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The Final Mission Conclusion
|
My name is Sunny Alexander-Johnson. And I’m Henry James, and we’re writers for Dark Sides of the Truth magazine.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9
When the hood was removed from Samual Donaldson’s head, the man blinked furiously and stared about. He was secured to a solitary chair, a single light bulb hanging over him from the ceiling. The room possessed more shadows than what the feeble light could chase away. Directly in front of him, a video camera rested on a tripod, the lens pointing in his direction. A red light indicated the camera was on, recording every action taking place.
From the shadows, a person clothed in black, a hood covering their face, stepped forward and rested the edge of a machete against Donaldson’s shoulder at the base of the man’s neck.
“Wait, what are you doing?”
From speakers lost in the ceiling above, a mechanical, robotic voice crackled.
“Hello, Mr. Donaldson. So good of you to join us.”
“Who the hell are you people? It would be best if you let me go, or there will be hell to pay. I’m sure by now, the entire D.C. police force is looking for me.”
“Yes, unfortunately, they will not know where to look. And when they do find you, they will be unable to do anything but collect pieces of your body. And the best part? America will be able to witness as we separate your arms, your legs, and then your head from your body. Everyone will see we mean business.”
“What do you want. Money? I’ve got plenty of it.”
“Tell us about SF496DF.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Never heard of it.”
“Sister?”
The person standing behind Donaldson slid the machete off Samual’s shoulder and drew it back.
“Stop. Wait. Okay, I know about it. What do you want to know?”
“If I knew that I wouldn’t need you now, would I? We would have already dissected your head from your body and left you on the streets for the hungry dogs and vermin living in this city of yours.”
“Okay, okay. Uh, SF496DF, was a special tactical mission. Special Forces battalion 496 Delta Force. Colonel David Anthony Armstrong headed it up.”
As if that would appease the voice, Samual Donaldson halted, swallowing hard, and at the same time fixing his gaze on the glint of light against the blade his would-be assassin held in her hands.
“Sister?”
The woman in coal-black garb raised the machete again.
“It was supposed to be a liberation mission. Armstrong and his men were supposed to go into the compound of Enrique Escobar and extract one of our operatives. But the mission went south. Escobar killed everyone.”
“But he didn’t did he?”
“What?”
“Escobar didn’t kill everyone, did he? Some of the people escaped didn’t they? And it made Escobar furious, didn’t it? Because he’d paid a lot of money to your inside operative and also to you for the information of that mission, didn’t he Mr. Donaldson?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Samual flinched as he saw his assassin raise the machete above her head.
“Alright, alright. Escobar used Hardcastle to come to me. He and she wanted to make a deal. With Armstrong and his men out of the way, it would pave the way for an expansion of his drug cartel. Armstong had been a major pain in his ass for years.”
“How much?”
“Twenty million. Wired to my private account in the Caymans.”
“So you sold out American soldiers for your blood money. And then?”
“Somehow Hardcastle got out of there. It wasn’t until I heard from her that I found out Armstrong had escaped.”
“But it didn’t stop there, did it, Mr. Donaldson?”
Donaldson hung his head and sobbed once.
“I believe you have a saying in your country. Confession is good for the soul?”
The man nodded, then raised his head.
“Escobar told Hardcastle and me he wanted Armstrong’s head on a platter. David’s team had handed out their fair share of death to Escobar’s people as they fought their way out. Escobar threatened he’d turn over what he knew to the authorities. Hardcastle and I would have gone to prison for espionage. I couldn’t let that happen.”
“So you and Hardcastle took care of things, didn’t you?”
“We thought we had. Hardcastle managed to track Armstrong down somehow, and to this day, I still don’t know how she did it. It seemed that he’d changed his face and identity and was living in Austin, Texas. So we, well, through previous encounters with members of the Triad, we got in touch.”
“What happened to Armstrong?”
“The fucking assholes didn’t even manage to get to him. He was going by the name of Rick Mcdonnell. Hardcastle had tracked him down. She called me, and I ordered the hit. These stupid fucks raided his house with the intent to kill him, and when they discovered he wasn’t there, knocked off his wife and two boys.”
There were several seconds of silence after that as Samual Donaldson nervously fidgeted against his restraints, knowing if he made one wrong move, his head would just as quickly be toppling to the floor between his feet.”
The voice sounded again, but this time it wasn’t a garbled electronic mess.
