app to see how it looked like. I kept it on my phone for some reason I don’t even know. Later that evening, I was at a friends place and it got very late, it was around 9 pm.
The Yango Moment
Becoming adventurous, I decided to hail a ride using “Yango”. The price estimated was GHS 4.00. Half the price on uber; a young guy like me who is so much concern about saving money, I decided to Yango. For once I taught it was a joke. What came to mind was, what if you pick and at your destination, the price doubled or even tripled ?. I had some extra cash so I forged on. Now to put things in perspective, if I was supposed to go my normal route of “Trotro” (the usual bus we pick here in Ghana) I had to pick two cars. The first would take GHS 2.5 and the second would take GHS 1.70, totalling GHS 4.20. At this moment I was in a shock, picking Yango means I will save GHS 0.20 plus comfort plus straight to my door ?. As smart as I was I choose to Yango.
The Business Side Of Things
Whilst in the car, I started engaging the driver asking questions like how was your experience so far, how did you get started, are you making money? etc. To my surprise, the guy said after the GHS 4.00 cash that he was going to take from me, he gets to get a bonus from the company every week. This sounds like magic to me. Now here is the question, Uber a billion dollar company is charging far more than that and not doing this kind of promotion so how come Yango is doing this?. For me, I see the business in everything. Whether the unit economics works for Yango or not, the car is my own and I can stop doing it when things get worst, I taught to myself.
The next morning after church service, I decided to try the “Yango” thing again because the last time I had a better offer. I ordered again from Global Evangelical Church, Adonai Chapel to Dzen Ayor where I stay. The estimated fare was GHS 7.00. Something I usually pay GHS 15 for uber ?. The ride came and as usual, I got into a conversation with the driver. The driver showed me his dashboard and how you get to know how much you make so far on that trip at any particular point on the trip. He also said, “Just yesterday I on my uber app and for like 20 minutes, no request came but on my Yango and I instantly got a request”.
Next Move
Instantly I knew there is an opportunity. If you have a car fuel efficient, now is the time to Yango, head to Yango Android and Yango iOS. Try it out, register, as a driver try it out, make some few cedis before things get worst. For those who will miss this opportunity, don’t be worried. There is one thing I learnt from my mentor Warren Buffett (one of the billionaires I admire a lot), you just have to do a few successful investments you don't have to be in all. About some years back I picked some nuggets from one of the books I read, Think Like a Billionaire, Become a billionaire by Scot Anderson. | https://medium.com/@kuame/now-is-the-time-to-yango-888cfa9e62dc | ['Bright Ahedor'] | 2019-06-17 20:34:58.037000+00:00 | ['Accra', 'Transportation', 'Uber', 'Yango', 'Ridesharing'] |
Real-Time Scoring to Improve Personalization with Adobe Experience Platform | Real-Time Scoring to Improve Personalization with Adobe Experience Platform
This blog details a single implementation or customization on Adobe Experience Platform. Not all aspects are guaranteed as general availability. If you need professional guidance on how to proceed, then please reach out to Adobe Consulting Services on this topic.
In this post, we look at an early stage POC workflow on how to generate real-time sales predictions for anonymous, unknown website visitors using Adobe Experience Platform. We discuss how we used Adobe Experience Platform and Data Science Workspace services to provide brands with the ability to use ML Models to score customer behavior in real-time to personalize and contextualize personalization in order to increase conversions.
When anonymous prospects interact with your website, knowing whether or not they’re likely to become a customer gives you the ability to make informed decisions about how you should engage with them.
This is exactly where Machine Learning comes into play. Machine Learning makes it possible to learn from all customer behavior and then evaluate this specific new anonymous prospect’s behavior on the fly. Predicting the next-best-action or content based on customer behavior calls for Real-time ML (RTML), which provides a way of listening to f.i. an anonymous prospect’s online behavior, during this session but also from past sessions, and have an ML Model calculate a score that expresses how likely this prospect is to actually become a paying customer of your product.
Knowing this score helps inform the way you can and should approach a person. Instead of the usual bombardment of generic messages, popups and calls-to-action on their first visit, you sit back and listen first. After having truly listened to your customers, you can then respond intelligently with better, more appropriate messaging while they’re on your site and relevant advertisements on other channels once they’ve left. Ultimately, while many brands these days still apply a mass-marketing approach, accurate scoring gives you a stronger edge over the competition.
Today, many brands are already applying ML using the data inside their own data lakes. Some of the ML capabilities in those data lakes already have capabilities of evaluating and scoring behavior in near real-time. However, those environments are typically very disconnected from the channels used by marketers to speak with customers.
Many of the brands we work with report delays of hours up to days between their ML environment calculating a new score and their downstream channels actually being able to use that score in a consistent and orchestrated way across the various channels of activation.
As with everything related to communication, it’s always better if it’s immediate and interactive.
So brands need a way to get their machine learning-based insights activated towards their customers faster than ever before. Activating these ML-based insights faster than before helps brands to understand who their ideal prospects are, and stop wasting their advertising efforts on the percentage of customers who are either already buying or who’ll never buy. Instead, brands can now understand that golden zone in the middle, customers who are on the fence, better than ever and with that, they have the power to deliver a more personalized and contextual experience that speaks to that specific prospect’s direct needs.
Better scoring with Adobe Experience Platform
With Adobe Experience Platform Data Science Workspace (DSW) and the concept of Real-time Scoring, we were able to reduce the amount of time it took to score prospects from hours or days, down to milliseconds. The path of collecting customer behavior on a website that leads to calculating an ML-based propensity score starts with what is the foundation of Adobe Experience Platform: the Experience Data Model (XDM). XDM is a standardized language to describe everything that’s related to experiences.
In the step-by-step breakdown of this use-case, let’s start with the customer behavior on the website. If you want to score a customer’s behavior in real-time, the logical starting point is to collect data in real-time. Collecting that data in real-time is done by making use of Adobe Experience Platform Launch, Adobe’s tag management solution.
Adobe Experience Platform Launch makes it possible to use the brand-new Adobe Experience Platform Web SDK Extension to collect data straight from a website’s data layer, map it against an XDM-based schema and then stream it into Adobe Experience Platform. By mapping data against an XDM schema immediately upon collection, a lot of time and effort is saved downstream.
Every type of customer behavior that is collected client-side and sent to Adobe Experience Platform is from now on defined as an Experience Event. Experience Events describe events like Page Views, Product Views, Add To Carts, Purchases, Offline POS Transactions, Call Center Interactions and much, much more. All of these Experience Events are then linked to a customer’s Real-time Customer Profile in Adobe Experience Platform.
Figure 1: Adobe Experience Platform Web SDK in Adobe Experience Platform Launch.
As data is streamed into Adobe Experience Platform as an Experience Event, it hits our Adobe Pipeline. The Adobe Pipeline is one of the largest Apache Kafka clusters globally and it guarantees real-time processing of Adobe Experience Platform data. From Pipeline, data is then made available to Adobe Experience Platform Real-time Customer Profile (running on Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB), and eventually, the Experience Data Lake (running on Microsoft Azure Data Lake Services) where it is stored in Datasets (of which the structure is defined by an XDM Schema).
All the data stored in datasets can be accessed directly from Adobe Experience Platform Data Science Workspace, without any delays or complex data wrangling processes.
Typically, data scientists these days are highly trained and qualified individuals and when they finally come out of school and score an awesome job as a Data Scientist for a leading brand, what they do is spend 80% of their time on trying to understand all the data that lives inside their company and trying to map that data so that it can be used for Machine Learning purposes. There’s a better way for these highly qualified individuals to spend their time. Thanks to Adobe Experience Platform and XDM, they can now finally stop spending 80% of their time on data wrangling and instead, can spend that time on things that matter: to build, train and optimize ML Models that actually impact the bottom line of the brand they work for.
Figure 2: Adobe Experience Platform Data Science Workspace and Jupyter Notebooks.
Adobe Experience Platform Data Science Workspace provides data scientists with an embedded version of Jupyter Notebooks directly inside Adobe Experience Platform and as such, they can run notebooks using Python, R, Spark, PySpark, and Scala natively on top of the Experience Data Lake of Adobe Experience Platform. We’ve built two SDKs for Data Scientists to use:
Data Read SDK that allows data scientists to easily read data from Adobe Experience Platform (Remember: all data is mapped against a XDM Schema which means it’s already standardized and understandable).
Data Write SDK which allows data scientists to write back things like propensity scores, recommendations, next-best offers, etc to Adobe Experience Platform’s Real-Time Customer Profile for activation.
These two SDKs solve the two biggest hurdles Data Scientists face on a daily basis: understanding data and writing back ML-based output to other systems for activation.
Data Scientists will build and train their ML Model using those SDKs inside Jupyter Notebooks in Adobe Experience Platform and once that’s done, their ML Model can be packaged and operationalized as a Real-time ML (RTML)-service that can be scheduled to train on a predetermined frequency, which is then published on the “Edge” for Real-time Scoring.
A practical example: Luma Insurance
Luma Insurance is a typical Insurance Company with a big offline dealer-network and a website with lots of traffic. Luma Insurance has been trying to personalize their digital communication for years, but it’s very hard to personalize anything if you don’t know who you’re speaking to. As most of the traffic on the website is from unknown, anonymous users who only visit the website once or twice, it’s difficult for Luma Insurance to build out a deep customer profile.
Most of these unknown, anonymous visitors only come to the website with one goal: get a quick indication of the cost of insurance, by filling out a form which then gives them an idea of the insurance cost.
Because of this limited amount of information, Luma Insurance has a hard time optimizing any kind of digital campaign which leads to prospects being bombarded with irrelevant and inconsistent messaging.
As a consequence, Luma Insurance doesn’t understand which customers are interesting targets and which customers are not, is unable to optimize their ad spend and is unable to understand which channels are best used to interact with any given customer.
If Luma Insurance wants to speak in an intelligent and consistent way, with a single voice, to any prospect, they need a central brain for communication and orchestration. This central brain for communication and orchestration needs to be intelligent and needs to apply that intelligence in real-time.
To Luma Insurance, that central brain for communication and orchestration is called Adobe Experience Platform.
Figure 3: A high-level look at how real-time works.
As you can see in Figure 3, when the anonymous prospect clicks the “Get Quote”-button on the Luma Insurance demo website, all the data that is collected in the Insurance Application Form is streamed into Pipeline and made available to Adobe Experience Platform as an Experience Event. Adobe Experience Pipeline also makes that data available to the RTML-endpoint, which then extracts the information of the prospect’s application (fields like Car Brand, Car Type, and Driver Age) as features needed by the ML Model that was previously trained in Adobe Experience Platform Data Science Workspace.
The RTML-endpoint now evaluates the anonymous prospect’s application based on the defined features and assigns a propensity score to that anonymous prospect’s profile in real-time. This score is then attached to that anonymous prospect’s Real-time Customer Profile inside Adobe Experience Platform.
From the Real-time Customer Profile, every new attribute or event leads to real-time evaluation of all segments that are configured in Adobe Experience Platform. In this case, based on the propensity score of f.i. 67, the anonymous prospect now qualifies for a segment “Car Insurance Propensity 60–70”. This segment qualifies in real-time and is made available to all destinations that are connected to Adobe Experience Platform.
This means that applications like Adobe Target, Adobe Audience Manager, Real-Time Customer Data Platform Application Service, Google DV360, AppNexus, Facebook, and many more will be informed of this anonymous prospect’s segment qualification and they will each be able to reach that customer on their respective channels with contextual and more relevant advertising.
This gives you a level of personalization that cuts through the typical generic, mass-marketing messaging and tells the prospects, “Hey. These folks know where I’m coming from.”
Creating a framework
The exciting thing about developing this real-time scoring process is that we ended up creating something that wasn’t just a single-use solution. We created a framework that can be used with any ML Model and for any kind of use-case. There’s no limit to what we can do here.
Adobe Experience Platform Data Science Workspace gave us the ability to create something that sounds incredibly complex, in a way that was actually straight-forward and efficient. And by having gone through this configuration once, we can change the use case and everything still works exactly like it was supposed to.
We effectively gave ourselves an edge over our competition, by providing our customers a way to gain an edge on their competition.
Examples of use cases for real-time scoring
With the RTML-framework in place, it’s easy to come up with several use case examples of how real-time scoring can work in various industries:
Insurance : Companies can identify a person’s propensity for different insurance types and adapt their communication and orchestration strategies in real-time.
: Companies can identify a person’s propensity for different insurance types and adapt their communication and orchestration strategies in real-time. Airlines: Airlines can now dynamically and in real-time assess how likely someone who just booked a flight is to purchase other services, like travel insurance, accommodations, or rental vehicles.
Airlines can now dynamically and in real-time assess how likely someone who just booked a flight is to purchase other services, like travel insurance, accommodations, or rental vehicles. Telecommunications or Utility: Real-time Machine Learning can, and should, be used to calculate Churn Propensity scores in real-time and take action on them in real-time, in an omnichannel world.
Next steps
Now that we’ve got a framework that can be applied to any number of industries and use cases, the next step is for us to formally productize this and make it available to customers. We can take this one step further by operationalizing this process and even provide pre-built “ML Recipes” for specific industries.
By offering up “pre-built” ML Recipes we enable brands to jumpstart their evolution to intelligent and real-time personalization and get started with real-time scoring quickly and easily, helping them gain an edge over their competitors.
Follow the Adobe Tech Blog for more customer and developer stories and resources, and check out Adobe Developers on Twitter for the latest news and developer products. Sign up here for future Adobe Experience Platform Meetups. For exclusive posts on Adobe Experience Platform, follow Jaemi Bremner.
Resources | https://medium.com/adobetech/real-time-scoring-to-improve-personalization-with-adobe-experience-platform-78d3a47406f7 | ['Jaemi Bremner'] | 2020-04-08 18:33:11.310000+00:00 | ['Platform', 'Digital Transformation', 'Adobe Experience Platform', 'Personalization', 'Edge Computing'] |
Lessons learnt from Software Development Practices | When you are working a job, there are certain things that make you efficient. These things you sometimes read in an articles and or a book but cannot completely relate to, unless you’ve seen them change the way you work.
I have spent close to 5 years in the IT industry, honing my software craftsmanship. I belong to the category of developers that find more pleasure in solving a problem the right way as opposed to the ones who find more joy in the technology used. During this short stint there are many things I’ve learnt but a few stood out. Not only relevant to my current field of work but even to life in general.
There is no such thing as magic
When I started as a developer, I’d see code as some magic that works. There were so many moving parts that I wouldn’t understand and I’d believe that somehow, it all works. As soon as this idea was established, my common sense would go for a stroll. I’d copy paste code and wonder why the functionality is broken.
Once I was able to get past this habit, and realize that at the end of the day it is just another piece of code written to solve a particular problem, things became so much simpler. Now I actually tried to understand why something was working to begin with and what would need to change to achieve what I want. I started understanding libraries and frameworks better, I wasn’t hesitant to look inside library code and see where the functionality was coming from. I was more drawn towards reading documentation and code.
Most of the times it was difficult to understand and work on code because of abstraction. It is in that sense a friend and a foe, I feel abstraction does make things easy for us and we shouldn’t fight it but at the same time it shouldn’t stop us from understanding code as just code.
The ultimate understanding that there is no magic (the muggle inside me still weeps)and I should keep questioning and looking till it doesn’t look like magic anymore paved path to a broader understanding of things and much more growth in learning.
Keep the bigger picture in mind but work on one thing at a time
The best programmers I have worked with have always followed this principle. This was one of the biggest struggles I had when I started my career. Often the software problems we try to solve are big. The most common approach to problem solving is divide and conquer. A requirement is broken down to a feature, a feature broken down to stories, which when as a developer you start working on you break further down into tasks.
The task might require multiple changes to your code. There has been times when I started working on a story. I was clear on it, but as soon as I started coding I identify a refactoring and before I go ahead to do it, I identify the approach might not be the most performant and by the time I decide the approach I see the existing data structure of the code might not be the best suited for the problem. And in no time I used to end up in an analysis paralysis situation, where there are so many things I wanted to do, I would end up not doing what was even required to begin with.
Some of the best developers I’ve work with create a logical task list when they encounter things rather than diving straight to work on them. If there is a change that is needed but isn’t really blocker for the current task, instead of ignoring they would rather pin it to that task list and focus on only one change at a time.
Once I saw the value of it, I realized how efficient a way or working it was. Needless to say it soon became a technique that I now religiously follow. I still sometimes get lost but this habit always helps me get back on track. Not only for coding even while problem solving and discussion, it remains one of the best habits I have learned. Keeping the bigger picture in mind, but working on only one thing at a time.
If the problem is getting too complex to solve, you probably approached it wrong
This is an aspect that I have truly learnt from my software practice. If there are too many conditionals, how much ever hard you try to find a solution and if the problems just keep on coming, often times the approach to begin with was not right.
There is a phrase that we keep using during software development, let’s take a step back what it has helped me with is to realize either we got too deep in a rabbit hole or it is not really the problem we wanted to solve but a problem that exists because we chose to solve the actual problem a certain way. Evaluating the approach taken, at that point of time solves a lot of problems which otherwise could have resulted in complex and unnecessary over engineering.
Simple solutions are one of the best solutions that exist for a problem. Simplicity in software systems and code is something that I now aspire for.
I truly believe software development is a craft and though there are different tools for the craft, but a strong foundation and tricks and techniques under the sleeves of a true craftsman, makes the job much more simpler and joyful. | https://medium.com/@prachi-sr/lessons-learnt-from-software-development-practices-d17ca3e00bb6 | ['Prachi Srivastava'] | 2020-12-27 13:19:47.223000+00:00 | ['Software Development', 'Lessons Learned', 'Software Craftsmanship', 'Opinion'] |
Who Do You Love — Get to Know Your Audience? | Practical Business
Who Do You Love — Get to Know Your Audience?
You are going to be spending a lot of time with these people. So, why not take a little time to figure out who they are and if you want to spend time with them? I mean really. If you hate spending time with individuals that are obsessed with fashion, maybe don’t start a fashion blog or fashion line. If you love dogs, maybe don’t start looking for people that hate dogs as part of your audience.
I think we forget sometimes that this isn’t just a ‘target audience’ or people that we are wanting to sell stuff too. These are people that we are going to begin, at least at some level, a relationship with. So, as we run through these details — first and foremost — consider: Who Do You Love?
The only way you or any business owner can truly be successful in attracting their target audience is by understanding who they are (and if you like them!). Many small business owners, especially people who start their business alone from home, often skip a few steps in the process, causing issues with finding an audience for your product. (Don’t be shy — admit it? Did you build it and then think who can I sell this to?)
As a product manager in corporate America for a long time, I didn’t get to pick my audience. The audience was already picked by the company. Since you own your own company, now is the time to decide who you want to spend your time with. Look, it is one of the perks of owning your own gig!
So, let’s focus on who you want to serve before you do anything in your business — knowing who you want to serve and why will help you fill your email list with people who are ready to buy from you. Use these ten ways to get to know your audience better. It can help inform products, services, and even the words you use to communicate to them the value you offer.
1. Research Your Industry — I know this seems boring to some of you. Yet, consider it as a way that you are getting to know some new friends. Again, you are going to be spending a lot of time with them.
So, when you first start, you need to know what industry you are in. Those industry metrics will help you know where you can start making goals and setting standards in your own business. Look at business organizations, associations, and nonprofits to help you do the research both online and offline.
2. Study Your Competition — Remember, your competition are also individuals that you are going to be around. Who you serve is also about who you will be working with or against. Some of these competitors might become partners. It is good to find out who they are before you invest time and money in a specific industry.
Even if you don’t have the first customer, you can get to know your audience by studying your competition. Participate in their groups, join their email lists, and network with their customers for the most traction into getting the right information about them. When you become part of the community, you’ll get so much more inside information. Just do it ethically! No one likes a thief. Be inspired, don’t conspire.
3. Create Customer Personas — As you get to know your audience, create customer personas that match the person you’re directing the information to. You may have many client avatars or personas based on the customer’s buying journey.
I like to look at this as creating my friend profile. If you could journal out the person that you most want to hang out with, that is your friend profile. Why not have that be your customer personas as well? Remember, you want to like them. You want to enjoy spending time with them. So, carefully select your friends and your customers.
4. Monitor Engagement — An enjoyable way to get to know your audience is to participate in their social media engagement and discussions. Social media should be a two-way conversation that helps you get insight into their deepest fears so that you can help them.
Think of this as a conversation with your friends. What are they talking about when you are not necessarily in the conversation? Do you like those topics? Do you want to engage I those conversations? You can both learn a lot and also add value to your own life and business if you are engaging in conversations you enjoy.
5. Ask Them — Once you’ve identified precisely who you want to market to, you can simply ask them questions about what they want and need when you’ve incorporated yourself into their communities. You’re going to get far more insight when you participate and network with your audience.
Think about it. Isn’t this topic just “friendship 101”? You don’t just decide for your friend group what you will be doing and where you will go all the time. You want to be sure that everyone, or at least a fair number of individuals in the group, wants to hang that way.
6. Do a Test to Determine Interest — Another way to check if you have the right audience is to generate a test of some kind. Create a checklist for a topic that you think they care about, offer it as a freebie to see who takes it. Then ask for feedback.
This would be like having game night at your house and pulling out Cards Against Humanity and just seeing if everyone would like to test it out for just a few rounds vs. planning the entire night around that theme. We berry test things all the time in real life. Same thing with your audience.
7. Identify Their Pain Points — When it comes to knowing your audience’s pain point, you’ll need first to understand your expertise and the niche you want to be of assistance to your audience. In other words, choose pain points you can solve.
Again, think of your best friend. Do you know what she struggles with? Of course, you do! Do you know what drives your spouse nuts? Of course, your do. If you can’t empathetically identify with your audience, then pass. It is really hard for them to truly want your help if they don’t feel like you are authentically aware of their pain, their struggles, and their passions. You can’t fix their pain with your solution if you don’t know what it is.
8. Be a Resource — Sometimes, you may not be able to fix a problem on your own due to a miss-match with the audience. When this happens, don’t force it. Focus on being a resource to your audience, and it’ll be a win-win.
What does this mean? Consider this. What if your friend had a serious drinking problem and they asked for your help? Unless you are an AODA counselor you might not know how to support them. Yet, you might know of a great resource. That is what this means. If you don’t have the solution to an adjacent problem, don’t try to be all things to all people. Start creating your list of resources that can support the needs of your audience for areas that you are not an expert in. You would do the same thing for a friend, right?
9. Use the Tools of The Trade — Don’t skimp on software that helps you get to know your audience and network with them. Use paid versions of the software that you want to help you get more done, such as email marketing software, landing page software, and others.
This one is a bit oversimplified to be honest. It is essentially saying don’t use two tin cups and a string to call your bestie. Get that iPhone. Same with keeping in touch with your audience. You can use the free version of Mailchimp, that is until you want to create a new lead sequence. You can cobble together a lead page, or you can use ClickFunnels to create it.
However, start where you are. A real-life example of this might be inviting friends over for dinner. If you have a card table right now, you still invite them over. When you get that next job, invite them over to the new dining room table. When you hit it big, invite them to a resort. Essentially, use the tools for the place you are in your business. Mailchimp is a good “card table” and ClickFunnels $97 a month model is an okay starter dining room table.
10. Build Relationships — As you get to know your audience, make the focus on relationship building. When you build a close relationship with your audience due to your honesty, transparency, and ability to stay on the topic, you’re going to build strong relationships.
This entire article was not just about building your audience, it was about building the relationships you have with your audience. Of course, you are not going to be able to talk personally to 1000 people in one day, but you could do it in 30 days with some email marketing magic. Right now, though we just want to make sure that you want to talk to them. So do the work.
As you work on getting your first 1000 subscribers, you’ll want to keep each of these tips in mind. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Instead, do what works repeatedly, and you’ll soon find that you’re building your list with an active and interested audience who needs what you offer.
More Stories from Practical Business You Might Enjoy … | https://medium.com/practical-business/who-do-you-love-get-to-know-your-audience-a7311bdf404b | ['Jackie Schwabe', 'Mba'] | 2020-12-02 19:22:34.381000+00:00 | ['Email Marketing', 'List Building', 'Online Marketing', 'Marketing Automation', 'Email Marketing Tips'] |
How to Avoid a Mountain Lion Attack | Whether you call them puma, cougar, mountain lion, catamount, mountain screamer, panther, ghost cat, or another of its 40 different names the species Puma concolor ranges across the Americas from the West Coasts of Canada down to the Southern regions of Argentina. Even with such a wide range, these cats are rarely ever seen. These cats are secretive and you are incredibly lucky to ever see one, but chances are the cat will have seen you before you ever get a glimpse of them. While they are rare and elusive cats, as humans encroach on their territory human-wildlife conflict grows. They will take dogs left outside at night and have attacked hikers. These cats are not evil, this is a result of us encroaching on their land. What should you do if that cat starts approaching you? How can you avoid becoming a target? Well, there are several steps you can take to avoid becoming a target and actions you can take if you come face to face with one of the most successful predators in all of the Americas.
Preventing the attack:
Mountains lions will attack for two reasons. They may attack if they feel you are a threat to their territory, their kill, or their cubs. A mother mountain lion will defend her cubs with her life and if she feels that you are a threat she will neutralize that threat as soon as possible. Another reason they may attack is if they see you as a meal. There are ways to prevent both types of attacks. First, when in mountain lion territory make yourself a less appealing meal. Mountain lions size up their meals from the shadows, it will judge whether you are worth the potential risk to hunt. A good way to avoid this is to travel with a buddy and do not separate. Predators like to pick targets that are alone or have strayed away from the group. Try to avoid hiking during their feeding times, the main times they hunt is at dawn and dusk. During these times the cat will be out stalking prey. While the chances are low that it finds you and starts sizing you up if you are going alone avoid going at dawn or dusk. Always care a hiking pole or other device that can be used as a weapon on you, not only will it help protect you from an aggressive mountain lion but if the cat starts approaching you it can help make you look bigger. As for territorial disputes, simply avoid areas where mountain lions are known to have their cubs. If you see any signs of mountain lion activity near a cave or den, back up and avoid going near it again.
What if you see the mountain lion?
This is what a mountain lion will generally look like when stalking prey except they would be behind cover like bushes, logs, or tall grass.
If somehow you have spotted a mountain lion you need to read its behavior before you stop to take photos. If it is low to the ground in tall grass and staring at you, it is likely stalking you. If it is still moving or sitting still in that position it likely doesn’t know you have already seen it. Make it apparent that you have already seen it. Cats are generally very reluctant to hunt prey that has already seen them. You can do this by yelling in its direction and making loud noises. This will discourage further stalking. Whatever happens, never run from a mountain lion. This should be the rule for any predator, but especially with mountain lions. You can not outrun a mountain lion, these cats can go 45–50 mph (72–80 kilometres per hour). Cats have a really strong prey drive, meaning if you run they automatically assume that you are scared of them. The only reason you should be scared of them is if you are weaker than them (which you generally are) or a potential prey item so they will automatically start chasing you. If you run you are also exposing the back of your neck to the cat, they often target the throat so you give the cat even more incentive to give chase. If the cat is acting aggressive (hissing and growling at you, trying to intimidate you), simply start backing away but walk backwards with your eyes on the cat in case it charges. If it is not doing either of these things you may stop and take pictures of an animal you may never see in the wild again and then quietly back away, but no matter what do not take your eyes off the back, always walk backwards. Mountain lions are solitary and have massive territories (males can have territories upwards of around 390 square miles) so you are likely seeing the only one in the area unless it is a mother with cubs. No matter what do not give the cat an opportunity to get your neck so do not crouch down or bend over, it makes you an easy target for the mountain lion.
If it advances what do you do?
If the cat advances make sure you make yourself look as big as possible. You want to make yourself look intimidating. While still backing down put your child on your shoulders, or anyone in the group whom you can have on your shoulders. Grab branches and sticks and wave them around while yelling. It may sound dumb, but mountain lions are intelligent. When stalking prey they will assess if it is worth the risk to attempt to make a kill. The bigger you look, the less likely it will be that the cat continues its advance. If it keeps advancing and gets way too close start throwing rocks, logs, branches, pebbles, sand, and any other small objects you have at the cat. Just be careful not to bend over or crouch at all. Try to grab things that you can grab without bending down, assuming you are hiking grab a branch or a if you have a rock face to one side grab a loose rock. This should discourage it and warn it that you are not going down without a fight. If it does attack prepare to fight back. Aim for its eyes, whiskers, ears, and nose. If it attempts to restrain you kick it while covering your neck with your hands. Remember, its target is your neck and if it bites you there you will likely be dead. Mountain lions are powerful but after sustaining a few injuries they will realize it is not worth it and retreat. After the mountain lion is fought off, immediately go to a hospital to get your wounds treated. | https://medium.com/@rayyanibrahim16/how-to-avoid-a-mountain-lion-attack-fc51b3d973ba | ['Rayyan Ibrahim'] | 2020-12-12 23:23:42.181000+00:00 | ['Survival', 'Hiking', 'Wildlife', 'Mountain Lion', 'Outdoors'] |
#2 Backend developer — for those who like to be behind the scenes | This post is the second of a set of 4 episodes where we are going to talk about the most common career paths of Web Development. We’re going to describe what is a backend developer identifying:
A common challenge a backend developer has to solve; Some technologies they could work on; The average salary; The first steps to become a web developer.
THE CHALLENGE — SAVE THE DATA A USER FILLED IN A WEB FORM
So a common interaction between a user and a web application is the signup form. The user provides all the necessary input data to register it in the application. That data needs to be persisted in the database so that the user could sign in the application.
In the diagram below you can see the workflow and in the orange box is the module the backend developer will work on. He needs to get the data sent from the browser, validate that data, persist in the database and sends a response back to the user.
TECHNOLOGIES — NO YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW ALL OF THEM
Below you can find a set of common technologies backend developers usually know. Of course, you don’t need to know all of them. You will start with a small set of technologies and you will be ready to work with all of them after some training. For instance, if you start with us you will start with Javascript and Node.JS.
Java and Spring Python Javascript and Node.JS C/C++/C# Dot.net PHP and Laravel Go SQL NoSQL
WHAT IS THE AVERAGE JUNIOR BACKEND DEVELOPER SALARY?
According to Glassdoor, the average front end developer salary globally is 89k$ per year.
Obviously, this depends on the country where you live, the company where you will work, the type of projects you will work with, and so on. But actually, in this world, you would have the opportunity to develop your own path. You would be able to choose between multiple companies, types of projects, remote working vs office working, among so many other factors.
HOW CAN I START?
Follow this checklist and you will be ready to get a job as a backend developer in less than 3 months.
Check our Study Guide Identify online courses, videos, and articles for each topic of the study guide Follow the guide using the resources you have identified
So for each section, it’s important that you search for related resources on the internet. Google might be your best friend! However, if you find it too difficult to find the appropriate resources for each section, we can help you. We developed a boot camp where you will find the best free resources for each section we do recommend you to follow. So our boot camp is a way you tackle this issue and reduce the time you need to complete this study guide.
HOW MUCH TIME DO I NEED TO BECOME A JUNIOR BACKEND DEVELOPER?
How much effort it will require? Based on our research and estimates you can become a well-paid junior backend developer in less than 3 months. Hard work, focus, and well-planned study guide are mandatory. But the outcomes will be amazing.
Now, you already have a big picture of what you have to learn to become a backend developer and to get an amazing opportunity to change your professional career. But we can help you more with this.
We provide you a completely free and well-planned study guide you can follow to become a web developer. | https://medium.com/@mobwiser/this-post-is-the-second-of-a-set-of-4-episodes-where-we-are-going-to-talk-about-the-most-common-ac28e52fe75f | [] | 2020-04-04 15:31:08.984000+00:00 | ['Become Web Developer', 'Web Development', 'Learn Programming Online', 'Backend Development', 'Software Development'] |
Disappointed by Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit: A review by a former professional Go player | Note: This review includes spoilers.
At first I didn’t pay much attention to Netflix’s original show, The Queen’s Gambit. After all, it’s a story about chess, not Go. I am a retired professional Go player, now working as a software engineer. I first learned Go when I was five years old, and trained up to twelve hours a day as a young prodigy, until I became a professional player at sixteen.
Chess and Go have many similarities. They are both mind sports, both have national and international competitions with substantial prize money, and elite players of both games devote their lives to become the world’s best. When I worked for the International Go Federation, I even had a chance to work alongside officials from FIDE, the chess federation, and to visit some world-class chess competitions that were co-located with Go events.
When The Queen’s Gambit became a world-wide sensation, my social media feeds filled up with more and more of my Go friends posting about it. I finally decided to watch the show. Plus, it also helped that my husband recently received a one-year complimentary membership to Netflix.
I understand The Queen’s Gambit is fiction — a fanciful story about a beautiful young woman becoming world chess champion, how she overcomes drug and alcohol addictions, and how American chess players come together as a team to help her defeat “The Russian.” I don’t mind how unlikely these events are. I am thrilled and touched to watch them. However, many aspects of the story left me frustrated. Rather than feeling excited to watch the next episode, I had to force myself to continue the series, thinking I should at least finish the show.
Here are the main reasons why I was disappointed by The Queen’s Gambit:
In real life, players grow stronger from losing. I remember the moments, hundreds of them, when I went to the bathroom to cry by myself, because I felt so upset and angry after losing a match. No one is so talented and so far ahead of everyone else that they never lose. I believe losing is an indispensable part of the journey. You grow stronger from the pain of losing. In The Queen’s Gambit, Beth almost never loses, except to the US champion or world champion. The story would have been more compelling if she had lost more games, especially in the beginning, and learned from them. Not even a genius can become world champion without extensive and systematic training. Training requires sacrifice. When I was an elementary school student, I could only imagine what it would be like to be free to go to friends’ birthday parties, or just casually to hang out with them. The reality was, day after day, I always had to go to my Go school for training, without exception. I couldn’t help feeling cheated watching Beth become US champion, and later world champion, without strict training or sacrifices. The transition from a hobby player to an elite player is tough. It seems free and easy when you are playing for an hour or two here and there. You might think you really like it and you could do it all day, but when you actually start playing as a career, you will sooner or later encounter struggles. When Beth began getting full support from her mother and they travelled all around the country together, I expected to see at least some struggle from Beth. They were not well-off, and paying travel expenses up front meant that Beth absolutely had to win. This is a significant pressure, but the show didn’t depict how Beth handled this transition and pressure. Strong players have a strong respect for the game. In Beth’s game against the young Russian boy to become US “co-champion”, it was unthinkable that she would behave with such poor manners. It’s absolutely unbelievable that she would lose self-control the night before her final match in Paris. I also didn’t appreciate how she constantly stared at her opponents. It’s considered bad manners in Go, and while I don’t know for sure whether it’s the same in chess, I never saw any world-class player doing that when I visited chess events. I highly doubt that any world-class chess player would spend time styling her hair and putting on impeccable makeup, including long fake eyelashes, in the morning before important matches. Beth was already stunning — was it really necessary to doll her up like that for all the match scenes?
Having said all that, I do agree that the acting was splendid and the cinematography was stylish. I am also happy for the chess community, which is enjoying a tremendous influx of new players thanks to the show. While there have been lots of movies and TV shows about elite athletes and sports dramas, there have been too few about mind sports: chess, Go, bridge, and so on. My small wish is to see more content in this area, and with more compelling stories. | https://medium.com/@hajinlee/disappointed-by-netflixs-the-queen-s-gambit-a-review-by-a-former-professional-go-player-292d2ee96960 | ['Hajin Lee'] | 2020-12-16 05:50:41.276000+00:00 | ['Go', 'Baduk', 'Chess', 'The Queens Gambit'] |
disbelief | Literally Literary
We've Got a Story for You | https://medium.com/literally-literary/disbelief-6fcecaa41493 | ['Matt Vercillo'] | 2017-07-17 12:58:48.890000+00:00 | ['Poetry', 'Poetry On Medium', 'Literally Literary', 'Fiction', 'Creative Writing'] |
How to build a Play To Earn game on Near | This guide is meant to let you understand the basic dynamics that will enable you to create a play to earn game on Near Protocol.
We don’t mean to make you or your players rich, but the mechanics of Near work in such a way for small transactions to be very useful on a simple HTML5 UI and create a simple and fun farming game.
We will analyze a smart contract and the js/rust files behind an existing farming game, berryclub. If you apply the very same logic to your ideas of game you may get even funnier results!
To follow the technical side of this tutorial we highly recommend checking the figment Near Pathway to build a transaction and build your first smart contract on Near, the concepts present in that guides are not included in this tutorial. It will be far easier fo you to follow this tutorial if you keep a tab open on the linked source file while reading the explanation, because much of the mentioned code is referenced with line numbers but not reproduced here. The BerryClub original repo was forked for this tutorial in order to keep this effort valid as far as the code still works on the blockchain; as you will see in the next section the game itself has evolved thourgh time and will be evolving again, we wanted to make a point of it’s state right now.
The Berryclub frontend
Berryclub is built with React, so the very first thing we’ll step into in the app.js file located into the src folder of the github repo, this will save us time in analysing the contract letting us focus on what we need to extrapolate the logic outside of the actual game (which is fun and played by a big community btw).
import React from “react”;
import BN from “bn.js”;
import * as nearAPI from “near-api-js”;
import { AlphaPicker, HuePicker, GithubPicker } from “react-color”;
import Switch from “react-switch”;
import { Weapons } from “./Weapons”;
import Timer from “react-compound-timer”;
After importing react the first library needed is bn.js a simple utility to manage integers or non decimal numbers, many features can come to your interface with this library, first of all here it is used to manage the transactions:
const PixelPrice = new BN(“10000000000000000000000”);
The berryclub game is based on real estate economics, there is a board managed by a part of the contract called board.rs, it is subdivided in pixels, and each pixel has a price which has to be paid in order to draw on it. The machanics of the “draw” action are the core of the Farming and self substaining abilities of the game and will be analysed in depth when we get to the smart contract.
As you can see here the single pixel price is declared as a constant at the very start of our application, and may be modified using the frontend tools and the bn.j library. The second import is the near sdk which allows us to interact with the Near blockchain as explained in the Figment near pathway. The first usage of the near api is to declare the used contract variables and to ensure that the mainnet is used when code is run from the berryclub url:
const IsMainnet = window.location.hostname === "berryclub.io";
const TestNearConfig = {
networkId: "testnet",
nodeUrl: "https://rpc.testnet.near.org",
contractName: "berryclub.testnet",
walletUrl: "https://wallet.testnet.near.org",
};
const MainNearConfig = {
networkId: "mainnet",
nodeUrl: "https://rpc.mainnet.near.org",
contractName: "berryclub.ek.near",
walletUrl: "https://wallet.near.org",
};
const NearConfig = IsMainnet ? MainNearConfig : TestNearConfig;
Then we import the react UI utilities to build our interface and allow people to draw, react-color, react-switch and react-compound-timer. The first of these utlitities that’s used is the timer, it is used to set a timeout for refreshing the board on line 62.
The board “refreshing” is done by the frontend to display the updated board state using an RPC call to the smart contract.
const BatchTimeout = 500;
const RefreshBoardTimeout = 1000;
const MaxWorkTime = 10 * 60 * 1000;
const OneDayMs = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
What we see here are two const more than the ones needed for refreshing, the last two in fact are used for Farming the pixels after drawing them, and set a time slot of one day to calculate the rewards. Other const are also declared to manage the Board accordingly with the Smart contract, and here, for the first time we cross the concept of lines, wich will be very important to understand the board management and is the most reusable item of the whole interface:
const BoardHeight = 50;
const BoardWidth = 50;
const NumLinesPerFetch = 50;
const ExpectedLineLength = 4 + 8 * BoardWidth;
As you can see, after subdividing the board 50x50 we tell our interface to fetch only the lines following the RefreshBoardTimeout instruction and to consider the lenght of each line as the Boardwidth multiplied for 12, the size of a single cell.
const CellWidth = 12;
const CellHeight = 12;
const MaxNumColors = 31;
const BatchOfPixels = 100;
Pixels are considered in batch, not independently, both when the draw action is called and when the interface is refreshed.
Last but not least our imports include a custom UI component, called Weapons,js: this component has been developed later in the history of the berryclub community, in order for each user to be able to upload and draw an entire image on the board, and mint it on the berrycards NFT marketplace.
DeFi mechanics
The lines between 27 and 51 are a useful referencee to how this Dapp builds its Farming abilities over some basic DeFi mechanics that will be analysed in the last parts of this tutorial. By now we just briefly mention that in order to draw/buy a pixel berryclub funnels you through a couple of DeFi operations on ref.finance using it’s own specific Tokens, avocados for buying pixels and bananas earned from the pixels you bought.
There is a simple uniswap clone created to swap near for bananas/avocados that worked on the same smart contract built for the other tokens of this game/prototype. There is also a farming token created for the game, called cucumber, it allows people to earn a part of the tokens that the whole community that plays the game pays for gas to draw on the board.
The Account or how users make money
This is the very first step we make into the rust code of the smart contract, but I felt the need to remind you that DeFi mechanics aren’t the only way Berryclub let’s you earn tokens. The account has a particular file in the berryclub smart contract we don’t need to step into that immediately, what we need to know is that some informationinformations are collected in the account object that are crucial for the farming and earning mechanics:
accountID
accountIndex for the list(vector) of accounts that touched the pixel board for the last time
balance(vector for multiple tokens owned)
number of pixels
claimed timestamp (nanoseconds, when the given account claimed rewards for the last time)
farming preferences (either bananas or cucumbers)
Last two info are to calculate the rewards at a given moment, for example if you own 5 pixels for one day you acquire 5 bananas. If you buy from someone else their earning decreases because the number of pixels they own decreases so the amount of earning get calculated and the timestamp renewed relating the new amount of owned pixels. As we’re gonna see, the rewards are calculated based on these two variables. The operation applied to the previous owner account when a pixel is drawn is called “touch” and you can find it in the account.rs rust file. Ownership of the single pixel unity, is the base for earning on berryclub, and in this way this mechanics are pretty much the same an NFT staking interface could use, rewarding NFT ownership.
pub fn touch(&mut self) -> (Berry, Balance) {
let block_timestamp = env::block_timestamp();
let time_diff = block_timestamp - self.claim_timestamp;
let farm_bonus = if self.farming_preference == Berry::Avocado {
1
} else {
0
};
let farmed = Balance::from(self.num_pixels + farm_bonus)
* Balance::from(time_diff)
* REWARD_PER_PIXEL_PER_NANOSEC;
self.claim_timestamp = block_timestamp;
self.balances[self.farming_preference as usize] += farmed;
(self.farming_preference, farmed)
}
To clear any doubts the initial owner of the board is 0, the contract itself, and whether finding a previous owner is not possible, the contract is used as the previous owner. Finally to start up the game some tokens have been stored in the contract’s account and they are always increased using the gas price established for people to buy avocados and bananas, so that the “vault” of the game is always filled with some tokens for the users to gain. Now let’s get back to our interface.
Numbers to Colors and Back
The lines between 67 and 82 on app.js are used to decode numbers into colors and back, in order for the UI elements to interact with the board, two constant variables are definded, intToColor and rgbaToInt. What we can notice here is that to transform an integer number into a colour string methods are used to divide the 3 numbers for red green an blue:
const intToColor = (c) => `#${c.toString(16).padStart(6, "0")}`;
const intToColorWithAlpha = (c, a) =>
`#${c.toString(16).padStart(6, "0")}${Math.round(255 * a)
.toString(16)
.padStart(2, "0")}`;
To reverse the color string into integer we simply apply a math.round() function and use the resulting integer.
const rgbaToInt = (cr, cg, cb, ca, bgColor) => {
const bb = bgColor & 255;
const bg = (bgColor >> 8) & 255;
const br = (bgColor >> 16) & 255; const r = Math.round(cr * ca + br * (1 - ca));
const g = Math.round(cg * ca + bg * (1 - ca));
const b = Math.round(cb * ca + bb * (1 - ca));
return (r << 16) + (g << 8) + b;
};
Lines below these are about uploading and printing images on the board using the weapon component and we won’t take care of them in depth: imgColorToInt and int2hsv transform numbers into two different kinds of color scales, then transparentColor is defined and a gamma for the image to be printed into with generateGamma . In decodeLine we transform the buffer in an array of pixels to be printed on the board using the above colors, iterating through them with for.
First React constructor
In the next lines of the app.js we define a constructor that will define the states we will use later into our UI to interact with the blockchain.
class App extends React.Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
Using constructor and super will keep us able to use this. in the constructor. The states defined here are the default selected color and color palette:
const colors = [
"#000000",
"#666666",
"#aaaaaa",
"#FFFFFF",
"#F44E3B",
"#D33115",
"#9F0500",
"#FE9200",
"#E27300",
"#C45100",
"#FCDC00",
"#FCC400",
"#FB9E00",
"#DBDF00",
"#B0BC00",
"#808900",
"#A4DD00",
"#68BC00",
"#194D33",
"#68CCCA",
"#16A5A5",
"#0C797D",
"#73D8FF",
"#009CE0",
"#0062B1",
"#AEA1FF",
"#7B64FF",
"#653294",
"#FDA1FF",
"#FA28FF",
"#AB149E",
].map((c) => c.toLowerCase());
// const currentColor = parseInt(colors[Math.floor(Math.random() * colors.length)].substring(1), 16);
const currentColor = parseInt(colors[0].substring(1), 16);
const defaultAlpha = 0.25;
And for the timer that refresh the board:
const timeMs = new Date().getTime();
const freeDrawingStartMsEstimated =
timeMs -
((timeMs - new Date("2021-05-09")) % (7 * OneDayMs)) +
OneDayMs * 6;
Then the states of the user account in use are defined, most importantly whether the user has signed in, if there are any pending transactions (defined as pendingPixels ) the boardLoaded state will load the canvas board for drawing the selectedCell alpha and pickerColor states define the states of the interactive components to add colors to the board, along with pickingColor for picking the color from the board and gammaColors is useful for image printing on the board along with the weaponsOn and weaponsCodePosition states.
These other states states are useful for the account to earn on he game, pixel based and DeFi based:
owners: [],
accounts: {},
highlightedAccountIndex: -1,
selectedOwnerIndex: false,
farmingBanana: false,
While the last three states setup the timer for later usage:
freeDrawingStart: new Date(freeDrawingStartMsEstimated),
freeDrawingEnd: new Date(freeDrawingStartMsEstimated + OneDayMs),
watchMode: false,
The following list (lines 203-215) defines objects and actions that will interact with the states, referencing a DOM element for the first time, the canvas board.
this._buttonDown = false;
this._oldCounts = {};
this._numFailedTxs = 0;
this._balanceRefreshTimer = null;
this.canvasRef = React.createRef();
this._context = false;
this._lines = false;
this._queue = [];
this._pendingPixels = [];
this._refreshBoardTimer = null;
this._sendQueueTimer = null;
this._stopRefreshTime = new Date().getTime() + MaxWorkTime;
this._accounts = {};
Lastly we define some of the states after the login is done:
this._initNear().then(() => {
this.setState(
{
connected: true,
signedIn: !!this._accountId,
accountId: this._accountId,
ircAccountId: this._accountId.replace(".", "_"),
freeDrawingStart: this._freeDrawingStart,
freeDrawingEnd: this._freeDrawingEnd,
},
() => {
if (window.location.hash.indexOf("watch") >= 0) {
setTimeout(() => this.enableWatchMode(), 500);
}
}
);
});
Basic interactions
Now we start describing interactions on the board/canvas connecting them to the previously defined states. For these interactions we use functions. The first one will use our previous reference to the canvas element to create it and instruct it with details about the kind of mouse movement we allow to our users. On the first click we enable watchmode for our timer to start:
const click = async () => {
if (this.state.watchMode) {
return;
}
And image rendering mode if the user wants to print an image on the board:
if (this.state.rendering) {
await this.drawImg(this.state.selectedCell);
} else if (this.state.pickingColor) {
this.pickColor(this.state.selectedCell);
} else {
this.saveColor();
await this.drawPixel(this.state.selectedCell);
}
The next is the important part, we define how the interface reads the mouse and touch movement over the board:
if ("touches" in e) {
if (e.touches.length > 1) {
return true;
} else {
const rect = e.target.getBoundingClientRect();
x = e.targetTouches[0].clientX - rect.left;
y = e.targetTouches[0].clientY - rect.top;
}
} else {
x = e.offsetX;
y = e.offsetY;
}
The used code takes carefully into consideration the mobile users both, building an ad-hoc function to calculate the position and adding a listener to the canvas/board for touch events: canvas.addEventListener("touchmove", mouseMove); Then these interactions are used to set the selectedCell state and track both start and end of the mouse/touch action on the canvas along with its movement on each cell:
const mouseDown = async (e) => {
this._buttonDown = true;
if (this.state.selectedCell !== null) {
await click();
}
}; canvas.addEventListener("mousedown", mouseDown);
canvas.addEventListener("touchstart", mouseDown); const unselectCell = () => {
this.setState(
{
selectedCell: null,
},
() => this.renderCanvas()
);
}; const mouseUp = async (e) => {
this._buttonDown = false;
if ("touches" in e) {
unselectCell();
}
}; canvas.addEventListener("mouseup", mouseUp);
canvas.addEventListener("touchend", mouseUp); canvas.addEventListener("mouseleave", unselectCell); canvas.addEventListener("mouseenter", (e) => {
if (this._buttonDown) {
if (!("touches" in e) && !(e.buttons & 1)) {
this._buttonDown = false;
}
}
});
The interaction here work on the previously defined states, as for instance the color picker allows us to pick colors from the board and use then to draw. The key used by the color picker is the alt key and we can upload and print images on the board only if the color picker is disabled, because we will then trigger the generategamma function. In this way the pickcolor() function, referenced to the cell will be usable to set a single pixel or instead the whole board to render an image:
pickColor(cell) {
if (!this.state.signedIn || !this._lines || !this._lines[cell.y]) {
return;
}
const color = this._lines[cell.y][cell.x].color; this.setState(
{
currentColor: color,
alpha: 1,
pickerColor: intToColorWithAlpha(color, 1),
gammaColors: generateGamma(int2hsv(color)[0]),
pickingColor: false,
},
() => {
this.renderCanvas();
}
);
}
Now guys we get to the core, so be ready to start diving on the Smart contract. We know how to draw the pixel in the interface, but we need to attach the transactions to them in order for our interface to be a real play to earn. So please pay careful attention to what I’m about to say, because even if your game looks completely different from this in terms of UI the earn mechanics may very well be suitable for any other kind of game and will be explained here in the simplest way that I can. | https://medium.com/near-devs/how-to-build-a-play-to-earn-game-on-near-bc04dc7024bd | [] | 2021-09-08 05:49:11.042000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'Smart Contracts', 'Tutorial', 'Near Protocol', 'Playtoearn'] |
New Apple Mac Mini Review | The new Mac mini is Apple’s first desktop to get a new M series processor, which makes sense because it’s a less expensive, flexible, and more common line-of-the-line model. While Apple claims that significant performance improvements compared to Intel-based models, this PC is at the bottom of the stack and may not be used for heavy work when software and hardware compatibility is very important. It also has a low initial price, which means it’s a little easier for people to get their hands on some of the testing and testing.
Let’s find out the new mac mini Review!
Price of New Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) and variety
Perhaps the biggest surprise about the new M1-based Mac mini is that it starts at $ 100 less than the previous version based on Intel. In India, the base variation with 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD costs Rs. 64,900 while doubling the storage to 512GB will increase the price to Rs. 84,900. It is important to know that both RAM and storage are not expandable and interchangeable so you should consider how your usage will emerge over time.
Apple now offers customization options in India with its online store and authorized distributors. If you want your new Mac mini with 16GB of RAM, you will have to pay Rs. 20,000 more. You can also select 1TB SSD for Rs. 40,000 more than the basic price, or one for 2TB of Rs. 80,000 more. These prices speak for themselves, do you think you can buy a standard 1TB NVMe SSD for less than Rs. 10,000 today, but some of your options are outdoor driving and cloud storage.
Without Apple’s metal adhesion to its image, the company does not sell the same monitors (except for the Ultra-high-end 32-inch 6K Pro Display XDR) so you will need to purchase your own. You can choose to purchase the Microsoft Expensive Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and/or Magnet Trackpad 2, but surprisingly this is not provided as an add-on when preparing your Mac mini online.
Previous Intel-based options are still available, but only as a high-end fix that starts at Rs. 1,04,900 with 3GHz 8th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU. This can be configured up to Core i7 CPU, 64GB of RAM, and 2TB storage, and 10Gbit Ethernet to choose from. This is good news for people who use Mac minis as servers or production sites.
New Mac mini design (M1, 2020)
It is not immediately clear how to tell the M1 mini-based Mac mini without its predecessors. The most obvious trace is the return of silver aluminum after one generation of Space Gray bodies. Looking back, you will also find only two Thunderbolt Type-C holes instead of the usual four.
The body is crushed from a single metal block. It is less than 20cm square and 3.6cm long, weighing 1.2kg. It can be easily removed from the corner, or it looks good enough and not so clear that most people will want it on their table. Mount VESA would have allowed the box to be attached to the back of most desktop monitors, but you would have to purchase a third-party bracket if you want to do so.
The front is completely empty except for a small white power LED in the lower right corner. The power button is located in the back right corner. All backports, and there are good choices with respect to modern Mac standards — dual-type AA ports, two Type-A ports, dual Thunderbolt / USB4 (40Gbps) Type-C ports also support video output, standard HDMI 2.0 port, socket 3.5mm audio, and Gigabit Ethernet. The energy incorporated into the body decreases so there is an AC inlet and no external brick to deal with.
There is also enough air in the back. The Apple Mac mini (M1, 2020) is actively cool with the fan, unlike its new MacBook Air sibling (M1, 2020) (Update). This makes sense for a desktop PC and also means that continuous long-term performance should not be a problem.
New Mac mini Review with details (M1, 2020)
In the early days of computers, companies used equipment or custom CPUs from various providers. As IBM PC specifications increased dominance and more early computer models were out of business or integrated, Intel’s x86 processors and DOS / Windows operating systems became the standard across the industry. This is why almost all computers have standard, interactive, and software tools.
Apple, as a rule, which differs in all styles and laws, has used two completely different formats (Motorola 68000 and PowerPC) until market forces and volatile suppliers force it to bend over to Intel CPUs in 2006. bad, because Apple develops and manages its operating system and many popular software programs. A tool called Rosetta allowed older software to be “translated” on the plane, and people could for the first time using Windows easily and officially on Mac hardware without lazy simulation. All in all, it was a good move at the time — but Apple likes to do things its own way.
Today, it may be that Apple is the only company in the world with the resources and commitment, as well as a user base, to justify pulling the standard and going back to the era of segregation. After refining its house-to-house engineering talent for generations of successful processors for smartphones and tablets, Apple is betting that it’s time to take the custom route with desktop PCs and laptops.
The new Apple M1 processor, despite its infamous name, is a major departure from Intel’s architecture. Apple says the new Mac mini achieves 3X CPU performance and 6X faster graphics than the previous generation while adding its Neural Engine system to 15X faster machine learning. For laptops like the new MacBook Air, it also delivers high battery life.
The M1 includes four cores of efficient CPU and four power, 16-core integrated GPU, storage controllers, and IO, security, and image signal processor. Most interestingly Apple has incorporated DRAM directly into the SoC package which gives all the different logics equal access, which should increase speed and reduce delays.
As before, Apple has worked on its hardware and software as well. The MacOS 11 Big Sur is designed for Apple Silicon, the entire in-app is pre-configured, and Rosetta 2 will render third-party software as needed.
M1 SoC is Apple’s biggest success, and this is the first chapter of a major change. At the end of the day, the company clearly wants things to be business as usual for its end users — just another day, they do the same things, only very quickly.
Without the processor, the latest Apple Mac mini is not much different than its predecessor. RAM and storage are not upgraded and sadly Apple will not allow even an additional internal SSD — even if the motherboard is smaller than before, leaving space on the chassis. There are advantages and disadvantages to this approach to laptops, but there is no reason for desktop PCs to be a problem.
You get Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5, but no NFC or Ultra-Wideband support, Apple has built on all of its latest laptops and virtual reality objects such as AirDrop-directed file transfers. There is a built-in speaker that works for all sounds, not just beeps at the system level. One big drawback compared to the Intel-based Mac mini is that there are only two C-type ports on the back, rather than four. This supports Thunderbolt / USB4 standards up to 40Gbps of data.
You can connect one monitor up to 6K with another C-hole adjustment, and use a second 4K monitor with HDMI. Intel-based Macs can have up to three external displays and can work with Thunderbolt GPUs. Such use cases may be a suitable niche, but you should be aware that these limitations exist.
Continue Reading | https://medium.com/@gadgetpilot/new-apple-mac-mini-review-9d6fcbac286e | ['Gadget Pilot'] | 2020-12-17 09:35:34.486000+00:00 | ['Gadgets', 'Laptop', 'Apple Mac Mini', 'Apple Mac', 'Apple Macbook'] |
Green Warrior Permaculture. A truly remarkable company by the name… | A truly remarkable company by the name of green warrior permacultures is launching their new training program. They train to become a real life superheros by demonstrating and launching a positive way of living life. Preserving life and the land we live on. Along with delivering emergency disaster relief aid to people living in poverty and third world countries.
For more information on training or application process follow this link: https://greenwarriorpermaculture.wordpress.com.
Become a hero and learn to give disaster relief for others in disaster relief and poverty-stricken areas of the world. Training Courses are tough and rigorous, but hey not all heroes wear capes.
Green warrior permaculture has been making life long impacts on millions of lives around the world since 1999. Founded and started by Steve Cran a sustainable community development specialist or “Permaculture Aid Worker” with 20 years of field project experience who believed that helping others less fortunate was the key to sustain life and happiness. That man is Steve Cran. Steve Cran Started the company in hopes of showing a small group of young men how to gain food sustainability and how to support that sustainability and take care of land they farm on and import long term solutions to the sinkhole like problems poor people have endured for decades. That small group of young men were later called Warriors by their people for their cultural expansion and role model like attributes.
These warriors are even providing aid to farmers all around the world with the launching of the Super-Farmer collective a system that lets farmers borrow money. Along with using LEISA (Low external input sustainable agriculture) organic farming methods which is like a guide on how to farm their newly acquired enhanced farming methods said to make farmers a higher profit than years past.
With the launching of the Super-Farmer collective comes more training courses and expansion opportunities for all who are interested. Farmers receive 1 week field academy training and 1 week work experience training on a working Super-Farm. All field
Also, keep in mind that this all being accomplished through NGOS. NGOS are nonprofit organizations that run independently of any government, typically one whose purpose is to discuss a social or political issue.
A company spokesperson once said,”The sole future for humanity is a sustainable one, so let’s get to it.”
Steve Cran’s expansion has exploded throughout Southeast Asia and East Africa on Permaculture Aid Field Skills. Along with providing his incredible training courses to help more and more young people wanting to make a difference in this world flourish in life.
Summary: From building a base camp to planting a community food security garden this training will give anybody who wants to enter the aid industry a head start. For those people serious about a career in overseas development work, this course in a must. | https://medium.com/@ryanhammerdick/press-release-announcement-9ea26540a44a | ['Ryan Hanrahan'] | 2020-12-24 01:02:46.079000+00:00 | ['Disaster Relief', 'Sustainability', 'Farming', 'Community Development', 'Training Courses'] |
Marcus Aurelius: The Control Switch | Fear stalks us constantly.
We’re a unique species for our suffering of fear. A spooked animal will run to safety and then settle again, ceasing to worry, grazing as if nothing had happened. Human beings fear constantly, even the nothingness of uncertainty can terrify us. We lie awake at night, in the comfort of our homes, worrying, fearing.
We fear losing our jobs, we fear losing our possessions, we fear being shamed, we fear rivals, we fear friends, we fear old age, we fear loss, we fear death, we fear too much life too.
Many people pray they will never face their fears, many pray their problems will go away. Those who don’t believe in God simply wish for the same. There’s not much difference. Either way, fate will do with us what it will.
Mental strength and courage require something else. What better is there to hope for than to not have to hope at all?
Marcus Aurelius was the most powerful man in the world when he was made the ruler of the Roman Empire. But he was a reluctant despot. While most people would be amazed at Marcus’s reluctance to rule, given the respect and riches that would come with being emperor, the fact is that the Roman throne was a depressing and often dangerous place to be.
The life of an emperor could be brutishly short. Some emperors lasted only weeks before they were murdered by usurpers. Those who survived, like Marcus, were subjected to the brutal circus of Roman politics: obsequious careerists, jealous rivals, incompetents and murderous plotters.
From the beginning of his reign, the empire was embroiled in a number of wars with the Parthians and Armenians in the east and Germanic tribes to the north (the Marcomannic wars). Marcus, who led his armies against the tribes, was himself subjected to an attempted coup by a general he hoped he could trust.
His co-ruler for many years, Lucius Verus, was a liability: an alleged drunkard and gambler whose armies returned from Parthia with a terrible plague, adding to the Empire’s desperate situation.
The Emperor struggled with sickness his whole life. He consoled himself from a young age with philosophy, particularly Stoicism. At least some of Marcus’s private philosophical journals were saved for posterity and published as The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.
The Meditations shines a light into the emperor’s soul. The deeply religious leader did not despair at his situation. He didn’t pray to the gods that his problems would end. Instead, he prayed and hoped that he would find the strength to face his problems with courage and a clear head.
He thought that to wish or pray for what is out of your control was a slavish way to behave. The Stoics urged us not to be a slave to our desires but to master ourselves with reason. Marcus wrote,
“would it not be better to make use of what lies within your power as suits a free man rather than to strain for what lies beyond it in a slavish and abject fashion? In any case, who told you that the gods do not assist us even in things that lie within our power? Begin at least to pray so, and you will see.”
We can wish our problems would go away (they won’t), or we could wish we could face them with courage (we can). Vincent Van Gogh, Sorrowing Old Man, 1890. (source: Wikimedia Commons).
The Control Switch
Although we have little choice what happens to us, we can choose our response to what happens.
This is how Stoicism is strongly associated with equanimity in the face of difficulty. To simply know that we can control our response this is to find strength. Mental strength is what the Stoics are famous for. Tragedy and life’s ups and downs are met with what the philosopher Epictetus called “a tranquil flow of mind”.
It is in Epictetus’s writings — who was a slave for much of his life — that we find techniques to strengthen ourselves in the face of misfortune: “It’s only my leg you will chain, not even God can conquer my will.”
Marcus lost at least two infant children. In an extraordinary passage of Meditations, he wrote: “One man prays… ‘How I may not lose my little child’, but you must pray: ‘How I may not be afraid to lose him’.”
Think about that — coming from a man who had experienced the loss of a child himself, who would have had to console his grieving wife. This is the control switch: from “how can I face this?” to “how must I face this?”
The difference between the philosopher and the average person is in this example: While the average person hopes or prays that they are spared of misfortune, the Stoic prays that they can find the strength to accept misfortune. “It doesn’t matter what you bear,” Seneca wrote, “but how you bear it.”
Michel de Montaigne, who began to philosophise when he lost a dear friend, wrote an essay entitled “That to Study Philosophy is to Learn How to Die.” This is really an extreme way of saying that we can use our reason to quell our fears, but also take back control of our lives from fear and sadness. “A man who has learned to die,” he wrote, “has unlearned how to be a slave.”
We can be slaves to fear, slaves to desires, but those chains are of our own making. Philosophy gives us a switch we can easily flip when we feel fears welling up inside of us. We can dwell on our fears and let them multiply as worries, or we can wish or pray that we have the courage to face them with equanimity.
Thank you for reading. I hope you learned something new. | https://medium.com/the-sophist/marcus-aurelius-the-control-switch-953d2b646b97 | ['Steven Gambardella'] | 2020-02-16 08:09:58.737000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement', 'Psychology', 'History', 'Self', 'Philosophy'] |
Espejitos de colores | Digital product designer that also happens to do a bunch of other stuff on the side. Jack of all trades.
Follow | https://medium.com/postales-de-la-tormenta/espejitos-de-colores-c15179791872 | ['Nicolás J. Engler'] | 2019-05-11 23:02:46.806000+00:00 | ['Creative Writing', 'Short Story', 'Fiction', 'Nonfiction'] |
Multiple regression as a machine learning algorithm | Deeper Dive
You’ve got the intuition with a simplified example of how multiple regression makes prediction of the price of a used car based on two features: horsepower and high-way mpg.
But the world we live in is complex and messy. Each of the steps I’ve shown above will need to be branched out further. For example, in Step 2 we imported data and assigned features to X, y variables, without doing any further analysis. But who doesn’t know that data wrangling alone can take upwards of 80% of all tasks in any machine learning project?
I’m not going to go into every situation you’ll encounter as a data scientist in the real-world but I’ll talk about some fundamental issues which are unavoidable.
1. Import libraries
I’m going to use a few libraries and modules to do some mandatory tasks.
data wrangling: pandas and numpy
and multiple regression model: linear_model from sklearn
from splitting training and testing data: train_test_split
model evaluation: r2_score
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
from sklearn import linear_model
from sklearn.model_selection import train_test_split
from sklearn.metrics import r2_score
2. Data wrangling
First I’m reading the dataset in my environment (I’m using Jupyter notebook, by the way) and as a ritual, taking a peek at the first few rows.
# import data
data = pd.read_csv("../automobile.csv")
data.head(2)
As you can see, there are many columns that barely fit in the window. So I’m going to get a list of all columns.
# all column name
data.columns >> 'symboling', 'normalized-losses', 'make', 'fuel-type', 'aspiration', 'num-of-doors', 'body-style', 'drive-wheels', 'engine-location', 'wheel-base', 'length', 'width', 'height', 'curb-weight', 'engine-type', 'num-of-cylinders', 'engine-size', 'fuel-system', 'bore', 'stroke', 'compression-ratio', 'horsepower', 'peak-rpm', 'city-mpg', 'highway-mpg', 'price'
(I’m not a car expert so I really don’t know what some of those columns represent, but in real-world data science, this is not a good excuse, some domain knowledge is essential).
I did few other things as part of data exploration and preparation which I’m skipping here (such as checking and converting data types, removing a couple of rows that had symbols like ‘?’ etc.), but suffice to reiterate my previous point that getting the data in the right format can be a real pain in the neck.
3. Preparing input data
We want to predict price, so the dependent variable is already set. Now comes which features to use for prediction. Ideally I’d include all of the features in the initial model, but for this demo I’m choosing 1 categorical feature (i.e. make) and two numeric features (i.e. horsepower and highway-mpg) which I think most people would care about while choosing a car.
Following the ML convention, I’m designating the independent variables as X and the dependent variable as y.
# select data subset
df = data[["make", "horsepower", "highway-mpg", "price"]] # select data for modeling
X = df[["make", "horsepower", "highway-mpg"]]
y = df["price"]
I’ve purposefully chosen a categorical variable (i.e. make) to highlight that you need to do some extra work to convert it into a machine-readable format (a.k.a. numbers!). There are several ways to do that such as with Label Encoder or One Hot Encoder — both available in sklearn module. But I’m going with the classical “dummy variable” approach, which converts categorical features into numerical dichotomous variables (0s and 1s).
At this stage, I’m also splitting data into training and testing set for model evaluation.
# create dummy variables
make_dummy = pd.get_dummies(X["make"], drop_first = True)
X = X.drop("make", axis = 1)
X = pd.concat([X, make_dummy], axis = 1) # split data into train and test
X_train, X_test, y_train, y_test = train_test_split(X, y, test_size = 0.3, random_state = 0)
4. Model building
It’s always amazing to think that within the whole complex machine learning pipeline the easiest part is (in my opinion of course!) actually specifying the model. It’s just three easy steps of instantiate — fit — predict as in most ML algorithms. Of course, you have to parameterize the model and iterate it several times until you get the one that satisfies your criteria, but still, this step of the model building process gives me the least headache.
# instantiate
model = LinearRegression()
# fit
model.fit(X_train, y_train)
# predict
y_pred = model.predict(X_test)
5. Model evaluation
Now comes the moment of truth — how well does the model perform? There are many ways to evaluate model performance but in classical statistics, the performance of linear regression models is evaluated with R² — which gives a value between 0 and 1, and the higher the R² the better the model.
# model evaluation
score = r2_score(y_test, y_pred)
print(score) # score
>> 0.8135478081839133
In our demonstration we are getting a R² value of 0.81, meaning 81% of the variation in the dependent variable (i.e. used car price) can be explained by the three independent variables (i.e. make, horsepower and highway-mpg). Of course, this metric can be improved by including more variables and trying with different combinations of them and by tuning model parameters — the topic of a separate discussion.
Additional checklists
I felt like I could write forever on multiple regression, there are so many areas to cover but I have to stop somewhere. Here are few additional things to keep in mind while building a linear regression model for real-world application development: | https://towardsdatascience.com/multiple-regression-as-a-machine-learning-algorithm-a98a6b9f307b | ['Mahbubul Alam'] | 2020-11-13 05:07:33.364000+00:00 | ['Python', 'Data Science', 'Regression', 'Scikit Learn', 'Machine Learning'] |
The Hardest Parts About Being a Good Person | “Maturity,” says 19th-century philosopher and American poet, naturalist, and champion of civil liberties, Henry David Thoreau, “is when all of your mirrors turn into windows.” This one sentence just has so many layers to it. In one sense, our mirrors that serve us in helping us in our projects of vanity, our internal mental circuit that masks the world in an opaque reflection, tainting it with the jaded tinge of our subjectivity, turns into a clear and translucent gateway to the unhindered and unaffected world around us. We spend so much time in our youths inventing ourselves, struggling to discover who we are, and building our lives and reputations. We need to use mirrors for this process. We need to look inward as we carry ourselves through life on our respective voyages of self-exploration. When we become mature, when we become better and grow into the healthy adults we will (hopefully) inevitably become, the world becomes clear, crisp, and our focus is more on our place in the world, rather than the world’s place in making sure it accurately reflects us.
One of the bittersweet moments of maturation is the sour flavor of learning that not everyone matures at the same rate. All too often, we make it to the mountain top, only to find ourselves isolated and alone. Looking around we realize that others still have a long way to go. The consolation, here, is that we get to grow further as we realize we need to learn the patience and empathy needed to understand others who haven’t quite yet made it to this level. And growth brings its own rewards, even though the difficult and laborious times that we might encounter. I am of the belief that our relationships of all stripes, from familial to romantic relationships, can only possibly be as good as the amount of maturity we reach and our respective partners reach. If there was a relationship ceiling, a point which we could not transcend and it just can’t get any better, that ceiling is built with the raw materials of each partner’s respective maturities. This is how I view human relations. How many of us have been caught up in a relationship where we’ve been waiting for someone else to mature, trying diligently, might I add, and all for what? Only to inevitably leave in the realization that people mature at their own rate and through their own life experiences.
One thing our culture, here in the west, seems seriously devoid of is any sense of virtue ethics. Without diving too far into it, I’ll just say that I believe that we all have a responsibility to be a good person and to constantly strive to become a better person. Both for ourselves and others. What is time but squandered if it isn’t being used to better our lives and the lives of those around us? Of course, this has its limits. We should take time to enjoy ourselves, as well, especially with other people.
Game Theory and Human Ethics
Becoming a better person is a process and one that brings about some challenges of its own. Prisoner’s Dilemma is an interesting little paradox in game theory, an imaginary world wherein two prisoners are accused of a horrible crime. They are questioned in separate concrete rooms, isolated from one another where they cannot communicate or otherwise exchange information. The prosecutors and detectives on the case are trying to get them to confess.
If either one confesses and the other does not, the one who confessed will be released and face no jail time, but the other will be imprisoned for 20 years. If both confess, they’ll both be sentenced to 15 years. If neither of them confesses they’ll be released in just a few short months without charges, for there wasn’t enough evidence to hold them.
It is in each prisoner’s own self-interest to snitch in this hypothetical world, but it’s paradoxically in both of their best interests to stay silent. Becoming a better person is like this, as we grow, the fruits of our growth depend on other people, and their growth as well. But part of being a better person is helping other people grow into more mature people.
One major lesson I’ve learned in life is that just because you have value to offer, doesn’t mean that others are capable of recognizing and understanding that value, especially as valuable. The best violin maker in the world would be useless if he ended up stranded on a deserted island with a remote culture that had no conception of violins or music. This is how being a good person is for many people is, it’s honestly a lot of hard work and a frequent lack of recognition for that hard work. But being a good person is its own reward and is just about always worth it.
It’s a Thankless Job
Being a good person is a thankless job, more often than not. Not a lot of people will recognize the virtuous deeds you do for them. Sometimes, they won’t even know they happened. This is because one of the first steps toward being a good person requires us to carry out good acts, not for recognition’s sake, but for the sake of themselves. Virtue isn’t virtuous because we’ll receive praise, virtue is virtuous because it couldn’t be anything but virtuous without degrading its authenticity. We must push ourselves to become better people until it’s incongruous with our natures to not be good people.
To give you an example of what I mean, when I was 21 years old I entered a restaurant to get myself a nice, hearty burger. In front of me was a patron who was clearly mentally and physically challenged. I couldn’t tell you what growth disorder he suffered from but it was apparent by looking at him. The woman behind the counter was trying her best to explain to him that he was several dollars short of being able to purchase the meal he was asking for, but he wasn’t quite grasping the concept of money needing to be a certain amount before she could give him his sandwich. I raised my hand in the air and got her attention from behind him and held up my card. She got the hint.
She moved him along and I paid for his meal with mine. He got his meal and went about his life in total ignorance of what had just happened. Fifteen years later, and I’ve mostly kept that story to myself. Why would I need to go around bragging about it all the time? Would that really impress anybody? Of course not. That would’ve made me a braggart. But the point here isn’t to brag, it’s to demonstrate how much of what we do in life will be lost in the eyes of others. That’s just how it is, we should accept it, and move on.
But the unseen benefit, here, is that while we won’t be recognized for many of our charitable deeds, we can recognize them as deeds we’ve carried out. When my decency and moral character have been called into question, I can easily remember this moment and moments like it where I delivered to someone who didn’t even know that I’d helped them. It makes it subtly sweeter. But yes, on a whole, being a good person is a thankless job, especially in a society that worships money as the arbiter of all things right or wrong and self-interest above all.
People Will Get Angry with You
Yep, that’s right…people will sometimes get quite angry with you for helping them out. First, there is a rule I live by in life, never help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. I’ll repeat that because it deserves to be repeated: never help someone who doesn’t want to be helped.
People will even come to you and ask for help; they’ll tuck their complaints and grievances under the veil of needing help and ask for help that they never intend to go through with. What they really want to do is complain to someone and they’ve learned — as others have stopped listening because of their constant inaction — that if they pretend that they’re actually going to utilize the time and effort you put into their problem, they can easily get a lending ear in an exchange that feels like it’s about even. But what happens when you follow up with this kind of person? They’ll get angry with you, invariably. They feel put on the spot, pressured to achieve, when all they really wanted was to vent and bitch about what’s going wrong with their lives.
The best thing we can do is avoid this kind of person. They’re emotional black holes who’ll need to learn that they have potency and the ability to affect change in their lives. Learned helplessness is real and it will render you helpless if you try to help people who don’t want to be helped.
The other kind of person who’ll get angry with you is the person who, no matter what you’ve done for them, it’s never good enough. The need is always bigger than what it is that you do or give. Someone might need help with rent money, having fallen on challenging times, and they ask us, and we throw down an extra $20 for their cause. But then they get angry and bitter about the fact that they aren’t likely to make it. These people aren’t capable of even recognizing your self-sacrifice. Their entire world’s focus circles around themselves, like a them-centric universe, and they can’t even fathom putting the lens outside of themselves enough to understand that you were a supportive person, because their goals failed or might fail in the future.
This person is a resource drain. They have a long way to go before they can conceptualize virtuous actions as being somehow more important than material gains or losses. Our culture is deceptive in this way, it preaches unwavering materialism, yet, that materialism is propped up by the actions which serve as the causes that create the material affects. It’s illusory to only view the material as existent and important, but alas, most people do.
People Won’t Understand How You’ve Helped Them
Another hard part about being a good person is the fact that, depending on the situation, many (most?) people won’t even understand that you’ve helped them or how much you’ve helped them. Case in point, do you remember every teacher you had in school who taught you the basics that apply to your everyday life? Not likely, especially when we’re talking about the earlier grades in our younger years. The same goes for all sorts of life teachers and great people who help us out along the way. What about the local librarians who help keep the flow of knowledge running freely? What about all the people keeping the food supply streaming to keep us fed? So many roles go into structuring society so we can have what we have, yet we don’t even know they exist.
This too takes place on a personal level. You might give someone advice or help them with something they need help with, and it won’t be until years later that they realize just how much you’ve, in fact, helped them out.
This is because goodness is dependent upon a complimentary goodness being able to understand and recognize that good as good. Aristotle pointed out that virtue must be able to recognize complementary and alternative virtues that are different from it, otherwise it isn’t truly virtue. An excellent basketball player isn’t an excellent basketball player if they can’t recognize the value of an excellent football player. Greatness must be recognized trans the spectrum of human abilities, otherwise, it’s nothing at all.
This means that most people won’t be capable of recognizing the value we bring to the table if they don’t bring to the table a similar value or are incapable of seeing that value as valuable; as at least most values are subjectively determined (Sartre, Nietzsche), valuation becomes a skill and something we need to practice, something we need to learn and, hopefully, eventually master. Being able to recognize value is just as important of a skill as being able to create it, regardless of the modes or mediums we choose to see or create, nonetheless, proper valuing (as an action) is as important as proper, critical thinking. Just being brutally honest, here, because of this fact, when people become good people, virtuous people, they become the object of the eyes of scorn and envy of those who aren’t yet virtuous.
Because those who aren’t virtuous cannot recognize that virtue, rather often, and when they can, they become frustrated that such goodness shines, like a mirror upon them, making them question their own actions — this is uncomfortable, like the sunlight beaming through a mirror and reflecting onto an emotional vampire, a lot of people tend to recoil from this experience. Ironically, this is the opposite of what we need to do, which is to accept that the only way to truly grow is to accept that we could be better people and learn from those who already are where we’d like to be. This is the fundamental law of choosing to grow as people. But I leave this here as a fair warning to those who would like to pound the path of becoming their own version of personal excellence, it won’t be without its challenges. | https://medium.com/flux-magazine/the-hardest-parts-about-being-a-good-person-2ca6aeedab20 | ['Joe Duncan'] | 2020-05-03 20:46:04.978000+00:00 | ['Relationships', 'Self', 'Philosophy', 'Growth', 'Ethics'] |
Helen Hall of Blender Bombs: “5 Ways To Create a Wow! Customer Experience” | Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
After going to USC for college (Go cocks!!!) I gained an unwelcomed 30lbs. The quick weight gain really freaked me out, which led me to do what most people’s first reaction is — extreme dieting and exercising. I would start a plan like a military diet, or the grapefruit diet with full steam. After a short amount of time, I was right back where I started. The yo-yo dieting and obsessive exercising lasted for a miserable three years. Sure — I’d lose around ten pounds here or there, but I was miles away from the thirty pounds that was literally weighing me down. Finally, during my last year of college, I learned my “low calorie” diets, and 4 hours a day at the gym were not going to make me happy or healthy. It was time I listened to my body, not what I read in magazines. I started to embrace an 80X20 lifestyle which means 80% of the time I stick to totally plant based, whole foods and 20% of the time I have a little fun. (Shout out to the nachos that were one of my weekly 20% meals!) I instantly started feeling and sleeping better, and the weight came off in time.
Smoothies became a staple part of my life and daily routine which I loved. After making smoothies every day I realized it was SO MUCH work. I would have to open 12+ bags of chia seeds, hemp seeds, dates, cacao powder, almonds, pecans, etc. just to make ONE smoothie. I knew that if I hated doing this then other people would as well. This is how Blender Bombs was born, I began rolling all of these ingredients into little balls and popping them into my smoothies. It was such a game changer. From there I made them for my clients that I was training and they loved them too! Blender Bombs grew very organically and naturally through word of mouth and social media. I am so thankful for our awesome customers and everyone who has helped us get to where we are today!
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
Whenever Blender Bombs first began I was not prepared for what was in store, but so thankful for the learning experience. Because Blender Bombs kind of started on accident, I along with one of my good friends were manually making the BBs in my kitchen and shipping them out of my apartment at the time. My mailman and I definitely had a love/hate relationship! He was the absolute best, but he was definitely glad when I stopped manually shipping everything. We learned quickly that this was not the most efficient way to run a business which is what led us to find a commercial kitchen in Charleston to help us out! Shout out to all you hustlers out there who make their own products and do their own shipping because it is not an easy job.
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 dad instilled it in me to always always take action — never just think about something and ponder over doing it — but to do it the very moment it crossed my mind. So for example sometimes when I’m in a meeting, on a phone call, or out with friends I stop what I’m doing and complete a task the moment it crosses my mind. Sometimes it feels as though I’m not present — but I also know that if I just do it right then and there, no matter what situation I’m in or what time of day it is, I can get A LOT more accomplished throughout the day. Rather than if I put things off until the next day during “working hours” which for most people is during 9–5 “work” hours. I have had a couple other great people along the way give me advice here and there.
Thank you for that. Let’s now pivot to the main focus of our interview. This might be intuitive, but I think it’s helpful to specifically articulate it. In your words, can you share a few reasons why great customer service and a great customer experience is essential for success in business?
We learned pretty early on that GREAT customer service is essential to running a successful business. It’s something you can provide that will allow your company to stand out. It’s something that people remember. Humans love connection and want to feel special and important. Not only that, we think our customers really are special and important. Without them, we wouldn’t be a company. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do every day. I have stressed the importance of GREAT (not just good) customer service since the beginning and know that as we grow, this is something me and my team will not lose sight of.
We have all had times either in a store, or online, when we’ve had a very poor experience as a customer or user. If the importance of a good customer experience is so intuitive, and apparent, where is the disconnect? How is it that so many companies do not make this a priority?
I think that it’s easy to write off one customer, when you do this though, you’re not looking at the bigger picture. Writing off one or two customers here and there really adds up. You have to remember that every single customer is important. No matter what. I think it’s also easy to ignore negative feedback and make excuses for it. It’s hard to take criticism but it’s how we grow and learn from our mistakes. I was not a business major, I started this company when I was 23 years old! I had to learn by asking people and it’s something that I will always do. Our customers are AMAZING and continuously help us grow and learn.
Do you think that more competition helps force companies to improve the customer experience they offer? Are there other external pressures that can force a company to improve the customer experience?
I do think that having great customer service can help you stand out from the competition. It gives you an advantage. As far as other external pressures go, the biggest one today is definitely social media. If someone has a bad experience with your company, they can and probably will share it. This can be really detrimental to your reputation and is something to always keep in mind.
Can you share with us a story from your experience about a customer who was “Wowed” by the experience you provided?
Our customers are amazing and share testimonials with us all the time. Here’s one that we got recently via Instagram DM: “..just wanted to drop a note about your customer service… anytime there’s remotely an issue, especially by more than one customer, you guys are soooo proactive about remedying it and it’s so awesome. There’s no hassle to it and you can tell you all just want things 100%, 100% of the time and it does not go unnoticed. I continue to be such a fan and am anxiously waiting for the Bomb Bars…”
When we get messages like this, it means so much. It’s why we keep doing what we do and are always striving to be better for our customers!
Did that Wow! experience have any long term ripple effects? Can you share the story?
There have been several occasions, where we have dealt with a customer service issue and the customer has been so happy and thankful that they offer to work with us and partner in different ways. You never know who is on the other end of an email address!
Ok, here is the main question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a founder or CEO should know in order to create a Wow! Customer Experience. Please share a story or an example for each.
1. Every customer (and person) matters- be nice to anyone and everyone.
For example, we get flooded with Direct Messages on both @BlenderBombs and @HushupandHustle Instagrams daily. I’m talking hundreds of messages a day. My team and I make sure to answer every single message that we get. We want to know that there is a person on the other side of that message that is receiving it and responding to it. If we ever miss a message, it’s by accident. We spent a lot of time trying to make sure that all questions are answered and all posts and tags are seen and appreciated.
2. Everyone is a potential customer or a potential connection (which is just as important!)
Blender Bombs just got picked up nationwide in Whole Foods and it’s all thanks to our amazing customer base. After tirelessly reaching out to Whole Foods and hitting nothing but dead ends, we decided to ask our customers. I asked if anyone had a connection to Whole Foods and we got an email address. The next thing you know, the ball was rolling on this account and months and months later, we landed the deal of our dreams. This was all because of a Blender Bombs customer.
3. Be grateful for your customers! Without your customers, you wouldn’t be in business. Let them know you’re grateful, and perform random acts of kindness to give back to them. This could be in the form of a gift, a discount, a heartfelt note, etc.
Every Holiday season, we reward our top Blender Bomb customers with gift cards. Their support throughout the year means so much to us and we want to thank them for it. Another example is our Bombassador Program. This is a group of individuals who represent Blender Bombs and share the word through social media. I want to know each and every one of them and have phone calls with some of our longest running participants so I can create a personal connection with them and thank them for their help and support.
4. Ask your customers what they want! Involve them in the decision making process. We do this for packaging designs, new product development, event locations, etc.
We do this by using our Instagram! We take polls on all kinds of things. From where should I eat in LA, where should we wholesale in Seattle, where should we do a pop up next and more. This makes sense for us and them. We can be sure we’re giving our customers what they want because we are asking them directly. This is such a good way to get feedback.
5. Share customer experiences with other customers. We do this in the form of smoothie challenges and our Facebook group!
We also love to share testimonials and transformation stories with our customers through Instagram. They love seeing a success story and hearing what tips and tricks work for other people. We have built an amazing and supportive community through Blender Bombs and I truly love each and every single one of them.
Are there a few things that can be done so that when a customer or client has a Wow! experience, they inspire others to reach out to you as well?
Yes, absolutely! We have found that by posting our customers personal testimonials on our social media it encourages others who have also had a positive experience to share it with us as well! We feel as if we have created a very welcoming environment for our customers to talk to us like they are talking to a friend.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start 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. :-)
One Blender Bomb smoothie a day, every day! People truly don’t know how good it will make them feel until they try it. I would love to help as many people as possible feel their absolute best.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Check us out on Instagram: @hushupandhustle & @blenderbombs feel free to DM us any questions that you may have! | https://medium.com/authority-magazine/helen-hall-of-blender-bombs-be-grateful-for-your-customers-88559c081749 | ['Alexandra Spirer'] | 2020-11-06 13:32:08.452000+00:00 | ['Plant Based', 'Engagement', 'Entrepreneur', 'Customer Service', 'Sheroes'] |
iOSアプリ開発 UI実装であると嬉しいレシピブックシリーズに関するアップデート情報 | Alamofire/Alamofire
Alamofire is an HTTP networking library written in Swift. In order to keep Alamofire focused specifically on core… | https://medium.com/@fumiyasakai/ios-uirecipe-book-update-2020-c71127a39aa5 | ['Fumiya Sakai'] | 2020-12-23 17:41:09.735000+00:00 | ['iOS', 'Uikit', 'Xcode', 'UI', 'Swift'] |
Swara Bhaskar is soon going to be a mother in this way, ‘Veere Di Wedding’ actress said- I always wanted children and family … | Swara Bhaskar is soon going to be a mother in this way, ‘Veere Di Wedding’ actress said- I always wanted children and family … The Bollywood Baba Nov 25, 2021·2 min read
Actress Swara Bhaskar, who is in the discussion of social media for her outspokenness, wants to become a mother soon and for this, she has decided to adopt a child. Swara has also got herself registered with the government organization for this. However, Swara’s wish will take some time to come true as the queue is long.