“Well, Samual, I believe we’ve got all we need.”
“Armstrong?”
“Not anymore, Sam. And if I were you, I wouldn’t be making any plans on spending that money. Where you’re going, you’re probably not going to need it. It’s not every day the Director of the FBI confesses to conspiracy to commit murder and espionage on national television. That camera in front of you, Sammy boy? Direct feed to every local television station in the country. Oh, and my people even piped in a feed to the FBI building. You ought to be quite a celebrity by now.”
“But.”
“Let’s get him out of here and drop him off at the J Edgar Hoover building. I’m betting a lot of people are going to welcome him with open arms.”
The would-be assassin bent at the waist to untie Donaldson, just as the door to the room swung open. It was all Donaldson needed by way of distraction to yank the machete out of the sheath on her hip and push her away. He began to flail the air in front of him as if he intended to hack his way to freedom. Seconds later, the report of a pistol cracked in the silence, and Samual Donaldson dropped the machete then spun from the kick of a bullet striking him just below his right shoulder.
“Damn princess, I didn’t even know you had a gun.”
“Yeap Henry, Robert’s been teaching me to shoot.”
“Well, looks like you need to train more. You missed his head completely.”
“Uh, unlike you, old man, I had no intention of killing him. I intended to hit him in the shoulder, and I hit him in the shoulder.”
“You two going to stand there all day and let this dude bleed out?”
“Be my guest, Manny. Why don’t you and Robert get him in a car then dump him at the nearest emergency room? Rick? Can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear, Henry.”
“Is that good for you?”
“Yeah, just give the name of the hospital. The final part of this mission will be a call to the police department, and then we’re out of here, by the way. Nice shooting, Shaundrika. Remind me never to piss you off.”
“Remind me never to say yes to one of your hair brained spy missions.”
“Hey, they ain’t so bad. I’m mean with all this talent we got what’s the…”
Both Shaundrika and Rick McDonnell chimed in.
“Shut up, James.”
Thank you so much for reading. You didn’t have to, but we’re certainly glad you did.
Let’s keep in touch: Sharon and P.G. Barnett
[email protected]
© P.G. Barnett, 2020. All Rights Reserved.
|
https://medium.com/dark-sides-of-the-truth/the-final-mission-conclusion-969f79e31c8a
|
['P.G. Barnett']
|
2020-09-07 00:07:20.893000+00:00
|
['Fiction Story', 'Henry And Sunny', 'Short Fiction', 'Short Story', 'Fiction']
|
Ibotta’s Recommender System
|
written by Matt Johnson and James Foley
Our users are presented with a plethora of savings opportunities when they open the Ibotta app and the variety of available content is constantly growing. This leads to the interesting challenge of how to organize all that content. Is there an optimal arrangement of content for each user? Do we have enough signal in our data to model users’ shopping preferences? How do we scale a solution across millions of users? Product recommendations is one of many challenges addressed by IbottaML and in this piece we discuss the development of our latest recommender system.
Evolution of recommendations at Ibotta
Our goal as a Machine Learning team is to develop production quality features and scalable, high impact ML solutions across the organization. The Recommender system we’ve developed to serve personalized content to users is an ensemble of feature engineering and modeling components that embodies the standards we set for production quality, fully managed, large scale machine learning frameworks. This blog post outlines how IbottaML developed the Recommender pipeline used today, both from technical and product perspectives.
Image from thedatascientist.com
Presenting users with content most relevant to them results in a more rewarding app experience; we save people time when users launch the app and can immediately see offers/products they like without having to search for them. We also have the opportunity to surface novel offers to users, encouraging them to try new things they will likely enjoy. In our situation though, effectively predicting what offers users will like is tricky:
Not all offers are available to all users;
New offers are being introduced into the app each week so we have limited information on those offers;
New users are constantly joining the app so we have limited information on their preferences.
Scaling these predictions is also a major challenge when we commit to delivering daily recommendations to millions of users.
Over time we’ve developed better ways of addressing these challenges, as we learn from each iteration of the recommender product.