Also Read: Umar Riaz and Prateek Sahajpal clashed again in Bigg Boss 15, the matter reached to a scuffle
As reported by Mid-Day, Swara has registered herself as a Prospective Parent with the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA). She said- I always wanted children and family. I thought the best way to achieve this happiness was through adoption. Fortunately, the adoption of single women is allowed in India. I have met some parents who have adopted children. I have also met children who have been adopted by someone and are now adults.
I have read about this process and experience. Regarding CARA, Swara said- He helped me understand the whole process. After doing all the research, I talked to my parents and they have agreed to it and are helping me in this. Swara said that after completing all the formalities, she is now a prospective parent to adopt the child. In Bollywood, actors like Sushmita Sen, Raveena Tandon, Sunny Leone have also become parents through adoption.
Also Read: Ayushmann Khurrana confirms the relationship between Katrina and Vicky Kaushal?, Said this
Let me tell you, Swara has also recently won the Best Supporting Actress Award for Sheer Korma at the Soho London International Independent Film Festival, for which Swara is being congratulated on social media. Thanking everyone, Swara wrote — Thank you friends of Twitter. I appreciate your kind words and kindness. It is true that I have received a lot of abuse on Twitter, but I have also received equal love. I have made true friends here, who get a lot of support.
Let me tell you, Swara Bhaskar speaks openly on burning and topical issues in social media, for which she is also trolled a lot. But, Swara does not hold back from saying the right thing. | https://medium.com/@thebollywoodbaba/swara-bhaskar-is-soon-going-to-be-a-mother-in-this-way-veere-di-wedding-actress-said-i-always-e0093978fdb2 | ['The Bollywood Baba'] | 2021-11-25 15:47:41.687000+00:00 | ['Bollywood', 'Entertainment'] |
How To Care Your Lock Style? | Loc is one of trending and eye-catching hairstyles which has been chosen by many people these days. It is knotted and matted to create a rope-like appearance where they have various ways and give new look with different style patterns. It is popularly for its dreadlock and sister lock which has mad with different methods and create an amazing look. It gives a rope-like stand structure to hair with different techniques to get style has done which long last for many months. But for this, a person needs to proper care of hair.
While after loc styles you need to keep natural care for hair loss and maintenance. For proper dreadlock repair, you need to follow natural hair routines even it goes with a starter sister lock. Where you need to moisturise locks that will last for a long time. AS dreadlocks and interlocks are different patterns of braiding. But they use the same method to repair your hair as you need to take proper care of moisturiser or hair oil which give a shiny effect.
In lots, you need to choose for best products where you need to use mild shampoo and conditioner which is parable and sulphate free. Use creamy shampoo which gives natural oil to hair and it will stick to dreads and turn into gunk. It is necessary to regularly moisturise your hair. It helps to prevent dryness, build-up and door from the hair. For moisturising hair, you need to put it on the scalp which will get into roots and give strong hair.
For proper repairing of locks, you need to keep the regular maintenance where you need to wash two to three times a week which will detox the hair and remove the odour. Regularly washing help to restore the pH balance which will help in necessary growth. For locks choose some lightweight oils that will clog your pores. Sleep with a silk or satin pillow which will relax your hair while you need to wrap them at night before sleeping which helps the hair from frizzing, dirt or debris. Know more details at Locs of Glory Spa and Salon for best result. | https://medium.com/@locsofglorystlouis/how-to-care-your-lock-style-606d9a734df6 | [] | 2021-12-15 17:56:15.525000+00:00 | ['Hair', 'Loc', 'Spa', 'Hairstyle'] |
Ellie and the Snow Ball experiment — the comic version | Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more
Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore | https://medium.com/for-the-love-of-steam/ellie-and-the-snow-ball-experiment-the-comic-version-7ecf062798a2 | [] | 2020-12-21 05:16:28.909000+00:00 | ['Kids', 'Reading', 'Steam', 'Comics'] |
The Three Worries | The Three Worries
At the top of a mountain, the master told his disciple there are only three great worries in this world for men. The first worry is that young men should abuse their looks and the second worry will be that old men should abuse their wealth. The disciple replied that he did not have these two worries. The grandmaster turned and then told his disciple that he had the third worry which is a man with neither looks or wealth regardless of age. | https://medium.com/@okw24/the-three-worries-133ac4b6ca | ['Wandering Wonder 流浪奇人'] | 2020-12-27 23:51:51.377000+00:00 | ['Worry', 'Age', 'Wealth', 'Young', 'Old'] |
Week 7: Neno Mitaani. “Word on the Street” is this weeks… | “Word on the Street” is this weeks Swailli word(s) as it was filled with misconceptions. There are certain stereotypes that are passed down from generation to generation in which it becomes integrated as fact into their livelihoods. The more time I spend in Kenya, I learn not only the prejudices set for Kenya but how they have arisen as well.
The first way they have risen is through the media. We were engaged in a dinner conversation with a family that asked us how Kenya was different than hat we imagined it to be. The first couple of weeks, I was scared of sounding ignorant or offending someone. I always stated that “oh it was kinda what I imagined” in which I often received surprised looks. I decided, though, that's it's probably better that I was honest. So I embarrassingly said that I didn't expect Kenya to be so modern. They nodded and stated that the media in America doesn’t include any of the modern parts of Kenya or even Africa. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how true it was. On any of the cultural channels such as History Channel or National Geographic always focus on the tribes or the savannas rather than the business people and the skyscrapers. Even in children's books, it shows tribe children who represent Africa. The news barely covers Africa at all. In fact, growing up, I’ve never seen Kenya, and non-the-less Africa, in the news at all. The media has such a power to influence the way we think and what we focus on in the world. I hope that it starts focusing on different layers of different countries someday.
Another stereotypical difference here is that younger generations are shown a great deal of respect. In America, younger generations are often looked down upon and stereotyped as being brash, irresponsible and unknowledgeable. Here, though, everyone treats us like adults. For example, we were at a dinner party in which we met so high up officials from Scottland who asked our opinions on big topics like artificial meat production, future of Agriculture and other such topics. They carefully listened to our responses and gave their view on it INSTEAD of just scoffing at us or putting us down for thinking a certain way. It was the best feeling in the world. I don't think adults realize how much young adults value other people valuing their opinions and thoughts. It feels like we actually have a place in the world like we actually matter. There’s this stigma in America that we are to look up and only listen to those who either older or have a career in which they’ve worked for a long time. Here, we have a voice that isn’t ignored or put down no matter if the person is 60 or has been working in their field or 40 years. They even celebrated National Youth Day on Friday in which all the younger workers at ILRI were acknowledged as well. | https://medium.com/thenextnorm/week-6-neno-mitaani-ea601d7fab1e | ['Jacob Turko'] | 2019-08-12 06:59:07.886000+00:00 | ['Borlaug Ruan Intern', 'Stereotypes', 'Learning', 'Worldsbestinternship'] |
How LinkedIn Helped Me Bag an MBA Internship in a Top Brand During Pandemic | Photo by Christina Morillo from Pexels
The idea of pursuing an MBA struck me when I was in the 2nd year of undergrad college; I had realized my passion for Marketing and needed to have a specialization to land up in my ideal job. Soon I understood that getting an MBA degree from a prestigious college is a stepping stone towards building my career.
After struggling for two years with intense preparations and interviews, I looked forward to having an enthralling experience in my B school . Little did I know all my happiness was short-lived. It was March’2020; just after my final MBA interview, the pandemic hits the world.
The pandemic had affected all, from students to working professionals. Everybody was taken aback and shaken to the very core since we were trapped in our houses owning to lock-down. Amidst the chaos that was going around everywhere, something that was going down was our economy. The effect was evident; on LinkedIn, all there was were stories about internships getting rescinded, and job offers being revoked. As an MBA student who would sit for her summer placements this year, these stories brought the chills in me. The sudden deluge of such news made me jittery; my anxiety level kept rising as days passed. Maybe life throws all kinds of obstacles and challenges when you start taking your dreams seriously.
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” -Walt Disney
Taking inspiration from above words. I stopped pondering over the situation and took charge of it. It was time to realize that the problem is not going to change; the only thing that needs to be changed is my attitude towards it.
I believe that every college’s placement committee is trying their best to support their students; however, they need to be proactive in these challenging times and take charge of their internship. I had few friends of mine in Place comm; they kept sharing how the entire team works relentlessly to ensure the students get placed in the company of their choice and the profile they desire. | https://medium.com/@prashantra/mba-internship-aebebd2d6c96 | ['Prashant Raj'] | 2021-01-04 09:27:18.570000+00:00 | ['Linkedin Marketing', 'Internships', 'LinkedIn', 'Mba Internship', 'Professional Networking'] |
Uneasy Lies the Head That Wears Corona | Uneasy Lies the Head That Wears Corona
Maybe I need to go for a walk.
As a card carrying introvert, I am not particularly troubled by home confinement. I was already working from home three days a week and have figured out over the years how to stay fresh and productive. As a writer, I even sit at my desk during off-duty hours. Weeks piling upon weeks hasn’t been a burden. Projects rise and fall like the tides. Though some rise again and again and just won’t stop because people are basically idiots.
Maybe I need to go for a walk.
Wisps of thoughts and reactions swirl together like the bits and pieces in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. A friend writes of missing the hubbub of her city — even missing the tech bros who plow the sidewalks striding four abreast. I do too. But I also enjoy the mutual awareness fostered by the 6-foot rule. Does he see me coming? I’m walking on the edge of the path already. Will he? Oh, he’s moved over. And a wave. Yes, good morning to you! Be well!
I often wonder how it will be after we can leave our homes. Will I ever shake someone’s hand? Ew. Will I wait in a crowd? Will hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and a mask join my wallet and keys as my everyday kit? I have questions.
Writers on the internet keep telling us that Shakespeare wrote King Lear while housebound during a plague. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein at 18 while housebound in Switzerland. But my daughter uses “gifted” as a verb and I can’t find a good synonym for “housebound.” Last week I read a two-day old newspaper, thinking it was the new one. I hate the idiots who say “these challenging times.”
Okay, time for another walk.
I live in a small town on the California coast with a 100-year-old main street lined with shops. Most of the shops are closed. The open shops offer to-go food or other “essential services.” I feel guilty going in for fear of catching or spreading the disease. I feel guilty NOT going in for fear of dooming the businesses themselves. I don’t go in anymore.
Some people think that keeping a distance doesn’t apply to them. Some governors think that keeping people off the streets doesn’t apply to them. I love applying the term “COVIDIOTS” but there isn’t a snappy term for the heroes. A doctor in Britain left retirement to help in a hospital and died of COVID-19.
Yep, taking a walk. From space, my footprints through the neighborhood must look like huge spirals circling my house.
_________
A version of this article first appeared in the Half Moon Bay Review on April 14, 2020. | https://medium.com/doug-writes/uneasy-lies-the-head-that-wears-corona-ccddbc393a0a | ['Douglas Howatt'] | 2020-12-07 16:18:41.249000+00:00 | ['Articles'] |
Night Lights | Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more
Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore | https://medium.com/chalkboard/night-lights-3dd1495bf0fd | ['Fọlábòmí Àmọ Ó'] | 2020-12-03 16:42:11.094000+00:00 | ['Darkness', 'One Line', 'Poetry', 'Moon', 'Love'] |
Something In The Wind | Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Something in the wind reminds me of
that place,
that girl,
that garden,
the house we grew in,
the berries black as ink,
and flowers wilted grey —
all rotten,
their beauty turned to foul flesh;
us playing hide and seek
amidst the emerald of trees —
now look at us, forever lost,
and cuffed to scariest of our dreams;
the freezing air just before sunrise
and snow in early May,
our granddad picking apples,
and our grandma baking bread,
us laughing,
making up the fairytales for ourselves;
now look at us, nowhere,
just like those stories — came to an end;
those children,
and that garden,
that place so blessed with love,
and nothing as destructing
as home with nothing in but dust…
These memories will soon fall silent to the wind,
be gone forever,
just like the house we grew in. | https://medium.com/scribe/something-in-the-wind-849491eef95e | ['Sabine B.'] | 2019-06-16 19:09:45.542000+00:00 | ['Childhood', 'Short Story', 'Memories', 'Poetry On Medium', 'Poetry'] |
How to Organise a Review of The Year Session for Your Team | A lot has happened in 2020 which you’d probably like to forget. But chances are, your team also did some really good work.
It’s precisely because this year has been a bit rubbish that celebrating what you achieved is really important. An easy way to do this is through a team ‘Review of the Year’ session.
This is a good thing to do for several reasons.
It’s easy to lose track of what has happened over the course of 12 months. Those demos you did in January and February feel a very, very, very long time ago now.
Given that many of us have been working from home for a while now, these events are also a good way for team members to find out what their colleagues have been doing whilst working from their kitchens for the past nine months. They’ll know some of the details — but things get lost and overlooked when people aren’t sat together.
These sessions are also a goldmine of information for anyone who has joined your team in the past year. It helps them find out more about their team members (who they may not have actually met in person), find out a little about their lives and what they’ve worked on.
So if you put one more meeting in your team’s diary this year — make it one of these.
But there’s a bit of prep to do, so make it a team effort. I’m sharing how I’ve prepared and structured these for the past few years. You might want to do it a different way — but if anything in my method inspires you to set up an in-person or virtual session of your own, consider it my holiday gift to you.
Find a host or two
This is a great role for people in your team who want to build their presenting and public speaking confidence. It’s presenting positive messages to friendly crowd who will be rooting for them to succeed.
If you’ve got a big team or lots of work to include, you might want to divide the year up into chunks for different hosts or find a couple of people to run it together. Try to avoid hosting if you are the team lead — make it about the team.
2. Get a date in the diary soon
Between an hour and two hours (with a break) should do it — depending on how big your team is. Make it time-neutral by cancelling a meeting (or two) which you can live without at this point in the year. No-one needs any more Zoom-time right now.
3. Create a skeleton presentation
If possible, build the outline of the review in a collaborative tool like Google Slides. Make a title page for each month and add a couple of example pieces of content to give people ideas about what to submit.
If you don’t have access to a collaborative tool, one person can be responsible for building the presentation if you communicate who to send things to and what the deadline is.
4. Invite the team to add their events
Send a message to the whole team, including the link to the presentation and invite them to start adding their highlights of the year.
Stick to maximum of one slide per ‘thing’. A ‘thing’ is anything that someone did which they are proud of. It could be launching a new feature, bashing a really annoying bug, hitting a KPI target, a great sale, some funny user feedback, taking part in a conference, conducting user tests, winning an award — anything.
I’ve seen some teams also add quiz questions throughout the deck. Things like ‘How many lines of code did we write this year?’ But the team decides what goes in the presentation. These are their stories.
5. Don’t forget about the happy personal events
Did anyone get married? Have a baby? Made an impressive sourdough loaf? Did new people join the team?Have you got any pictures from team events earlier in the year? Let the people in your team and share and celebrate whatever they want to (but don’t force them).
6. Make sure everyone is included
Encourage people to namecheck people they collaborated with and make sure that everyone has had an opportunity to contribute if they want to. Also don’t forget to call out and thank the awesome people who keep your team running too — your team assistants, interns etc. The world doesn’t turn without them.
7. It’s show time! Turn off your messages and fully engage
Suggest people grab a coffee, get comfy and turn off their mails and messages. As you run through the year, the hosts can invite some of the people who submitted slides about their work to say a few words about what they did and what they learned. You might also learn a thing or two about your team. Pay attention and do not look at your phone.
8. Say a few words — including two very important ones
One the review is finished, it might be nice to say a few words if you’re the team lead. If difficult things have happened this year which it would be weird not to mention then do acknowledge them. You’re not trying to erase history.
But the most important words you can say at this point are thank you. Then you can wish your team a happy, healthy 2021 — ideally with another great Review of the Year session at the end of it.
If you have any end of year ceremonies in your team I’d love to hear about them. Please do share them in the comments. | https://productcoalition.com/if-you-add-one-more-meeting-to-your-teams-calendar-in-2020-make-it-a-review-of-the-year-session-9b9fef28356b | ['Lucie Mclean'] | 2020-11-30 11:37:15.529000+00:00 | ['Agile', 'Collaboration', 'Team Building', 'Product Management', 'Leadership'] |
From Venezuela to Iran | Though Donald Trump won the US First Election in 2016 with the “First US” slogan, the slogan did not stop US interventions in other countries. In the Tramp presidency, as before, things that are inherently in the jurisdiction of countries are subject to serious US intervention.
Iran and Venezuela are two of the countries that are subject to the most aggressive American involvement. In both countries, the United States is seeking economic warfare, the overthrow of its political system, and the deployment of its dependent government.
1. In recent days, the United States has intensified its movements in Venezuela and chaos in the country. One of its main reasons is the effects that Venezuelan developments can have on its hostility toward Iran and other countries.
2. In the first case, Americans are seeking “modeling” a subversion in Venezuela to make a version available to other countries such as Iran. In this model, after a period of war and economic invasion and creating mass dissatisfaction with the masses of the people, the general base of the ruling political system is targeted, and then, with the advent of a dependent leader, the ground for the collapse of the government is provided.
3. The other is that, at the strategic level, Americans need victories in Venezuela to win victory over Iran in many ways. One of the effects of US sanctions against Iran is the lack of stability in world oil prices, which is not a pleasure for the Trump government. Venezuelan state-owned deployment, which has a daily production capacity of about 3 million barrels of oil, can fill the gap caused by the suspension of Iranian oil exports.
4. Finally, the developments in Venezuela will, in the eyes of the US government, be a message to allies and opponents of the country. The Americans hope that the success of their plans in Venezuela will force other countries that oppose US-based superstitious policies, including Iran, that they are determined to confront and overthrow their opposition. | https://medium.com/@ReSasanian/from-venezuela-to-iran-39431770ddf8 | ['Reza Sasanian'] | 2019-02-07 17:53:01.312000+00:00 | ['Venezuela', 'Iran', 'USA'] |
Plant-based Food Colors Market Global Share, Growth, Size, Opportunities, Trends, Regional Overview with Forecast to 2026 | Plant-based Food Colors Market 2021–2026
Straits Research has recently added a new report to its vast depository titled Global Plant-based Food Colors Market. The report studies vital factors about the Global Plant-based Food Colors Market that are essential to be understood by existing as well as new market players. The report highlights the essential elements such as market share, profitability, production, sales, manufacturing, advertising, technological advancements, key market players, regional segmentation, and many more crucial aspects related to the Global Plant-based Food Colors Market.
Plant-based Food Colors Market
The Major Players Covered in this Report:
Archer Daniels Midland Company
D. Williamson & Co. Inc.
Sensient Technology Corporation
Dohler Group
Hansen A/S
FMC Corporation
Givaudan
Kalsec Inc.
BASF SE
Akay Group
Plant Lipids
AVT Natural Products
NATUREX Group
Get a Sample PDF Report: Plant-based Food Colors Market
Segmentation is as follows: -
By Product Type
Carotenoid
Anthocyanin
Chlorophyll
Annatto
Paprika Extract
Spirulina Extract
Turmeric
Beet
Others
By Application
Bakery & Confectionery Products
Beverages
Packaged Food/Frozen Products
Dairy Food Products
Others
By Form
Liquid
Powder
The report specifically highlights the Plant-based Food Colors market share, company profiles, regional outlook, product portfolio, a record of the recent developments, strategic analysis, key players in the market, sales, distribution chain, manufacturing, production, new market entrants as well as existing market players, advertising, brand value, popular products, demand and supply, and other important factors related to the Plant-based Food Colors market to help the new entrants understand the market scenario better.
Important factors like strategic developments, government regulations, Plant-based Food Colors market analysis, end-users, target audience, distribution network, branding, product portfolio, market share, threats and barriers, growth drivers, latest trends in the industry are also mentioned.
Regional Analysis For Plant-based Food Colors Market:
North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico)
Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, and Italy)
Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, and Southeast Asia)
South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, etc.)
Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa)
In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of the Plant-based Food Colors are as follows:
• History Year: 2014–2019
• Base Year: 2019
• Estimated Year: 2020
• Forecast Year 2021 to 2026
The main steps in the investigation process are:
1) The first step in market research is to obtain raw market information from industry experts and direct research analysts using primary and secondary sources.
2) Extracts raw data from these sources to extract valuable insights and analyze them for research purposes.
3) Classify the knowledge gained by qualitative and quantitative data and place it accordingly to make final conclusions.
Key Questions Answered in the Report:
• What is the current scenario of the Global Plant-based Food Colors Market? How is the market going to prosper throughout the next 6 years?
• What is the impact of COVID-19 on the market? What are the major steps undertaken by the leading players to mitigate the damage caused by COVID-19?
• What are the emerging technologies that are going to profit the market?
• What are the historical and the current sizes of the Global Plant-based Food Colors Market?
• Which segments are the fastest growing and the largest in the market? What is their market potential?
• What are the driving factors contributing to the market growth during the short, medium, and long term? What are the major challenges and shortcomings that the market is likely to face? How can the market solve the challenges?
• What are the lucrative opportunities for the key players in the Plant-based Food Colors market?
• Which are the key geographies from the investment perspective?
• What are the major strategies adopted by the leading players to expand their market shares?
• Who are the distributors, traders, and dealers of the Global Plant-based Food Colors market?
• What are sales, revenue, and price analysis by types and applications of the market?
For More Details On this Report: Plant-based Food Colors Market
About Us:
Regardless of whether you’re looking at business sectors in the next town or crosswise over continents, we understand the significance of being acquainted with what customers purchase. We overcome the issues of our customers by recognizing and deciphering just the target group, while simultaneously generating leads with the highest precision. We seek to collaborate with our customers to deliver a broad spectrum of results through a blend of market and business research approaches. This approach of using various research and analysis strategies enables us to determine greater insights by eliminating the research costs. Moreover, we’re continually developing, not only with regards to where we measure, or who we measure but in how our visions can enable you to drive cost-effective growth.
Contact Us:
Company Name: Straits Research
Email: [email protected]
Phone:
+1 646 480 7505 (U.S.)
+91 8087085354 (India)
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Plant-based Food Colors Market Growth, Plant-based Food Colors Forecast, Plant-based Food Colors Industry Trends, Plant-based Food Colors Market Share, Plant-based Food Colors Industry Size, Plant-based Food Colors Market Data Analysis, Plant-based Food Colors Market Overview” | https://medium.com/@shubhamk.straitsresearch/plant-based-food-colors-market-global-share-growth-size-opportunities-trends-regional-overview-8afba8f4b3c8 | ['Shubham K'] | 2021-12-28 06:10:33.934000+00:00 | ['Market Research Reports', 'Food Colors', 'Colors', 'Plant Based Food', 'Plant Based'] |
Understand people through real experiences, not words | Understanding people is core to solving any human-related problem. While people are complex and difficult to understand, coming up with solutions without understanding people’s behavior and attitudes is like stabbing in the dark. As a designer, I find that most types of qualitative research are flawed due to de-contextualized or scripted context and reliance on spoken or written words. What I find the most impactful in helping the team understand people is through natural observation and real-life experiences.
At GOGOX, product managers and designers value the product discovery and validation process more so than other teams I’ve worked with previously. With the help of our continuous discovery team, we conduct research on a regular basis to discover problems and opportunities in an ever-changing environment.
The research methods we use at GOGOX, with the qualitative ones highlighted.
On the quantitative side, we use A/B testing to measure the impact and people’s behavior when naturally using our product. We also conduct surveys to understand people’s attitudes. On the qualitative side, though, it’s more challenging to conduct behavioral and attitudinal research during natural use. For example, interviews and focus groups are often conducted in a decontextualized environment, meaning the people usually aren’t using the product naturally while talking to you. Usability tests are great for identifying usability problems, however, the sessions are often scripted and limited by the prototype that’s being tested.
The problems with words
User interviews and focus groups rely on people’s words coming out of their mouths. When we share our research findings with the cross-functional team, we, too, rely on spoken or written words.
Hypothetical questions
As interviewers, we try to avoid “will you” questions because they tend to be less reliable than “have you” questions. The classic example is “will you hit the gym next week?” It’s easy to say yes, and then not go due to having a bad day at work, or last-minute events. Asking “how many times did you hit the gym last week?” would be a more reliable way of determining their future behavior.
However, we sometimes find it difficult to avoid “will you” questions because we’re tackling problems in a new way that is difficult to compare to past experiences. By doing so, though, it’s difficult to gauge how reliable the answers are.
Indirect negative feedback
In the book No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention, Erin Meyer and Reed Hastings talk about how cultures have different management styles. For example, people from European cultures tend to give direct negative feedback, whereas people from Asian cultures give less direct negative feedback.
The Culture Map by Erin Meyer
This definitely applies to user research too. Even within Asia, we found that different cultures and people have a range of directness and honesty. For example, Hong Kong and South Korean drivers tend to be more direct than Singapore drivers. Our research team found that it takes a lot more time to break the ice and form a trust with them. Moreover, when incentives are involved, some people are less likely to give honest negative feedback.
Attached to a single pain point
While we try to avoid leading questions and be as open as possible, we found that people tend to always go back to their single biggest pain point. This pain point could be important to them, however, it may not be something that our team could tackle at the moment. There could be many pain points and opportunities that cannot be uncovered by simply talking to them. We can try to uncover these by observing them instead.
The power of observation
Naturalistic observation allows you to identify more behavioral problems. Back in 2019, our delivery team at GOGOX found that most high-frequency deliveries were from merchants who placed orders with similar package information. We came up with an idea that saves the package information, much like how we save the sender/recipient addresses so merchants can place orders easier. To validate this, we showed this prototype to merchants. However, merchants didn’t find it helpful. Instead, they wanted to tell us more about their important pain points.
The prototype of saved package information that we showed to merchants
So we ended up parking this idea, until half a year later, we went to a store and observed a merchant place a real order. To our amusement, this power user placed a delivery order very quickly on their phone. We noticed when he typed “11” or “111”, the package information fields filled up automatically. He was using the native keyboard shortcuts as a workaround. This gave us a signal to ship the saved package information idea, as well as a reuse order feature. The outcome is a 23% reduction in time spent placing an order, and a 93% increased in orders placed.
Through observation, we noticed the merchant used their native keyboard shortcuts to fill in the package information fields faster.
Observation unlocks pain points that may not seem important to people (or they may not be even aware of them) but may potentially create a great outcome. It’s important to observe people in their natural environment so that you can understand their natural use.
However, observations could be time-consuming, and people may not act 100% naturally when being observed. To really understand why they think or do something, we can dive into real experiences.
Real experiences
The best context is gained through real experiences. It’s easier to scratch your own itch than somebody else’s. When I worked at Hypebeast, most of my team members read about fashion and shopped online. This made it easy for us to gain context on problems were trying to solve because we can look at our own experiences.
After joining GOGOX, I realized I had much less context on the people I wanted to understand: drivers, bikers, walkers (couriers who traveled by walking or public transport), merchants, and people with personal delivery needs.
Real experiences our team conducted to gain context for each group of people we wanted to understand
Fortunately, as part of my onboarding, I spent half a day as a GOGOX driver and a few hours as a customer service rep. Fellow new joiner Maggie and I sat in the passenger seats while our manager Vincent drove the van. We took real orders on the GOGOX driver app and interacted with the customers. In less than four hours, I gained more context than the days I spent walking through the onboarding materials with my coworkers in the office.
To understand small e-commerce merchants, we set up online stores to sell our company merch. And for walkers, we took days off to deliver real orders to experience what it’s like. By doing so, we gained more context and identified more problems—bits and pieces that we would never get by simply talking to people or observing them.
As product managers, designers, and engineers, we’re good at spotting problems. It’s even easier when we’re doing something new. For example, plastic utensils from a popular fast-food restaurant chain in Hong Kong. For many years, the restaurant group packed their takeaway utensils with the fork and spoon facing one direction, while the knife faces the opposite direction. The first time I opened the utensil packaging, it took some time to realize the knife is turned the other way and flip it over. After opening it a few times, I got used to it and forgot about it.
The reversed knife from the plastic utensils pack
A few years ago, my dad ripped open this utensil pack from the fork and spoon’s handle side (as a normal person would) and accidentally cut by the sharp side of the knife. He started bleeding and got really pissed off, so he called the customer service hotline and complained. Since then, the restaurant chain has changed its takeaway utensil pack so that all the utensils face the same way.
When we do something new for the first time, we can identify problems easier because there’s more cognitive load initially. We can leverage this when doing real experiences. In fact, getting more teammates to partake in observation and experiences helped us identify, decide, and tackle pain points.
Observations and real experiences mapped on the research methods graph
Multiply the effect
When you give a talent-dense team the best context, it results in more ownership and better ideas. When we speak or write about our research findings, it creates another layer of words between people. We found that involving the team in the research process increases their motivation and ownership of the solutions.
Design sprint after our team did a courier experience day
In our same-day delivery team at GOGOX, we encourage all team members to go out to be a courier for a day to understand the supply side. After their experiences, I found that they contributed more during the design sprints and workshops. It led to solutions that created more impact. For example, the team brainstormed ideas based on their pain points during the courier experience day: region filters, package size, and weight filters, order suggestions, order bundling… The filter and sorting idea that we shipped resulted in a 180% increase in orders taken by couriers, and an 83% reduction in response time.
To summarize, here are the steps to improve your qualitative research:
Observe people in their natural environment to spot new problems Conduct real experiences to gain context Encourage your team to do the same to increase the outcome
By doing so, your team will unlock pain points and opportunities that others may not be aware of, which can potentially lead to a greater outcome when tackling problems. Furthermore, the team will learn to trust the design process instead of relying on words of mouth, especially when the culture is less direct when it comes to giving feedback.
This is not to say to neglect the other research methods. Observing people may uncover new behavior problems, but may not always explain their behavior. Conducting real experiences is time-intensive, especially when the experience is difficult to reproduce or requires prior knowledge. These drawbacks can be overcome by conducting a wider range of research methods. The different research methods complement each other and will give your team a more complete understanding.
To improve the current process, I would schedule more frequent observations or real experiences with the team instead of doing it yearly or one-off (like onboarding). During the pandemic, the supply and demand for our delivery service changed rapidly, and we were blind to pain points until we started receiving courier and customer feedback. I felt like we discovered the problems too late and could’ve identified them if we conducted real experiences during this time, which we didn’t do due to safety concerns. In the future, when we’re all vaccinated and safe, doing more frequent observations and real-life experiences will definitely benefit the team’s discovery in a fast-changing environment. | https://medium.com/gogox-technology/understand-people-through-real-experiences-not-words-ac1bdad8011b | ['Tom Lau'] | 2020-12-23 10:28:05.823000+00:00 | ['UX Research', 'Startup', 'Product', 'UX', 'Design'] |
How Veterans Law Impacts Disability Claims | There are many benefits for veterans under the Veterans Law. One of these benefits is the VA disability claim process, which helps disabled veterans receive compensation and health care through their disability claims. If you are a veteran with disabilities, it’s essential to know how this law impacts your ability to receive compensation and necessary medical care. We will discuss some of the ways that the Veterans Law impacts disability claims so that you can be informed about what your rights are as a veteran.
1. Veteran service officer ( VSOs)
To file a VA disability claim, you need an advocate to offer you more info on veterans law. In the past, veterans had to find their advocates to file a claim with the VA. However, if you are filing a claim for yourself or your dependents, you have the option to be represented by a non-lawyer advocate — also known as a Veterans Service Organization (VSO). This means that there are advocacy groups out there who will assist you with your disability claims and help ensure that they proceed smoothly. Not only can these VSOs help guide you through the filing process, but most of them can represent you at hearings and review appeals on your behalf as well. This means less time spent navigating the VA disability system on your own and more time to manage the challenges of living with disabilities.
2. Award Levels
There are various VA Schedules for Rating Disabilities (VASRD). Each of these VASRD has a list of common disabilities that veterans may suffer from, entitling them to compensation through their VA disability claim. However, each one is broken down into ten award levels based on the severity of the medical condition. The first step in filing your claim is determining which VASRD you qualify under, as some conditions can only be rated under certain VASRDs. Once you decide which list you qualify for, it becomes easier to file your disability claim or appeal if you disagree with your rating. This is because having an expert who has reviewed the VASRD can ensure that you are being rated properly under the correct award levels.
3. Retroactive Benefits
When filing a VA disability claim, it’s essential to realize that benefits may be available for disabilities incurred when your service was not honorable. For example, if you are filing a claim for PTSD after serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, there is no requirement for your service period to be honorable. This means that even if you received anything other than honorable discharge due to misconduct during your time in the service, your combat-related PTSD would still be considered if all other criteria are met. The only exception to this rule is if your misconduct was directly related to the development of PTSD or another condition that would entitle you to a service-connected disability.
4. Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
Another way the Veterans Law impacts disability claims is through a VA program called vocational rehabilitation and employment, or VR&E for short. This program provides veterans with disabilities the opportunity to participate in career counseling, training, and job placement services to find gainful employment for those who cannot immediately return to their previous jobs due to their service-related disabilities. While the goal of this program is ultimately to find you gainful employment, there are also immediate benefits, including being financially eligible for up to one year following your release from active duty and receiving an additional tax-free monthly allowance if you were unemployed before using these services.
5. Medical Care
Another benefit of receiving compensation for a service-related disability is the ability to receive all necessary medical care related to your condition through the VA. This means free medical treatment, prescriptions, and dental care, as well as access to over 100 VA hospitals across the country. What’s more, you can also receive reimbursement for treatment received from private doctors if they are under contract with the VA. While additional benefits are not listed above, this should provide veterans with enough information about how filing a claim impacts their eligibility for other VA programs.
6. Help with Unemployment Compensation
Suppose you are unable to find a job after leaving active duty service. In that case, you should be aware that unemployment compensation may be available if you served in the military for less than five years and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. The amount of money varies by state, but it is a significant help when unemployed.
7. Insurance or Life Insurance
VA Home Loan Guaranty is available to military personnel who took out a VA-backed home loan, those taking part in other Federal, State, or Local government agency programs using their G.I. Bill benefits, and all service members planning to use it after separating from active duty service even if they have already used some of their educational benefits towards flight school. There’s also a life insurance program being offered, except that veterans must apply for coverage within the given number of days from the date of separation from active duty unless they qualify under the Servicemembers Group Life (SGLI). In either case, you can teach your spouse and children how to use a firearm at home for their protection.
8. Low-Income Assistance
The Department of Veterans Affairs may provide financial assistance to veterans, spouses, and dependent children who are American Indian/Alaska Natives if they live in areas where it is hard to find jobs or have been subjected to environmental hazards. Other benefits from this program included emergency shelter, security deposit or moving expenses, homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing assistance, credit counseling, and mortgage delinquency intervention.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article made it easier for you to find a job and receive benefits that can help you get back on your feet after serving in the military. While some may be skeptical of joining the armed forces because of all the red tape, service members should still consider other opportunities, whether they’re planning to stay in the military once their contract is over or leave and start a new career right away. You might not know what lies ahead when you make a decision, so it’s always best to plan while making decisions. | https://medium.com/@disabledvets/how-veterans-law-impacts-disability-claims-696587b1177b | ['Disabled Vets'] | 2021-12-30 22:52:03.826000+00:00 | ['Veterans', 'Attorney', 'Law', 'Lawyers'] |
Sourcing the World’s Untapped Talent | We’re living in perhaps the most important crossroads in human history. A time when the imperfect systems of the past collide with opportunity for a more utopian future, fueled by a technological revolution and a sort of collective awakening. The outcome of which will be determined by our capacity to grasp the urgency of both.
For me, the answer lies in Brazil.
Brazil is the land of dichotomy; beauty that fills the soul, and pain that rips it apart. Home to 58 billionaires and nearly a million indigenous peoples. A population of tremendous creative capacity, shackled by their colonial past and iniquitous present. A country within a region of contrasts. A place of two worlds, whose survival increasingly depends on one another.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which describes the current and exponentially evolving environment driven by a fusion of technology and innovation, is underway and disrupting almost every industry in every country. Brazil is no exception. Economies around the world are in a race to leave industrialization behind, adapting instead to technology-focused, entrepreneurial societies fueled by innovative, creative problem solvers.
Latin America has the largest skills gap in the world, but remains rich in untapped potential. Having spent ten years living and working in the region, I’ve been witness to it. Meanwhile, nearly one in four live in an urban slum with little access to opportunity or quality education. Just recently, Brazil made sweeping cuts to its public education system despite the fact that roughly one in three youth remain unemployed.
The new frontier of the 21st century is not unexplored territory, it’s the overlooked potential of people living in poverty, the creative genius of slum communities, and the promise of creating a more inclusive economy for the benefit of all.
We’re living in a truly unique time in history from a technological perspective. The convergence of exponential computational growth, declining prices, and the fact that the capital required to get into the game is very low, creates a tremendous opportunity to propel people out of poverty while simultaneously creating a more inclusive, diverse, and competitive global economy. In Latin America alone, three in four companies have difficulty sourcing talent. And a growing body of research demonstrates that investment in diversity and inclusion yields improved performance.
The type of outside-the-box thinking required by the innovation economy resides within the marginalized peripheries of the old world, in the slums where the convenience of the right angle is not easily found. With record talent shortages around the world, it’s no longer a question of finding talent; we need to build it. And what better place to start than with people who, by virtue of living circumstances, are creative innovators hungry for opportunity and growth.
With its tremendous creative capacity, vast urban poverty, and emerging technology sector, Brazil is the perfect place to build, refine, and scale a model that can be taken worldwide. By harnessing untapped talent and curating it to the needs of the market, Plataforma exists to service the appetite of the innovation economy while breaking the cycle of poverty for millions. | https://medium.com/@plataformaimpact/sourcing-the-worlds-untapped-talent-2b526b265eb | ['Plataforma Impact'] | 2020-11-13 23:08:40.212000+00:00 | ['Inequality', 'Brazil', 'Social Impact', 'Diversity In Tech', 'Technology'] |
On the Four Key DevOps Metrics, and why I measure them differently — SourceLevel | The four key DevOps metrics are an exciting set of measurements. They’re getting more and more relevant since the book Accelerate has been published. I firmly believe they’re essential for engineering teams seeking effectiveness and efficiency.
The Four key DevOps metrics are:
Lead Time for Change
Deploy Frequency
Change Failure Rate
Median Time to Restore (MTTR)
You can learn more about measuring it in Paul Duvall’s article or reading the 2019 Accelerate State of DevOps.
In this article, I want to explore why I like them and why we measure it slightly differently at Source Level. I’ll focus on the Lead Time for Change and Deploy Frequency, as I have more experience working with them.
Why are the Four Key DevOps Metrics essential for engineering teams?
The main goal of an engineering team is to add value for the customers through technology. Delivering value is abstract, and describing what it means is hard.
Sometimes value translates into a single line of code or even in a configuration change. But at other times, value translates into three months of 8-sized-team work. It happens because value perception is not attached to the work itself. It’s bound to what end-users extract from the running product.
That’s why measuring Story Points is useless. The team attributes a numeric value based on how much effort a given User Story or task requires. So, Story Points measures engineering performance based on their effort. And, as stated, it’s not related to the end-user perception of value.
However, Modern Software Development requires agility, and it doesn’t come from the nature of the work, such as painful features or slippery bugs. Agility comes from a smooth and sustainable process.
Some years ago, using agility and process in the same sentence would be hilarious. But agile’s core is to respond to change appropriately, and delivering more doing less is a consequence, not the goal.
That said, the Four Key DevOps metrics become the best allies of Tech Leads, Engineering Managers, and VPs of Engineering looking for efficiency. These roles require full attention to the big picture, and DevOps metrics give a perfect overview of how the system responds to daily activities.
Lead Time for Change and Deploy Frequency summarize the development pipeline, and any change in the process reflects on them. Managers should have them in their dashboards or any other accessible and accurate place.
Considerations on Lead Time for Change
Lead Time for Change measures how much time it takes for a code change to reach production. It’s crucial to measure up to production because staging or any other non-official environment won’t provide any value.
However, it raises an interesting discussion on feature toggles (or feature flags). Deploying a new feature is not the final step of the value chain if your team uses feature toggles or feature flags. Features must be enabled to add value, and so, I’d consider measuring not only Lead Time for Change but also the Lead Time to Value.
Another aspect I’d like to point is statistics. The recommendation is to calculate the Median Lead Time for Change. It outputs the value at the midpoint of a frequency distribution. In other words, half of the changes are equal or less the median. But how about the other half of the changes? They could take considerably more.
At SourceLevel, we’ve been more likely to use the 75th percentile as the default metric and keeping track of the 95th percentile as well. The 75th percentile is more comprehensive and realistic. In contrast, the 95th percentile gives us an idea of the small portion of work left out of the count and excludes the top 5% most time-consuming changes, as we consider them outliers.
Considerations on Deploy Frequency
Deploy Frequency measures how many times code changes reached production in a period. It can be measure as deploy per hour, per day, per week, per month, and so on.
It’s crucial to adjust the period properly. Saying a team deploys four times in a month sounds like a team deploys once in a week. But it may not be accurate. If the team deploys four times at the end of a month, it means the team has a different pace than deploying once a week.
If it’s usual for your team to have one or zero deploys per day, don’t measure it in days. Start measuring in weeks. Once the team starts deploying more than seven times a week, you can switch for days. Switch to shorter timeframes whenever possible, but always respecting the accuracy of the information.
In short
The Four Key DevOps Metrics are useful and give an overall idea of how the system responds to daily activities. Lead Time for Change and Deploy Frequency are much more price than Story Points and should be accessible and accurate.
Tech Leads, Engineering Managers, and VP of Engineering benefit from these metrics. Although more metrics are necessary to investigate problems, they are excellent indicators of the engineering process healthiness. | https://medium.com/sourcelevel/on-the-four-key-devops-metrics-and-why-i-measure-them-differently-sourcelevel-b303df2e758a | ['George Guimarães'] | 2020-11-06 18:33:02.094000+00:00 | ['Metrics And Analytics', 'State Of Devops', 'Software Engineering', 'Engineering Mangement', 'DevOps'] |
Taking A Biblical Stance On Immigration | Even before the 2016 election, immigration had taken its spot as a hot button issue in American politics, but with Donald Trump’s rhetoric on the “wall” and immigration — and soon after his travel ban was announced shortly after his presidency started — it quickly escalated into a major household conversation across America.
While the issue is complex and nuanced, the evangelical backing of Trump and his decisions to lower the cap on refugees fleeing persecution, separate children from their families, and more does not fit with what the Bible says. While the modern American Church is divided on this issue due in large part to the politics behind it, there have been many Christian leaders across the aisle — some who are otherwise ardent supporters of Trump, like Franklin Graham — who have spoken out against the President on the issue.
The Bible is clear on this issue, and if it has to land on a political side, it aligns much better with Democrats’ current stances than Republicans. It is an issue that gives Democrats the ability to reach across the aisle and engage with the faithful on, even if they are more traditionally conservative on other issues.