The initial approach by the Analytics team to recommend content to users was tested through email communications. Clustering and PCA were used to identify which types of items interest users, which determined the set of curated items to be surfaced in an email to users. The test yielded immediate positive results, proving to the team there’s value in building out personalized offer recommendations, so the Analytics team moved on to developing a system to power offer recommendations in the app. The first version of the Recommender system to be productionized blended various recommendation scores based on user purchase histories, overall offer popularity, and brand similarity mappings to create a set of recommended offers that were personalized for the user. These recommendations were calculated in batch, written to a database, then picked up by a service that served the content to a specific module/offer gallery in the app. A major milestone that came from this work, in addition to the incremental lift generated by the new recommender engine, was the development of the production pipeline that allowed us to directly insert offers into a user’s app experience. This pipeline allowed for quick iteration and testing of Recommender system variants.
Our second iteration of the Recommender was set up as a supervised learning problem where we predict the propensity a user will purchase a given offer. We engineered features at the user and offer levels and combined those with output from collaborative filtering methods, feeding all features into a final supervised model. From this model we generated predictions for all user/offer pairs (representing a user’s propensity to interact with that offer), which lets us easily pick the top-ranked offers for every user. This machine learning based approach utilized more user- and offer level metadata, allowing for a deeper level of personalization as well as better recommendations for offers not previously purchased.
The evolution of the Recommender highlights an effective approach taken to develop and improve upon a product. We didn’t start by applying machine learning and developing a complex feature engineering pipeline, we instead built a simpler POC, tested it, and then pursued more sophisticated solutions after proven lift.
The Pipeline
Training a recommender model requires features that are predictive of a user engaging with an offer. Ibotta fortunately has a large feature bank that allows us to reuse features instead of having to start from scratch for each project (for more on Ibotta Feature Engineering, see here.). For the Recommender system we used hundreds of features, some of which were already available in our feature bank. In addition to these already available features, we constructed new ones that were hypothesized to be relevant to recommendations. These new features are now available for others at Ibotta to consume (available in a Hive metastore). Some of these new features include:
ALS features (more on what this feature is in a moment)
Ratio of redemptions to impressions of an offer
Percent through lifecycle
Purchase Cadence
Some of these features are hypothesized to interact. For example, suppose a user just purchased trash bags three days ago. Interacting with this feature of days_since_last_purchase, we have a feature that calculates the expected purchase cycle of this item. Given that the days since last purchase is a low number and the item has a low purchase frequency, these features will interact to adjust the probability of the relevancy of this offer.
The ALS features have the most power in predicting user engagements with offers. ALS (Alternating Least Squares) is a matrix factorization technique (for a deep dive into how ALS works, see here) which, at a high level, constructs a matrix where each row represents a user, each column an item, and the cell value depends on the item context and the level of engagement. (An item can be the offer’s brand, the offer’s category, or the offer itself. Engagements are unlocks and redemptions; a user will unlock an offer showing intent to purchase, and redeem an offer once purchased.) For example, with a brand level context we calculate how many times a user purchased that brand in a given time period, whereas for the offer level context we determine how many times a user purchased that specific offer. We construct four such matrices:
Row: User Id, Column: Offer Id, Cell Value: Redemptions
Row: User Id, Column: Offer Id, Cell Value: Unlocks
Row: User Id, Column: Brand Id, Cell Value: Unlocks
Row: User Id, Column: Category Id, Cell Value: Unlocks
Now a lot of these entries will be missing since a user typically doesn’t interact with all items. When there’s a lot of missing entries, we refer to this as a sparse matrix. These matrices are factored into a product of two other matrices — this is known as matrix factorization. When this occurs, the machine learning model is able to automatically learn what values to fill in the missing cells. These inferred values are useful approximations for how we would expect users to interact with items they haven’t actually interacted with. We then use all these imputed values as features in their own right to the user-offer combination in context.
All of these features are then inputted into a gradient boosted tree machine learning model that predicts the propensity of a strong engagement for the user, where a strong engagement is defined as an offer unlock or redemption.
Evaluation
A natural question to ask after building a recommender model is: how well does this model perform? There are two common approaches to evaluation: offline and online metrics.
Offline Metrics
This technique is observational, in that we look at already collected data (e.g., which offers users have historically engaged with) and we “hide” this data from the model and see if we can predict it. This is an easy way to “grade” the performance of your model. A problem however, is that these offline metrics are often not well correlated with how your model will perform in the real world! So while it’s a rough tool to help drive early development, it’s not a rigorous technique on which one should report business metrics.
Online Metrics
This technique is interventional. An intervention is powerful in data science. In an intervention, you often have a treatment and a control (known as an A/B test). The control is the baseline — the offer recommender algorithm which produces content that Ibotta users are currently exposed to. The treatment is the new recommender algorithm — the content arrangement from which users have not yet been exposed. Then, a random proportion of users are assigned the new recommender output. The other users will continue getting the current recommender output. We let this experiment run over a few weeks and then we calculate several metrics using a technique developed here at Ibotta.
We actually tested several different recommender models (12 in total) against the control. Some of these model variants included modifying the time windows we look over, how we aggregate redemptions and unlocks, etc. The model that was selected maximized metrics across several different outcomes (e.g. increased user activity, highest revenue, etc.). As an example, our internal MVT framework (Multivariate Testing Framework, which generalizes an A/B test to A/B/C/D/…) automatically published the graphic below:
For each treatment, probability that treatment is best
This bar chart reports the probability that each treatment is the highest for the given metric (in this example, unlocks). The tallest bar seen here (around 60%) corresponds to the model we ended up selecting.
Productionization
Delivering over one billion offer recommendations daily is no small feat; building feature sets, training models, making predictions, and loading recommendations into the app, all while considering computation efficiency requires a robust, monitored production pipeline. This pipeline executes every day because we want to ensure we’re making fresh offer recommendations for our users. So as new offers are introduced, as new users join the app, and as ongoing users’ purchase histories and app behaviors update, we can incorporate this new information to generate the most up-to-date recommendations each day.
Retraining the model daily requires amalgamating various features from our data lake and defining target values, for which we use Spark. Joining together dozens of tables to create a final set of offer level and customer level features is not a simple process. Some challenges we dealt with were data skew, optimal file sizing, Spark application parameter tuning, and generally munging and shipping hundreds of gigabytes of features each day. Training data is passed to the model, which is also fit via Spark where grid searching is executed in parallel, model performance metrics are logged, and the model is saved to S3.
Once the new model is trained we’ll pass it the most recent set of features to make predictions, which we distribute and parallelize using Spark. At this point we have a table comprising the propensity a user will engage with a offer, for every eligible user:offer combination. We then take the top n offers for each user and ship that data to a production data store that feeds data to the app, so that when any user opens the app a lookup is made to surface their recommended offers, what we call the For You gallery.
|
https://medium.com/building-ibotta/ibottas-recommender-system-7a4034773bf9
|
['James Foley']
|
2019-03-28 22:46:48.372000+00:00
|
['Spark', 'Ibottaml', 'Sklearn', 'Ibotta', 'Machine Learning']
|
Limitation of Hive Data Validation
|
Hive Data Validation Mechanism Limitation
In hive when you create a table schema, you must specify each column name along with its data type. So simple like relational database which are widely used nowadays. You might think that afterward you can just import your data into a table’s hdfs location and use simple query as in the following:
SELECT * FROM [tablename].
But that’s not the case, in this scenario you won’t get an error message if your data isn’t in the same format as data type you’ve specified in a schema like those you saw in relational database. Instead, hive will convert a value that is not compatible with specified schema data type to NULL, which sometimes, undesirable.
Until now, there is no tool which designed to fix this issue. But there are some methods you could use as a workaround.
|
https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/limitation-of-hive-data-validation-1eec015e5ca6
|
['Patraporn Kuhavattana']
|
2020-08-26 14:26:49.236000+00:00
|
['Mapreduce', 'Hive']
|
Visualizing the American Nightmare
|
It doesn’t take a lot of effort to see the nightmare of living in the United States. From the lack of basic infrastructure, including running water, to the (as of this writing) 247,834 deaths resulting from COVID-19 it’s sitting in plain sight. The nightmare is uneven in who is affected by it, making it easier to overlook, dismiss, and turn into a political talking point rather than address with concrete actions. Recently, Zbigniew Grabowski of the Urban Systems Lab at the New School for Social Research created a simple visualization of rent-burdened households in the United States. The map presents a stark image of American life in which the majority of the country, in terms of both land area and population, have more than 50% of people spending more than 25% of their income on rent.