The lessons scripture teaches us about how to treat immigrants and, even more specifically, refugees, are consistent throughout both the Old and New Testament, from Genesis to Revelation.
As Leviticus 27:19 points out, God’s people were “aliens” in the land of Egypt themselves: ”The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
As we already pointed out, the Bible upholds the importance of helping the “least of these,” which often includes the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the stranger/foreigner, found in verses like Deuteronomy 10:18 (“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing”) and Psalm 146:9 (“The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but He frustrates the ways of the wicked).
Though there are many other examples of this, Matthew 25 is perhaps one of the most quoted ones in this debate, which we have already discussed with the blessedness of the poor.
In Hebrews, we are also instructed how to welcome the “stranger:” “Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it…”
However, the Bible doesn’t even stop at just allowing the stranger in; rather, it lays out how we are to make special provisions for our immigrant neighbors in Deuteronomy 24: “When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from our trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow.”
“Loving thy neighbor” is about more than just the people next door to us. Immigrants can bring a lot of good to our society, and scripture supports the view that welcoming the stranger is a Christian duty.
If you missed last week’s post about moral legalism, check it out here. Then, stay tuned for next week’s post on “Healing Racial Divides.” | https://medium.com/faith-voters/taking-a-biblical-stance-on-immigration-d04c1853f014 | ['Faith Voters'] | 2019-11-12 16:14:36.283000+00:00 | ['Bible', 'Scripture', 'Immigration', 'Christianity', 'Policy'] |
What I Didn’t Know About the Rails Generate Command | You Can Create Custom Generators
If the default rails generators aren’t enough for you, you can create your own generators. For example, to create new services rails g service or to create new initializers rails g initializer etc.
Rails generate generator
Remember this generator list that we saw at the beginning of the article? Look inside the Rails group and you will see generator .
Yes, Rails has a default generator that allows you to create your own generator!
Generate an initializer generator?
rails generate generator initializer
create lib/generators/initializer
create lib/generators/initializer/initializer_generator.rb
create lib/generators/initializer/USAGE
create lib/generators/initializer/templates
invoke test_unit
create test/lib/generators/initializer_generator_test.rb
Create the lib/generators/initializer folder.
folder. Create the initializer_generator.rb file that inherits from Rails::Generators::NamedBase . As the Rails documentation says, this means that our generator expects at least one argument, which will be the name of the initializer and will be available in our code in the variable name .
The source_root method points to where our generator templates will be placed.
Create a USAGE file, it will actually be your custom generator documentation:
I’ve edited the file just for the example. When I enter rails generate initializer --help in the terminal I now see the following:
Usage:
rails generate initializer NAME [options] Options:
[--skip-namespace], [--no-skip-namespace] # Skip namespace (affects only isolated applications) Runtime options:
-f, [--force] # Overwrite files that already exist
-p, [--pretend], [--no-pretend] # Run but do not make any changes
-q, [--quiet], [--no-quiet] # Suppress status output
-s, [--skip], [--no-skip] # Skip files that already exist Description:
Explain the generator Example:
Hello from the initializer doc This will create:
a/new/initializer
Create the lib/generators/initializer/templates folder. This folder will include the basic template for your custom initializer generator. | https://betterprogramming.pub/what-i-didnt-know-about-the-rails-generate-command-52935ef9a3ad | ['Olivier Dumas'] | 2020-12-01 22:14:12.736000+00:00 | ['Ruby', 'Software Development', 'Ruby on Rails', 'Programming', 'Rails'] |
Dear President-Elect & Dr. Biden, Tear Down Those Walls! | Immigration | USA
Dear President-Elect & Dr. Biden, Tear Down Those Walls!
Protest sign taken at the Witness at the Border Jan. 12, 2020 #EndMPP #RestoreAsylum vigil, Brownsville, TX (credit: Sarah Towle 2020)
Dear Joe and Jill,
I hope you don’t mind the informality, but as Jill and I have both been to the refugee camp in Matamoros, Mexico, I feel connected to you in some small way.
Now, I know you both have a lot on your plate at present. And I realized you’re going to be very busy come January 20, 2021, reversing thousands of lawless and unconscionable Trump & Co executive actions — over 400 related to immigration alone. But I write to implore you, on behalf of the heroes and humanitarians who’ve been flying the tattered flag of American values these past four years:
Please make the humanitarian crisis at the border and in detention centers throughout the country a top priority.
The U.S. immigration “system” has gotten away with murder for too long because it exists largely out of view. That changed when Trump & Co started ripping babies out of the arms of terrified parents. When we saw the images of kids in cages, when we heard their despondent cries, we all woke up. But…
Cages have been with us since the Carter administration.
Migrant families have been separated as far back as the 1st Bush.
Deterrence was a Clinton-era concept, as was the expansion of the prison-industrial complex. And we can lay at his feet the anti-immigrant acts of 1996.
And as much as we love Obama and credit him for standing up for DACA recipients, he wasn’t nicknamed the “Deporter in Chief” for nothing.
Still, Trump & Co’s manufactured border crisis stands apart for its cruelty. Cruelty was their point. They all agreed to take the children. That horror happened in the United States of America.
It’s time to enact comprehensive immigration reform in the U.S., once and for all.
To say the system is “broken” implies it ever worked. Now housed within the sprawling, dysfunctional, post-9/11 security infrastructure of DHS, it brings a proverbial hammer down, again and again and again, on what is really a humanitarian issue — and one of our own making.
Following decades of U.S. funding, arming, and training of some of the most brutal and repressive regimes in the hemisphere, death squads have become drug cartels; former military brass are now drug lords.
Yet, when their victims reach our doors, do we extend a hand? No.
Instead, we destroy their families; deny them due process; subject them to indefinite detention or disappear them to Mexico; and eventually deport them right back to the dangers they fled, if not death, at huge expense to the US taxpayer.
The Seven Deadly Sins of Trump & Co’s Immigration Agenda have destroyed the soul of our nation. It’s the other side of the Black Lives Matter movement: another American tragedy built on racist foundations that supports the world’s biggest detention and deportation complex in violation of national laws and values as well as international human rights conventions to which the U.S. is a signatory.
We are better than this.
We must Build Back Better with communities of caring at the Southern border.
We have the opportunity to replace a punitive criminal justice culture — the only employment option in many of our poorest areas — with jobs people feel good about performing, while extending a hand to new arrivals, especially those who are running for their lives.
Let’s turn detention centers into community centers. Let’s employ social workers, trauma specialists, early childhood educators, nutritionists, translators, and English teachers rather than Border Patrol agents and ICE deportation officers. Let’s offer young people career paths as immigration attorneys and mental health professionals rather than tracking them into jobs as jailers as soon as they enter high school.
Trump & Co’s cruel immigration agenda begs us to ask, what do we truly value as a nation?
Kids in cages?
Destitute families living in tents, preyed upon by cartels and kidnappers, hunger and hurricanes, mosquitoes and venomous snakes?
Indefinite detention of innocent Black and Brown people by for-profit prison contractors?
$35,000/person deportations to death, like the recent expulsion of Cameroonian asylum seekers?
These are Trump’s true walls: bureaucratic fortifications that make the promise of Freedom, Liberty, and Justice for all an impossibility in today’s America.
We must be better than this.
Yes, we need to secure ourselves from the threat of terrorism and the scourges of drug and people trafficking. But we can Build Back Better by creating communities with heart where currently we are over-specializing in torture.
In your words, Joe: We’re Americans. We can do anything if we put our hearts and minds to it.
I, therefore, beseech you: Tear Down Those Walls!
In solidarity and standing by to help,
Sarah Towle
Educator & Author: The First Solution: Tales of Humanity and Heroism from Trump’s Manufactured Border Crisis
Joe Biden Dr. Jill Biden Kamala Harris Penofgold | https://medium.com/the-first-solution/dear-president-elect-dr-biden-tear-down-those-walls-50684c9bca95 | ['Sarah Towle'] | 2021-01-04 14:21:31.064000+00:00 | ['Biden', 'Immigration Reform', 'Immigration', 'Justice', 'Humanity'] |
British hegemony in India: pros and cons. | Pre-colonial period.
Though agriculture was major source of livelihood for Indians before the British colonized us, India’s pre-colonial trade was wide spread, to entire Europe, Middle east, China. We exported in abundance the finest quality of cotton, muslin, and silks; we exported rice, sugar, jute etc. We were largely self-sufficient in food crops, reared cattle, we had a presence of fisheries. Our handicraft industries, metal and precious stone works had a great reputation world wide. We were called a “golden bird”, some stats even say that India’s share of world economy was more than 23%, more than entire Europe put together. And India’s share of exports was 27%
However, towards the end of colonial period, as calculated by the then notable estimators, Dadabhai Naoroji, VKRV Rao, the aggregate growth of India between 1900–1950 was less than 2%, and an annual 0.5% growth in per capita output /year. Export share fell to 2%
You can imagine the level of exploitation.
So, what happened in between?
CONS:
Economic Subjugation
Agriculture: Although the majority still lived under the umbrella of agriculture for livelihood, the productivity was low. Courtesy: Land revenue system that prevailed. (Read Land Revenue System explained in simple words) There wasn’t stagnation,but the profits went to zamindars and in turn to British not to cultivators. As the money went by, there wasn’t any capital left to improve agriculture, and hence no technology adaption, further aggravated the dismal level of agriculture. There was a demand for cash crops as British wanted to export them to their country this made farmers grow cash crops, instead of food crops in the lure of making some money atleast this way. Led to the commercialization of agriculture.Thus a country which was self-sufficient in food crops and even exported them,now fell short of them.
Although the majority still lived under the umbrella of agriculture for livelihood, the productivity was low. Courtesy: Land revenue system that prevailed. (Read Land Revenue System explained in simple words) There wasn’t stagnation,but the profits went to zamindars and in turn to British not to cultivators. As the money went by, there wasn’t any capital left to improve agriculture, and hence no technology adaption, further aggravated the dismal level of agriculture. There was a demand for cash crops as British wanted to export them to their country this made farmers grow cash crops, instead of food crops in the lure of making some money atleast this way. Led to the commercialization of agriculture.Thus a country which was self-sufficient in food crops and even exported them,now fell short of them. Industrial Sector: As mentioned, India was world famous for handicraft industries, which vanished under colonial rule, there is a story that British cut off the thumbs of Bengali weavers, who weaved and exported the finest muslin cloth. The clear motive of the colonial govt was to de-industrialize India. They reduced the status of India to mere exporter of raw materials for the upcoming modern industries of England and turn India into a market for cheap finished products of those industries. Local goods lost value leading to massive unemployment in India. India’s suffering became and advantage to British.
As mentioned, India was world famous for handicraft industries, which vanished under colonial rule, there is a story that British cut off the thumbs of Bengali weavers, who weaved and exported the finest muslin cloth. The clear motive of the colonial govt was to de-industrialize India. They reduced the status of India to mere exporter of raw materials for the upcoming modern industries of England and turn India into a market for cheap finished products of those industries. Local goods lost value leading to massive unemployment in India. Trade: Though we were an export surplus country then, our trade was monopolized only to Britain. We exported raw silks, cotton, sugar, wool, indigo and in turn imported finished products like woolen clothes, cotton clothes etc. The profits made this way was used to maintain the British Govt. in India for war expenses, salaries of British employees. This led to drain of India’s wealth.
Demographics: According to 1921 census.
• Literacy rate was less than 16%
• Female literacy was less than 7%
• No public health facilities.
• High Infant mortality rate (218/1000)
• Life expectancy of 32 years
Political structure:
A few argue that they have bought the political unity in India, but we enjoyed cultural and geographical unity many a times in the history, under the Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC , Cholas covered majority of South India, Mughal rule was spread across. But what about the Partition that was because of the Britishers. Millions of people around that time and scores of millions displaced. There was no Political unity, they rather employed “Divide and rule”
Infrastructure:
Some argue that British did infrastructural development in India with the construction of the Indian Railways, ports, water transport, post offices, telegraphs etc.
But the obvious fact is that many countries have built railways without having to be colonized to do so. And the railways laid were largely for the convenience of British as they connected important trade centers to the ports so that they helped the British export and import easily, and roads were constructed to mobilize the army within India. The posts, telegraph was for the effective administration and ruling on Indians. These developments only aggravated India’s economic loss.
Massacres
Jhansi Massacre, Jallianwala bagh massacre, Killings in Cawnpore, etc kill
around 20 million people died due to starvation. The last large-scale famine to take place in India was under British rule; four million Bengalis died in the Great Bengal Famine of 1943 after which Winston Churchill yet diverted the food to serve British. When asked about the tragedy caused due to his decisions, Churchill’s infamous response was “why hasn’t Gandhi died yet?”
Language:
Some say we got to learn English language because of British, remember the Macaulay’s infamous declaration, “I want Indians in blood and color, but English in taste, opinions, culture and moral.” But the need of teaching English to Indians was that they wanted translators, so that the administration became easy.
PROS:
1. Educational reforms: Christian missionaries did some good job in encouraging women’s education. Universities were built for the education in Madras, Calcutta, Bombay. But again, it was done to hire cheap clerks for their administration and we became English obsessed countries, losing our own language and its glorious history. English is no precursor for development.
2. Social Reforms: Abolition of Sati system. Empowerment of Women. Slavery abolition, Widow Re-marriage Act, the cruel custom of offering little children as sacrifice to please God, was banned by Governor General Lord Hardinge
3. Political reforms: The Govt of India act 1935, which acts as a major source for our present day Constitution.
4. William Jones founded the Asiatic Society. He translated some ancient Indian works like the Manu Smriti. Charles Wilkins translated the Bhagavad Gita into English. Max Mueller translated the Rig Veda. James Princep deciphered the Ashokan inscriptions which were written in Brahmi. India’s rich and glorious history, as revealed by Western scholars, helped Indians to regain their lost pride and confidence and contributed to the development of nationalism.
5. The Archaeological Survey of India was set up due to the efforts of Alexander Cunningham and John Marshall.
References:
History Discussions
Pre-Colonial and Colonial Economy
Massacres in India | https://medium.com/three-much/british-hegemony-in-india-pros-and-cons-e24f08de1b08 | ['Saiprasad Bejgam'] | 2016-09-27 09:29:17.285000+00:00 | ['History Of India', 'Indian Economy', 'Colonization', 'British Rule'] |
The 4 master artists who used nature-inspired color palettes | The 4 master artists who used nature-inspired color palettes
Many artists in history were obsessed with colors in nature. When viewing their masterpieces, we could discover their intense passions, unconcealable emotions, and their staunch belief in the power of colors.
As a product designer, I also constantly think about what natural color patterns can be used to better connect with users. To get inspired, I want to take a whirlwind journey through modern art history, drill insights into what colors meant to some of the most creative geniuses, and discuss what can be leveraged to our design practices. 😉
Claude Monet: the harmonious, analogous colors
Claude Monet is among one of the most well-known Impressionism artists. Around the 1860s, he and a group of young artists decided to paint what they saw, thought, and felt in a simple and intuitive way.
A partial snapshot of Claude Monet’s “Water Lillies” (1915). Color palette picked by using Coolers.
It was a huge break away from their Realist predecessors. Claude Monet and his peer artists were much more interested in painting landscape and contemporary life, rather than depicting historical and mythological scenes.
If we take a close look at Monet’s paintings, we can observe his focus on picturing nature and capturing the fleeting effects of natural light. The color palettes on his works were often soft and glowing, which convey a more intimate feel to the viewers.
A partial snapshot of Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge” (1897–99). Color palette picked by using Coolers.
Meanwhile, he often used analogous colors to draw natural sceneries. The “Water Lillies” series is one of the stunning examples. In the following “Water Lillies” painting created in 1908, we can sense the beauty of nature through the softly fluid blues and greens, with cream and a bit of pink. The smooth transitions between analogous colors create a sense of gentleness and calm.
A partial snapshot of Claude Monet’s “Water Lillies” (1908). Color palette picked by using Coolers.
💡 Designer takeaway
Analogous color schemes are often found in nature and are harmonious and pleasing to the eye. Claude Monet’s works can be a great place to find inspiration from if we want to convey a calm, gentle feel in the interface we’re designing. | https://uxplanet.org/the-4-master-artists-who-used-nature-inspired-color-palettes-c10441c1c7d2 | ['Mandy Ding'] | 2021-01-08 00:58:30.553000+00:00 | ['Design', 'Color Palette', 'UI Design', 'Colors', 'Product Design'] |
NoMango: An In-House Delta Venture | The Delta, a venture development company, assists in building business and products alongside leading corporate organisations and entrepreneurs. Not only does this venture development occur in a co-creative manner but should the opportunity arise, The Delta’s venture department is not afraid to act on internal conceptualisations and ideas and bring these products to life. This occurs through a unique and finely established methodology of operations: validate, design, build and launch.
One such product, NoMango, is the result of an in-house venture stemming directly from The Delta’s very own venture team. Different from your traditional grocery store delivery applications, which are unique to that specific franchise, NoMango acts as a one cart application platform that is cross-operational across numerous grocery stores. The NoMango product was born out of the current times in which we find ourselves: lockdown regulations, curfews and limited access to stores. Not only this but also, store regulations stipulate that grocery stores close their doors between the hours of 5–6 PM — when most of us are still required to be at our ‘work from home’ office set-up. Therefore, this made the validation stage-gate of The Delta’s process methodology a relatively simple procedure which meant that design and build could get underway. Upon reflecting on the initial concept of NoMango, it is clear to see that it was a project that was easy to back and exciting to build, a combination that is highly sought after when it comes to venture development.
The coupling of the above sanctions has resulted in an array of new business models and revenue streams being thought of and developed, with delivery services being arguably the most prominent one. Whether it’s home office equipment, essential winter clothing, or your groceries, door-to-door delivery and the efficiency of the service within is booming. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. Not only was this product launched by The Delta due to the urgency of the service needed, but this venture presented a unique opportunity to represent the company’s corporate social responsibility through the economic opportunity that it creates. This is in-line with the vision of The Delta and the products with which we engage: building products and businesses that matter and have the ability to make a positive impact.
“The acceleration of e-commerce adoption due to COVID-19 has opened many gaps in the supporting industries. What is great about this opportunity is it gives us a chance to help the thousands of people who have lost their jobs during COVID19 to quickly get back to earning an income,” says Louis Buys, CEO of The Delta.
The current structure of the NoMango team consists of venture managers from The Delta as well as our shoppers and drivers who source the products for our clients and securely deliver them to their homes. In a time where economic livelihoods have been significantly affected (and for the worse at that matter), NoMango provides a substitute revenue stream for its shoppers and drivers who will not only get comfort in the fact that they are able to earn a living but can also take pride in knowing that their essential services are assisting in keeping our economy ticking. With NoMango, users are able to purchase products from the likes of Pick n Pay and Woolworths as well as having their medical and hygiene needs catered for through Clicks and Wellness Warehouse. Currently, NoMango delivers products to a selected range of locations due to the service being in its infancy. As the product and service offerings grow, so scalability will follow suit and an expansion of delivery points will occur as new drivers and shoppers are on-boarded.
The NoMango venture has provided multiple benefits both internally to The Delta as well as externally to the job creation that it has facilitated and the essential service which it fulfils. As The Delta grows, the in-house venture department will continue to attempt to break new grounds and launch innovative products directly through its unique validation, design, development methodology and product teams. NoMango acts as a cornerstone for homegrown products, illustrating what the team is capable of. As we continue to launch new products in a time where business operations are limited to those ‘essential services’ performed by a select few workers, we have seen that societies and economies within have been maintained by those workers refuelling our cars, scanning our groceries, delivering our online orders and most importantly taking care of our health and up-keeping our medical institutions. In a world where certain income brackets dictate social standings and skill-levels, 2020 has so far taught us to re-evaluate the importance of certain jobs. Let us never deem those workers ‘low-skilled’ again. | https://medium.com/the-delta-studio/nomango-an-in-house-delta-venture-ae1c42b1e664 | ['Jack Tilbury'] | 2020-06-08 13:05:40.191000+00:00 | ['Covid 19', 'Venture Builder', 'Agile Development', 'Software Development', 'E Commerce Business'] |
Code Smell 14 — God Objects | Code Smell 14 — God Objects
An object that knows too much or does too much.
Photo by Francisco Ghisletti on Unsplash
Problems
Cohesion
Coupling
Solutions
Split responsibilities.
Follow Single Responsibility Principle.
Follow The Boy Scout Rule.
Examples
Libraries
Exceptions
Sample Code
Wrong
Right
Detection
Linters can count methods and warn against a threshold.
Tags
Cohesive
Conclusion
Libraries were fine in the 60. In Object Oriented Programming we will distribute responsibilities among many objects.
Also Known as
Large Class
More info | https://medium.com/dev-genius/code-smell-14-god-objects-b84b75b702 | ['Maximiliano Contieri'] | 2020-11-28 15:24:38.834000+00:00 | ['Refactoring', 'Programming', 'Code Smells', 'Clean Code', 'Software Engineering'] |
Not My Key | Image Source Unknown
I am wanting more than you could ever give me
So I’m turning it into love for me
In silent reverence of the goddess that I seek
I have been brought to my knees
From the Earth has come my heart, with a profound longing
This love I bring is not a soft wind blowing
For the conscious in connection that I seek
You are not my key
This messy imperfect heart
She beats for me
I choose, I choose, I choose
This Queen
Every day
This heart of mine is not fair game, go play that elsewhere
So I’m becoming all the love for me
This is building all the boundaries that I seek
I am home with me
In the mirror I can see the magnificence
This love I bring is not a gentle swirling eddy
In silent reverence of the goddess that I seek
I am no longer blind
This messy imperfect heart
She beats for me
I choose, I choose, I choose
This Queen
Every day
This messy imperfect heart
She beats for me
This is all so bittersweet
As you are not my key
So, I choose, I choose, I choose
This Queen
Every day
Chantelle Dawn Skye ©
18th December 2020 | https://medium.com/@chantelledawnskye/not-my-key-16a1f9e847 | ['Chantelle Dawn Skye'] | 2020-12-19 03:27:06.641000+00:00 | ['Spirituality', 'Poetry', 'Connection', 'Love', 'Self Love'] |
Senior Manager — Finance, Ashish Pathak reveals the three core values that drive Meesho’s success and the various facets of Finance in a dynamic startup culture | Senior Manager — Finance, Ashish Pathak reveals the three core values that drive Meesho’s success and the various facets of Finance in a dynamic startup culture Mangala Dilip Follow Sep 18, 2020 · 5 min read
Ashish Pathak, who grew up in the town of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, moved to Kolkata in 2007 to pursue B.Com from St. Xavier’s college while simultaneously also pursuing Chartered Accountancy (CA) and Company Secretary (CS). He successfully completed all three and moved to Mumbai to join pharmaceutical company Cipla in Mumbai. While his next job at Puma brought him to Bangalore, it wasn’t until October 2018 that Ashish ended up joining Meesho as a Senior Manager in the Business Finance team.
When he joined, the Finance team used to be at its budding stage with seven members and did not have processes in place. This meant that everyone was multitasking. “I was doing everything from finance operations to vendor negotiations,” says Ashish, adding how he feels proud about “being a part of a dynamic and constantly evolving team. We are not only larger in number but also have well-defined and actionable goals within the umbrella of Finance at Meesho.”
Learning on the job
Ashish realised soon enough that there would many new skills that he would need to learn while working at Meesho, starting with how he accessed information. He elaborates, “Meesho is the first startup I was working at and I remember running from one analyst to another seeking their help in the beginning. Having worked at corporates such as Cipla, Puma, and Essilor, handling financial planning and analysis, commercial finance, and controllership, I was used to a certain way of doing things. However, over time I learned how to write queries and extract data from Meesho’s database, and that made my life so much easier.”
Over the past two years that Ashish has been working with Meesho, he has worked the most with the Fulfilment & Experience org. In the initial months, he would partner with the Business org as well and report monthly Management Information System (MIS) to the management and the investors. Having moved to the Finance Controllership team in April this year, his responsibilities changed to the controllership role for Meesho — which essentially means managing end-to-end financial operations, accounting, books closing, and getting audits done — and overlooking the New Initiatives that Meesho undertakes such as Farmiso.
Everything finance
“While the arena of where I function has changed, my priorities are still the same, which includes identifying cost-saving opportunities with regards to logistics, deep diving and eliminating leakages and wastages, etc,” says Ashish, adding, “Controllership is an exciting place to be, and I feel privileged about getting the opportunity to explore a different avenue of finance.”
Ashish credits his success at Meesho to three core values of the company:
Act with integrity
“Act with integrity has been a motivating factor for me from the very first day at Meesho because it encourages all of us to be transparent and accountable. It also gives me the confidence to perform my job in the best way possible, especially since this value drives everyone at Meesho, especially the leadership — we even know what the OKRs of the leadership is and in our weekly All Hands they share their success and failure stories very transparently.”
Deep Dive and Solve Problems
“Another core value that drives my work ethic is Deep Dive and Solve Problems, especially since every day at Meesho is like a new day altogether that brings with it a new set of problems and challenges. What really excites me is that here at Meesho I get to Take Ownership of my work, and tackle whatever problems come in the way. This is only possible if I am willing to deep dive and solve those problems for myself.”
Making Entrepreneurs Successful
“Meesho entrepreneurs are the heart and soul of our business and Making Entrepreneurs Successful really empowers and motivates me to work harder at Meesho. Listening to their stories, especially at a large-scale event like Mission Rise that exists to celebrate them, reminds me yet again that my work is having a positive impact on the society.”
Social commerce is the future
Ashish, who read up and learned everything he could about Meesho as soon as he got the interview call, knew that this is a startup he wanted to be a part of. “I realised that the company is spearheading social commerce in India and I have always been and still wholeheartedly believe that social commerce will be the source of livelihood for millions of women entrepreneurs. So, it was a no-brainer for me to get on board, especially since it was also evident how quickly Meesho was growing.”
Once he got on board, Ashish realised the secrets behind Meesho’s growth — the interactions and collaborations between bright minds that work in the company day in and day out. This is one of the reasons he misses going to the office during the lockdown too. This music aficionado, whose taste ranges from Classic, Hard, and Alternative Rock to Classical Indian Music, however, is choosing to focus on the silver linings, and for him, the silver lining has been that he gets to now focus on gardening. He has a lovely balcony garden at home and he is excited to groom it and grow it during this period.
Meet Meesho entrepreneur Vichitra Rahul, who is making women financially independent
Learn all about Meesho’s work culture from CEO and Co-Founder Vidit Aatrey
Are you following us on social media yet? You might want to head over to Life at Meesho’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages if you are a fan of fun and positivity. | https://medium.com/meesho-tech/ashish-pathak-on-the-three-core-values-that-drive-meesho-to-success-9d000e561df0 | ['Mangala Dilip'] | 2020-09-18 12:57:34.835000+00:00 | ['Meesho', 'Startup', 'Finance', 'Ownership', 'Culture'] |
Anne Marie Wells’ Top 10 Books of 2020 | Anne Marie Wells’ Top 10 Books of 2020
I didn’t expect to read very much this year. In the past I have read over 100 books a year, topping my record at 193 in 2017. In 2020, I completed a measly 36 books; several of which were for my online college classes.
Choosing a “Top 10” books for the year tends to be an arduous task, but given the low number to choose from, this year it wasn’t difficult. Usually to be considered for my “Top 10,” I have to feel as if the book has changed my life in someway. These are the books that unequivocally, hands down changed me just by reading them.
Here we go:
10. Georgia Rules — Nanci Turner Steveson
Georgia Rules by Nanci Turner Steveson
Full Disclosure: My friend and mentor, Nanci Turner Steveson, wrote this middle grade novel, so I might be biased. That being said, I found it to be a really touching story.
I legit cried in my car on my way home listening to it. Very smart and showcasing a refreshingly diverse set of characters. | https://medium.com/@annemariewrites/anne-marie-wells-top-10-books-of-2020-67009b8cc17c | [] | 2020-12-28 01:16:08.899000+00:00 | ['Best Books Of 2020', 'Books And Authors', 'Book Review', 'Top 10 Books', 'Book Recommendations'] |
RustFest EU Barcelona 🇪🇸 2019 | Fri, Sep 20, 6:19 PM
Dear Irvi!
Thank you very much for applying for a RustFest Scholarship! We are thrilled to let you know that your application has been ACCEPTED and you have been awarded a RustFest Scholarship!
Your scholarship award includes:
Conference ticket to RustFest Barcelona 2019 with full access to talks, workshops and all side events
Travel support (flight tickets) up to 800 EUR
Accommodation support of up to 400 EUR
Reimbursement of Visa fees up to a maximum value of the equivalent of 250 EUR
Travel stipend of up to a 100 EUR for incidentals (reimbursed according to receipts, after the conference)
If you have questions about the scholarship award, ensure you have carefully read through the scholarship announcement, and if you still have concerns feel free to reach out to us straight away and we are happy to answer any questions you may still have!
Accommodation:
You have requested to book your own accommodation. Your costs will be reimbursed after the conference, provided you submit your receipts/bookings, up to the above stated limits.
Travel:
You have requested to book your own travel. Your costs will be reimbursed after the conference, provided you submit your receipts/bookings, up to the above stated limits.
Suggested travel dates: November 7 (Thursday) or November 8 (Friday) — November 11 (Monday) or November 12 (Tuesday)
In the case of extended stay/personal time in Barcelona, you will need to cover for the rest of the days yourself.
Visa:
We will provide you with sufficient documentation (e.g. invitation letter) for your visa application, as well as will be reimbursing your visa-related costs up to the above stated limit. Don’t hesitate to let us know if there is anything we can do to facilitate the visa process.
Please let us know if you have any questions, or if for whatever reason you are no longer able to join us at RustFest. Please also send us the above requested information ASAP so we could sort this out as soon as possible. If e-mail is not the best way to keep in touch, please let us know the preferred way to keep in touch with you (phone number, WhatsApp, Telegram etc.) and we will do our best to use the channel best suited for you for further communication.
Thank you again and looking forward to welcoming you at RustFest Barcelona!
RustFest Barcelona, Diversity & Inclusion Team | https://medium.com/@irvifa/rustfest-eu-barcelona-2019-ab989d81deaf | ['Irvi Aini'] | 2019-11-10 12:49:25.656000+00:00 | ['Rustlang', 'Barcelona', 'Travel', 'Rust'] |
Am I Legitimate Now? | Am I Legitimate Now?
Melanie Griffith in the Reagan-era Girlboss Movie ‘Working Girl’
I made my first website last month. Whether or not I’ll have enough money to upgrade to one of Squarespace’s plans remains to be seen, but I suddenly feel very serious about being a Capital W Writer.
That’s not to say I haven’t been serious about my writing. I’ve been writing since I was seven years old. One day, I came home from the second grade determined to write a short story for an English class assignment. “It’s gonna be at least thirty pages!” I told my parents. Not the last time my plans would outweigh my ability. Still, I think I made it to three pages. Not bad for a seven-year-old.
Calling myself a professional writer, though… that’s always been a fraught and complicated thing. I am proud to be a storyteller, proud that I have some success — though certainly not financial — in the field, and proud to be a part of a community of artists who’ve made me feel less and less like the privilege of being an artist is reserved for the select few, even if the people who hold the money and the power in the arts industry tend to disagree.
To be honest, I still don’t really know what it would look like to be a professional writer.
I could imagine — but only imagine — what it would be like to work in housekeeping for forty years as my mother has. My father didn’t fare much better as a real estate appraiser. The job title might suggest middle-class comforts, if not “respectability.” For a myriad of reasons, that was not what my family knew. At all.
I come, mostly, from factory workers, laborers, mechanics, and a couple of medical billers here and there. These were the careers that were modeled for me. My respect and admiration for those jobs are limitless, but I would be a God damn disaster at most of them. I can’t even drive a car much less imagine what goes on underneath one. I grew up watching the toll work took on my relatives’ bodies. Worn, calloused skin and cracking joints were as common at the dinner table as smoldering cigarettes, cans of Old Style, and Rice-A-Roni dinners.
I never wanted to claim writing because it felt like a betrayal — or obfuscation of responsibility to the family, to the home, to the hours my parents put into work because they were hopelessly tied to their jobs out of fear that they couldn’t slip without the whole house, the whole family, crumbling.
Writers, on the other hand, must be lazy. Writers do nothing but sit on their asses and stare at computers all day. Obviously, I know this isn’t true. It’s not something the logical part of my brain tells me. It’s something deeper and less easy to get at, too stubborn and intrinsic to my upbringing to exorcise completely.
So, I’m here, “trying to make it” as a writer. Never just am one. Just always trying to be. Locking myself in the shame of dreaming.
For the longest, I thought all it would take would be the right person, the right institution, the right circuit in the switchboard of these industries to connect me to a career. It was easier to imagine myself as helpless and adrift than it was to take some control.
In the past month, as merciless and stressful and scary as it’s been, I sent out dozens of submissions to literary magazines. Three of my poems were selected for publication by the same press. Half of the other submissions were rejected in the first couple of days — and even that was exhilarating. Again, I’m overwhelmed by the sensation that I’m somehow legitimate. Real. More submissions are out there in the ether. I’ll probably forget about some by the time my answers come.
I am seized by the irrational fear that I’m still behind, but it’s tempered by the sensation of finally accepting myself as a “working writer.” Maybe not a gainfully-employed one, but a working one.
I think this newsletter means I’m legitimate, and I guess being legitimate just means believing I’m legitimate. At some point, I’d like to not care about that so much. I’ll settle for delusion for now. | https://medium.com/@joeshetina/am-i-legitimate-now-b7de4c1ef494 | ['Joe Shetina'] | 2020-12-27 16:15:38.473000+00:00 | ['Life', 'Writing', 'Professional Development', 'Careers', 'Shame'] |
Focus on structuring your blog posts with these tips — The Blog Movement | As your eyes move down this blog post (assuming you have eyes and are not a bot), you’re probably not reading. You’re skimming. Scanning for information that’s relevant to you and to get the overall idea of this blog post.
15 seconds — that’s the average time a reader spends focusing on a blog post before they move on to other parts of the site. Statistics may suggest that 55% of users are prone to this type of behaviour.
In light of this, it’s easy to see how important it is that you keep your site’s visitors constantly engaged. Consistent content that adds value can ultimately convert casual readers into warm prospects. So; how exactly can you create engaging blog posts?
While an array of factors may be involved, one of the most integral components of a great blog post is structure. With proper structure, readers will probably be more willing to sit through and share your posts, subscribe to your social media channels and become loyal followers of your brand. Here are a few basic tips to help ensure that your blog posts are well-structured and ready for your audience and for enhanced brand awareness.
Craft a captivating headline
Plenty of content specialists who deal with organic digital marketing may tell you that the bulk of your article’s bite lies in the catchy title you give it. Until you can come up with a great headline, you might as well not start writing your blog post just yet.
There are several reasons for this. Firstly, even if you have great content, readers probably won’t be compelled to read through it (or even look at it) if the title is bland. Secondly, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) often requires that keywords be incorporated into titles and content in order for your articles to get picked up. If, for instance, your keyword is cooking tips, get this keyword to appear in your title and early on in the body of your content.
When you write longer posts, you can leverage the power of long-tail keywords and latent semantic indexing. The spread of keywords creates a more effective matrix for potentially getting ranked on search engines.
Follow up with a good intro
Once readers are engaged with your headline and click on your post, the introduction of your write-up should maintain the same magnetic rhythm. Creating an engaging introduction can be a little tricky, but you don’t have to come up with an award-winning masterpiece. Just make sure that you have a fairly effective hook, in order to keep your readers engaged.
There are three main ways to give your intro a juicy hook. Either present a problem that your reader can relate to, use statistics or solid facts to evoke an emotional response (like fear), or ask a simple but thought-provoking question. Set the tone for the rest of the article.
Apply a variety of keywords throughout
Remember that SEO is a big part of writing blog posts for businesses. They should be used to build an online presence and gradually rise up the ranks in search. An array of different keywords that are related to your industry (and the article) should be included.
Don’t just apply a keyword to the title and introduction. Distribute a variety of them throughout the body. The longer your post is, the more opportunities there are for you to use different keywords. In order to pull readers through SEO, you should think like your readers. What would they be searching for? How many ways can you search for that particular subject? If “writing good headlines” is one search term, consider “creating killer headlines”, “how to write titles” and “effective headlines”.
Use plenty of links in your body
Search engines are more inclined to pick up on posts that contain links. These can be links to other related posts within your site or to external sites and resources that add value to the topic. Let’s say that you mention a certain marketing term in the body of your article that’s about digital marketing.
This can be a great opportunity to either link that word to another post within your site or an external source that delves deeper into the explanation of the term. This can do wonders for your SEO and your post’s structure and your visitors will likely appreciate the additional information as well.
Use other forms of media
As long as you don’t overdo it, multimedia can enhance and add value to your blog post. A picture or videos can complement your written content beautifully. Just be careful not to leave your blog post section crowded with too many distractions. In fact, be sure not to clutter your entire site with too many Call To Actions and Advertisements, because these issues can reduce the readability of your blog posts.
Sub-Headings and Lists are great too
It may be a very common format, but it’s probably common because it works. Using subheadings (H2 and H3) can help make your post easier to read and let people focus on key points. List articles (also known as listicles) are also fantastic ways to structure a blog post — simply list down a bunch of options (like places to eat or tips in numerical order). People appreciate this clean and simple approach to blog posts.
Blog posts. These digital marketing tools can make for powerful additions to your content marketing arsenal. Use a proper structure that optimizes readability, engagement, and simplicity. If you get structure right, you may just garner more traction than you ever expected.
Feel free to mix and match, pick and choose. Like parts of a car. Just try not to deviate too far from this core structure
____
Palindrome is on a mission to revolutionise blog posts and change how businesses get their blogs run
If you’re looking to outsource blog writing, check out the professional blog writing services provided by Palindrome, an SEO company in Malaysia. Visit the Palindrome website now! | https://medium.com/@palindromecommunications/focus-on-structuring-your-blog-posts-with-these-tips-the-blog-movement-aded189a3e9e | ['The Blog Movement'] | 2020-05-13 13:54:52.166000+00:00 | ['Startup Marketing', 'Blogging Tips'] |
Copywriting Checklist: 27 Tips to Optimize Your Writing | Copywriting Checklist:
For further help, check out the resources at the bottom of this article.
Before you start writing
Ask yourself these questions:
Who am I writing this for?
Who is my reader?
Why are they reading this, what do they want to achieve?
What are their beliefs?
What are their pain points?
How can I help them? What problems am I solving for them?
What is it that I’m offering that will help them achieve their objective?
2. Identify a persona or avatar: Create a specific person in your mind who you are writing for and build a mini life story for this person. Maybe even print out a fake picture of them and post it in front of you! This keeps them top of mind as you write.
3. Research your audience and know what matters to them: This is where your avatar comes in handy — think about the language they use, the stories they relate to, and the places they hang out. Then dig in and learn as much as you can.
4. Make a list of words and questions your audience tends to use: Find your target audience on sites like Quora, Facebook groups, Reddit, or LinkedIn and read what they are saying. Use this consumer research to come up with content ideas and start to develop lingo or keywords they might identify with.
5. Think about the solution or offer you are making in your content: Ask yourself these questions:
What are you offering them?
What are they going to get?
What’s the benefit?
Why would they want this?
Why would they want this instead of a competitor’s offer?
Why is getting your product better than doing nothing?
6. Know your Call to Action (CTA): What specific action do you want your reader to take? (i.e. click a link, sign up for your newsletter, etc.). Make it obvious what you want your reader to do next.
7. Do your SEO research: If you are writing website copy, a blog, or an article, know what keywords and key phrases you want to use and rank for and list them out ahead of time.
While you write
8. Write in an active voice: Make sure the doer is at the start of your sentence. For example, say, “You had to write the story” instead of, “The story had to be written by you.”
9. Write in the present tense: Unless it is something that happened in the past, it is important to communicate to the reader that this is happening now.
10. Don’t nominalize: This is when a verb becomes a noun. When this happens frequently, your writing can start to sound too academic or hard to read. For example, “We entered into a partnership with another business.” vs. “We partnered with another business.” The second sentence sounds way less formal and puts the action front and center.
11. Be specific: Dive into the details with your reader and bring them so far into your story that they can taste, smell, touch, or feel your product or offer.
12. Use bulleted and numbered lists to break up your text: If your content looks like one giant block of text, not even your most interested reader will feel compelled to finish.
13. Watch out for third person: Never refer to your reader as “they,” and use “you,” “we,” and “I” as much as possible so it sounds like you are talking directly to your reader.
After you write
14. Proofread your copy: Don’t just rely on the computer (check proper nouns — names of people, businesses, addresses).
15. Read your work out loud to check for run-on sentences: Does your writing read smoothly? When in doubt, make the sentence shorter.
16. Check your formatting: Make sure your paragraphs are only one to three sentences long and your text is easy to read. Don’t forget bulleted and numbered lists!
17. Ask yourself: Did I capture the reader’s attention immediately? Make sure you aren’t burying the good stuff deep in your writing.
18. Remove unnecessary adverbs: Adverbs are often fluffy words that don’t add anything new to a sentence.
19. Remove industry-specific or complicated jargon: Keep your writing as simple and as easy to read as possible. Ask yourself, could this be said in a simpler way? There are exceptions to this including academic writing or writing for a very specific audience, but in general, most people don’t want to spend much brain power deciphering your meaning.
20. Get to the point: Make sure your writing is direct.
21. Back up any claims and numbers with credible sources: By credible I mean news sources, journals, government websites, and respected authorities in your industry. The blog post from your best friend Susie is not a credible source.
22. Check the length of your article: If you are writing a blog or article, your piece should be at least 1,000 words for best SEO results.
23. Add outbound and internal links: Google uses this information to determine the relevancy of your blog or article. Plus, don’t miss the opportunity to reshare old content by linking back out to it.
24. Check for your Call to Action (CTA): Is your CTA at the end of your copy and super clear?
25. Write out a list of title and subtitle options: Use your keywords to write out different options for your title and subtitle. Then use free tools like CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer to pick the best one.
26. Add in images and image alt attributes: Don’t forget to break up your content with graphics, photos, charts, etc., and include alt text.
27. Update your meta description: This is what pops up in search engine results under your link so it’s important that this accurately describes what your reader will get when they click.
This might seem like a LOT of things to consider and include as part of your content writing, so before you freak out and get overwhelmed, take a deep breath. A lot of the items on this list are things you might already be doing as part of your writing process — you might just need a reminder. The other items will become more familiar and easier to put in place the more you write.
My last piece of advice: Sleep on it! Fresh eyes on a piece of content can be a game-changer when it comes to spotting grammar or writing errors. So go on and write some amazing content, but don’t forget to check the list!
Some helpful resources: | https://bettermarketing.pub/copywriting-checklist-27-tips-to-optimize-your-writing-b328233c5c96 | ['Megan Elizabeth Clark'] | 2020-11-13 13:03:05.071000+00:00 | ['Writing', 'Writing Tips', 'Copywriting', 'Copywriting Tips'] |
Basic to Booming: Blockchain History | Cryptocurrency is a medium of exchange which uses cryptography and decentralized control to create new units and secure transactions, as well as a means of regaining control over finances and personal information.
Rather than rules and regulations instituted by one governing agency, cryptocurrency exists as a system of private, encrypted information, which is known and agreed upon between two or more parties.
Though you can have blockchain without cryptocurrency, cryptocurrency cannot exist without blockchain.
Since its introduction, blockchain has proven disruptive to various industries, beginning in finance and now moving its way into logistics.