I couldn’t help but wonder what other basic facts of the American Nightmare look like mapped? What follows are a series of simple visualizations of data from the American Community Survey along with some brief thoughts on the matter. This isn’t meant to be rigorous academic analysis, but rather an articulation of what I see when I see “America”.
|
https://medium.com/liberating-space/visualizing-the-american-nightmare-689fadb1fb64
|
['Joshua Mullenite']
|
2020-11-19 22:24:40.474000+00:00
|
['Mapping', 'Poverty', 'Visualization', 'Inequality']
|
How to Make Passive Income with Liquidity Pools (VIDEO)
|
It’s an interesting time to be alive. With DeFi (decentralized finance) and cryptocurrency, there are more ways than ever to make passive income. Liquidity pools are yet another great opportunity to make money. Though it’s been around for years in other forms, definitely not like this. This post will introduce you to the nitty gritty of liquidity pools, followed by an engaging video by Finematics to explain the ins and outs even further.
What are Liquidity Pools?
Liquidity pools, in essence, are pools of tokens that are locked in a smart contract. Their purpose is to facilitate trading by creating more liquidity. Liquidity pools are used by many exchanges, centralized and decentralized. However, liquidity pools are often more used by decentralized exchanges (DEX).
The Players
During this year’s surging popularity of DeFi, one of the first platforms that introduced liquidity pools was Bancor. Bancor is a blockchain protocol that allows customers to convert a multitude of cryptocurrency tokens instantly into other tokens. This is often more popular than exchanging them on crypto exchanges like Binance and Coinbase. The Bancor protocol assists smart tokens in price discovery and continuous liquidity for cryptocurrencies. It does this by utilizing constant ratios of reserve tokens held through smart contracts.
Liquidity pools got ultra popular with the advent of Uniswap, a fully decentralized platform which allows users to swap into Ethereum (ETH) or any Erc20 token (like Compound). Users can also contribute to liquidity pools to earn a percentage of the trading fees. How much? When a user contributes Erc20 tokens or ETH to a liquidity pool, they will receive a proportional percentage of the 0.3% swap fees. For instance, if you contribute 5% of the total Ethereum in the liquidity pool, you will receive 5% of the 0.3% fee. All this is done through decentralized smart contracts, which ensures users are always in control of their money.
Then Curve, another decentralized exchange liquidity pool, implemented a different algorithm to offer lower fees and lower slippage when exchanging tokens that should be the same price like stablecoins. Lastly, Balancer took these ideas even further. Balancer realized it’s not necessary to only ever have 2 assets in a liquidity pool, and in fact allows for as many as 8 tokens in one pool.
Below is an excellent video on liquidity pools by Finematics. It helped me and my fellow crypto enthusiasts better understand this engaging, money-making product.
Unique Risks
Like investing in traditional finance, DeFi also poses risks, albeit more unique. With liquidity pools there are many of the usual potential risks. The most glaring of these include smart contract bugs and systemic risks. Lastly, if you are not careful with your admin keys, you can lose your crypto forever.
|
https://medium.com/@incomecraze/how-to-make-passive-income-with-liquidity-pools-123127b8a905
|
['Income Craze']
|
2021-01-13 07:23:39.991000+00:00
|
['Liquidity Pool', 'Liquidity Mining', 'Defi', 'Decentralized Finance', 'Make Money Online']
|
What Are The Benefits Of Cloud Computing With Azure?
|
If you’re looking to start a web platform with Microsoft IIS, Cloud computing with Azure could be a great option for you. This quick tutorial will get you acquainted with the basic features of Azure, and how you can make the most of serverless computing for your business. If you are already familiar with IIS or even PHP, you can probably skip to the next section, but if you’ve never used any type of web hosting platform before, this quick introduction might help you make up your mind about whether or not you want to use cloud computing with Azure.
Many people are comfortable with Windows-based hosting platforms, and many choose to stick with these systems because they know they’re familiar with the tools and the familiar sites. Microsoft’s cloud services however, provide a number of tools that don’t really resemble anything that you’re used to. For example, the visual development experience is quite different from what you’d experience with something like ASP/VBScript or PHP,. You’ll find that cloud computing with Azure provides a visual development tool that allows you to build websites and deploy them in a way that is similar to developing a website on Windows, or even iOS, for example. This makes it easier for your customers and clients to use your site, and it gives you a competitive edge over your competitors.
Another important feature that cloud services such as azure provides is the ability to use IaaS. IaaS stands for “internet-based application services”, and refers to the idea that you can run software on the internet. You can get software such as Microsoft SharePoint or Microsoft Business Portal, as well as other cloud services such as the Amazon S3-based Simplegal. This way, you can run your e-commerce software on the cloud, on any browser, and without requiring you to understand or learn any new technology.