For example:
· Chaumian blinding: anonymous e-cash of the ’80s and ’90s provided an e-currency with a great deal of privacy, but the cryptographic protocols couldn’t gain traction due to centralized reliance.
· b-money: In 1998, Wei Dai introduced the concept of creating money by solving puzzles, essentially, as part of a decentralized system, though implementation information was nominal.
· Reusable proofs of work: ideas from b-money and Adam Back’s Hashcash puzzles combined by Hal Finney to create a cryptocurrency, 2005; relied on trusted computing.
· 2009: Satoshi Nakamoto implemented the first decentralized currency, Bitcoin. Along with its debut, blockchain technology. This system kept an algorithm regarded as “proof of work,” tracking who owns coins; a public cryptography for managing ownership. Not only did this provide a consensus algorithm so “nodes” in the network could agree on updates, but also provided free entry into the process, circumventing political influence.
· Alternative cryptocurrencies appear, 2011: Aiming to improve upon Bitcoin, with greater speed and/or anonymity, Namecoin and Litecoin entered the crypto scene.
· 2016 introduces ICOs: the Ethereum platform facilitated blockchain-based contracts, utilizing the Ether cryptocurrency. Along with this, Initial Coin Offerings began offering investors the opportunity “shares,” in a sense, through cryptocurrencies, expanding the trading floor far beyond VCs. Wells Fargo and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia participated in the first global trade on blockchain, shipping $35,000 worth of cotton from Texas to China.
· 2017, Blockchain revolution: places where Bitcoin could be spent expanded, increased its coin value to nearly $20,000, sparking interest across the fintech industry and international banking systems including Citibank, Barclays, and Deutsche Bank.
· In Q1, 2018, the Pakka Token was introduced, and its private pre-sale began. The scalable NextPakk logistics model will inevitably disrupt the last mile, as well as the logistics industry in its entirety. With its real-time tracking and increased transparency, the Pakka blockchain makes shipping safer and less expensive.
Preventing fraud through tracking shipping data, blockchain is anticipated to save $50 billion annually within international trade. At its maturity, it will likely serve as a $500 billion annual savings to the logistics industry worldwide.
*For more information on NextPakk’s scheduled package delivery service, NextPakk’s blockchain, or the Pakka token, please see our whitepaper and/or join our Telegram group. | https://medium.com/nextpakk/basic-to-booming-blockchain-history-daf6f1b0bc3c | ['Deb Olson'] | 2018-05-31 23:02:23.068000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin', 'Blockchain', 'Logistics', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Crypto'] |
Financial Lessons from The Sims 4 | 9–5 jobs can have their own unique perks
At this time our sims might not need health insurance, but other than the obvious paycheck, careers do come with their own specific benefits. Whether it’s mood-boosting clutter to fill their homes with or the perfect easel for our talented artist.
All your needs other than sleep and hygiene can also be refilled while on company time, though it’s not an ideal use of your time if you want to fast track your promotion.
While in the real world I’m more partial to self-employment, I do occasionally miss some of the perks I’ve had at various jobs over the years, which have ranged from some weird ones like free peanut butter sandwiches and Coke products in the staff lounge to more traditional ones like discounts on product and retirement fund matching.
If you happen to stumble upon a part-time gig with great employee perks, it might be worthwhile to work the shift or two a week depending on your current employment situation.
If you want to earn more, you need to skill up
Raising your skills in order to be successful is a central but underlying theme across The Sims franchise. It doesn’t matter what goal you're pursuing in-game, raising the related skills is the best way to get there.
Want a promotion? Raise the skills related to your career.
Want to convince Nancy Landgrabb to let you move into her mansion? Get that charisma skill up so you can sweet talk her until she agrees.
Want to write a bestselling novel and earn a ton of royalties while you sit in your hot tub? Time to practice and raise your writing skill.
You can almost always find a way to get paid to raise your skills
Whether it’s painting or writing, just because your skill is low in The Sims universe, it doesn’t mean you can’t profit off the final product of your work. Go right ahead and sell that book anyway, but expect that you’ll be earning a couple of bucks a day self-publishing as opposed to a few hundred daily from bestseller submitted to a literary digest.
This one is a pretty simple translation into putting your content out there in real life, though I will note this is where a pen-name comes in handy.
I’ve published several books using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing over the last few years, and I’ll just say that the content is not something I really want to appear if someone happens to Google me. But it earns me a nice little chunk of income that goes directly into my retirement fund.
Certain careers also offer an option to build the associated skill while you’re at work. Take that job in Tech Support, learn to program while you’re there, profit, and quit when you’re financially stable enough to do it on your own.
Getting paid to learn might be a bit more challenging depending on your industry in real life, but apprenticeships or internships can be incredibly useful when you want to reach your long term goals without heading back to school.
Building “passive” income requires time and skills, or money.
Within The Sims 4 we have a few options for gaining money passively. We can write books, license songs, create apps, or fulfill a life goal to simply earn a ton of money and then get a weekly deposit based on our household funds.
Passive income has become an unfortunate confusing topic these days because too many people seem to be missing the simplest version of the formula to get there
Time + Money = More Money or Time + Skills = Money
If you want to see money appear while you sit on the couch binge-watching Tiger King, those are the only two ways to go about it. It might take some out of the box thinking to figure out how to monetize your existing skills, or you might need to learn some new ones. Some skills are more useful than others.
Unfortunately, real-life doesn’t come with a tree that drops bags of money. Until then, I’ll be collecting my Simoleans but regularly contributing to my investment portfolio. | https://medium.com/money-clip/financial-lessons-from-the-sims-4-8d3b114a929 | ['Cassy Kissack'] | 2020-11-25 06:07:42.584000+00:00 | ['Gaming', 'Personal Finance', 'Money', 'Life Lessons', 'Work'] |
We are hiring Flawsome! Sales Executive | Role: Sales Executive — Flawsome! Drinks
Reports to: Head of Sales
Location: Cardiff or remote
About Flawsome!
Flawsome! save imperfect and surplus fruit by transforming it into perfectly crafed cold- pressed juices. What makes our juice so delicious is our seasonal produce. We take any wonky or surplus fruits or vegetables left over from the farms and turn them into wonderful juices.
After moving to the UK Karina and Maciek noCced an issue when shopping in their local supermarket. They were amazed to see all fruits and vegetables were perfectly the same size, shape and colour.
A trip to a local farm opened their eyes to a food waste problem — specifically the devastating effect that excessive aesthetic standards have on the food we consume and understand to be ‘normal’.
Growing up Maciek and Karina used to enjoy their Nan’s homemade creations. From jams, preserved vegetables to homemade juices, she sourced everything from her home grown garden. She didn’t decide if an apple was too big or small when using it in her recipe. As long as it was seasonally grown and ready to eat she would use it. This resulted in delicious recipes that inspire our flavours today.
What are the Flawsome! products?
Our drinks are made from simple ingredients. Juice, sparkling water and natural flavourings. Our ethos is FRUIT FIRST so any other ingredient that is added, the percentage will always be highest in fruit. This means we add no sugar, sweetener or anything artificial.
This means you are choosing a healthier options when you try Flawsome!
What is the role?
We are looking for someone with 3+ years experience in account management and who can expand existing relationships of the businesses into 2020 and beyond.
We need someone with the hunger to be part of one of the UK’s most sustainable and exciting brands. Flawsome! is setup for rapid growth and we are looking for someone who can both drive sales through existing contacts.
Responsibility:
Maintain and grow our current distribution base
Work with our current customers to maximise presence and drive growth
Accurate forecasting and close communication with our Operations Team
Represent Flawsome! at activation events with key customers
Lock in JBP’s
Drive new business
Win new customers for Flawsome! across the Wholesale, Foodservice and On Prem channels
Identify, pitch and win key customers for Flawsome!
The role is perfect for someone who…
Has 3+ years experience in the account management (drinks preffered).
Has a genuine passion for marketing and brand.
Loves the sales process and can build and maintain excellent relationships with customers
Has exceptional interpersonal and organisational skills, with the ability to communicate with multiple stakeholders at various levels.
Loves a challenge and approaches problems with a can-do and positive attitude.
Is not afraid to get stuck into all areas of a business in fast growth.
Energetic selling skills and a passion for meeting new people.
Ability to juggle multiple things simultaneously and prioritise effectively.
Happy to travel when required
A full clean driver’s license, registration and insurance (if required).
Great written and verbal communication skills.
Must be motivated and competitive to beat sales targets.
Has strong decision-making and negotiating skills.
Has a genuine passion sustainability
Is a team player with a great sense of fun!
Flawsome Perks
· Share Options worth £15k
· Competitive salary
· As much Flawsome! as you can drink!
· A dynamic, ambitious and fun working environment.
This sounds like exactly the sort of challenge I have been waiting for! So what now?
Well if all the above sums you up then we would love to hear from you immediately!
Please send us:
a CV
a Cover Letter
with the subject line:
‘*Your Name*_Flawsome! Account Manager’
to: [email protected]
Speak soon,
Karina | https://medium.com/@jobs-99804/we-are-hiring-flawsome-account-manager-d2a7fe70182 | ['Flawsome'] | 2021-09-03 12:17:30.456000+00:00 | ['Sustainability', 'Recruiting', 'Sales', 'Employment', 'Fmcg'] |
How to get your project funded: An effective grant proposal | How to get your project funded: An effective grant proposal
It is an undoubted fact that virtually all people have something in mind that has to do with service to their respective community or the world at large; we grew up in communities where there is at least a single thing that always touches our hearts that we may wish to change or standardize and in most instances we develop pivotal projects as a self contributory to help address those ravaging issues, however, the funding has always been a great dilemma that stands between us and our well-thougth projects and had placed a mountain that barricade our way towards the achievement of our community developments. It become an impasse that such a great project as yours should die out without being implemented. Therefore, this article aims to walk you through the horizon, to shine your way to acquire adequate funding for the implementation of your well- thought projects for a greater community development.
First of all before you can start thinking about funding, make sure you are determined to come up with a very crucial project, give a thorough thought on your project and be rest assured that your project worth it. Keep all in mind and seek a friendly advice and comments on your project; a positive comment means a go ahead in your direction. Then comes the crafting of an effective grant proposal to fund that invaluable thought of yours. Now, how do you write an effective proposal?
Understanding what it takes to lurks out a funding (grant) proposal is second to none in getting your project funded. Grants are money given by government or NGOs to fund a particular projects, it is usually specific (in time and type). It can be competitive, formula, continuation, or pass-through funding. The competitive funding is such that is open to everyone, here your ability to forge out an effective proposal increases your chance of winning the grant. The other three are restricted to some certain people, organization, or demography; however, understanding their nature highlights your chance of winning.
Writing an effective competitive grant proposal requires that you submit a well prepared document that contains the following parts as headings: cover letter, concept note/summary, needs statement, goals and objectives, methods, evaluation, sustainability, budget and additional documents. However, a catchy concept note with justification of budget and the rest holds the fate of getting your project funded; it should be well organized then.
In contrast to competitive grant funding, the formula funding, is given to predetermined recipients. The award is allocated to eligible entities based on population or other criteria and applicants that meet the requirements are entitled to receive the money. But here you might not be required to submit a documents as in that of competitive; sometimes organizational existence is enough. Grants can be used to provide, equipment, personnel, training, technical assistant etc.
The continuation funding is usually for those that are already grantees, it offers them an option to renew their funding for the following year. In this type, being a current grantee at the time of application offers you an extra points in the selection process. Application documents may require only reports or updated documents for the existing project.
The pass-through funding are usually given by federal government or NGOs to state government for further distribution to local areas. The state government determine what method of distribution it wishes to apply, through competitive or formula, or will distribute it to already existing projects; based on what is its choice. Whatever method it may choose, the criteria remained the same.
In conclusion, Understanding the four main types of grant funding will guide where you should concentrate your energy during the application process and holds the rubrics of drafting an effective proposal. If you are applying for a competitive program, it is best to target your efforts toward preparing a compelling narrative that gives your reader the view of what you are up for. Non-competitive formula and continuation programs usually only require you to submit reports or updated documents; for these programs, be certain to return all the requested materials on time. When applying for pass-through funding, which may be either competitive or non-competitive, read the funding announcement carefully to determine what type of grant you are applying for, so that you can proceed accordingly and come up with a sound proposal.
References:
eCivis (2020) "Law Enforcement Grants: The Four Main Types of Grant Funding" eCivis Bloggers. Available at https://blog.ecivis.com/bid/48460/law-enforcement-grants-the-four-main-types-of-grant-funding; accessed on 2nd December, 2020.
Gorsevski, Ellen (2016) "Writing successful grant proposals" Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. pp. 17–19. ISBN 978-94-6300-390-2 . | https://medium.com/@dmaikudi12-write/how-to-get-your-project-funded-an-effective-grant-proposal-919f519a30fc | ['Maikudi Danburam'] | 2020-12-03 12:36:31.674000+00:00 | ['Grant', 'Proposal', 'Grant Funding', 'Grant Writing', 'Funding'] |
Why Embracing Your Demons Is The Only Way To Overpower Writer’s Agony | Photo by Adrian Swancar on Unsplash
It’s easy wanting to be a writer. But it’s stupendously hard to sit through the ordeal of crafting a compelling read. Something so riveting that keeps readers gliding effortlessly from one sentence to another. Something that strikes such an emotional chord that they hypnotically nod their head in agreement while devouring every single word.
To achieve this level of mastery in non-fiction writing is a task of biblical proportions. The writing has to be meaningful and creative and profound. And these very things, especially the one about sounding profound, make writing astonishingly hard.
The need for sounding profound plays devious psychological tricks, you know. You want the readers to walk away learning something new. Or at least learn a new perspective about an old culturally pervasive idea.
And this self-inflicted cognitive burden critiques and banishes ideas the moment they are conceived. Even when the ideas are important, you restrain yourself lest you were to say something banal or, something that doesn’t resonate with the readers.
Gosh! What if I was to make a fool of myself? What if it turns to be drivel? Worse, what if I get trolled? These are some serious stress inducing rumination that can make even a Stoic melt to a squishy ball of slime. Then what chance do muggles like me have to quell these dementor-like-questions?! (Yes, I know. I know only wizards and witches can see dementors, not muggles.)
It’s the same GroundHog day affair that I live through whenever inspiration strikes — I write the idea down on an index card and commit to creating the piece after my work day is over. Like a teenager inflamed with first love, I get seduced through the day by the idea of creating my masterpiece — I visualize my fingers floating over the keyboard creating soul stirring words like I was Mozart reincarnated. I see myself as an artist, and the idea my muse, to create the most invigorating story ever told.
But when I sit down to write, the words don’t come to roost — in a twisted tale of fate, my muse turns into an estranged bedfellow. Even when I’m able to string along a few words, it seems so vapid that I delete them out of judgment. The writing process that was supposed to be invigorating becomes a sheer purgatory of self esteem.
I have now realized after a few hair tearing meltdowns (how I would love to blame my balding to it, but who am I kidding!) that the problem is not with my writing but the expectations that I put on myself. The negative visualization results in a crushing assault on my self esteem leaving me debilitated. And this obsession of how will it be received by others swaps the exhilaration with the exhaustion.
I wish it wasn’t like that, and we could be in a non-judgmental state — pursue writing for the sake of sharing our thoughts with the world. I wish we wouldn’t put pressure on ourselves to be “interesting” or “profound” all the time.
And philosophically speaking, couldn’t interesting for one be completely unimaginative for another? Then why tie yourself in knots imagining the worst possible outcome?
The best writing happens in the moments when you don’t have any ulterior motive of sharing ideas to become famous, or to sound wise. Or, when you are not flagellating yourself with the mediocrity of your perceived writing skills. Or, when you are not tearing yourself apart with comparison of others brilliance.
The best writing happens when you are free from all this pressure. When you internalize that writing isn’t about being perfect but settling in for perfectly imperfect. In that flow, fingers work their magic over the keyboard to morph thoughts into sparkling black ink poetry over the serene white background of a Google Doc. | https://medium.com/the-brave-writer/why-embracing-your-demons-is-the-only-way-to-overpower-writers-agony-262e0649ac3e | ['Tarun Kohli'] | 2020-12-21 03:00:28.121000+00:00 | ['Reading', 'Writing', 'Writing Tips', 'Writers On Writing', 'Writing Life'] |
An oral experience of Saffron’s response to a hungry mouth | Layers of golden rice, fried chicken and barbaries sauteed with sugar and pistachio in my mouth makes me want to travel back to Iran.Despite the tastyness, I have nothing but Traditional persian food to fulfill my desperate needs, at least physically.
What I love about Persian cuisine is the subtly earthly & grassy flavor and aroma, yet sweet, similar to floral & honey. Either in restaurants, cafes or even at home of locals, would you believe that they manage to use the most expensive spice in the world by weight to show off their talents and get people’s heart to fall in love with them? If that were the case it should be called ”Open face rice with naughty barberries on top” or something equally erotic.
There’s nothing wrong with a crisp Persian rice on the bottom of the pot laced with saffron and often scented with orange zest (nothing at all!!), but more often than,an afterthought ( warm,flavourful enough, basically a letdown, especially after you’ve dispatched of your daily disappointments)
So here’s my version, which prioritized pulling as much flavor as possible out of title character: Saffron . Maybe the reason that Persian Saffron remains demanding is that making a good version yourself is a process that can’t be rushed. Properly steamed saffron takes easily a solid 10 to 15 minutes, a kind of no way around it. Finding the pure and high quality saffron, if you are going that route, takes time too.
Iranian saffron is really potent. Our saffron comes in various grades. The best are Negin and then Sargol respectively (from the tip of the stigmas). These are the strongest. What remains after separating the tip of the stigmas (the barley yellow end side of the threads) is the cheapest. It doesn’t have much color but still has some aroma.
The plant is related to spring and autumn-flowering garden crocus and blooms in autumn. In the picture below you can see the three dark orange stigmas. These stigmas are our “edible gold”.
Saffron is the most expensive spice on this planet and more expensive than gold by weight
So very true, Persian cooks manage to use it in so many recipes, both sweet and savory.Are we really that rich to put something more expensive than gold in our food almost everyday?
The answer is No. they just know how to use a tiny amount of saffron for maximum impact. I often prefer a rich Saffron on seamed rice with a few dried and fried barberries added to the mix to brighten my day.
Persian ice cream is often flavored with saffron.The list of the dishes Persians make with saffron is endless. Take the beloved saffron rice pudding (Sholeh Zard) for instance, or the savoury rice cake (Tahchin). The deep yellow color, the sweet hay-like aroma and the flavour of saffron gives these dishes their unique character. Without saffron they would never be what they are. But in many other dishes like most of the stews (curry-like dishes) the use of saffron is optional, just to add more flavour, aroma.
Whichever you choose, if you are up to the main dish,you can add some of the mix to the stew, it will be full of flavor,really good too. Good enough that you can even get away with skipping Persian rice and eat it with bread, even if that would be against Iranian hospitality.
Saffron
The stigmas have to be picked by hand. This is a very labour-intensive job so it’s no wonder saffron is so expensive. Moreover, the plant likes warm and sunny climates so it doesn’t grow well in many places. But a gram of good saffron will see you through quite a few dishes. Yes, one gram only! It’s probably cheaper than many commercially packed spice mixes given its potency.
There are different methods for preparing saffron. Persian cooks always grind saffron threads to a fine powder. This way even a small pinch will release enough colour and aroma to make an everyday dish look very indulgent.
Ingredients:
¼ teaspoon of crushed saffron One tablespoon of water
Instructions : Brewing in boiling water
Boil the water. Use the pot to boil the water Let the water cool for a few seconds Add water. Add one tablespoon of cooled water to ¼ teaspoon of saffron Cover the glass. Put it in a warm place.
Instructions : Brewing with ice
Add an ice cube. Crashed ice is the best add it to crushed saffron Leave the mix for 10 minutes. Wait till the ice has completely melted. The gradual melting of the ice will slowly release its bright orange colour and pungent aroma of saffron very nicely.
What to do with brewed saffron:
Saffron is not just a spice. It has been proved to elevate mood since the ancient times, as medicine, or to address the love between two whether that’s your beloved and quirky roommate, or your romantic partner. At a certain point in most close relationships, there’s even an expectation that you’ll break bread together. Beware if you fall short of that expectation.
Steamed Rice : Mix some of the steamed rice with brewed saffron and garnish the top with. It can be the fuel, a celebration, or it could be that little emotional boost you need, and have it as main dish with some stew .Check this link to find out about other dishes served next to the Persian Rice.
2. Chicken : have you ever tasted a crispy baked chicken tenders aside from rice? It can be cooked in a tomato sauce such as the chicken in Zereshk Polo Morgh. This recipe is a staple in Persian cooking as it can be served with several types of mixed rice dishes such as dill rice and Persian white rice. In the olden days, home cooks would cook chicken in boiling water first and then mix the chicken with the sauce, but as I tried many different approaches to making Persian chicken I came to the conclusion that the chicken is juicier and way tastier if it’s seared first until the skin is golden. And then one tablespoon of Saffron to give a color shock to the chicken and help it turn to that gorgeous golden color
Herbal tea: Saffron Tea is a mood-lifting, refreshing herbal beverage full of antidepressants. All you need is hot water, saffron threads, sugar, and a few spices to make a cup of saffron tea. Cinnamon or cardamom Here’s how to make tea with saffron!
If you want to cook more of Persian food and make others fall in love with you try the online cooking class arranged with Tappersia. | https://medium.com/culture-art/an-oral-experience-of-saffrons-response-to-a-hungry-mouth-bd625e580b02 | ['Prin Bhammockfard'] | 2020-12-23 10:43:05.097000+00:00 | ['Food', 'Iran', 'Foodies', 'Travel', 'Drinks'] |
Was College Dean Wrong To Wear Arabic Ensemble To School Event? | By: Cierra Bailey
A University of Oklahoma dean was called “culturally and ethnically insensitive” after wearing Arabic garb to a campus event which he says was meant to encourage diversity.
Dean of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma Charles Graham issued a public apology for wearing an Arabic robe and head covering (white thawb and red keffiyeh) to a back-to-school event last week.
Graham included in the apology that he bought the garments in Dubai and wore them out of multicultural respect. Furthermore, he said several Muslims he spoke to didn’t find his wearing the attire offensive.
Recommended: This Is How A Marvel Superhero Battles Islamophobia In San Francisco
Those who did express discomfort sent anonymous emails to the university president citing Graham’s actions as “culturally and ethnically insensitive.”
The executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations-Oklahoma, Adam Soltani, suspects that the underlying issue for those who sent complaints was that the clothing is associated with Muslims and the Middle East.
“I couldn’t imagine if he wore a Scottish kilt or German lederhosen that people would complain about it,” Soltani reportedly said. “I highly doubt they would complain if it were any other clothing that people didn’t associate with Middle Eastern and Islamic culture that is wrongly tied to minority extremist groups.”
Soltani attributes “heightened Islamophobia” in Oklahoma as one of the factors causing the biases against Islam and Muslims.
“It’s traditional Arab dress worn in the Middle East but people who are not Arab, including myself, wear this type of clothing just as there is Persian dress, African dress, Turkish dress and clothing worn in other places,” Soltani said. “Non-Muslims in the Middle East wear this type of clothing too.”
Read More: Has Political Correctness Killed Our Freedom Of Speech?
Graham insists the situation is not a matter of religion at all, but more about cultural sensitivity.
You be the judge. Does wearing attire associated with a certain culture promote diversity and acceptance or is it a form of cultural appropriation and insensitivity?
Carbonated.TV | https://medium.com/carbonated-tv/was-college-dean-wrong-to-wear-arabic-ensemble-to-school-event-65e4daa1493 | [] | 2015-08-27 23:38:54.326000+00:00 | ['Middle East', 'Islam', 'College'] |
Hey Big Spenders! | Hey Big Spenders!
A look at AFT & NEA Spending During The 2016 Election Cycle
After spending eight long years at odds with the Obama Administration, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and National Education Association (NEA) viewed the 2016 elections as an opportunity to reassert themselves within the Democratic Party and to regain a measure of influence over federal education policy. As a result, the two unions spent massive amounts to get Democrats elected to office, threw their weight behind Hillary Clinton’s campaign for president, and closely coordinated their efforts with national Democratic Party officials.
It goes without saying that things did not work out as planned. While the two teachers unions spent tens of millions of dollars during the 2016 election cycle to get Clinton and other Democrats elected, in the end, they failed to deliver where it counts: the voting booth. As Greg Toppo at USA Today reported shortly after the elections, internal union figures revealed that one out of every three NEA members and one out of every five AFT members voted for Donald Trump… | https://medium.com/education-reform/hey-big-spenders-68ec597297cb | ['Peter C. Cook'] | 2017-08-11 23:12:28.086000+00:00 | ['Hillary Clinton', 'Education Reform', 'Politics', 'Unions', 'Education'] |
Automation With Lambda function and CloudWatch Events | Lambdas are great. It lets you run your code without having to worry about provisioning or managing servers. You pay only for the compute time you consume. With Lambda, you can run code for various types of applications or backend services, all with zero administration. You just upload your code and Lambda takes care of everything required to run and scale your code with high availability. You can set up your code to automatically trigger from other AWS services or call it directly from any web or mobile app.
TLDR; 🤷♂️
I created a simple workflow using AWS Lambda, CloudWatch Events, SSM Parameter Store and SNS that sends email notification when certain criteria is met on a predefined recurring schedule.
Let’s start 🚀
Recently, I was preparing for the AWS Developer Associate certification. As part of the preparation, I was reading white-papers, articles, watching tutorials videos and tinkering with the AWS console to get some hands-on experience. I have built a chrome extension that I monitor its download count and check for any reviews or support questions once in a while. I thought instead on me visiting the site, it would be good if I can get notified wherever the download count changes. As a sample application, I decided to build a simple workflow using Lambda and CloudWatch Events that will send out an email notification whenever the download count changes. This is a very basic scenario but using Lambda you can build complex applications. | https://medium.com/swlh/automation-with-lambda-function-and-cloudwatch-events-b7a525b7bd03 | ['Chandan Rauniyar'] | 2021-01-11 15:49:47.210000+00:00 | ['Dotnet Core', 'Serverless', 'Aws Sam', 'Cloudwatch', 'AWS Lambda'] |
How Retailers Can Benefit From The IoT | Retail organizations and app development companies have been working alongside one another for some time now. App development companies are instrumental when it comes to unlocking a retailer’s true potential. Now that the Internet of Things has become so prevalent, those who are looking to make a name for themselves are asking app development companies how they can benefit.
The IoT is especially useful to clients who have hundreds or even thousands of locations to look after. With so many devices that are running simultaneously, it can be hard for clients to make sense of it all. App development companies are incredibly helpful at times like these. They have the experience necessary and they give their clientele the playbook that will lead to true success.
There are certain challenges that face retailers who are looking to implement the Internet of Things. Some retailers may not have the necessary IT staff on hand to handle implementation. Others may not be able to allocate the proper portion of their budget. However, a retailer must solve these problems before it is too late if they are going to be able to remain truly competitive over the long haul.
The latest technology can easily be incorporated into the infrastructure on hand, with the help of experienced app development companies. When new applications are created, information can be processed far more easily than ever before. Mission-critical data must be stored and processed in the proper manner if a business is going to fully realize the advantages that the IoT has to offer.
To take full advantage, data is going to have to be processed locally. Cloud storage is being relied upon by more and more retailers but those who need access to real-time processing are not going to experience the same level of access. Corporate data centers are relied upon in these instances but they are the furthest thing from foolproof.
These issues are compounded by the fact that retailers have their own day to day concerns to address. For example, there are few retailers that are able to withstand the problems that are associated with unwanted downtime. All it takes is one period of unexpected downtime to ruin a retailer’s credibility. Unfortunately, the credibility that a retailer strives to earn can be squandered in one fell swoop.
While no retailer wants to place themselves in a position where their customers are steadily losing faith in them, the challenges listed above are easy enough to overcome. With the help of experienced app development companies, businesses have the chance to sidestep the usual issues. These companies can lean on their past experiences to offer the sort of insight that a retailer cannot receive elsewhere.
The IoT offers virtualization techniques that are designed to bring retailers forward. If a retailer needs to run a wide range of servers at the same time, their ability to do so is often hindered. Physical servers are expensive and they consume a great deal of space. With the IoT, a retailer has the chance to save the time and space that is being squandered.
Budgeting becomes much easier when a retailer does not have to spend the same amount on their servers. When the marketing department is looking to provide a retailer with access to a new idea, the retailer does not have to implement a new platform. The IoT also offers untold amounts of flexibility. Regulatory mandates and budgetary constraints often leave retailers feeling boxed on.
The Internet of Things offers these companies the chance to step outside of their usual box. Future tasks and initiatives can be deployed without the typical drawbacks. Retailers benefit immensely from having the chance to conduct transactions outside of their data centers. The transactions are still conducted within close proximity of the data.
This benefits the retailer because the distance that the data has to travel is significantly reduced. Every device that is connected with the usage of the IoT is going to be affected. A retailer that is looking to remain relevant over the long term must prize simplicity. Luckily, this is one of the primary reasons for using the Internet of Things in the first place.
The practical usages that are associated with the IoT are essentially endless. Let’s say that a business is looking to improve upon their current signage. Without the Internet of Things, the task would be left to their IT staffers. While the IT staff can handle this task with ease, there is more to it than simply buying the new signs and plugging them in.
Anytime a decision like this is made, IT staffers must also procure new computers and servers. Companies that deploy the IoT do not have to worry about such things. All they need to do is create the new virtual server that is responsible for handling the task and the rest takes care of itself. Even the biggest retailers can benefit from these tactics. Updates can now be made at little to no cost at all.
By taking the time to learn more about the benefits of the IoT and proper implementation, clients are able to reap the full advantages. A modern retailer that is not already looking into the Internet of Things is missing out on a whole new way to do business. Thanks to the IoT, a company can allocate their resources in a different way and avoid the issues that plague other retailers who are not forward thinkers. | https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/how-retailers-can-benefit-from-the-iot-30843b1363b9 | ['Melissa Crooks'] | 2019-10-25 15:12:00.854000+00:00 | ['Retail Technology', 'Mobile App Development', 'IoT', 'Retail', 'Internet of Things'] |
Variational Autoencoder Demystified With PyTorch Implementation. | ELBO Loss — KL Divergence term
Let’s first look at the KL divergence term.
The first part (min) says that we want to minimize this. Next to that, the E term stands for expectation under q. This means we draw a sample (z) from the q distribution.
Notice that in this case, I used a Normal(0, 1) distribution for q. When we code the loss, we have to specify the distributions we want to use.
Now that we have a sample, the next parts of the formula ask for two things: 1) the log probability of z under the q distribution, 2) the log probability of z under the p distribution.
Notice that z has almost zero probability of having come from p. But has 6% probability of having come from q. If we visualize this it’s clear why:
z has a value of 6.0110. If you look at the area of q where z is (ie: the probability), it’s clear that there is a non-zero chance it came from q. But, if you look at p, there’s basically a zero chance that it came from p.
If we look back at this part of the loss
You can see that we are minimizing the difference between these probabilities.
So, to maximize the probability of z under p, we have to shift q closer to p, so that when we sample a new z from q, that value will have a much higher probability.
Let’s verify this via code
and now our new kl divergence is:
Now, this z has a single dimension. But in the real world, we care about n-dimensional zs. To handle this in the implementation, we simply sum over the last dimension. The trick here is that when sampling from a univariate distribution (in this case Normal), if you sum across many of these distributions, it’s equivalent to using an n-dimensional distribution (n-dimensional Normal in this case).
Here’s the kl divergence that is distribution agnostic in PyTorch.
This generic form of the KL is called the monte-carlo approximation. This means we sample z many times and estimate the KL divergence. (in practice, these estimates are really good and with a batch size of 128 or more, the estimate is very accurate). | https://towardsdatascience.com/variational-autoencoder-demystified-with-pytorch-implementation-3a06bee395ed | ['William Falcon'] | 2020-12-15 21:45:14.342000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Hands On Tutorials', 'Deep Learning', 'Data Science', 'Hands-on Tutorials'] |
Best iPhone Web Browsers. Edge | Choosing the right browser may sometimes be difficult as every developer promises to offer the best browsing experience. But we come to know the reality behind these browsers when we use them. Safari is touted as an effective browser, but we can’t vouch for this claim. We have prepared a list of the best browsers for iPhone users. If you are one of those looking for the best iPhone web browsers, check out the options listed below.
Edge
Edge is one of the most effective iPhone browsers on the list. The latest version of Edge has come with more new features and is based on Chromium. In order to use the browser on your iPhone, you need a Microsoft account. You can link your Windows 10 PC with your iOS device and exchange the bookmarks, web pages, and many other things. Edge offers the “Tracking prevention” feature that other browsers do not offer. It comes with tabs, a password manager, a language translator, and many other useful features. It is a free browser with good features.
Opera Touch
Opera Touch is an attractive browser in terms of the user interface. Opera Browser has been renamed Opera Touch for iOS devices. For Android users, it is still Opera. Opera Touch is a superb browser for iPhone users. It offers great security to its users and has earned prestige for being a reliable browser for more than decades. It works as a great ad-blocker. You can save as many tabs as you want in the browser. The browsing experience it offers is quite satisfactory.
Dolphin
When it comes to one of the fastest browsers for iPhone, Dolphin is the name that is difficult to forget. Dolphin enhances your browsing experience and makes it possible to search for anything in the least possible time. It comes with impressive features and allows you to move to bookmarks and navigation shortcuts in just a single click. The gesture feature allows you to go to the desired page or refresh one. You can draw your own gestures and operate the browser in your own way. Night Mode is good and dims the brightness so that your eyes are not affected while you browse at night.
Firefox Focus
Firefox Focus is a simple but great browser that offers a smooth browsing experience and focuses on privacy and security. If you are conscious about security in the internet world, Firefox Focus may be a good browser for you. It does an excellent job as an ad-blocker. The downside is that you can’t have multiple tabs on the browser. If security comes first, Focus is worth giving a try.
The purpose of the list was to make you familiar with the best iPhone web browsers. We have prepared the list, keeping users’ needs in mind.
Everleig is a Blog expert and has been working in the technology industry since 2003. As a technical expert, Everleig has written technical blogs, manuals, white papers, and reviews for many websites such as thoughtg.com
Source: Best iPhone Web Browsers | https://medium.com/@elliejackson922/choosing-the-right-browser-may-sometimes-be-difficult-as-every-developer-promises-to-offer-the-551f9b18ba2 | ['Ellie Jackson'] | 2020-12-17 09:30:23.069000+00:00 | ['iPhone', 'Web Browsers'] |
Interview Question — JavaScript Arrays — Find Flight at index | Browser JavaScript and Event Loop Course is available at http://bit.ly/39eDgEA
The code is available at https://bonsaiilabs.com/js-array-interview-flight/
We need to get the output for this piece of code.
There is a JavaScript array called flights containing 6 flights.
Then, we add to flights array on index 8 a new flight “Virgin Australia”
Finally, we want to log the value at index 7 in flights.
So..let’s understand at what happens when we run this code. | https://medium.com/@deeksha.sharma25/interview-question-javascript-arrays-find-flight-at-index-df7cf27e263 | ['Deeksha Sharma'] | 2020-12-03 21:18:05.441000+00:00 | ['Javascript Tips', 'JavaScript'] |
Full Stack Web Tutorial: Django, React JS, JWT Auth, REST, Bootstrap, Pagination | Create a Python Django Project
I assume you have installed Python3 already.
We will need these libraries to start:
pip install django
pip install djangorestframework
pip install markdown
pip install django-filter
pip install djangorestframework-simplejwt
Create the project and the app:
django-admin startproject sales
cd sales
python manage.py startapp app
This should prepare your project files. Make these changes to settings.py:
Add your app to INSTALLED_APPS:
INSTALLED_APPS = [
'django.contrib.admin',
'django.contrib.auth',
'django.contrib.contenttypes',
'django.contrib.sessions',
'django.contrib.messages',
'django.contrib.staticfiles',
'rest_framework',
'app',
]
Change the allowed hosts. This is bad advice, I know.
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ["*"]
Add “templates” to TEMPLATES:
TEMPLATES = [
{
'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates',
'DIRS': ['templates'],
...
Add some settings for Authentication:
REST_FRAMEWORK = {
'DEFAULT_AUTHENTICATION_CLASSES': (
'rest_framework.authentication.BasicAuthentication',
'rest_framework_simplejwt.authentication.JWTAuthentication',
)
}
SIMPLE_JWT = {
'ACCESS_TOKEN_LIFETIME': timedelta(days=7),
}
Some standard stuff for statics:
STATIC_URL = '/static/'
STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'static/')
Migrate the database:
python manage.py migrate
And make sure your app is able to run without errors:
python manage.py runserver
Define the Models
We will be working with only one table. So this part is simple.
Edit the app/models.py file and add this model:
class Order(models.Model):
date = models.DateField(blank=False)
item = models.CharField(max_length=100, blank=False)
price = models.DecimalField(decimal_places=2, max_digits=10, default=0)
quantity = models.DecimalField(decimal_places=2, max_digits=10, default=0)
amount = models.DecimalField(decimal_places=2, max_digits=10, default=0)
def __str__(self):
return f"{self.date}: {self.item}"
class Meta:
ordering = ["-id"]
We want to edit the date, item, price, and quantity in our table. The amount will be calculated automatically. And we want the new records to appear at the top, so we have added the corresponding “ordering” here.
Add authentication (with Tests)
We will be using JWT for authentication. This is the best approach if you want to write APIs. You may read more about JWT here.
For Django, there is a library for that. And we have implemented half of it already: we have installed the library with pip, and we have set it up in settings.py.
Now, in order to make it work, just add it to the urls.py:
...
from sales import settings
from django.conf.urls.static import static
urlpatterns = [
path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
path('api/token/', TokenObtainPairView.as_view(), name='token_obtain_pair'),
path('login', views.login_view),
] + static(settings.STATIC_URL, document_root=settings.STATIC_ROOT)
Now, you may try to get the token with a POST request to “localhost:8000/api/token” with login and password. But before doing that, you need to create at least a superuser:
python manage.py createsuperuser
Optional. You may test it in curl like so (run the server in a separate terminal/cmd):
curl -X POST -H 'Content-Type: Application/JSON' --data '{"username":"yourusername", "password":"yourpassword"}' localhost:8000/api/token/
you should see a response like this:
{"refresh":"eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJ0b2tlbl90eXBlIjoicmVmcmVzaCIsImV4cCI6MTYxODI0MTQ1MiwianRpIjoiZTIzYTQwOTYwMGRiNDdjZjlmYTIxZGZlZDgyMDczNzUiLCJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxfQ.hi2soO9TU0Cbqrl9_lE3cixO9jbuO9LtB1J-7ax_JFQ","access":"eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJ0b2tlbl90eXBlIjoiYWNjZXNzIiwiZXhwIjoxNjE4NzU5ODUyLCJqdGkiOiJkMjk4ZmRmNmNmZDc0MWYyYTZmYzgzYjBhZmNjMzRjNSIsInVzZXJfaWQiOjF9.zXnFqbawUUNTVjOsYUtNiJDtYF-axDHKBZ2phdUAU7Q"}
So we get the “refresh” and the “access” tokens as a response. For simplicity, we will be using only the “access” token.
Now, let’s test this with Django. In the “sales” folder, create a file called “tests_jwt.py”. It is important that the file name starts with “tests”.
from django.test import TestCase
from django.contrib.auth.models import User
import json
test_users = [
{"username": "testuser1", "password": "testpassword1"},
{"username": "testuser2", "password": "testpassword2"},
]
class LoginTest(TestCase):
def setUp(self):
for user in test_users:
new_user = User.objects.create(username=user["username"])
new_user.set_password(user["password"])
new_user.save()
def test_login(self):
USER1 = test_users[0]
res = self.client.post('/api/token/',
data=json.dumps({
'username': USER1["username"],
'password': USER1["password"],
}),
content_type='application/json',
)
result = json.loads(res.content)
self.assertTrue("access" in result)
Here we create a new user and fetch the token from the corresponding URL, and test that “access” is in the response.
To run the test, simply type:
python manage.py test
Add tests for sales orders API
We have not yet built the API, but we first run the tests. Why?
Say, you have started implementing the API and you want to test it. How would you do that? Using curl? Fine. But you probably don’t want to run a lot of curls every time you change something in your code. What if something is broken? You will never know this.
That is why, for API, it is good to follow the TDD (Test Driven Development) approach.
In “app” folder, create a file called “tests_orders.py”. Everything in this chapter should be added to this file.
We start with the setup:
from django.test import TestCase
from django.contrib.auth.models import User
import json
test_user = {"username": "testuser", "password": "testpassword"}
class OrdersTest(TestCase):
def setUp(self):
new_user = User.objects.create(
username=test_user["username"])
new_user.set_password(test_user["password"])
new_user.save()
def get_token(self):
res = self.client.post('/api/token/',
data=json.dumps({
'username': test_user["username"],
'password': test_user["password"],
}),
content_type='application/json',
)
result = json.loads(res.content)
self.assertTrue("access" in result)
return result["access"]
Before running each test in this class, the database is cleaned and this “setUp” method is called. No worries, the tests are running in a separate database, so your data will not be touched. If you are working with something different from SQLite, make sure your user has enough rights to create a database.
We also need to get the token for each test, so we have written the helper method called “get_token”.
Test 1. Make sure that unauthorized users are not allowed to POST new data. Response code should be 401 (Authenticated)
def test_add_orders_forbidden(self):
res = self.client.post('/api/orders/',
data=json.dumps({
'date': "2020-01-01",
'item': "Hard Drive",
'price': 100,
'quantity': 10,
}),
content_type='application/json',
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 401)
res = self.client.post('/api/orders/',
data=json.dumps({
'date': "2020-01-01",
'item': "Hard Drive",
'price': 100,
'quantity': 10,
}),
content_type='application/json',
HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=f'Bearer WRONG TOKEN'
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 401)
Test 2. Authorized users are allowed to POST. And we check that the response is correct. The response code should be 201 (Created).
def test_add_orders_ok(self):
token = self.get_token()
res = self.client.post('/api/orders/',
data=json.dumps({
'date': "2020-01-01",
'item': "Hard Drive",
'price': 100,
'quantity': 10,
}),
content_type='application/json',
HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=f'Bearer {token}'
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 201)
result = json.loads(res.content)["data"]
self.assertEquals(result["date"], '2020-01-01')
self.assertEquals(result["item"], 'Hard Drive')
self.assertEquals(result["price"], 100)
self.assertEquals(result["quantity"], 10)
Test 3. We should not be able to POST “wrong” data. In this case, the response code should be 400 (Bad Request)
def test_add_orders_wrong_data(self):
token = self.get_token()
res = self.client.post('/api/orders/',
data=json.dumps({
'date': "2020-01-01",
'item': "Hard Drive",
'price': -1,
'quantity': 10,
}),
content_type='application/json',
HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=f'Bearer {token}'
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 400)
res = self.client.post('/api/orders/',
data=json.dumps({
'date': "2020-01-01",
'item': "Hard Drive",
'price': 1,
'quantity': -10,
}),
content_type='application/json',
HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=f'Bearer {token}'
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 400)
res = self.client.post('/api/orders/',
data=json.dumps({
'date': "2020-01-01",
'item': "",
'price': 1,
'quantity': 10,
}),
content_type='application/json',
HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=f'Bearer {token}'
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 400)
Test 4. Make sure the amount is calculated from price and quantity. We force amount = 10000, it should be ignored. Instead, we should get 5*7=35.
def test_add_orders_calculate(self):
token = self.get_token()
res = self.client.post('/api/orders/',
data=json.dumps({
'date': "2020-01-01",
'item': "Hard Drive",
'price': 5,
'quantity': 7,
'amount': 10000, # should be ignored
}),
content_type='application/json',
HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=f'Bearer {token}'
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 201)
result = json.loads(res.content)["data"]
self.assertEquals(result["amount"], 35)
Test 5. Test the GET method.
def test_get_records(self):
token = self.get_token()
res = self.client.post('/api/orders/',
data=json.dumps({
'date': "2020-01-01",
'item': "Hard Drive",
'price': 5,
'quantity': 7,
}),
content_type='application/json',
HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=f'Bearer {token}'
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 201)
id1 = json.loads(res.content)["data"]["id"]
res = self.client.post('/api/orders/',
data=json.dumps({
'date': "2020-02-02",
'item': "Monitor",
'price': 20,
'quantity': 30,
}),
content_type='application/json',
HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=f'Bearer {token}'
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 201)
id2 = json.loads(res.content)["data"]["id"]
res = self.client.get('/api/orders/',
content_type='application/json',
HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=f'Bearer {token}'
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 200)
result = json.loads(res.content)["data"]
self.assertEquals(len(result), 2) # 2 records
self.assertTrue(result[0]["id"] == id1 or result[1]["id"] == id1)
self.assertTrue(result[0]["id"] == id2 or result[1]["id"] == id2)
res = self.client.get(f'/api/orders/{id1}/',
content_type='application/json',
HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=f'Bearer {token}'
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 200)
result = json.loads(res.content)["data"]
self.assertEquals(result["date"], '2020-01-01')
self.assertEquals(result["item"], 'Hard Drive')
self.assertEquals(result["price"], 5)
self.assertEquals(result["quantity"], 7)
self.assertEquals(result["amount"], 35)
Test 6. A scenario with PUT and DELETE methods.
def test_put_delete_records(self):
token = self.get_token()
res = self.client.post('/api/orders/',
data=json.dumps({
'date': "2020-01-01",
'item': "Hard Drive",
'price': 5,
'quantity': 7,
}),
content_type='application/json',
HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=f'Bearer {token}'
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 201)
id = json.loads(res.content)["data"]["id"]
res = self.client.put(f'/api/orders/{id}/',
data=json.dumps({
'date': "2020-02-02",
'item': "Monitor",
'price': 50,
'quantity': 70,
}),
content_type='application/json',
HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=f'Bearer {token}'
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 200)
result = json.loads(res.content)["data"]
self.assertEquals(result["date"], '2020-02-02')
res = self.client.get(f'/api/orders/{id}/',
content_type='application/json',
HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=f'Bearer {token}'
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 200)
result = json.loads(res.content)["data"]
self.assertEquals(result["date"], '2020-02-02')
self.assertEquals(result["item"], 'Monitor')
self.assertEquals(result["price"], 50)
self.assertEquals(result["quantity"], 70)
self.assertEquals(result["amount"], 3500)
res = self.client.delete(f'/api/orders/{id}/',
content_type='application/json',
HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=f'Bearer {token}'
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 410) # Gone
res = self.client.get(f'/api/orders/{id}/',
content_type='application/json',
HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=f'Bearer {token}'
)
self.assertEquals(res.status_code, 404) # Not found
If you now run the test:
python manage.py test
then 7 tests, including the Authentication test should be run. 6 of them should fail, of course.
Now we are ready for the API implementation.
Implement the API: GET and DELETE
Import views_order and add these two lines to the path in urls.py:
...
from app import views_orders
...
path('api/orders/', views_orders.orders),
path('api/orders/<int:order_id>/', views_orders.order),
...
There will be an error that there is no “views_orders” file. This is because we have not created it yet.
Create this file: app/views_orders.py
Our API will be there.
We start with importing the needed libraries and a little helper function:
from rest_framework.decorators import api_view
from django.shortcuts import HttpResponse
from rest_framework import status
from django.forms.models import model_to_dict
from django.core.exceptions import ObjectDoesNotExist
from app.models import Order
import json
import datetime
def serialize_order(order):
serialized = model_to_dict(order)
serialized["date"] = str(order.date)
serialized["amount"] = float(order.amount)
serialized["price"] = float(order.price)
serialized["quantity"] = float(order.quantity)
return serialized
This homemade serializer will be helping us to create a dictionary from our database row (object).
And the API for “GET” and “DELETE” methods:
@api_view(['GET', ])
def orders(request):
if request.user.is_anonymous:
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"detail": "Not authorized"}), status=status.HTTP_401_UNAUTHORIZED)
if request.method == "GET":
orders_data = Order.objects.all()
orders_count = orders_data.count()
page_size = int(request.GET.get("page_size", "10"))
page_no = int(request.GET.get("page_no", "0"))
orders_data = list(orders_data[page_no * page_size:page_no * page_size + page_size])
orders_data = [serialize_order(order) for order in orders_data]
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"count": orders_count, "data": orders_data}), status=status.HTTP_200_OK)
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"detail": "Wrong method"}), status=status.HTTP_501_NOT_IMPLEMENTED)
@api_view(['GET', 'DELETE'])
def order(request, order_id):
if request.user.is_anonymous:
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"detail": "Not authorized"}), status=status.HTTP_401_UNAUTHORIZED)
try:
order = Order.objects.get(pk=order_id)
except ObjectDoesNotExist:
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"detail": "Not found"}), status=status.HTTP_404_NOT_FOUND)
if request.method == "GET":
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"data": serialize_order(order)}), status=status.HTTP_200_OK) if request.method == "DELETE":
order.delete()
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"detail": "deleted"}), status=status.HTTP_410_GONE) return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"detail": "Wrong method"}), status=status.HTTP_501_NOT_IMPLEMENTED)
We first check if you are authorized for these actions. If not, reply with 401 immediately and quit.
Now, some of the tests should be passing.
Implement the API: POST and PUT
The POST and PUT methods share some common code. Namely, they “copy” the fields from the request to the Order object. They should also check if the data is correct and calculate the amount.
That is why it is a good idea to have a separate function for this:
def save_order(request, order, success_status):
errors = []
item = request.data.get("item", "")
if item == "":
errors.append({"item": "This field is required"})
try:
price = request.data.get("price", "")
if price == "":
errors.append({"price": "This field is required"})
else:
price = int(price)
if price < 0:
errors.append({"price": "Price cannot be negative"})
except ValueError:
errors.append({"price": "Could not parse field"})
try:
quantity = request.data.get("quantity", "")
if quantity == "":
errors.append({"quantity": "This field is required"})
else:
quantity = int(quantity)
if quantity < 0:
errors.append({"quantity": "Quantity cannot be negative"})
except ValueError:
errors.append({"quantity": "Could not parse field"})
date = request.data.get("date", "")
if date == "":
date = datetime.datetime.now()
if len(errors) > 0:
return HttpResponse(json.dumps(
{
"errors": errors
}), status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)
try:
order.date = date
order.item = item
order.price = price
order.quantity = quantity
order.amount = price * quantity
order.save()
except Exception as e:
return HttpResponse(json.dumps(
{
"errors": {"Order": str(e)}
}), status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"data": serialize_order(order)}), status=success_status)
The function is pretty simple and straightforward. It moves the data from the request to the order.
Now, having this, we may extend our API by adding the POST and PUT methods:
@api_view(['GET', 'POST'])
def orders(request):
if request.user.is_anonymous:
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"detail": "Not authorized"}), status=status.HTTP_401_UNAUTHORIZED)
if request.method == "GET":
orders_data = Order.objects.all()
orders_count = orders_data.count()
page_size = int(request.GET.get("page_size", "10"))
page_no = int(request.GET.get("page_no", "0"))
orders_data = list(orders_data[page_no * page_size:page_no * page_size + page_size])
orders_data = [serialize_order(order) for order in orders_data]
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"count": orders_count, "data": orders_data}), status=status.HTTP_200_OK)
if request.method == "POST":
order = Order()
return save_order(request, order, status.HTTP_201_CREATED)
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"detail": "Wrong method"}), status=status.HTTP_501_NOT_IMPLEMENTED)
@api_view(['GET', 'PUT', 'DELETE'])
def order(request, order_id):
if request.user.is_anonymous:
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"detail": "Not authorized"}), status=status.HTTP_401_UNAUTHORIZED)
try:
order = Order.objects.get(pk=order_id)
except ObjectDoesNotExist:
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"detail": "Not found"}), status=status.HTTP_404_NOT_FOUND)
if request.method == "GET":
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"data": serialize_order(order)}), status=status.HTTP_200_OK)
if request.method == "PUT":
return save_order(request, order, status.HTTP_200_OK)
if request.method == "DELETE":
order.delete()
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"detail": "deleted"}), status=status.HTTP_410_GONE)
return HttpResponse(json.dumps({"detail": "Wrong method"}), status=status.HTTP_501_NOT_IMPLEMENTED)
Now, all tests should pass. If not, fix the errors before continuing to the next chapter. Because by this point, your back-end should be ready. Congratulations!
If you struggle to pass all tests, compare your code to the one in GitHub.
Initialize the Front-End with React JS
We start by adding a new file called “index.html” in a new folder “app/templates”. This is the files tree that you will have at the end of the tutorial:
Files tree. Make sure you are adding the files to the correct folders.
Edit the “index.html” as follows:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" integrity="sha384-eOJMYsd53ii+scO/bJGFsiCZc+5NDVN2yr8+0RDqr0Ql0h+rP48ckxlpbzKgwra6" crossorigin="anonymous">
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Sales Orders Management System</title>
</head>
<body>
{% include "react_and_bootstrap.html" %}
<script type="text/jsx" src="/static/js/api.js"></script>
<script type="text/jsx" src="/static/js/sales_page.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Add the “login.html”, which is very similar:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" integrity="sha384-eOJMYsd53ii+scO/bJGFsiCZc+5NDVN2yr8+0RDqr0Ql0h+rP48ckxlpbzKgwra6" crossorigin="anonymous">
<title>Login</title>
</head>
<body>
{% include "react_and_bootstrap.html" %}
<script type="text/jsx" src="/static/js/api.js"></script>
<script type="text/jsx" src="/static/js/login_page.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
You can see that we include the “react_and_bootstrap.html”. Add this file as in the tree above, next to the “index.html” and add this content:
<div id="reactAppContainer"></div>
<script src="https://unpkg.com/babel-standalone@6/babel.min.js"></script>
<script src="//cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/sweetalert2@10"></script>
<script src="https://unpkg.com/react@17/umd/react.development.js" crossorigin></script>
<script src="https://unpkg.com/react-dom@17/umd/react-dom.development.js" crossorigin></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js" integrity="sha384-JEW9xMcG8R+pH31jmWH6WWP0WintQrMb4s7ZOdauHnUtxwoG2vI5DkLtS3qm9Ekf" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
This is a “development version” of React. Before deploying to production, make sure to replace the react scripts (script number 3 and 4) with the following two lines:
<script src="https://unpkg.com/react@17/umd/react.production.min.js" crossorigin></script>
<script src="https://unpkg.com/react-dom@17/umd/react-dom.production.min.js" crossorigin></script>
Now create two files called “sales_page.js” and “login_page.js” with this simple content:
'use strict';
const e = React.createElement;
function App() {
return (
<div>
<h1>Hello, World!</h1>
</div>
);
}
const domContainer = document.querySelector('#reactAppContainer');
ReactDOM.render(
e(App),
domContainer
);
In order to show these HTML files in Django, we need to add two paths in urls.py:
from app import views
...
path('', views.index),
path('login', views.login_view),
and, of course, we need these functions.
Add this content to app/views.py file:
from django.shortcuts import render
def index(request):
context = {}
return render(request, "index.html", context=context)
def login_view(request):
context = {}
return render(request, "login.html", context=context)
You should be able to run the server and see the “Hello, World!” message.
Otherwise, fix the problems before continuing to the next chapter.
Authenticate from Front-End
Next, we prepare this login view.
First, create the API consumer for this.
Again, look at this tree,
and create the api.js file:
const login_api = async (username, password, success, fail) => {
const response = await fetch(
`/api/token/`,
{
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Accept': 'application/json',
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
},
body: JSON.stringify({
"username": username,
"password": password,
})
}
);
const text = await response.text();
if (response.status === 200) {
console.log("success", JSON.parse(text));
success(JSON.parse(text));
} else {
console.log("failed", text);
Object.entries(JSON.parse(text)).forEach(([key, value])=>{
fail(`${key}: ${value}`);
});
}
};
We will be adding more API consumers here later. It is good to isolate the API calls to a separate file because if something changes in API, we want to only change it in one place.
This function simply makes the POST request to /api/token/. Then it calls either success or fail function, depending on the result.
Go to the login_page.js and replace it with this content:
'use strict';
const e = React.createElement;
function App() {
const [username, setUsername] = React.useState("");
const [password, setPassword] = React.useState("");
const [message, setMessage] = React.useState("");
const success = async (text)=> {
console.log("Yeah! Authenticated!");
await localStorage.setItem("salesToken", text.access);
window.location = "/";
};
const tryLogin = async (e) => {
e.preventDefault();
console.log("Loggin in with", username, password);
await login_api(username, password, success, (text)=>{setMessage(text)});
};
return (
<div style={{width: "400px", margin: "auto", marginTop: "200px",
boxShadow: "5px 5px 20px #cccccccc",
padding: "1em"
}}>
<form>
<div className="mb-3">
<label htmlFor="username" className="form-label">Username</label>
<input autoFocus type="text" className="form-control" id="username" placeholder="username"
onChange={(e)=>{setUsername(e.target.value)}} value={username}/>
</div>
<div className="mb-3">
<label htmlFor="password" className="form-label">Password</label>
<input type="password" className="form-control" id="password" placeholder="password"
onChange={(e)=>{setPassword(e.target.value)}} value={password}/>
</div>
<div style={{margin: "1em", color: "red"}}>{message}</div>
<button type="submit" className="btn btn-primary" onClick={tryLogin}>Login</button>
</form>
</div>
);
}
const domContainer = document.querySelector('#reactAppContainer');
ReactDOM.render(
e(App),
domContainer
);
We are using Bootstrap here. Now, you may navigate to /login in your browser and test first incorrect, and then the correct usernames and passwords.
Congrats! We are halfway there!
Display the orders table (GET)
First, start with the GET API call in api.js:
const get_orders_api = async (pageNo="", success, fail) => {
const token = await localStorage.getItem("salesToken");
if (token === null) {
console.log("No credentials found, redirecting...");
window.location = "/login";
return [];
}
const response = await fetch(
`/api/orders/?page_no=${pageNo}`,
{
method: 'GET',
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'Application/JSON',
'Authorization': `Bearer ${token}`,
}
}
);
const text = await response.text();
if (response.status === 401) {
console.log("Token not valid");
window.location = "/login";
return [];
}
if (response.status === 200) {
console.log("success", JSON.parse(text));
success(JSON.parse(text));
} else {
console.log("failed", text);
Object.entries(JSON.parse(text)).forEach(([key, value])=>{
fail(`${key}: ${value}`);
});
}
};
Here we already care about the page number. By default (until we implement the pagination) it will always be the first page only.
Go to the sales_page.js and start with these constants. We will need them later:
function App() {
const [list, setList] = React.useState([]);
const [pages, setPages] = React.useState([]);
const [page, setPage] = React.useState(0);
const [showModal, setShowModal] = React.useState(false);
const [modalDescription, setModalDescription] = React.useState("");
const [itemId, setItemId] = React.useState(null);
const [error, setError] = React.useState("");
const [item, setItem] = React.useState("");
const [price, setPrice] = React.useState(0);
const [quantity, setQuantity] = React.useState(0);
Here, the useState is the simplified version of the old React “state”. This function (useState) returns a pair: a state and a function that changes this state. For example, list and setList. Here setList is an async function that changes the list. And so on.
Every time we load some data, we need to refresh some of the above variables, namely, list, pages, and page. For this we write this small function:
const success = (data) => {
setList(data.data);
const newPages = [];
if (data.count > 10) {
for (let i=0; i<Math.ceil(data.count / 10); i++) {
newPages.push({
name: (i+1).toString(),
page: i,
});
console.log("page",i);
}
if (page > newPages.length-1) {
setPage(page-1);
}
} else {
setPage(0);
}
setPages(newPages);
};
Here if there are more than 10 items in the database, we show the pagination. Note that our API may return only 10 records in “data”, but also inform us that there are 50 items in “count”. So we rely on the count here.
Getting data is simple if you have already written the API call:
const getData = ()=>{
get_orders_api(page, success, (text)=>{console.log("Error: ", text)});
};
React.useEffect(()=>{
getData();
}, [page]);
Here we use the useEffect function. In our case, we want to start it when the page loads and every time the “page” variable is changed. That’s why we put [page] in the end here. It is a “dependency” for the useEffect method.
To log out, we write this simple function:
const logout = async (e)=>{
await localStorage.setItem("salesToken",null);
window.location = "/login";
};
That’s it. It is only left to render the page:
return (
<div>
<div style={{maxWidth: "800px", margin: "auto", marginTop: "1em", marginBottom: "1em",
padding: "1em"}} className="shadow">
<div style={{display: "flex", flexDirection: "row"}}>
<span>Super Orders App</span>
<a className="btn btn-light" style={{marginLeft: "auto"}} onClick={logout}>Logout</a>
</div>
</div>
<div style={{maxWidth: "800px", margin: "auto", marginTop: "1em", marginBottom: "1em",
padding: "1em"}} className="shadow">
<div style={{display: "flex", flexDirection: "row", marginBottom: "5px"}}>
{pages.length > 0 && <nav className="d-lg-flex justify-content-lg-end dataTables_paginate paging_simple_numbers">
<ul className="pagination">
<li className={"page-item " + (page === 0?"disabled":"")} onClick={(e)=>{
e.preventDefault();
setPage(Math.max(page-1,0));
}}><a className="page-link" href="#" aria-label="Previous"><span
aria-hidden="true">«</span></a></li>
{pages.map((el)=><li key={"page" + el.page} onClick={(e)=>{
setPage(el.page);
}} className={"page-item "+(page===el.page?"active":"")}>
<a className="page-link" href="#">
{el.name}
</a></li>)}
<li className={"page-item " + (page === pages.length-1?"disabled":"")} onClick={(e)=>{
setPage(Math.min(page+1,pages.length-1));
}}><a className="page-link" href="#" aria-label="Next"><span
aria-hidden="true">»</span></a></li>
</ul>
</nav>}
<a className="btn btn-light" style={{marginLeft: "auto"}}
onClick={newOrder}
>New Sales Order</a>
</div>
<table className="table table-hover caption-top">
<thead className="table-light">
<tr>
<th>id</th>
<th>Date</th>
<th>Item</th>
<th>Price</th>
<th>Quantity</th>
<th>Amount</th>
<th>Action</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
{ list.map((row)=>
<tr key={row.id}>
<td>{row.id}</td>
<td>{row.date}</td>
<td>{row.item}</td>
<td>{row.price}</td>
<td>{row.quantity}</td>
<td>{row.amount}</td>
<td>
<a className="btn btn-light" style={{marginLeft: "auto"}}
onClick={(e)=>{editOrder(row)}}>Edit</a>{" "}
<a className="btn btn-light" style={{marginLeft: "auto"}}
onClick={(e)=>{deleteOrder(row.id)}}>Delete</a>
</td>
</tr>
)}
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
);
}
You should now be able to see a list of sales orders. Before testing, make sure to add a couple of orders to the database. You may skip this part until we implement the next chapter “Add new Order”.
Implement “Add new Order”
When we add a new order, we want a modal window to pop up.
First of all, let’s add the POST method to our api.js:
const post_order_api = async (data, success) => {
const token = await localStorage.getItem("salesToken");
if (token === null) {
console.log("No credentials found, redirecting...");
window.location = "/login";
return [];
}
const response = await fetch(
`/api/orders/`,
{
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'Application/JSON',
'Authorization': `Bearer ${token}`,
},
body: JSON.stringify(data)
}
);
const text = await response.text();
if (response.status === 401) {
console.log("Token not valid");
window.location = "/login";
return [];
}
if (response.status === 201) {
console.log("success", JSON.parse(text));
success(JSON.parse(text));
} else {
console.log("failed", text);
Object.entries(JSON.parse(text)).forEach(([key, value])=>{
fail(`${key}: ${value}`);
});
}
};
Let’s first render it. Put this code right after the first “<div>” in the return function:
<div style={{background: "#00000060"}}
className={"modal " + (showModal?" show d-block":" d-none")} tabIndex="-1" role="dialog">
<div className="modal-dialog shadow">
<form method="post">
<div className="modal-content">
<div className="modal-header">
<h5 className="modal-title">{modalDescription}</h5>
<button type="button" className="btn-close" onClick={()=>{setShowModal(false)}} aria-label="Close"></button>
</div>
<div className="modal-body">
<label>Item name</label>
<div className="form-group">
<input type="text" className="form-control" name="item" id="itemInput"
value={item} onChange={(e)=>{setItem(e.target.value)}}
placeholder="Item name"/>
</div>
<label style={{marginTop: "1em"}}>Price</label>
<div className="form-group" >
<input type="number" className="form-control" placeholder="Price"
value={price} onChange={(e)=>{setPrice(e.target.value)}}
name="price" />
</div>
<label style={{marginTop: "1em"}}>Quantity</label>
<div className="form-group">
<input type="number" className="form-control"
value={quantity} onChange={(e)=>{setQuantity(e.target.value)}}
placeholder="Quantity" name="quantity" />
</div>
<small className="form-text text-muted">{error}</small>
</div>
<div className="modal-footer">
<button type="button" className="btn btn-secondary" onClick={()=>{setShowModal(false)}} data-bs-dismiss="modal">Close</button>
<button type="submit" className="btn btn-primary" onClick={saveOrder}>Save changes</button>
</div>
</div>
</form>
</div>
</div>
So that the next line would be
<div style={{maxWidth: "800px", margin: "auto", ...
Here you can see that the modal form is only shown when the showModal variable is true. Inside the form, we show the fields of our model, and they use the variables item, price, and quantity.
Next, when you press the submit function, the form should be saved. Add this function:
const saveOrder = (e)=>{
e.preventDefault();
setError("");
console.log("saving new", item, price, quantity);
if (item.length * price * quantity === 0)
setError("Please enter item name, price and quantity");
else {
if (itemId === null)
post_order_api({item, price, quantity}, ()=>{getData();});
else
put_order_api(itemId, {item, price, quantity}, ()=>{getData();});
setShowModal(false);
}
};
In this function, we are already prepared for edit. You may see the if (itemId === null) part here. The only difference is that “edit” sets the itemId.
And this form should open when we press the “New Sales Order” button:
const newOrder = ()=>{
setModalDescription("New order");
setItemId(null);
setItem("");
setPrice(0);
setQuantity(0);
setError("");
setShowModal(true);
const itemInput = document.getElementById("itemInput");
setTimeout(()=>{itemInput && itemInput.focus()}, 1);
};
We reset all variables here, show the window, and set the focus to the first field so that the user does not have to click on it.
Note that we have a small Time Out before focus. That is because we need to give some time to open the modal window. If for some reason, it takes more time to open it, the focus will not be set, but there will be no error either. Because we check it by calculating itemInput && .
You may now add as many Sales Orders as you wish. You should also see the pagination once you add more than 10 records.
Implement “Edit Order”
For editing, we already have a modal window. So we only need to add one function:
const editOrder = (data)=>{
setModalDescription("Edit order");
setItemId(data.id);
setItem(data.item);
setPrice(data.price);
setQuantity(data.quantity);
setError("");
setShowModal(true);
const itemInput = document.getElementById("itemInput");
setTimeout(()=>{itemInput && itemInput.focus()}, 1);
};
We set the variables item, price, and quantity to the ones from our record. All the rest is the same, so it should work immediately.
And add the PUT call to the api.js file:
const put_order_api = async (saleId, data, success) => {
const token = await localStorage.getItem("salesToken");
if (token === null) {
console.log("No credentials found, redirecting...");
window.location = "/login";
return [];
}
const response = await fetch(
`/api/orders/${saleId}/`,
{
method: 'PUT',
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'Application/JSON',
'Authorization': `Bearer ${token}`,
},
body: JSON.stringify(data)
}
);
const text = await response.text();
if (response.status === 401) {
console.log("Token not valid");
window.location = "/login";
return [];
}
if (response.status === 200) {
console.log("success", JSON.parse(text));
success(JSON.parse(text));
} else {
console.log("failed", text);
Object.entries(JSON.parse(text)).forEach(([key, value])=>{
fail(`${key}: ${value}`);
});
}
};
Implement “Delete Order”
Here we want to first ask if the user is sure to delete the order. For this, we use sweet alert. It is not only beautiful but also very easy to use:
const deleteOrder = (orderId)=>{
Swal.fire({
title: 'Are you sure?',
text: "You won't be able to revert this!",
icon: 'warning',
showCancelButton: true,
confirmButtonColor: '#3085d6',
cancelButtonColor: '#d33',
confirmButtonText: 'Yes, delete it!'
}).then((result) => {
if (result.isConfirmed) {
delete_order_api(orderId, ()=>{
Swal.fire({
title: 'Deleted!',
text: "Your order has been deleted!",
icon: 'success',
timer: 1000,
});
getData();
});
}
});
};
And the Delete API call, of course (api.js):
const delete_order_api = async (saleId, success) => {
const token = await localStorage.getItem("salesToken");
if (token === null) {
console.log("No credentials found, redirecting...");
window.location = "/login";
return [];
}
const response = await fetch(
`/api/orders/${saleId}/`,
{
method: 'DELETE',
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'Application/JSON',
'Authorization': `Bearer ${token}`,
}
}
);
const text = await response.text();
if (response.status === 401) {
console.log("Token not valid");
window.location = "/login";
return [];
}
console.log(response.status);
if (response.status === 410) {
console.log("success", JSON.parse(text));
success(JSON.parse(text));
} else {
console.log("failed", text);
Object.entries(JSON.parse(text)).forEach(([key, value])=>{
fail(`${key}: ${value}`);
});
}
};
Note that in each API call, if the response code is 401 (Unauthorized), we redirect the user to “/login” URL.
GitHub Repository
Congratulations! You did it! If something does not work, go to the GitHub repository and check what is wrong by comparing your code to it: https://github.com/timurbakibayev/crud_django_react
Feel free to not only get the project on GitHub but also press the “Use this Template” button to create a project based on that.
Conclusion
Yes, it takes time for such a small project. I planned to write this article in one day, but it took me about a week to implement this and two days to write the article. But we now have a nice template that can be reused for other projects.
If you liked the article, feel free to buy me a coffee:
And have a look at my other articles, mostly about Python and Django: | https://levelup.gitconnected.com/full-stack-web-tutorial-django-react-js-jwt-auth-rest-bootstrap-pagination-b00ebf7866c1 | ['Timur Bakibayev'] | 2021-04-13 12:57:48.305000+00:00 | ['Full Stack', 'Programming', 'React', 'Django', 'Tutorial'] |
Lockdown Economy Netherlands in Finance Consultancy with Emmielin Rombley | The interview was transcribed and adapted into an article by Kelly Machin
Lockdown Economy: Interviews by think tank AlterContacts.org with real entrepreneurs sharing insights, challenges and successes during the COVID19 global pandemic to inspire, motivate and encourage other entrepreneurs around the world.
In this interview hosted by Rosie Allison, we meet Emmlielin Rombley, the founder of RIMEOY Finance Consulting Agency based in the Netherlands. Emmielin told us how she made the choice to go alone and set up her own business in August of 2020 despite the economic challenges of the pandemic. She has been able to create a strong client base through an emphasis on personal communication and honesty in determining which clients fit best with the style of her consulting agency. Emmielin discussed the challenges of the multi-platform working environment and emphasised how communication is the key to ensuring deadlines are met and efficient working practices are achieved.
Watch the video version of the interview.
So, tell us a bit more about your finance consultancy agency.
Emmielin: Basically, it’s pronounced RIMEOY [Rom-ear-why] Finance Consulting Agency B.V. and I started it in August this year during the pandemic. I’ve always had an idea to start on my own and that was basically the idea since last year. I’ve had a lot of consultants coming to me and said ‘why don’t you just start on your own because you’re very talented, you have a lot of knowledge with regards to finance and accounting’.
It was kind of difficult for me to think that stuff because I am very used to working in the corporate business and having a manager to tell me what to do, but I said you know what, try to basically start on your own and see how it is, grow your network and grow in your own field of finance and also learn a little bit more about what’s happening outside in just only in one field of my expertise, because my background is both basically coming from the banking world and the insurance world and also real estate, and I said why not just grow with your experience and do something different and reach out to other companies that need help.
My company is focusing on giving advice for different companies regarding national, international, non-profit organisations, and I like to focus on their financing processes, what help do they need, in order to improve their financial flow and in order to know what is important for them for their strategic moves for the future.
I think for myself it’s interesting to learn a lot about my expertise in the field of giving advice, and I really enjoy doing that, and I said why not do something different, why not try to reach out and see where I can assist these companies to the best of my ability. So that was basically my whole idea of having to start on my own and see how that would work out for me.
Great and so you actually experienced starting your whole new business during a pandemic, what was that like for you? Were there any challenges that you faced?
Emmielin: I wouldn’t really use the word pandemic, I just see it as a pause for all of us that we have to sit back and reflect. It was a good time for me to sit back and reflect and look at my experience and say ‘what would you like to do in the future, what else would you like to come up with some new ideas’.
I’ve always had ideas to focus on my business plan since last year, and now that we are in this pause moment I said you know what, you have more time to basically reflect and finish the things that you want to finish, the goals that you want to achieve.
I was able to take that step forward and then I was able to also connect with many persons online, whereas you see a broader network of people are want to reach and they are not able to see you face to face so it became a little bit more, the flow became a little bit faster getting in contact with people, calling them, the network becomes bigger, faster, and then you get an idea the strategic way how you want to move forward with yourself, your personal goals, what you want to achieve, and then you make the supports see what is best for myself and the company to grow in order to help other people.
Yeah okay, and tell us a bit more about the structure of your agency, are you alone in your company?
Emmielin: Well currently I am alone, and I am still looking forward to having some persons to work with me and some business partners and also for persons who also would like to assist in the accounting or finance if anything so, at first I am alone but I am really looking forward to having more partnership in the future.
Great and so you mentioned some of the benefits that you actually found of starting your business during the pandemic, increasing the connectivity with people but did you find any challenges or anything that you tried to stimulate your business that actually didn’t work for you?
Emmielin: I think it’s basically important to look at the specific platform that you’re connecting with because there are specific platforms out there that are not going according to the right regulations so they would probably bring you into their network and then basically they won’t help you to grow but they’re only focusing on themselves so you have to be very very careful with that.
So, I’ve also experienced that and also what’s important is to know the direction that you want to grow with your company because sometimes you want to have a partnership with certain other companies or other persons and your goal and your mindset goes one direction and they want to go a different direction. So, it’s important to always have a clear discussion at first to see that where do you want to go together to grow together, and if you see a path where it’s going to go better, and the direction where you see is going to grow, then you say ‘hey this will work’, but it’s not going to go well at the first beginning, then you say you know, don’t doubt about it, if you have any doubts just don’t do it.
So if you have a good feeling at first and say hey this is going to work, work together, work for the partnership, and I do see myself with persons that I get involved more or especially also clients. Clients also want to know if I’m the right person to help with their accounting and direction that they want to work with, so it’s always important to ask a lot of questions, a lot of questions where you can see from both sides where it works out well and then you can see hey this partnership can work, this client can be my client, and we can work together with that. It’s important to really keep an eye out on what’s the right platform and direction to go with the right partnership client and see how to work from there.
Yeah, I definitely, I think that’s great advice and so obviously in the past I guess you would utilize more of a face-to-face consultancy type work and now clearly that’s not possible so have you found different mediums that work or maybe don’t work so well in order to get this connection to see if you’re able to move forward with a client?
Emmielin: I think what really worked for me is the online platforms, freelancers, platforms, there are various one out there and you have to be very very discreet to know which one really works because they have some platforms that have a lot of leads that will be coming in constantly and they have others where it’s just for free and nothing comes in at all. So you have to look at it as you have to still have some sort of financial obligation to still be able to you know to connect with certain platforms that are able to help you with specific leads and at the same time try to also be very proactive with the client so that you can also help them and still follow up on whatever questions they may have.
For the online discussions, I’ve noticed that there are many companies out there in the Netherlands that need help and that want to connect to the municipality in the Netherlands. If you are working or in a company that is not situated in the Netherlands, most of the municipality information is in Dutch so they will reach out to me and say ‘Ms Rombley, we really need your help and we want to start a business here, we have no clue’. These are small self-employed companies who have been working in, for example, the UK for a while who want to also transfer their business in the Netherlands.
I’m also helping one client who needs that help and I’m also glad that they’ve reached out to me on an international platform it’s something I’m not very used to because I’m so used to being behind the desk and typing my figures but now it’s a different change to really connect in a different arena, speaking with different persons you’ve never seen before and having a good connection you ask questions, what can I do for your company? How can we help each other? And really be there to use your social media expertise to really switch from not only the telephone but also WhatsApp and LinkedIn and different platforms out there. So I’m glad to also have that expertise to also be used to that as well and that also makes me feel good to use that for my business as well.
Sure, yeah I guess it’s a slight positive to come out of this situation is that people do seem to be connecting more, reaching out for help, at least we can see a slight silver lining to this situation. So, your business at the moment, how is it going in the current situation?
Emmielin: It’s going step by step, I’m happy with it because it’s good to have a balance where you can able to choose in the direction where you want to go and how fast you want to go or how slow you want it to go and then they have moments where I have so many leads coming in and I’m thinking ‘wow okay this is like really really heavy’ I said ‘okay I have to set this up, do that do that’. But it’s always a frightening feeling at the beginning and once you do it you’re like wow okay that was really easy it was just good and step by step.
I noticed there are a lot of clients that are situated outside the Netherlands and are connecting with me and say I really need your help, what do I need to do to go to the tax authorities, to register for V.A.T., what do I need to do to register for K.Y.C. form at the bank, and I’m helping them with those administrations.
At the moment now everything is more ad hoc and I also have self-employed persons here in the Netherlands connecting me and say hey I need some financial statements right now within two days and so for me, it’s like second nature, I can just set it up in a few days it’s really easy for me and I also try to assist them and say hey guys you also need to make sure that your banks are in line with your financial statements and things like that because if you’re a person that only works in the business you don’t think about your financial figures, you figure that it’s just easy for them, but I also have to assist them and guide them and say ‘guys I need to have this document because you’re not going to be in line according to financial statements’.
I have a combination of international clients, I have national clients, I have clients that are self-employed one person the trading or their own little small business so but mostly right now is ad hoc work which is good because I keep connecting with them and then it surprises me that they keep calling me and say ‘I need another job, I need another job’ and I was thinking okay this getting busier so I said I’m gonna have to sign a contract with you now you know because sending invoices is just I’m not gonna cut it anymore.
But it’s nice to connect with different people and you build trust with them, you build trust with them. We haven’t had time to sit down and have coffee but we’re talking on WhatsApp and we’re talking on email and they trust me and they say ‘I trust you with my work and this is the document and I need it like now’, no problem it gets done and I don’t mind because I work very fast and efficient and I’m glad to help anyone as best as I can.
Yeah so you mentioned kind of during this period where you are connecting with people on so many different platforms, so many different levels it can sometimes feel I think a bit of an overload maybe for people that are diversifying their business do you have any tips to any small business owners that are watching that may be feeling this kind of overload, how do you manage all this do you have platforms that work for you or a diary how do you do it?
Emmielin: I think it depends on how you work because for me I’m very flexible so my tip is to try to be as flexible as possible but still try to find a balance to basically take some time to do the work well so it’s not about rushing and doing it right away because they need it now now now. Communicate, let them know I will be finished within two days, I’ll be finished within the end of this week and let them know you also have other clients you have to also attend to so that they are aware that okay you’re also busy, it’s not as if I’m sitting home and because of Covid I’m sitting at home I’m also busy doing other work as well.
Communication is important, let people know when is it you were able to deliver and also be honest with yourself so that you can be able to do good work and diversify different things to do a different type of companies is always good it’s always a learning aspect but at the end of the day we all need to have our balance sheets and our profit and loss and our financial statements according to the basic standards that’s how I see it, and if a specific company needs, of course, some help with regards to new financial standards I’m here to help them, of course, it will cost them a little bit more but I always focus on making the work as efficient as possible and as simple as possible and if more work is needed then you communicate and say guys if you need more work I’m going to give you a specific strategy for the new changes for the financial statements and these are the new regulations but it will cost you more. But as my tip, keep it as simple as possible, focus on your balance and just work as efficiently and simply as possible.
Yeah, I think that’s great advice, simplify things, it’s always useful. So, you’ve given some great tips and you’ve mentioned how your business is moving to different levels during this time of the pandemic but as always with a small business, well with any business, there are always things that people need help with so if you could mention three things that in the current climate you really need help with your business to move forward what would they be?
Emmielin: I think three things would be to connect with more platforms, more platforms that can connect me to more clients in the finance arena. I have noticed there are some online platforms out there that are not so much connected to finance but maybe in different fields but I want to be more focused on the financial part and I think in the future is for me to get more involved with more partnerships with businesses partnerships with anyone who has the same mindset and would also grow together with me. That is for me important, and of course, if the future comes and I have so much work to do of course I will have more persons who want to be employed with me no problem, so I think that’s the three things in my list I’m focusing on for the future.
Thank you very much for you valuable insights I think they’re useful not only for your industry but can also be transferred to many other business owners. Do you have any final words for the people that may be watching?
Emmielin: Well, Rosie all I can say is be positive, reflect on what you would like to achieve for yourself professionally and personally and if you need help just reach out, reach out to people and ask to say I need help with this I need help with that, reach out don’t sit back and say the world is don’t want to help me; your family is there your friends are there your network is there, even as people you don’t even talk to just reach out and say ‘hey how’s it going can I help with something or can you help me with something, this is my business I’m working on a new challenge can you reach out to other people who can able to help me with my networking to grow it’, just reach out. So, reflect, be positive and reach out to people; communication it’s important.
Perfect, great advice, thank you very much.
About the Guest
Emmielin Rombley is a finance professional with more than 10 years experience in accounting and finance. Her company RIMEOY Finance Consulting Agency (RIMEOY FCA) is focused on giving advice and improving financial processes of various national, international and non-profit organizations.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmielin-a-rombley/ | https://medium.com/@altercontacts/lockdown-economy-netherlands-in-finance-consultancy-with-emmielin-rombley-6152a9007d60 | ['Lockdown Economy'] | 2020-12-14 19:54:47.192000+00:00 | ['Consulting', 'Small Business', 'Coronavirus', 'Lockdown', 'Finance'] |
The Faroe Islands Welcome Volunteers for nature preservation projects | Far north there is an amazing cluster of 18 islands isolated by the North Atlantic ocean. It has green mountains and plunging waterfalls and is halfway located between Iceland and Norway. This beautiful place is called The Faroe Islands, an autonomous country within the kingdom of Denmark. These islands are soon to be closed for its maintenance on one of the spring weekend’s this year. And it’s hosting sustainable tourism in a smarter way — the Faroe Islands is welcoming volunteers for nature preservation projects.
Also, explore these gorgeous islands of Lakshadweep.
The Faroe Island gets some 100,000 visitors each year, attracted by the country’s breathtaking scenery, including rocky cliffs, green mountains, sea caves, and an abundance of birdlife, and sheep — unspoiled and unexplored.
But in a world where more and more tourists search for freshness, how can we ensure that these gorgeous islands remain unspoiled by tourism?
“Visit the Faroe Islands”: An opportunity for Volunteer Tourism
The Faroe Islands welcome volunteers for nature preservation projects this year as it is closing for maintenance on one of the weekends from 26th to 29th April. It has launched a new dedicated “Visit Faroe Islands” campaign, seeking a tourist-free weekend.
This campaign aims to close all sites for tourists but will need volunteers from all parts of the globe as a helping hand for maintaining fences and viewpoints, wide terrains and wildlife to preserve nature in the kindest way possible. In return, the Faroe Islands will provide free food and stay for everyone who helps out.
Aim of the project is to inspire other countries to get prepared in advance and set up their own ‘Maintenance Crews,’ so as to encourage tourists to also help in what is needed to preserve those fragile natural destinations which are the tourism places to be.
History of The Faroe Islands
The Faroe witnessed the arrival of Irish monks in 625 AD followed by Viking years and then saw unification under the Kingdom of Norway during the middle ages of 1035. It then became part of the Kalmar Union (1397–1523) and was later joined by the Denmark-Norway region in 1523 which ended in 1814 with the treaty of Kiel. This treaty ended and the Faroe Islands became part of Denmark as it is today.
During the world war II it had the British occupation and by 1946 was acquired by Faroese Independence Referendum. The official Faroese language, its official flag and self-governance all came by 2005 takeover act.
However, under the common fisheries policy CFP, the Faroe Islands is part of Denmark but not E.U and:
Faroese aren’t E.U citizens
Yet travelling between these two destinations is under Schengen situation which means no passport needed OR PASSPORT-FREE region for citizens of these regions.
There are defined trade rules amongst the two.
The Temperature and Climate
In general, the Faroe Islands witness temperature variations with summers slightly cold and warm winters. This climate is influenced by topography. The weather is generally in a Koppen situation smelling like the subpolar oceanic climate (a combination of windy, wet, cloudy & cold) and benefits the warm gulf currents coming from the northern Atlantic.
The Faroe Islands weather 2019 report is published as per below:
The Prime Minister and the Primary Goal of the Project:
The Faroes’ Prime Minister, Aksel V. Johannesen, has joined the campaign by calling volunteers to lend a helping hand and has said in a recent statement “On behalf of the Fareo government, I hereby declare the Faroe Islands closed for maintenance & open for Voluntourism during the last weekend of April.”
He also confirmed that during this weekend all sites will be closed for tourists. However, they are happily inviting volunteers from abroad to lend them a helping hand by working (on fences & viewpoints and thrives off the flora and fauna) with locals in all maintenance projects.
The campaign will work with all local residents and farmers to identify multiple areas where a renovation will help to preserve the infrastructure and will create new ways for the sustainable life of the islands.
Is this the beginning of Smart Sustainable Tourism?
Breaking the stereotypical parameters of sustainable tourism, the Faroe Islands currently have started to ponder over their fragile natural assets ignoring the fact that there are no over-tourism problems as of now.
However, this is a highly appreciable step by the Faroes. Using foresight, Faroe islands is taking charismatically active steps to curb mass tourists in the future. This comes from an understanding that in the near future tourism will always demand undiscovered and untouched places.
THE WHOLE IDEA IS, TO ‘CLOSE FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPEN FOR VOLUNTOURISM’ OVER THE WEEKEND OF APRIL 26–27, 2019 AND TO REPEAT THIS EVERY YEAR UNTIL IT WORKS WELL.
To objectify the touch of tender loving care (TLC) to Faroese Island and to refresh it for visitors in the future, there will be a series of projects led by local villagers.
All you need to know about Volunteering for the project:
Only 100 visitors will be selected to sign up to volunteer with the local Faroese Team.
Additionally:
In return for all the services to the program, they will be provided with food and stay over the three-night preservation duration.
All maintenance tasks will take place on a weekend, April 26 and April 27.
On Saturday night, there will be celebrations amongst joined forces who helped.
Volunteers can also extend their trip at the Faroe Islands if they want to do so.
But, before you start we suggest a little bit of homework:
The population of Faroes Island? 51,312!
51,312! The total number of sheep? 80,000!
80,000! The number of islands? 18 (*Ofcos*)
18 (*Ofcos*) The total area? 1,399 sq km (*Gulp*)
1,399 sq km (*Gulp*) The approx number of tourists till 2018? 110,000
110,000 What about the participation criteria? Well! A great zest to learn and assist the team
Well! A great zest to learn and assist the team Anything about the project agenda? Agenda includes creating walking paths and fences in areas much used by travellers, building viewpoints that help preserve nature and birdlife sanctuaries and putting up signs that help with finding ways.
For more information to volunteer and register, please visit www.preservefaroeislands.com. | https://medium.com/@Travel.Earth/the-faroe-islands-welcome-volunteers-for-nature-preservation-projects-6a40debc111c | [] | 2019-03-06 13:32:54.951000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Travel Writing', 'Volunteering', 'Traveling', 'Voluntourism'] |
For the Commonwealth: Assistant District Attorney Vilma Cubias | For the Commonwealth highlights the important work our prosecutors are doing to help secure justice in specific cases brought by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant District Attorney Vilma Cubias of our Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit helped secure justice this week in a case involving a defendant accused of sexually assaulting his girlfriend’s roommate in 2002 while the roommate slept. A recent grant enabled testing of the survivor’s forensic kit to be completed, enabling Philadelphia Police and the DAO to bring the defendant to justice some two decades later. The survivor was able to confront her attacker and testify about her harrowing experience. The defendant was found guilty after a waiver trial before the Hon. Lucretia Clemons. | https://medium.com/philadelphia-justice/for-the-commonwealth-assistant-district-attorney-vilma-cubias-ee12a050decf | ['Philadelphia Dao'] | 2020-12-03 19:56:33.100000+00:00 | ['Prosecutor', 'Sexual Assault', 'Criminal Justice', 'Philadelphia'] |
BecoSwap launches official KAI yield farms and liquidity pools on KardiaChain | BecoSwap launches official KAI yield farms and liquidity pools on KardiaChain KardiaChain Follow Jun 17 · 3 min read
Just recently, our KardiaChain Pioneer program was successfully completed with the final 4 teams to be integrated into the KardiaChain network. Their winning dApps now have the chance to contribute considerably to real-world use cases. Without wasting any time, the competition’s runner-up, BecoSwap, is now officially in a partnership with KardiaChain to leverage the DeFi features and expand KardiaChain ecosystem.
Users can now trade KRC20 tokens exclusively on KAIDEX to have their tokens ready to join the yield farming on Beco. The BecoSwap will go into function when the first genesis block number “2,828,900” is created with zero initial mining amount.
At the moment of the release of this article, the official Becoswap launch is exclusively on KRC20 to support KAI Native token and KRC20 tokens.
Farms opening on launch:
1️⃣WKAI-BECO 40x.
2️⃣WKAI-KUSD 1X.
3️⃣WKAI-DPET 1x.
Liquidity pools available:
1️⃣BECO 20x.
2️⃣WKAI 1x.
3️⃣DPET 1x.
BecoSwap smart contract will be deployed on KardiaChain network with initial information below:
- Format: KRC20 token
- Token Name: BecoToken
- Token Symbol: BECO
- Decimal: 18
- Contract Address: 0x2Eddba8b949048861d2272068A94792275A51658
- Max Supply: Unlimited
- Zero Initial Mining
- Initial Reward Distribution Block: 2828900
Upcoming functions include supporting BSC, BSC wrap, BecoChain, Beco Bridge Project, Listing BEP20 and KRC20 tokens, DPET; NFT marketplace for collectibles including My Defi Pet monster integrating metadata Features compound like Pancake.
Among the teams participating in KardiaChain Pioneer Program, BecoSwap had achieved numerous impressive statistics: official Telegram channel reached 15,000+ members within a month, while Twitter account has over 26,000 followers.
An AMA session between KardiaChain and BecoSwap will occur next week. Stay tuned for more updates from us for this session.
About Becoswap
Becoswap is an established project as their Dapp had already run on Binance Smart Chain. The team put a lot of effort in converting their SDK to run on the KardiaChain network during KardiaChain Pioneer Program.
The project aims to build up Yield Farming, AMM Swap, Launchpad, and NFT Market for all users on the KardiaChain network besides the following existed products:
BecoChain: a blockchain software system having the capacity to scale up to 5000 TPS developed by BecoSwap and the community.
The Beco Bridge Project: a cross-chain bridging service that aims to increase interoperability between different blockchains.
BecoSwap Lottery: Users can purchase an entry ticket with 1 BECO between draws. If your ticket’s numbers match the eventual winning numbers, you’ll win stacks of BECO!
NFT Marketplace — Supply chain: an NFT platform with the best minting, buying, and exchanging experience by leveraging the fastest and cheapest solutions.
Find out more about Becoswap:
Website: https://becoswap.com/
Becoswap roadmap: https://docs.becoswap.com/roadmap
Twitter: https://twitter.com/beco_swap
Telegram: https://t.me/beco_swap
Website | Official Telegram community | Official Vietnamese community | Reddit | Medium | Twitter | Linkedin | https://medium.com/kardiachain/becoswap-launches-official-kai-yield-farms-and-liquidity-pools-on-kardiachain-5f2da595cc6 | [] | 2021-06-17 12:01:44.974000+00:00 | ['Becoswap', 'Yield Farming', 'Liquidity Pool', 'Kardiachain', 'Ecosystem'] |
Let’s remember 2020 as the year we learned how to do things better | Let’s remember 2020 as the year we learned how to do things better Enrique Dans Follow Dec 22 · 2 min read
Every year at this time, I borrow some of the greetings created by my employers, IE University, to celebrate the holidays with my readers, those of you who use the site regularly, those of you who find yourselves here by chance, and those of you who read my content elsewhere.
It would be an understatement to see that this has been quite a year. Quite simply, it has been unprecedented. What’s more, wishing you all a better 2021 makes little sense: it would be hard for it to be worse than this one.
On a personal level, over the course of the year I have had to develop skills in an area, video, I was never comfortable with, and make it the cornerstone for my professional activities. I have had to give hours and hours of teaching with a mask on, and I have been able to reflect on the extreme difficulty of delivering content and conversing when half my face and that of the people I was talking to is hidden. Another of my main activities, conferences (and all the activity around them) has come to an end, bringing home to me the extent to which they inspired so much of my thinking and what I write about every day. My timeline on Google Maps has pretty much shrunk to a dot on the map, while the days are all very similar to each other, with the resulting negative impact on my creativity, which has certainly robbed me of my sparkle. To those of you who are still around, thank you for continuing to put up with me in spite of everything.
A very different year, this has been a time to think about many things, about our limits as individuals and as a society, and about the many problems that the pandemic has exposed, mainly that we need to do things differently now, and not in 20 or 30 years. Last year, my fears were based on years of research and reflection, but in 2020 we have experienced the evidence first hand.
Vaccines are now being rolled out, but we’re not out of the woods yet, and we should remain vigilant. Please continue to take all precautions. Let’s enjoy the festive season, but remember that we’ve lowered our guard before, and it only made things worse.
That said, my very best wishes to everybody. Let’s hope that 2020 will soon be a not-so pleasant memory. But above all, let’s not remember it as a lost year: even if it came at a high price… it taught us many things and that we can do things better. | https://medium.com/enrique-dans/lets-remember-2020-as-the-year-we-learned-how-to-do-things-better-108bc0ec06dd | ['Enrique Dans'] | 2020-12-22 11:59:58.082000+00:00 | ['Personal', 'Greetings', '2020', 'Ie University', 'Coronavirus'] |
Google completely terminated our new business via our Google Play Developer Account | Our start-up idea
18 months ago, my wife and I came up with idea for an app. We carried out extensive research to find a company who could help us to create our vision. We used Upwork and found a company who had extensive experience in the area of development we required. Their reviews were great and the developers we spoke to were eager to create our app.
To cut a long story short — after many months of collaborative work between ourselves and our app developers and many mistakes along the way, we were ready to launch our app. Behind the scenes we had also been busy creating our brand, social media pages, promotional videos, adverts and getting ready to onboard businesses and customers. We’d invested every penny of our entire £25,000 into the development of the app.
After a few late disasters with our dedicated server and validation process within the app, we were finally ready to launch in January 2019. Then, to our dismay we realised our app had been removed from the Play Store. Our first thought was that there was another problem with our server connecting to the app. We then had a look on the App Store and saw that the iOS version of our app was listed with no problems whatsoever. We were confused as to why the app was listed on the App Store and not the Play Store.
I then attempted to login to my ‘Google Developer Account’ for the first time. Previous to this our app developers were the only ones to access our account to upload and update our app for us. Each time I tried to login to my account I was sent to a blank page with ‘403’ error message. I couldn’t understand what had gone wrong. I contacted the app developers who attempted to login and they also received the same error message. I then contacted the Play Console Help team via their online chat function.
According to Google’s records, my account had been terminated and I had been informed of this via email on 23rd January 2019. I was confused as I had not received an email but I was still confident the situation would be resolved quickly. I checked my junk folder and found I had been sent an email to let me know my account had been terminated. The email had a link for me to be able to appeal the decision and within 4 hours of completing the form I received the following response:
Google’s automatic rejection of appeal to reinstate Google Play Developer Account
I couldn’t believe what I was reading — my account had been terminated because of an ‘associated’ account. I had created a Google Developer Account simply so my app developers could upload and update the app. Therefore, the developers, one of their employees or one of their ‘associated’ accounts had previously been banned and therefore by mere ‘association’ my developer account had also been terminated, causing our app to be removed from the Play Store and effectively ruining our whole start-up business.
I sent an email back to Google Support explaining there must have been a mistake unless my account was fraudulently used without my knowledge. I asked for a contact that I could speak to so that we could resolve the situation.
My request for a contact was completely ignored and on 30th January 2019 I received the following email:
Google’s response to requesting human support
It was at this stage that I became very concerned. Our app and therefore our whole business was useless without cross-platform functionality and there appeared to be no way of contacting Google to get the issue resolved. I contacted @GooglePlayDev via Twitter and received the following response when requesting contact details of somebody that could look into our case:
Google’s Twitter Developer Support
I then searched on forums for help and there were countless developers who had posted about similar situations they had been in and none of them were able to get their situation resolved. I quickly started to lose all hope when I came across an open letter from an app developer who had managed to get his rejected appeal overturned and his developer account and apps reinstated:
https://android.jlelse.eu/google-just-terminated-our-start-up-google-play-publisher-account-onchristmas-day-5cb69a454da0
The developer had managed to get his story to go viral and attract the attention of some of the ‘developer relationship managers’ within Google’s Play team. Therefore, my only option left was to get in contact with these employees to see if they would look into our case. I connected with as many ‘developer relationship managers’ as possible including Adriana Puchianu, Aleksandra Ben Har, Thierry Muller, Mark Masterson, Paul Kinlan, Kubra Zengin, Jaime Gonzalez and Nicolas Bortolotti. I also attempted to message Purnima Kochikar, the Director of Google Play, Apps & Games at Google.
As of 6th February 2019, I have received no further responses to my emails to Google Play Developer Support or twitter messages to @GooglePlayDev Only one of the developer relationship managers on LinkedIn has been good enough to message me back but even he has no ability to overwrite the automatic termination process.
I am in utter shock at the lack of customer support from Google. Both Apple and Amazon have app developer customer service departments that deal specifically with issues like this. I have no idea how Google can terminate accounts without fully checking the reasons behind the termination.
To put into perspective the situation we are in, imagine one of your neighbours commits a crime and is arrested by the police. You don’t know which neighbour has committed the crime but you are linked to each other by the street you live on and therefore you are ‘associated’ to that neighbour. As a result, you are also arrested for the crime and you are guilty by default! There is no unbiased court case or appeals procedure because the decision is final and you cannot find anybody to contact to get your case re-heard! That is exactly how we feel! Our account has been terminated because of an
‘association’ that we don’t know and our whole business is ruined as a result. Even more worrying is that anyone who this ‘associate’ develops apps for in the future will also have their apps removed and accounts terminated.
The fact that our app is still listed on the App Store (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/hoopapployalty/id1287914039?mt=8) with no issues whatsoever demonstrates that we have done nothing wrong and that our account and app should be reinstated to the Play Store.
Our absolute last hope is for the good people reading this letter to like, share and comment on this story in the hope that the Google team will do the right thing and reinstate our app and developer account.
Thank you in advance for your support | https://medium.com/@markdodson3105/google-wrongly-terminated-our-new-business-via-our-google-play-developer-account-5f5b7b742542 | ['Mark Dodson'] | 2020-07-17 08:55:29.765000+00:00 | ['Startup', 'Android App Development', 'Google Play', 'Android', 'Apps'] |
Cincinnati Reds and Opening Day; A Brief History | Opening Day in Baseball is a time-honored tradition. For one town it is a special time of the year and was the start for the entire league.
Cincinnati is the birthplace of America’s favorite past time (baseball) as a professional sport. The Cincinnati Red Stockings, formed in 1867, were the first team to recruit and play nationally (in 1869). They went undefeated from the start of 1869 until June of 1870, holding the only Perfect Season in Professional baseball history by going 65–0 in 1869.
Later, in 1935, Cincinnati hosted the first Night game in MLB history. This happened on May 24th, 80 years ago (1935) at Crosley field against the Philadelphia Philles. The Cincinnati Reds went on to play a night game against all other National League teams that year. The night games increased attendance by 117%, despite a dismal season.
The Cincinnati Reds got the honor, starting consistently in 1970, of becoming the first team to play in MLB by starting a day earlier than all the other Home games. This was something that had happened intermittently since 1939, but had not been a consistent theme to the league until the Big Red Machine era. It is still kicked off by the Opening Day parade, which was a much smaller tradition until 1970, but stopped being the first game of MLB league play in 2007 (due in part to an 8 year agreement with ESPN signed in 2005, which was extended in 2012).
Opening day is still basically a holiday in Cincinnati, even if we no longer get things started for the entire league. If anyone from Major League Baseball reads this: Please consider working closely with the City of Cincinnati in restoring this tradition, generations of Baseball fans in Cincinnati will thank you for it. Moving the parade to Sunday (sometimes Easter Sunday) would be a sacrifice many of us would accept, just to have that coveted first game of league play.
Best of Luck this season, MLB.
Originally published at www.founders-keepers.us on April 6, 2015. | https://medium.com/founder-s-keepers/opening-day-d48c79e172e3 | ['Darren Hertenstein'] | 2015-04-07 16:29:27.136000+00:00 | ['Opening Day', 'Cincinnati', 'MLB'] |
Heart breaking, first hand experience of a Dr in the recent wake of Covid around the world. | It goes like ..
“I’m a first year resident doctor; the first death I ever witnessed was on 30th March 2021 – a COVID patient was admitted into our ICU the previous night. His condition was critical, but since he was only in his 40s, I thought he’d pull through. But the next day, he succumbed – I went numb.
I’d just started working in the ICU; my seniors reassured me by saying, ‘2020 was much worse.’ But it didn’t take long for 2021 to supersede 2020. Now, at least 5 critical patients come in everyday; 2–3 of them die on a daily basis.
In the first week of April, a 22-year-old was admitted because he was showing symptoms. He was so critical, he had to be intubated in the emergency ward. The 4 days that he was there, I never saw him conscious. I knew his chances of recovery were bleak.
Everyday, his 50-year-old parents would ask me, ‘Will he get better if we feed him fruits and veggies?’ and then they’d reassure themselves by saying, ‘Prayers can do miracles, he’ll never leave us.’
But I’ve learnt this the hard way – when you are in the COVID ward, nothing really works. On day 4, he passed away. But breaking it to his parents killed me – they cried bitterly; I felt dead from within.
Then on, I decided that it’s better to prep the family, so if somebody’s critical, I’d update the family by saying things like, ‘pulse rate is dropping.’ That way, I’m at least not giving them false hope.
Now, I’ve learnt to lie to my patients – when they ask me, ‘Will I be okay?,’ even though I know that they won’t make it, I tell them they’ll get better soon. I just don’t want somebody’s final moments to be spent in anxiety.
In the past 2 weeks, I’ve witnessed the worst. The last words of one of my patients before being taken into the ICU was, ‘I have a 11 and 4 year old at home… I want to live.’ But a few hours later, I had to tell her children that they wouldn’t get to even see her body one last time. The youngest one yelled, ‘I want to hug Mumma,’ and I had no choice but to pull her away. I didn’t even know how to feel at that point.
Looking at dead bodies piling up in our mortuary, I sometimes wish I’d never been born. My mental health has diminished; sometimes, I even dream of death. The only thing that keeps me going is that every day I’m out there, the chances of saving somebody’s life increases.
I’m working as hard as I can, knowing that the other healthcare workers would do the same for my parents if they were hospitalized – they’re both in their 50s and stay alone in Kerala. I talk to Amma-Appa everyday and reassure them that things will get better. Still, I sometimes think, ‘What if I get COVID and something happens to me? Who’ll take care of my parents?’
So, all I’m asking of you all is to understand how bad it is out here and stay at home. Wear your masks correctly and don’t crib about not being able to step out. IT’S A PRIVILEGE TO STAY AT HOME – PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT.”
via Humans of Bombay | https://medium.com/@nabil.shahzad/heart-breaking-first-hand-experience-of-a-dr-in-the-recent-wake-of-covid-around-the-world-43f0f806fbf5 | ['Nabil Shahzad'] | 2021-04-24 20:11:33.261000+00:00 | ['Experience', 'Covid-19', 'India', 'Pakistan', 'Doctors'] |
Grocery shopping tips during COVID-19: How to protect yourself | Grocery shopping can be pretty stressful nowadays since health experts are suggesting that people should avoid crowded places as much as possible. But, food and grocery shopping are still essential, so we are sharing some tips on how to protect yourself while going shopping at these circumstances:
Wear protective equipment
The best way to protect yourself is to protect your mouth, nose, and eyes, as well as your hands. So, when you go to the supermarket, make sure you wear gloves because some of the things you touch could have drops of fluids from a person that has been infected.
Wearing a mask is another layer of protection for those who go grocery shopping, but make sure you cover your eyes too, by wearing sunglasses.
Go shopping when it’s less busy
According to some research, the best time to go shopping is in the early morning or in the late evening. But, this situation may vary in different areas, since there are a lot of measures and recommendations from the authorities for different age groups. So, choose the market that is less crowded and make sure to maintain a six-foot distance from other people.
Make a shopping list on Qpick
It is really important to know what you are going to buy once you arrive at the grocery store because you want to do it as quickly as possible. If you think that you are forgetting something, check out Qpicks’ offers and save them into your pocket. That way, you can simply open the list and quickly check your saved products.
Use a credit or debit card
During these emergency circumstances, many of the customers across the globe have switched to using credit or debit cards instead of cash. According to many public health experts, COVID-19 could be transmitted through paper money that has been handled by someone who is infected.
So, by avoiding cash, you don’t have to receive change and you reduce the risk of being infected. Contactless payments are even better because they do not require customers to insert their cards into payment machines, but holding them over the terminal.
Clean yourself and your products
Once at home, don’t forget to apply hand sanitizer and wash your hands with warm water and soap. Also, make sure you clean the reusable bags that you use while shopping.
Many of the groceries are probably touched a lot of times during distribution, so you can simply throw away the outer package, or wipe them down with alcohol or a household cleaner.
The most important thing at times like these is to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy and protected. Minimize the time that you spend outside your home and don’t get in contact with a lot of people. Keep the distance!
Follow us into the future of shopping:
Facebook | Instagram| Twitter | Linkedin | Web
Originally published at blog.qpick.mk on April 15th, 2020. | https://medium.com/@Qpick/grocery-shopping-tips-during-covid-19-how-to-protect-yourself-684066a0e78e | [] | 2020-04-22 07:28:39.837000+00:00 | ['Covid 19', 'Covid 19 Crisis', 'Grocery Shopping', 'Corona', 'Coronavirus'] |
Letter from a friend | This is a note from a friend in Nigeria… As you read, calmly understand with clearness of conscience and lightness of heart. Hopefully, this energizes and uplifts you…
His Words
I’ve always condemned those who kill themselves out of “no option again”. I’ve been a preacher of “why would you think the next thing for you to do is put a call through to alumuntu (meaning death in “Yoruba” mythology; Yoruba is a well spoken language in some parts of Nigeria, West Africa).
I never knew the taste nor the saddened aroma of depression until I was hit by a situation that rocketed me into the ocean floor of depression. I thought and all I saw was death staring at me like the statue of liberty. Yet, the irony of the situation is that many people didn’t even perceive what I was going through. Few that cared to listen to me were not ready to help. I cried my eyes out and pitied my widowed Mom.
Yes! I survived after several bashing of the storm through resilience and strength from the Divine. Now, I’m stronger and happier.
Never will I ill-treat those in depression.
You can’t know you’re strong until you are hit by the heavy hurdles of life.
Everyone smiling and wearing happy faces aren't entirely happy, many are deformed anatomically, psychologically and spiritually yet we act so dead within ourselves that we fail to gently pick the dirts of unhappiness around them.
It’s high time we moved closer to people with our arms wide open and activate our emotional receptors for the purpose of sustaining sanity in our world.
Yours Sincerely,
Fikayomi | https://medium.com/@c-kelechi/letter-from-a-friend-ad5ce671172 | ['Kelechi Chibuikem'] | 2020-12-15 03:39:52.817000+00:00 | ['Nigeria', 'Unusual', 'Christmas', 'Happiness', 'Love'] |
Rich People Increase Their Chances Of Getting Lucky | Increasing Range Of Skills And Knowledge
One way successful people increase their chances of getting lucky is by increasing their range of skills. It’s not enough to be at the right place at the right time. You also have to be the right person in the right place at the right time.
I often come up with what I think are great business ideas. The only problem is that they’re all app and technology ideas. Without any programming experience, I have no idea where to start.
What I do spend a lot of time on, however, is building WordPress websites. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and many businesses had to shut down, I made a website for the Kumon franchise I work at part-time and earned an extra $100 per month without doing much.
Even though I consider building WordPress websites very easy, other people who have not dabbled in the same topics as I have would not have gotten this opportunity. All my co-workers had the same chance as I had to create a website, but none had the skills.
You don’t always have to develop new technical skills. Knowing what’s happening around you is a form of knowledge as well.
When I was in grade 9, we had to do a project related to the stock market. I decided to do the investing with a virtual cash project. One of the stocks I picked for my virtual portfolio was Nvidia, which was priced at about $100.
I decided to pick Nvidia because of what I had learned when researching computer parts for my first custom gaming PC build. I found that Nvidia graphic cards at the time were the best. If you were trying to build the best possible gaming computer, you would use an Nvidia graphics card.
Since I was trying to build a gaming computer that also performed well for CAD activities, I was also researching graphic cards in the professional industry. Again, I found that Nvidia graphic cards were the best. During my research into the professional market, I also found that Nvidia is a leader in designing hardware used for AI development.
After learning all of this and at the end of my school project, I told my mom to buy shares of Nvidia’s stock at $130. She was skeptical until Motley Fool started to recommend Nvidia, in which she purchased the stock at around $230. Since then, Nvidia has become the most profitable stock in her portfolio, nearly doubling its value at its current price of $520.
But imagine if she had bought Nvidia when I told her to buy. The stock would have almost quadrupled her investment. The problem was that my mom was not building a gaming computer. She did not know about Nvidia until its stock blew up and analysts were covering the stock everywhere.
Being aware of what’s happening around you is how you can strike gold. The average person buys groceries choosing his favorite brands without thinking about the company. If all your friends are raving about their new iPhone 12 and telling you about how amazing it is, maybe it’s time for you to check out Apple’s stock.
It doesn’t always have to be stock investing either. If you hear that a major corporation is moving its headquarters to your city and you know a little about real estate, this could be a huge opportunity. Or if you’re working at a job and you hear how your managers wished their employees had this one particular skill, you can go get this skill, making you a more valuable employee and giving you leverage over your salary.
You will find that opportunities are everywhere if you notice everything that’s happening, explore different things and obtain new skills. The more you know, the more chances you have to get lucky. | https://medium.com/live-your-life-on-purpose/rich-people-increase-their-chances-of-getting-lucky-eb19725fa0fb | ['Kevin Shan'] | 2020-12-12 15:02:32.484000+00:00 | ['Investing', 'Wealth', 'Self', 'Self Improvement', 'Money'] |
7 Most Well Paying Writing Gigs in 2021 | Are you wondering what the most profitable money topics to write about as freelancers are? Is it safe to say that as an independent writer it is an uphill task to bag a well-paying gig in the writing space? Most likely you are, since a significant number of writers have all been there.
Nonetheless, some freelance topics are more productive than others. It implies that there are better-paying writing jobs in the freelance industry than you can think of. That is the reason you are frequently advised or hear established writers tell you to find a topic, one that you think you are good at and make it your specialty.
It is important to note that prospective clients prefer to hire writers that have specialized in one niche as opposed to one that writes about anything and everything.
But you are wondering;
What factors make an independent gig worth it?
The proportion of high demand, low supply ratio makes a niche lucrative. If the need for a How-To writer is high, and subsequently there are not many writers doing it, then it is logical to conclude that a particular niche is profitable for the writers in that category.
Another explanation for a topic that is productive is the sum paid to freelancer writers per article or the remuneration they get for their work. Contingent upon the terms you agreed on, it could be either per word or full undertaking, your pay plan decides the benefit of that particular niche.
As I mentioned before, utilizing How-To as a niche model, all independent writing projects are not equivalent and pay shifts accordingly. Subsequently, you will find in this article, the 7 most well-paying writing gigs in 2021.
What Are The Most Lucrative Writing Jobs for Freelancers?
The internet is teeming with hundreds of lucrative freelance gigs. All you need to do is find them. It can be a daunting task; nonetheless, with this list that I have made of the 7 most well-paying writing gigs, the job to find these niches is simplified.
1: Long-structured Content Writing
Articles with a lot of wording are lucrative gigs for writers, with good reason. Have you at any point considered long-structured blog content as a rewarding gig as a freelancer? You should. Not every blog owner has the ability, will, or even time to consistently write these types of posts on their blog. Normally, at 2000 upwards words, they are extremely long guideposts that require the services of a freelance writer.
Furthermore, they pay incredibly well. You can utilize sites like LinkedIn to land such jobs in the B2B specialties.
It is important to note that Long-structured content isn’t about word fluff to increase your word tally; you should know:
· Basics of SEO, or at least best Search engine optimization.
· The most compelling article
· Make content in a conversational way
· Use magnificent headlines and subheadings
· And so forth.
Kindly, read this article to comprehend what a long-structure blog entry is, the reason it is important, and how to compose it.
2: Digital (E-Book) Writing
Digital books are getting more mainstream lately. What’s more, with the sale of digital books surpassing $4 billion in the US alone, all organizations and web proprietors are currently making digital books to develop their email supporter list.
The more mainstream and progressed it turns into, the rate for a short digital book goes higher, a redesign that is intended to change site guests over to leads and clients. As a result, blog owners are hiring freelance writers of E-books at higher rates for the job.
It is a worthwhile niche since advertisers are utilizing digital books to create leads and selling them to make easy revenue. Did you know? Some freelancers charge $2,000 to begin to write a short digital book?
Notwithstanding, even with the best digital book composing tools, not every person can write an e-book. You can figure out how to write your first digital book here.
3: SEO Writing
Allow me to ask you this; is there an organization or business that runs a blog however doesn’t need his intended group to discover his site on the web? You responded accurately; there is none. All businesses want to show up on Google’s first page. What’s more, as you may know, content advertising is the creation and appropriation of content to attract and also retain existing prospects.
Notwithstanding, to pull in and hold a devoted readership, you should show up in searches. That is the reason you need to think about SEO. An enhanced content will make it simpler for your blog to show up on Google and other web crawler results.
In this way, the market interest for Search engine optimization freelancer writers is huge. So in case, you’re a Search engine optimization writer you’re in a productive writing niche. Organizations will pay you more to create content that positions higher on Google. Notwithstanding, on the off chance that you realize how to create SEO-friendly content, you will want to cover various themes from Google’s calculation updates to catchphrases.
This content niche places you in a superior situation to pull in lucrative return writing clients. The importance of learning how to write SEO articles has never been more than needed it is now. It is time for you to figure out how to create search engine optimized writing to give your freelance writing career an edge.
4. Finance
Customers go through millions every year utilizing visa cards, advances, and other financial products.
This implies that credit card organizations, banks, and more businesses have a great deal of cash to use in content creation.
Right now, there is an urgent requirement for writers in matters of finance authors, and what’s incredible is that the organizations have the financial plan for specialists in this niche.
The majority of the finance organizations are searching for special points and angles which are engaging to the consumer.
You got to be good in this for there are no empty talk articles for this niche — just excellent and high-quality content.
A guide to topics you can write about in finance writing include:
· Bookkeeping
· Individual accounting
· Monetary stocks
· Cryptocurrency
· Budgeting/thriftiness
In case you’re new to this niche, find topics you are conversant with and hence feel confident writing about. The individual accounting niche consolidates plenty of thoughts that are identifiable to individuals like planning, utilizing charge cards or bargains, and couponing.
You can use the individual experience to create content related to individual accounting niches.
Here are a few models you can use to create your samples.
· Best Planning Applications to Plan Your Month
· Instructions to Recognize the Best Deals When Purchasing a Vehicle
· The Best Visa Cards For College Students
5. Cryptocurrency
Cryptographic money is its part on the ground in that a ton of finance writers lack the know-how to expound on mining and digital currency.
Digital money is trending right now and you can be sure it’s a hot topic not going away any time soon. According to different business sources, blockchain is one of the quickest and top developing abilities to secure for recent college graduates.
If you feel strongly about this niche, there are many freelance writing jobs on the internet.
Popular topics to write about digital money including but not limited to:
· Blockchain
· Cryptopreneurs
· Bitcoin mining
· Crypto credit
Below are some sample topics you can write about cryptocurrency if you feel it is your writing niche.
· Why Libra is Unique with Bitcoin
· Best Strategies to Forecast the Eventual fate of Bitcoin
· Instructions to know a Cryptocurrency scam and how to avoid falling for it
Since this is a core segment within finance, it is a specialty that will take time and effort to learn and understand too. As a new writer in this category, you will spend a lot of time reading before you are confident enough to even write a sample.
6. Travel
Traveling businesses are putting their sights on young people who don’t have qualms committing their time and money to extensive travel for memorable experiences, as well as early young retirees who are ticking their bucket list wishes before age catches up with them.
This niche calls for a crafted writer who can tell the story vividly and also have the ability to hunt for travel stories that are new even to the seasoned traveler.
Topics to consider writing about in travel include:
Guides on what to see and do in a particular area
Reviews of restaurants
Reviews of hotels
Travel deals; Airlines, cab service, etc.
Travel Lifestyle
As demonstrated above, there are many topics you can write about and also incorporating personal, family and friends travel experience.
As a travel writer, you don’t need to have traveled to the places you write about but you or someone you know has and have interesting experiences of the destinations traveled to.
7. Alternative Health
Cannabis and its products are now a lucrative industry and there is a need for well-versed writers in the market to write about it.
Other profitable markets in alternative health include but are not limited to
Yoga practice
Essential oils
Chiropractic care
DIY therapies
Due to the expansive alternative health industry, CBD oil companies and industries are seeking writers in this niche.
Below are a few health topics that businesses are interested in currently. They are also great ideas for blog posts:
Non-GMO Foods
Diets — Keto, Intermittent Fasting
Food Supplements
CBD oils
Body/ Muscle building
Recovery From Addiction
Exercise
Meditation For Weight Loss
How To Identify A Writing Niche As A Freelancer?
Understandably, it is overwhelming to make a decision on which niche to choose from all these freelance ideas.
Points to note when starting with freelance writing, you should ask yourself a few questions:
What are your interests and passion?
What do you want to write about?
What are you good at?
What would you like to learn more about?
Do you know your passion may be traveling yet you work in a financial institution? In such a scenario, you may begin with writing about finance, the subject that you are professionally trained in and practicing, and when you have the writing know-how, you can now comfortably move to write about travel.
This is an assured way of expanding your knowledge and at the same time sharpening your freelance writing skills. Most important the end goal is to ensure you choose the most profitable niche to write in and one that you don’t struggle to put down into words.
Conclusion
Take your time to digest this information and know it is okay to feel weighed down by all these ideas but with time you will get your footing. It is advisable also to try out several topics, experiment on different niches to see which one has content that flows and which doesn’t then finally settle on one that will bring you success! | https://medium.com/@snmugweru/7-most-well-paying-writing-gigs-in-2021-50e876bb6908 | ['Serah Mugweru'] | 2021-06-12 09:47:47.551000+00:00 | ['Online Writing', 'Freelance Writing', 'Profitable Niche'] |
LEITURA DE ARQUIVO EXCEL ASP.NET CORE | LEITURA DE ARQUIVO EXCEL ASP.NET CORE
* imagem feita com base no site freepik.com
Como integrar Angular 7 e ASP.NET CORE para ler arquivo Excel
Diz aee meu caros leitores?!! Tudo bem com vocês? É isso mesmo, neste artigo vamos aprender como ler um arquivo Excel.
Vamos criar dois projetos distintos. Um em Angular e outro em ASP.NET CORE Web Api. Em que, um envia o arquivo e outro faz a leitura. O detalhe aqui é que vamos utilizar a lib EPPlus.Core, que faz operações com arquivos Excel.
Vamos lá? SHOW ME THE CODE Érik!!!
Primeiro, vamos começar pelo backend. Crie um projeto do tipo ASP.NET CORE Web Api. Isso não vou passar aqui como faz porque é muito simples, e, vocês devem saber, ok?
Ok, criado o projeto, você vai instalar, via Package Manager Console,digitando o comando Install-Package EPPlus.Core . Caso queira, também pode ir pelo nugget, beleza? Fica a seu critério.
Após o projeto ser criado, vá na classe Startup.cs e deixe ela da forma que tá abaixo:
public class Startup
{
public Startup(IConfiguration configuration)
{
Configuration = configuration;
}
public IConfiguration Configuration { get; }
// This method gets called by the runtime. Use this method to add services to the container.
public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
services.AddMvc().SetCompatibilityVersion(CompatibilityVersion.Version_2_2);
services.AddCors(options => {
options.AddPolicy("AllowDev",
builder => builder.WithOrigins("*").AllowAnyHeader()
.AllowAnyMethod()
);
});
}
// This method gets called by the runtime. Use this method to configure the HTTP request pipeline.
public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IHostingEnvironment env)
{
if (env.IsDevelopment())
{
app.UseDeveloperExceptionPage();
app.UseCors("AllowDev");
}
app.UseMvc();
}
}
Porque isso? Pra evitar erro de CORS e fazer com que sua api receba as chamadas feitas pelo nosso projeto em Angular.
Aqui pra fins de didática, eu criei um model MUITO simples, apenas pra vocês verem no debug, caso queira ver né, os valores do seu Excel sendo preenchidos em uma variável.
O código dele está abaixo:
public class Teste
{
public string T1 { get; set; }
public string T2 { get; set; }
}
É isso. Agora crie um controller e deixe ele com o código abaixo:
[Route("api/receivefile")]
[ApiController]
public class ReceiveFileController : ControllerBase
{
Teste teste = new Teste();
[HttpPost]
public async Task<IActionResult> UploadFile(IFormFile file)
{
if (file == null || file.Length == 0)
{
return RedirectToAction("");
}
using (var memoryStream = new MemoryStream())
{
await file.CopyToAsync(memoryStream).ConfigureAwait(false);
using (var package = new ExcelPackage(memoryStream))
{
for (int i = 1; i <= package.Workbook.Worksheets.Count; i++)
{
var totalRows = package.Workbook.Worksheets[i].Dimension?.Rows;
var totalCollumns = package.Workbook.Worksheets[i].Dimension?.Columns;
for (int j = 1; j <= totalRows.Value; j++)
{
for (int k = 1; k <= totalCollumns.Value; k++)
{
teste.T1 = package.Workbook.Worksheets[i].Cells[j, k].Value.ToString();
teste.T2 = package.Workbook.Worksheets[i].Cells[j, k].Value.ToString();
}
}
}
return Content(teste.T1);
}
}
}
}
Ok, o que esse trecho todo faz? É muito código!!!!!
Calma, calma. Fiquem calmos. O que esse trecho faz é: LER SEU EXCEL. Simples. Mas a rotina que temos é: verificamos quantas folhas tem seu Excel, quantas linhas e colunas cada folha tem e iteramos sobre cada uma para pegar o valor da coluna e da linha específica que estamos passando no momento.
Eu retorno um Content pro Angular, neste caso, pra mostrar no console qual foi o último valor que a variável teste recebeu e mostrar em um console no seu navegador. Aqui você pode salvar no banco, realizar alguma operação… Fica a seu critério.
Na parte do backend, é isso. Somente isso. Muito tranquilo, não?
Agora vamos para o frontend, nosso famoso e querido Angular X, qualquer que seja a versão que está usando, tirando o JS né? Hahaha.
É a coisa mais tranquila.
Primeiro, você vai criar a estrutura: um form com um input. Nesse caso, eu instalei uma lib que usa o material angular pra criar um input file bem bonito, que é o ngx-material-file-input. Mas não precisa usar se não quiser, ok?
Bom, no nosso html, de forma bem prática e pra ser didático, tem somente o file input, conforme código abaixo:
<form class="app-form" [formGroup]="form">
<mat-form-field class="app-form-control">
<ngx-mat-file-input placeholder="Anexos" formControlName="anexos"></ngx-mat-file-input>
<mat-icon matSuffix>folder</mat-icon>
</mat-form-field>
<button (click)="onSubmit()">Salvar</button>
</form>
É somente isso mesmo. Mas no seu caso real de uma aplicação real, você vai ter os seus dados aqui também, ok?
Bom, como eu estou usando o material angular, precisei criar um module a parte com todos os componentes do material angular, conforme código abaixo, e chamar ele no App Module. Segue o código:
import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import {
MatAutocompleteModule,
MatBadgeModule,
MatBottomSheetModule,
MatButtonModule,
MatButtonToggleModule,
MatCardModule,
MatCheckboxModule,
MatChipsModule,
MatDatepickerModule,
MatDialogModule,
MatDividerModule,
MatExpansionModule,
MatGridListModule,
MatIconModule,
MatInputModule,
MatListModule,
MatMenuModule,
MatNativeDateModule,
MatPaginatorModule,
MatProgressBarModule,
MatProgressSpinnerModule,
MatRadioModule,
MatRippleModule,
MatSelectModule,
MatSidenavModule,
MatSliderModule,
MatSlideToggleModule,
MatSnackBarModule,
MatSortModule,
MatStepperModule,
MatTableModule,
MatTabsModule,
MatToolbarModule,
MatTooltipModule,
MatTreeModule,
MatFormFieldModule,
MatPaginatorIntl} from '@angular/material';
import {BrowserAnimationsModule} from '@angular/platform-browser/animations';
import {CdkTableModule} from '@angular/cdk/table';
import {CdkTreeModule} from '@angular/cdk/tree';
@NgModule({
imports: [BrowserAnimationsModule, MatButtonModule, MatCheckboxModule, MatSidenavModule, MatFormFieldModule],
exports: [
CdkTableModule,
CdkTreeModule,
MatAutocompleteModule,
MatBadgeModule,
MatBottomSheetModule,
MatButtonModule,
MatButtonToggleModule,
MatCardModule,
MatCheckboxModule,
MatChipsModule,
MatStepperModule,
MatDatepickerModule,
MatDialogModule,
MatDividerModule,
MatExpansionModule,
MatGridListModule,
MatIconModule,
MatInputModule,
MatListModule,
MatMenuModule,
MatNativeDateModule,
MatPaginatorModule,
MatProgressBarModule,
MatProgressSpinnerModule,
MatRadioModule,
MatRippleModule,
MatSelectModule,
MatSidenavModule,
MatSliderModule,
MatSlideToggleModule,
MatSnackBarModule,
MatSortModule,
MatTableModule,
MatTabsModule,
MatToolbarModule,
MatTooltipModule,
MatTreeModule,
MatFormFieldModule
]
})
export class MaterialComponentsModule { }
Criei também um serivce base. É uma abordagem pra organizar seu código e deixar ele mais limpo. Segue o código do service base:
import { Observable, of } from "rxjs";
import { environment } from "src/environments/environment";
import { HttpClient } from "@angular/common/http";
import { tap, catchError } from 'rxjs/operators';
export class BaseService {
constructor(public http: HttpClient, public api) {
}
/** POST: add a new file to the server */
sendFile(file: any) : Observable<any> {
const url = `${this.service()}/${this.api}`;
return this.http.post(url, file, { responseType: 'text' })
.pipe(tap(), catchError(this.handleError<any>('base service add')));
}
protected log(message: string) {
message = message;
}
/**
* Handle Http operation that failed.
* Let the app continue.
* @param operation - name of the operation that failed
* @param result - optional value to return as the observable result
*/
protected handleError<T>(operation = 'operation', result?: T) {
return (error: any): Observable<T> => {
// TODO: send the error to remote logging infrastructure
console.error(error); // log to console instead
// TODO: better job of transforming error for user consumption
this.log(`${operation} failed: ${error.message}`);
// Let the app keep running by returning an empty result.
return of(result as T);
};
}
service(): string {
var url = environment.endpoint.endsWith("/") ?
environment.endpoint.substring(0, environment.endpoint.length - 1) : environment.endpoint;
return url;
}
}
E herdei ele no service que vou utilizar no ts. Esse service herda todas as características do base e se eu precisar de mais rotinas, eu vou colocando. O base é pra conter todas as operações comuns, que serão herdadas nos services subjacentes. Isso é ótimo, pois deixa seu código mais limpo e organizado. Segue o código do service subjacente:
import { BaseService } from "./base/base.service";
import { Injectable } from "@angular/core";
import { HttpClient } from "@angular/common/http";
@Injectable({
providedIn: 'root'
})
export class FileService extends BaseService {
constructor(http: HttpClient) {
super(http, 'receivefile')
}
}
Bom, com toda a infra já estruturada e feita, vamos agora codificar o ts pra poder fazer a captura e o envio do arquivo Excel para a API. Segue o código:
import { Component, OnInit } from '@angular/core';
import { FormGroup, FormControl } from '@angular/forms';
import { FileService } from 'src/app/services/file.service';
@Component({
selector: 'app-ler-arquivo-excel',
templateUrl: './ler-arquivo-excel.component.html',
styleUrls: ['./ler-arquivo-excel.component.scss']
})
export class LerArquivoExcelComponent implements OnInit {
form: FormGroup;
constructor(private service: FileService) { }
ngOnInit() {
this.form = new FormGroup({
anexos: new FormControl()
});
}
onSubmit() {
let file = new FormData();
file.append("file", this.form.controls.anexos.value.files[0])
this.service.sendFile(file).subscribe(res => {
// mostra no log o ultimo registro passado pelo excel
console.log(res)
});
}
}
E pronto!!! Simples não? Agora você enviar um arquivo Excel para a API e fazer a leitura e manipular os dados da forma como desejar!!
Então é isso, galera!! Críticas construtivas são muito bem vindas. Os projetos estão no GitHub. A API e o projeto Angular. Como é de código aberto, caso queiram contribuir, à vontade!! | https://medium.com/@erikthiago/leitura-de-arquivo-excel-asp-net-core-9475cbd8359f | ['Érik Thiago'] | 2019-05-17 14:45:00.336000+00:00 | ['Aspnetcore', 'Angular 7', 'Excel'] |
Overview of Interactive Filters in Google Data Studio. | Google data studio and interactive filters on cxl institute.
The Journey with “Digital Analytics Minidegree” on CXL Institute is Continue and this is 5th Post.
this Minidegree will help you to learn Practical about Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Data Studio, BigQuery, and more so let’s learn Something:
Photo by Pietro Tebaldi on Unsplash
How chart interaction filters work
Chart interaction filters add an identical way as to filter controls. as an example, a chart supported the Country dimension allows you to filter your report within the same way as a filter control supported the Country dimension. Brushing a statistic acts within the same way as a date range control.
Chart interaction filters may be restricted to groups, rather like filter controls.
Adding A Time Series Chart
Add a Time-Series Chart towards the underside of Page 2 as shown below.
We want to seem at the whole Quantities sold per month.
Remove the primary filter control “Quantity”
Click on the new statistic Chart and configure as follows:
Dimension: Order Date
Metric: Quantity (Change Name to Order Quantity)
Next, we modify the granularity of the X-axis (Time) from Day to Month. Click on the Pencil icon at “Order Date” under Dimension. Rename it to “Order Month”
Check “Show Axis Title” for both Y- and X-axis. you must be getting a Report that appears like this.
Filter Controls — Giving Viewers the flexibility to Filter
The above filters are editor controlled. this implies the viewers cannot filtrate what they require to determine. But if you wish your viewers to own control over what they see, then you’ll be able to use the filter control option within the Top menu.
Here, the filter is on the dimension — ‘Country’. therefore the viewers can select which countries they require to specialize in within the report. you’ll select which dimension you wish your viewers to play with once you create the filter using the information panel. this can be how it’s on the ‘View’ side.
You can change the fashion of the filter control by clicking on the filter control box and modifying it within the STYLE panel. for instance, you’ve got seen how an inventory appears once you apply filter control. But you’ll be able to also use a special format, where the viewer can explore for the worth. you’ll do that by clicking on the Search symbol.
This is how your viewers can filter on the report.
They can even select a bunch of values using the IN match type.
A lot more may be finished the match type- Regular Expressions, which may be a separate subject on its own.
Turning Table Charts Into An Interactive Filter
We are visiting add now the 2nd chart and switch this chart into a filter.
Insert a Table with Heatmap Chart to the Canva, just above the Time-Series Chart.
Dimension: Item
Metric: Transaction ID (Change name to Number of Orders)
Check “Show Summary Row”. the full number of orders should add up to 3000.
How Did We Derive At the number of Orders Received?
Choosing the Count of Transaction ID becomes the proxy for measuring the number of orders received.
Next, we wish to determine the Max. Min. and Average Quantity Sold by Items.
Add “Quantity” because of the second metric to the Table with Heatmap.
Click on the Pencil icon and choose “Min”. Rename to Min Qty Ordered.
Do the identical for the subsequent two metrics
Max Qty Ordered and
Avg Qty Ordered
I find that the Table with Heatmap is just too colorful on behalf of me. Let’s make the change here. Look under “Style” and amend the colors.
Adding Interactive to Chart
Click on the Table again. This time, under Data, check “Apply Filter” under Interactions. Toggle to look at mode.
Click “Bed” within the Table Chart. See the change being effected in the statistic Chart below.
Play around with the assorted Filter Controls on this Page. Before we leave this text, allow us to add yet another chart which is that the Geo Map.
You will notice that Google Data Studio automatically added “Deliver To” to the Dimension. Change the Metric to “Transaction ID”. Similarly, configure it to indicate “Count” and rename to “Number of Orders”.
Do you remember the way to turn this Geo Map into an Interactive Filter?
In View mode, click on both this Geo Map and also the Table Chart to determine the changes to the statistic Chart.
Chart Filters
This one is my favorite! instead of selecting or searching, you’ll let your viewers directly interact along with your charts within the report.
Create all the charts you would like from your data. Now click on the chart you would like your viewers to be able to interact with to filter. Search for ‘Interactions’ at the underside of the information panel and choose ‘Apply filter’. do that to any or all the charts you wish your users to be able to use as filters.
Check out what happens on the ‘View’ side of things.
You can select a rustic and every one of three of the charts modifies their contents filtering all the way down to just that country. (That is, the three charts interact with one another.)
You can next also click on the age bracket that you simply have an interest in to filter it all the way down to a particular age bracket.
You can apply the filters on multiple charts without delay or on only 1 chart.
Drill Down
Another way of letting the viewer control the charts directly is that the ‘Drill down’ within the DATA panel.
Click on any chart and switch on the Drill down toggle within the DATA panel.
Go on view and check the results. during this case, I’ve got enabled Drill down on the map chart. you’ll be able to apply it to any chart.
By clicking on the Up or Down symbols on the map, I can move up or down within the level of details on the chart. as an example, in an exceedingly GeoMap, the city/country would be rock bottom level. Next comes the subcontinent then finally the continent. you’ll adjust the hierarchy within the DATA panel within the Drill down section.
Note that this relies entirely on the chart you decide on and also the data you have got. as an example, if you’re coping with Date, you’ll probably have Day, Month, and Year. If it’s a product that you simply are staring at in your sales report, it would be SKU, Category, Department, etc.
Check out what happens as you begin from a lower level to a better level by clicking on the Up arrow within the GeoMap.
Click on the Up button at the top-right of the map and click on some region on the map.
Go another level up and check out clicking on a district.
Metric Slider
Another way to manage what you view within the chart is thru the ‘Metric slider’. Enable metric slider on a chart and you’ll be able to use the slider to look at values within the selected range.
Thanks, CXL.
Let’s Dive in the Resources:
Working with Google Data Studio Filter: A Detailed Guide.
Using Charts as Interactive Filters in Google Data Studio.
Using Charts as Interactive Filters in Data Studio.
Add chart interaction filters. | https://medium.com/@ziad-ismail-taha/overview-of-interactive-filters-in-google-data-studio-7eccbba6486d | ['Ziad Ismail'] | 2020-10-25 18:37:49.737000+00:00 | ['Google Data Studio', 'Google Analytics', 'Cxl Minidegree'] |
When They Rebound From You | When They Rebound From You
Why it hurts.
Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash
This past year has been a shitshow. For all of us. It’s put a strain on relationships. Children no longer visiting their elderly grandparents due to their high-risk factors. Coworkers stuck bonding via Zoom when there’s no eye contact because they’re looking into the camera lens. Romantic relationships — especially those cohabitating — were put to the test.
My husband and I were already a hot mess before COVID. I was having an affair and he was addicted to massage parlors. Divorce was a regular topic of discussion for years. Neither of us is a fit for this marriage. Cue the internet trolls who will leave scathing comments about my affair and the ending of my marriage.
While my affair played a profound effect on my heart and person, we both knew that statistically, we weren’t going to be a success if we left our spouses for each other.
Our marriages were already clinging for life support and it was time to put them to rest (regardless of each other). After a divorce, we’d both need to fuck around and get dating life out of our systems.
A year of talking about camping trips, horror movie marathons, galas with fancy clothes, and an ultimate trip to Greece were placed in a mental brain box with the label Maybe-One-Day taped in front. If fate should allow us to have a true chance down the road, then that box with our special team name (yeah, we were cheesy) could be opened.
I asked him to get his dating out of his system. I expected him to sort out his marriage while grieving about us, move out, then date multiple people. If he hit it off with one of them down the road and it turned into a committed relationship, then all the power to him. That meant our potential relationship just wasn’t meant to be.
His definition of “dating” was different from mine. His definition was, “ask out the only person I can think of going on a date with” who isn’t the kind of woman you just fuck around with. You know the type. There are women you have light fun with, especially after a breakup. And then there are the ones who are “wifey” types; the ones who are respectable and are taken home to meet mom.
Within a split second of us splitting up, he didn’t date around. He rebounded and found a long-term girlfriend while simultaneously moving out from his marital home. So much for him “getting 20 years of being with one person out of my system”.
Is he within his rights to do so? Of course. I never owned him and his path post-breakup without me is completely his choice. There was no contract and if he wanted to forget my existence after I walked out the door, that’s his prerogative.
I’m not the girl who wallows after a breakup. And yet, I’m destroyed on the inside. This is one of the few times a relationship ended on good terms; it’s a lot easier to move on when you never want to see that person’s face ever again.
Right now, I’d do anything to see his face and that smile that made me melt when I first met him. Still, it’s not like me to dwell and ruminate…I’ve been around the breakup block, I know the drill with getting over someone.
This is different. Something isn’t sitting right with me and it’s playing on a loop in my brain. I figured out why it hurt so much that he rebounded the blink of an eye with a potential long-term relationship person: he took the Maybe-One-Day box and simply handed it to her. When there has been a period of time, that Maybe-One-Day box gathers dust in the back corners of our minds. Our box still had the new car smell.
Right now you, the reader, are thinking “well this author doesn’t sound like a psychopath at all” while you slowly back away. I’m not going to get all Glenn Close and boil his kids’ bunny. As I said at the beginning, I have no ownership over anything. He was within his rights to even propose to the first person he saw seconds after I walked away if that’s what he wanted.
It doesn’t take away that his rebounding hurts like a motherfucker. It’s hard to not think, “oh cool, we couldn’t make it work long term because of our situations but fantastic that you found a wifey-type for a long term relationship and handed the box of Maybe-One-Day over to her.” I bear the other woman no ill will (really wish I didn’t know who she was but how else would the knife have turned counter-clockwise in my back when he texted me something that was meant for her?).
In fact, I bear neither of them any ill will. That’s not my point. If they’re meant to be, they’re meant to be. I just want them to form their own box of future memories but because the rebound happened so quickly (and judging by the content that I received that was meant for her), the lack of grieving transferred his emotion for me to her like an ATM transaction.
And, along with the feelings, the Maybe-One-Day box. | https://medium.com/heart-affairs/when-they-rebound-from-you-856b6a2b7001 | ['Jennifer M. Wilson'] | 2020-12-23 00:02:24.108000+00:00 | ['Relationships', 'Marriage', 'Love', 'Breakups', 'Divorce'] |
A Night Out Leads to Hot Sex In The Elevator | Erotica
A Night Out Leads to Hot Sex In The Elevator
She really needed it badly.
nf busty
Naomi was a 29-year-old real estate agent who was always hustling to make that next big deal. She lived in New York City; always lots going on.
Lately, she had been working all the time and really needed some time off. It wasn’t easy at all; she had a ton of college loans to pay and given that she lived in a nice area in an expensive city, there really wasn’t any time to waste.
Last week, Naomi worked over 80 hours and realized she needed a night out. The work was wearing her out. It was Friday and she decided she would hit one or two bars after work. She didn’t know what would happen or even what she would do. She just knew she needed a fun night.
That morning, the alarm went off. She got up showered and got dressed. No time for breakfast, she was already late. She left her building, grabbed a Starbucks, and hailed a cab. During the cab ride, she answered a few work emails. They pulled up to the building, she exited the cab, and off to another 16 hour day of work.
As soon as she walked in she was bombarded with paperwork. Getting to her desk and logging on to her computer was no help, waiting for her was 18 new emails. All time-sensitive. Her day was getting off to a hectic start.
She went through the emails, looked over the paperwork, and downed about a gallon of coffee, and just kept on working.
The harder and harder she worked the more stressed and frustrated she became. Time ran by so fast and looked up at the clock and it read 6 pm. With her head down on paper, the next time she looked at the clock it read 9 pm. It was time to get out of the office. If she didn’t, she would’ve had a nervous breakdown.
Naomi left the building, hailed a cab, and was headed home. Of course on the ride home, she answered some last-minute emails just to tight up some loose ends. She got to her building, jumped in the elevator, and could feel the warm embrace of her apartment.
Naomi was almost on her floor when the doors opened and a man got on. He was very attractive — he was wearing a tux, perfectly groomed, and not a hair on his head out of place. He sparked her interest. And why wouldn’t he, she hadn’t gotten laid in 6 months. It wasn’t because she couldn’t get men, it was because she didn’t have time for them. Her husband was her job.
They reached her floor and she got off the elevator. Naomi gave the gentleman a smile and headed to her door. The second she walked in, she felt happy. She was at home, so she decided this was a work-free night. Naomi turned her phone off, shut her computer down, and unplugged her landline. She was totally free from the office.
She kicked off her heels, stripped to her bra and panties, and took a quick shower. Next, she cuddled into bed and turned on the TV. She flipped through the channels for what felt like an eternity. Of course nothing good on. So it was just her and her glass of wine with nothing else to do.
Her mind began to wonder. She was thinking about the attractive man in the elevator. Just thinking about him was starting to get her hot. Naomi didn’t know if it was the stress of the day or the lack of sex, but she knew right then and there she needed to have sex. That is, she was going out and she was going to get some. So she jumped out of bed and walked to her closet to find an outfit.
99% of her stuff was professional outfits. Tonight, she was going to be a slut and she didn’t care who knew. She found a cute short skirt and a halter top. She put it on and looked at herself in the mirror. It was good but needed something to complete it. She dug around in her closet and found her sluttiest heels — 6-inch stiletto heels. She put them on and was now ready to go.
Naomi grabbed her keys and her purse and headed out the door. She didn’t have to go very far because there was a bar right by her apartment. She walked in, sat at the bar, and ordered a drink. She glazed over the room. A few cute guys and a ton of drunks. She figured she would just sit at the bar and see if anyone came up to her.
After a few minutes, a guy approached her. He wasn’t bad looking. They struck up a conversation and this is when she realized he had no game whatsoever. Naomi hadn’t been on the market for 6 months and didn’t remember how bad some guys were when talking to women. It was pathetic. She excused herself and left the bar.
Lucky for her there was another nice bar a few blocks away. She walked to the other bar, but at this time she was a little drunk. The 6-inch heels didn’t help.
Naomi sat down at the bar and scoped out the room. More potential than the last place. She saw a guy staring at her from the corner of her eye, so she gave him a smile and he came over and sat next to her. He asked what she was drinking and ordered her one. They chatted and once again she realized it was going nowhere. Not that she was picky, she just wanted someone who had a good sense of humor and grace.
This guy was putting her to sleep. All she wanted was to relax and just have some fun not have some guy talk about his business and stuff.
Naomi finished her drink and was so frustrated she just left the bar. She was going to just have to take care of herself with her vibrator — that’s what they are made for anyway.
She stumbled out of the bar and headed home. As she was approaching her apartment, she bumped into what she was looking for. A handsome guy, with a quiet but sexy aura about him. She was instantly attracted to him. He too was attracted to her and was checking her out as they made small talk.
He apologized for bumping into her earlier and asked her if he could buy her a drink. By this time she had had enough alcohol. What she wanted was to be between his legs so she respectfully declined his offer.
But she told him she was headed back to her apartment and asked him if he would walk her. He agreed. They talked and she knew he was her type of guy. He knew when to talk and when to listen and he had confidence in himself.
The more they chatted the more she liked him. He was from the same world as her — working all the time and married to his job.
As soon as they were getting close to her apartment she knew she wanted to fuck him. Naomi asked if he’d like to come up and he agreed. They walked into the elevator. As the doors closed they started to make out.
He wrapped his arms around her as they continued to make out. He moved his hand down below her waist and up her skirt. Then he grabbed her ass and gave it a light tap. He started to squeeze it as their making out got heavier.
With one hand on her ass and still making out, he was able to find and hit the stop button on the elevator. It suddenly stopped. She had lived in this building for three years, she knew what was going to happen. If it stayed stopped for longer than thirty seconds the alarm was going to sound. They didn’t give a shit.
Right on cue, the alarm went off. It didn’t affect either of them. His hands had now moved from her ass to her pussy. He slid his hand into her panties and started playing with her clit. It was the first time in 6 months a man's hands were anywhere near her clit. She moaned.
He seemed to be having trouble with the angle he was in and her panties so she slid them down her legs and took them off. Now the obstruction was gone and he could really get his hand in there.
Next, she undid his zipper and pulled his dick out. Much to her delight, he was hard as a rock. Naomi started to run his cock as he played with her clit. As this was all going on they never stopped making out. They were both so into it neither one of them could even hear the alarm anymore.
He removed his lips from hers and he put his hands on her hips and guided her till she was facing away from him. He told her to bend over and she gladly obliged. He spat on his hand and rubbed it on his dick, moved closer to her, and stuck his dick deep inside her.
Once he got into her, she was in ecstasy. It had been 6 months since she was fucked and her pussy was tight like she was a virgin. Her pussy wrapped around his dick like they were made for each other.
At first, he was gentle just to make sure she could take it, but before long he was slamming his dick into her like his life depended on it.
Naomi didn’t complain; she always liked it hard. She pushed her ass into his pelvis as he pushed his dick into her. The deeper he fucked her the more he hit her G-spot. It was like his cock and her pussy were a perfect match for each other.
He reached his hands to her shirt and pulled it up. He then undid her bra and she took it off for him. He started rubbing her tits and caressing her nipples. Naomi always loved her nipples played with during sex if the guy knew what he was doing. Her nipples instantly got hard. He knew it too because she could feel his dick get a bit harder inside her.
Their bodies were totally in sync with each other. Their movements seemed choreographed. Neither one of them was going to last much longer. Naomi could feel her orgasm approaching.
He continued to thrust into her and before she knew it, she was cumming. She moaned loudly as her pussy tighten and became even wetter. He grabbed her hips extra tight and stuck it in deeper than he had before. He was now cumming inside her right as she was cumming. They came at the exact same time.
Both of them out of breath, just stayed in the position enjoying the moment. Unfortunately, now it was back to reality. He put his dick away and she put her bra, shirt, and panties back on. They did their best to fix themselves as to not make it look like they just had sex. He hit the stop button again and the elevator started to move. They reached her floor and got out.
Now there was a problem; he had to back to his building and the alarm had gone off while they were in the elevator. There were already about 10 firefighters in the lobby waiting. They took the stairs and rapidly made their way down 23 flights of stairs.
As they hit the lobby floor she opened the door slightly to peek out. They caught a break because the elevator had just reached the lobby as well and everyone was looking inside it. They opened the door as slowly and quietly as possible and walked out. Nobody noticed them. They walked by like they had no idea what was going on. Naomi even asked a neighbor what all the fuss was about.
Then they walked out of the building. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and started to walk away. After getting a few feet from her, he turned around and winked. She shot him a smile and he went on his way into the night. | https://medium.com/lusty-stuff/a-night-out-leads-to-a-good-fuck-in-the-elevator-bd18ed95de1c | ['K. Love'] | 2020-11-30 16:45:00.474000+00:00 | ['Short Story', 'Sex', 'Romance', 'Fiction', 'Erotica'] |
Things to remember | Remember that you already did more than enough and beyond good, the problem is in him, he need to fix himself and it’s none of your business at all.
Please focus on your self, fir. He cares about you, so do you. He (finally) respect your decision, to take a break. Please remember that taking a break is a form of self love and self respect. How can you find peace in the place that already broken? I believe if you’re happy than everything good will follow into your life
Please do not think that you’re alone and pathetic because it isn’t. You’re surrounded by people who love and support you. Grateful that they here. You can always reach them anytime you need help.
No, you don’t lose each other. Don’t be so cynical about life, remember you actually find yourself alongaway the process. I know it might be hard but you’ll get over it like you always have :)
Please see it right here, in a new prespective! You’re mind is amazing, you have a sharp feeling and great at critical thinking! Would be nice if you practice it more on positive thoughts :)
Please think more on yourself for now, take a rest if necessary. Eat something healthy, it will helps to build healthy habit too! Also, please talk to someone if you feel overwhelmed.
p.s. you’re thinking so much so it would be nice to share you’re precious thought to anyone :) | https://medium.com/@shfrandn/things-to-remember-c94124d7d1d | [] | 2021-08-17 21:09:41.422000+00:00 | ['Love Yourself', 'Mental Health', 'Self Love'] |
Beijing Witnessed the First Edition of the Global High-Throughput Public Blockchain Technology Summit on August 18th | Beijing Witnessed the First Edition of the Global High-Throughput Public Blockchain Technology Summit on August 18th InterValue Follow Aug 22, 2018 · 6 min read
Hosted by the InterValue’s Foundation, the summit was successfully held in Beijing on August 18th.
Yuan Yong, Director of the Blockchain Committee of China Automation Society; Li Daxue, founder of Magnetic Cloud Technology; Barton Chao, founder of InterValue; Wang Binsheng, Distinguished Professor of Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Zhang Hongxin, Director of Institute of Digital Assets and Blockchain of Zhejiang University; Jiang Xinwen, Professor at the School of Computer Science of National Defense Science and Technology University; Li Wei, the founder of BodyOne; Wu Pengsong, co-founder of 2FChain; Li bin, founder of Rootscap Capital; Li Gaoqiang, co-founder of Ben Core Capital; Peng Fei, product director of HashStor. They shared valuable insights with the audience.
Professor Yuan Yong addressed three main points on the topic of blockchain and artificial intelligence at the summit forum.
• What results can be produced by using artificial intelligence combined with blockchain? The rise of distributed artificial intelligence
• How artificial intelligence is structured on the blockchain: parallel architecture
• How artificial intelligence and blockchain change the existing world: non-disruptive, natural evolution
The most important characteristic of blockchain technology is its “decentralized autonomy”. Its P2P network, distributed consensus mechanism and contribution-based economic incentives are natural aspects, which make it a distributed autonomous social system. Each node in the blockchain system will act as an autonomous agent in the distributed system.
Blockchain provides a reliable, usable, and efficient data foundation for artificial intelligence. Building a house on the sand doesn’t require a strong foundation, but when it comes to building a high-rise building, better do it on a reinforced concrete foundation. The same goes for blockchain as a foundation for artificial intelligence systems.
Wang Binsheng, Professor at the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, received a warm enthusiasm from the audience.
He pointed out that the economic essence of blockchain popularization lies in the transfer of assets. Traditional economic behaviors, including currency issuance, will be digitalized. The traditional organizations with central authorities and intermediaries will gradually disappear. Tokens will be the value distribution tools in the era of collaboration through the combination of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. Besides, fiat currencies will gradually disappear from the circulation in the future.
The popularization of blockchain technology solves the problem of centralization and wealth concentration that has existed since the beginning of the human industrial era. In the era of the multi-token economy, the value of life will be redefined. So will be the concept of wealth, as part of a natural process.
Barton Chao, the founder of InterValue, officially announced during the summit the results of InterValue’s TestNet 2.0.
· Pure performance test: 10 shards≥2,400,000 TPS
· Actual transaction performance test: 10 shards ≥ 200,000 TPS
· Different geographical distribution test: 10shards ≥ 420,000 TPS
· Performance test after signature verification: 10 shards≥ 100,000 TPS
· With signature verification and erroneous data performance test: erroneous data has no impact on transactions, and system fault tolerance meets the expected results.
Barton Chao also gave his interpretation of the current development trend of the blockchain industry:
1) The bubble will gradually pop-off.
2) Projects with tangible achievements and hard work will succeed.
3) Progress is quick, which may accelerate the end of the current crisis.
4) Real blockchain applications are expected to occur within one year.
5) Company and Community will gradually become indistinguishable.
BodyOne’s CEO Li Wei announced at the summit that “We should see more from the application point of view. His company launched the first fitness mining machine. How to combine this with other blockchain use cases? What is the incentive for fitness practitioners to participate in the Token economy?” He gave an in-depth interview and offered 2 fitness bike mining machines to win through a lottery.
HashStor, the most cost-effective professional IPFS mining machine in the market.
Peng Fei , Product Director of Hashtor, introduced HashStor in details with the theme of “Permanent Storage forever”. He brought five units of the “H1 Family Economic Version” mining machines, which were donated to five lucky guests on the spot. At the same time, HashStor’s pre-sales event officially kicked off. These five guests will become the first users to experience this item.
HashStor will also serve as a premium blockchain solution provider, leveraging blockchain technology to drive its own growth and provide quality service to its customers.
InterValue has signed strategic agreements with 15 partners including ICC, BodyOne, HashStor, DGames, Magnetic Cloud Technology, Origin Capital, Pentax Capital, Xidian, Beijing Institute of Technology, 2Fchain, Coin, New Start, CSDN, Coin, and Coin World. The strong alliances aim to jointly build a new ecosystem in the blockchain industry!
Barton Chao, founder and CEO of InterValue, gave an award to partners who signed a strategic partnership agreement.
Ran Lizhi, the founder of Rootscap Capital, an investment fund, made a detailed analysis of the market in the past year and pointed out that there is also a positive side.
• Token- and blockchain-proponents, who have been despising each other, will eventually reach consensus
• The market may be flooded with worthless tokens , but blockchain applications really start to appear
• Pure technology concept -a case of the economic restructuring of production relations
•Currency change, chain change, ticket change, and empowerment of the real economy.
Three major phenomena are not impacted by bear market:
1) Changes in the financial environment
2) Development and breakthrough of public blockchains
3) Generalized impact on the economy.
Bruce Li, the co-founder of Benrui Capital, made a detailed analysis of the status quo and prospects of blockchain technology. He talked about the nature of the blockchain as a tool for large-scale collaboration in a fully open environment and P2P network conditions.
Blockchain is a type of technology that enables everyone in the world to send transactions and get validation. Consensus can be reached in the shortest possible time. The blockchain infrastructure provides the most efficient type of transmission environment and storage space for a variety of ecosystems.
This forum provided a high-level communication platform for the blockchain industry and offered very good opportunities for investment institutions, blockchain application companies, technology communities, and media to get together and participate in the advent of the new blockchain 4.0. era.
Please visit the website for more details: http://818.inve.one | https://medium.com/intervalue/beijing-witnessed-the-first-edition-of-the-global-high-throughput-public-blockchain-technology-4646605bd80c | [] | 2018-08-30 03:04:35.483000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Blockchain', 'Inve', 'Intervalue', 'Bitcoin'] |
Expounding Moley’s Robotic Kitchen | Image via moley.com
FEATURES:
The Moley kitchen is a fully automated kitchen unit, consisting of cabinets, robotic arms and hands, a recipe recording system, a connected GUI screen with access to a library of recipes, and a full set of kitchen appliances and equipment that have been optimized for both for robot and human use.
The robotic apparatus comprises two highly complex robotic hands and different types of sensor that are integrated in high-precise and light weight frame structure. They have the ability to replicate the movements of a human hand, while the robotic chef is capable of recreating the skills of human chefs such as learning new recipes.
Monitor Guided User Interface (GUI)
A sophisticated, large GUI touchscreen is another point of difference for the Moley kitchen. With the help of the GUI, you can instruct the robot to create a particular recipe, define the ingredients, set the temperature for refrigerators, record the new recipes, operate appliances, open drawers and find utensils and ingredients without ever having to touch them. All the information about your kitchen and its settings are displayed on the GUI screen. The GUI screen allows you to operate a complex system with simple operations.
Its library of recipes and tips from chefs allow you to leave the cooking to the robot or choose to cook for yourself when you’re in the mood. As a result, Moley makes healthy eating easy.
Automated protective screen
In addition to the Moley robot’s safety and reliability, we also added an automated protective screen. You don’t need to worry about being scalded by bubbling pans or sizzling sauces.
The automated screen closes when the robot starts the cooking process, preventing people and pets from any interference. If you choose to cook yourself, the protective screen remains open.
Sophisticated robotic hands
Moley’s fully rotational robotic hands are the first of their kind. They were developed in collaboration with the most advanced robotic design teams, using the latest gripping technology and high-precision agility mechanics.
The Moley robotic hands can replicate the movements of a human hand, slide over the workspace, operating utensils and ingredients with care, and are safely stored in the cabinet when you don’t need them.
Smart refrigeration and storage
Eight separate sections of Moley refrigerator maintain an optimum temperature curve for different types of ingredient. Automatic doors are easy to open by both the robot and people.
The fridge is supplemented with special vacuum containers for optimal storage of ingredients. Smart technology keeps track of your stock of ingredients, telling you when you need to top up or replace anything. You can even limit the storage opening times of every section individually to manage calorie-controlled diets or implement password-protected refrigerators, giving you complete control.
Appliance storage
The idea behind the automatic storage system is that any item can be delivered to the cooking area automatically. Smart appliance storage has various sensors allowing the robot to see and find all the appliances, and track their location in real time.
All our appliances are designed in such a way that they are easy to use by both humans and Moley Robot. The robotic kitchen is functionally designed so that everything has its rightful place maintaining clean lines and a minimalist look.
All information in this section is via https://moley.com/?target=kitchen | https://medium.com/@foodtechtribe/expounding-moleys-robotic-kitchen-434e602f3b63 | [] | 2020-12-18 14:05:58.861000+00:00 | ['Robotics', 'Kitchen Appliances', 'Automation', 'Kitchen', 'Foodtech'] |
Productivity Stinks: Get Ahead By Doing Nothing | The Delayer
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus — Picture By Schurl50 [Public domain] Via Wikipedia Creative Commons
It’s the year 217 BC and Rome has a major problem. The living version of the terminator has killed a Consul (president), crushing two Roman armies and is running loose on Italian soil. Hannibal Barca from Carthage had been raised from a child to lead a military and hate Romans. He managed to take an army with elephants across the mountains. It seems there was nothing he couldn’t do.
In a panic, Rome elects a dictator to harness their resources and respond to the threat. They chose Quintus Fabius. His choice of actions is to sit and do nothing. He knows that Hannibal is far from home and his supplies lines. If the Romans sit back and wait, the mountain climbing menace might burn himself out.
Fabius would avoid engaging in direct battles. He’d use his soldiers to harass Hannibal’s forces whenever they were sent out to look for supplies. This not only aggravated the enemy forces, but it also drove the citizens of Rome into an uproar. Fabius was put in charge to do ‘something’, not hide and let an enemy army destroy the countryside.
He’d have challenges to his power, both of which would result in disaster. An underling would lead an army against Hannibal and have to be saved by Fabius. After his term as dictator was up, two Roman consuls would be elected and attack Hannibal again.
In the Battle of Cannae, the Romans would lose between 55,000 to 70,000 men in one of the biggest disasters in their history. Only after this massive slaughter would the Romans adopt Fabius’ strategy again. He was no longer looked at as a coward. He’d be given a title that would stick with him through history — Cunctator or “the delayer”. Eventually, the strategy would work, saving the Romans. | https://medium.com/live-your-life-on-purpose/productivity-stinks-get-ahead-by-doing-nothing-34b650bb0bf4 | ['Erik Brown'] | 2019-10-25 21:01:02.029000+00:00 | ['Life Lessons', 'Business', 'History', 'Self Improvement', 'Productivity'] |
Don’t Lose Hope for the Planet | Don’t Lose Hope for the Planet
Indigenous peoples haven’t, and neither should we
by AJAI RAJ
“Doom. Gloom. All I ever hear.”
— Case, Neuromancer by William Gibson
I’ll be the first to admit it: reading and writing about climate change can be a real drag. Not only does the news seem uniformly bad — a relentless march of cold, implacable facts signifying an oncoming catastrophe — but there is a whole cottage industry (more of a mansion industry, really) devoted to discrediting those facts.
It can feel like reporting on the impending razing of your own house, accompanied by a chorus of aggressively ignorant naysayers (who, by the way, live in the same house) insisting that everything is fine. Not unlike the picture of that dog in the bowler hat that’s so popular these days. You could argue that climate change was patient zero of the “fake news” phenomenon.
But on another level, I get it. Leaving aside the longstanding role of the fossil fuels industry in actively misleading the public, very much like the tobacco industry, I can understand why one would prefer to deny that climate change is happening, to instead cling to feeble arguments to the contrary and accuse scientists (and meteorologists, and the weather) of orchestrating a worldwide conspiracy.
It’s the same reason that I, when I was a cigarette smoker, found myself Googling for assurances that my risk of getting cancer wasn’t really that high— and that was after my dad died from complications following surgery on an abdominal aortic aneurysm, a smoking-related condition which, like most cardiovascular diseases, has nothing to do with cancer. Like the old saying goes, denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.
Actually, the more I think about how dreadful and dystopian climate change headlines can sound, the more I understand the appeal of climate change denial. And the more I see the inevitability and destructiveness of the cycle. In a perverse way, to deny climate change is to be able to have hope for the future. So the worse the headlines, the fiercer the denial. Round and round we go, the serpent eating its tail.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. We don’t have to lose hope. We can change the narrative from one of doom and gloom to one of healing and hope, and we can do so without denying facts or ignoring reality.
We not only can. We have to.
That’s the message of Snowchange Cooperative, an Finland-based organization that’s at the front lines of climate change, and one that’s unlike any other on the planet. For almost 20 years, Snowchange has been combining modern scientific techniques with the traditional wisdom of indigenous peoples— including the Saami, Chukchi, Yukaghir, Inuit, Inuvialuit, Inupiaq, Gwitchin, Icelandic, Tahltan, Maori, Indigenous Australian, and many others that this writer admits to having never heard of before reporting this story — to help these communities document and adapt to the effects of climate change all over the world.
Tero Mustonen, PhD and president of Snowchange, embodies this duality perfectly. Not only is he a scholar of Arctic biodiversity, climate change, and issues facing indigenous peoples, he is also the head of a Finnish village called Selkie, in the eastern region of North Karelia. Dr. Mustonen lives off of the land, in a land-based economy complete with fisheries, in the middle of an old-growth (read: ancient, undisturbed) forest, with his wife, a couple of goats, a few chickens, and no running water.
“The boreal [regions] and the Arctic are one of the places where climate change has been proceeding faster than almost anywhere else— a lot of the things that were predicted in 2001 or 2002 have manifested in many ways throughout the arctic,” Dr. Mustonen said.
“One of the things we try to put forward are practical solutions and opportunities, and things that actually address the impacts [of colonialism, and the environmental damage wrought by industry] and also the larger scale of what we need to do in terms of nations, and cultures, and economies, and things like that— so we operate from the grassroots level in many, many remote communities, all the way to very high policy levels, including the UN, US, UK, and Indian governments.
“For this year, we have a number of flagship activities on ecological restoration. Many of these remote communities are better off if they are able to restore and address past land use changes that have taken place,” most often through colonial land theft and industrial pollution, “and through that, rebuild their resilience, for example in the context of rivers and catchment areas.” | https://medium.com/defiant/dont-lose-hope-for-the-planet-68155b0435ac | ['Ajai Raj'] | 2017-02-26 20:03:04.680000+00:00 | ['Defiant Science', 'Climate Change', 'Environment'] |
The Shut-In Economy | In 1998, Carnegie Mellon researchers warned that the internet could make us into hermits. They released a study monitoring the social behavior of 169 people making their first forays online. The web-surfers started talking less with family and friends, and grew more isolated and depressed. “We were surprised to find that what is a social technology has such anti-social consequences,” said one of the researchers at the time. “And these are the same people who, when asked, describe the Internet as a positive thing.”
We’re now deep into the bombastic buildout of the on-demand economy— with investment in the apps, platforms and services surging exponentially. Right now Americans buy nearly eight percent of all their retail goods online, though that seems a wild underestimate in the most congested, wired, time-strapped urban centers.
Many services promote themselves as life-expanding — there to free up your time so you can spend it connecting with the people you care about, not standing at the post office with strangers. Rinse’s ad shows a couple chilling at a park, their laundry being washed by someone, somewhere beyond the picture’s frame. But plenty of the delivery companies are brutally honest that, actually, they never want you to leave home at all.
GrubHub’s advertising banks on us secretly never wanting to talk to a human again: “Everything great about eating, combined with everything great about not talking to people.” DoorDash, another food delivery service, goes for the all-caps, batshit extreme:
“NEVER LEAVE HOME AGAIN.”
Katherine van Ekert isn’t a shut-in, exactly, but there are only two things she ever has to run errands for any more: trash bags and saline solution. For those, she must leave her San Francisco apartment and walk two blocks to the drug store, “so woe is my life,” she tells me. (She realizes her dry humor about #firstworldproblems may not translate, and clarifies later: “Honestly, this is all tongue in cheek. We’re not spoiled brats.”) Everything else is done by app. Her husband’s office contracts with Washio. Groceries come from Instacart. “I live on Amazon,” she says, buying everything from curry leaves to a jogging suit for her dog, complete with hoodie.
She’s so partial to these services, in fact, that she’s running one of her own: A veterinarian by trade, she’s a co-founder of VetPronto, which sends an on-call vet to your house. It’s one of a half-dozen on-demand services in the current batch at Y Combinator, the startup factory, including a marijuana delivery app called Meadow (“You laugh, but they’re going to be rich,” she says). She took a look at her current clients — they skew late 20s to late 30s, and work in high-paying jobs: “The kinds of people who use a lot of on demand services and hang out on Yelp a lot ☺”
Basically, people a lot like herself. That’s the common wisdom: the apps are created by the urban young for the needs of urban young. The potential of delivery with a swipe of the finger is exciting for van Ekert, who grew up without such services in Sydney and recently arrived in wired San Francisco. “I’m just milking this city for all it’s worth,” she says. “I was talking to my father on Skype the other day. He asked, ‘Don’t you miss a casual stroll to the shop?’ Everything we do now is time-limited, and you do everything with intention. There’s not time to stroll anywhere.”
Suddenly, for people like van Ekert, the end of chores is here. After hours, you’re free from dirty laundry and dishes. (TaskRabbit’s ad rolls by me on a bus: “Buy yourself time — literally.”)
So here’s the big question. What does she, or you, or any of us do with all this time we’re buying? Binge on Netflix shows? Go for a run? Van Ekert’s answer: “It’s more to dedicate more time to working.” | https://medium.com/matter/the-shut-in-economy-ec3ec1294816 | ['Lauren Smiley'] | 2016-02-18 00:19:04.174000+00:00 | ['Tech', 'Wtf Economy', 'Sharing Economy'] |
Hard Fork Completed | As announced earlier, Beam has successfully completed the second Hard Fork.
At block height 777,777 the mining algorithm was changed from BeamHashII to BeamHashIII
Team Beam were all online at the time of the fork, constantly monitoring the health of the network and prepared for any contingency.
While the Fork was VERY smooth it was a moment of suspense when block 777,776 was mined and we were all waiting to see the post-fork block 777,777 appear. When it happened, it was a moment of joy and pride for the team.
Before
Anticipating block 777,777
After
You could definitely see a lot more smiles on our faces.
Congrats to 2miners who found block 777,776, the last BH2 block and to Leafpool for having mined the first block with the new PoW.
The first BeamHashIII block on our freely available open source pool software also happened at block 777,801 — build your own pool with this free code.
Aftermath
After the Hard Fork occurred, we witnessed an expected drop in difficulty and the two main reasons being that; not all the miners had performed a timely upgrade, and that the upgraded miners participating in the new PoW were mining at lower speeds per GPU on the network — as is the design of BeamHashIII.
However, only 24 hours after the fork, the hash rate of the network reached and eventually stabilised from its pre-fork value (taking into consideration that the the previous algorithm was more established with miner development and offered higher GPU mining hashrates).
Why did we do the Fork
When Beam launched on Jan 3, 2019, we announced that we will perform two hard forks. The rationale was to signal to ASIC developers that there is no point to start developing ASICs until the second hard fork is out.
We timed the first fork roughly 6 months from launch, and the second one in mid 2020. The 10-month timeframe is chosen because that’s how long it usually takes to develop a new ASIC chip.
What else is in this Hard Fork
In addition to the algorithm change, we implemented several important features that are consensus-breaking and can only be done as part of a Hard Fork:
Activate support for Confidential Assets
Activate support for Lelantus Mimblewimble
Activate support for One Sided Payments
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank our wonderful community, the miners, the pools and the exchanges who worked diligently to perform the necessary software upgrades and help us pass the Hard Fork with flying colors.
We also want to extend special thanks to our PoW Advisor Wilke Trei (aka Lolliedieb) who developed BeamHashI, BeamHashII and BeamHashIII.
Go Beam! | https://medium.com/beam-mw/hard-fork-completed-72e8f1edb10b | ['Beam Privacy'] | 2020-06-29 17:30:57.686000+00:00 | ['Privacy', 'Hard Fork', 'Bitcoin', 'Cryptocurrency'] |
Dash DAO Gives Away $50,000 in #FirstDashWallet Campaign: Insights From Amanda | I had the opportunity to ask Amanda B. Johnson of Dash what her thoughts were about the overwhelming success of Dash’s very first big social media campaign called #FirstDashWallet. I followed this campaign very closely and I too, was surprised by how viral it became in such a short amount of time. Here are her answers to my questions:
Stellabelle:
What was the most surprising thing about your recent #FirstDashWallet social media campaign?
Amanda:
My answer is two-fold. First, I was surprised by the sheer number of people who entered — about 3,000 at the close of the 10-day campaign. Because each photo featured two people, that’s actually 6,000 participants. And the second surprise was the diversity of their locales — we counted 55 different countries!
image from Twitter
S:
Was this the very first social media campaign of its kind in the crypto-sphere?
A:
It’s the first of its kind that I’m aware of. Which makes sense, because Dash is uniquely positioned to offer these kinds of things. Allocating our block reward to more than just mining means we have funds to do this kind of outreach — and not to have to cap it. For example, I was expecting to pay out no more than ~$2,000 in Dash with this campaign. But we ended up paying out well over $50,000 in Dash! Our treasury can afford that amount, though, so we didn’t have to disappoint anyone.
S:
I heard there were entire villages in Nigeria that created an organized system for the wallet campaign. Is this true? Can you share a story about that?
A:
It appears that there were some highly-organized groups, yes. One appeared to be in Nigeria (via Twitter), and the other appeared to be in Bangladesh (via Facebook). It would be obvious to anyone who viewed all the entries, because the pictures — though always featuring different people — used the same locale, sign, and even some of the same phones over and over again. We took many hours to comb through these photos to determine the correct payouts, if they were merited.
We saw this as a good problem to have — it just shows how incredibly motivated these individuals are to get their hands on Dash. It shows how high the demand is. That’s a good thing.
Twitter
S:
Does any photo stand out as your favorite from the campaign?
A:
No particular photo stands out to me, but rather, a category of photos — that is, the ones where people were really smiling! My second-favorite photos were a handful that came out of Russia and surrounding areas that featured very fashionable, lovely women striking candid- looking poses on urban streets.
Twitter
S:
What is the most important thing you learned from this campaign?
A:
I learned that social media is an effective way to get Dash in the hands of people who’ve probably never even owned cryptocurrency before. And in retrospect, it’s so obvious. The method we employed removed almost all the barriers to the standard ways of getting cryptocurrency today: bank accounts, registration on online exchanges, identity proof, fees and limits, blah blah blah. The #FirstDashWallet social media campaign cut through all of that.
Facebook
S:
What countries stand out as the most active from this campaign?
A:
Aside from Nigeria and Bangladesh, we saw the third-most entries from Venezuela. After that, it was Taiwan and the Philippines.
Twitter
Due to the overwhelming success of this campaign, I would guess that Amanda is planning more like it in the future. I don’t have the inside scoop (Amanda is a tough cookie and doesn’t release info easily), but I have a hunch that really cool campaigns like this are around the corner.
As a photo nerd, I found a lot of amazing pictures on Twitter and Facebook that were submitted for this campaign. One of the coolest ones was created by Dash Nation member Joshua who wrote a script to pull all the hashtagged photos and compile them.
Check it out:
#FirstDashWallet winners from around the world
Here are some of my favorite photos from the campaign, all from Twitter: | https://medium.com/dash-for-newbies/dash-dao-gives-away-50-000-in-firstdashwallet-campaign-insights-from-amanda-f319f8a3bf46 | [] | 2017-06-20 22:01:47.909000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin', 'Dash', 'Humanitarian', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Social Media'] |
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