There are many benefits to cloud computing that make it an attractive option for any business. One of the biggest benefits is machine learning. Machine learning is the process of training machines to do simple tasks, and cloud computing is very good at this. With cloud computing, the entire business can be trained, from the front desk clerks to the warehouse workers, by the machine learning processes that are enabled by the cloud.
Another great benefit to cloud computing is disaster recovery. Disaster recovery is something that is very important to companies, both large and small. If something happens to a server, there is no way to recreate everything that was lost. In a traditional data center, this is not an issue, because everything is always located in the same place. However, in an office that is based in the city, and is located in the storm-prone area, having a back-up is always important. Azure provides a way for organizations to reduce the risk of disaster recovery, especially with its extensive cloud network.
Lastly, cloud computing gives a company the ability to access information from virtually anywhere, anytime. Information security is a growing concern, and companies need all the help they can get when it comes to securing their information. By taking advantage of a public cloud, such as Azure, a business will have the security and reliability to handle confidential information anywhere in the world. This is a great advantage over traditional information security measures, and allows businesses to use the best methods available.
|
https://medium.com/@excelvisor/what-are-the-benefits-of-cloud-computing-with-azure-c42e9ebd30df
|
['Upskill Iq']
|
2020-12-10 15:36:16.685000+00:00
|
['Microsoft', 'Cloud Computing', 'Training', 'Bangalore', 'Azure']
|
Prolong The Life Of Lithium-ion, Laptop, and Cell Phone Batteries
|
Some of the most expensive batteries to replace are cell phone and laptop batteries — also known as Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) batteries.
A lot of people don’t realize that poor care and poor charging practices dramatically decrease the battery life of their lithium-ion batteries.
And the most crucial time in Lithium-ion battery care is during early use or when you first get the battery, phone, or laptop.
So to help you prolong and maximize the lifespan of your laptop, cell phone, or other electronic that uses a li-ion batteries (like an electric shaver)…
I’ll teach you what causes a lithium-ion battery to age prematurely …PLUS, tips, tricks, and crucial maintenance information you must know to get the most out of your Li-ion batteries.
So… How Does A Lithium-Ion Battery Work?
Lithium-ion batteries work based on ion movement between negative and positive electrodes.
Theoretically, lithium-ion batteries should work forever. However, high temperatures and cycling decreases their lifespan over time.
How To Prolong The Life of Lithium-Ion Batteries
Follow these tips to prolong the life of your lithium-ion batteries:
For brand new batteries, it is important to charge them completely before you use the cell phone, laptop, or other electronic. This “teaches” the battery the extent of the charge.
To prolong the life of a lithium-ion battery that sees a lot of use, like a laptop or cell phone, it’s better to charge it often for short periods of time (one to two hours) instead of charging it from a near dead state each time.
While short charges are best, it is important to let the battery drain completely and then fully charge around once a month. This help maintain good battery health.
It’s very detrimental to a lithium-ion battery if you use the device while it’s charging. This makes the battery overheat, which lowers a li-ion battery’s lifespan.
to a lithium-ion battery if you use the device while it’s charging. This makes the battery overheat, which lowers a li-ion battery’s lifespan. If possible, use a charger with a lower voltage rating. While this will charge more slowly, it will charge at a lower temperature, preserving the battery.
Never leave the battery in sunny or hot areas. This heat can damage the battery life.
Finally, if you aren’t going to use the battery for a while or you’re storing it, make sure the battery is over 40% charged before you put it away. When lithium-ion batteries are stored out of charge for long periods of time, this can lead to an inability to maintain a charge once the battery is in use again.
If you follow these tips ( especially if you use them from when you first get your new battery, phone, laptop, or other electronic using a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery) you will maximize the battery’s lifespan and prevent premature aging in the battery.
What Can You Do If A Battery Does Die Or It’s Performance is Suffering?…
If a battery is aging or dies early on you, you can bring those old batteries back to 100% of their working condition using the EZ Battery Reconditioning program.
In this program, you’ll learn how to bring old cell phone, laptop, car, deep-cycle, golf-cart, marine, and forklift batteries back to life again (plus many other types of batteries too)!
The battery reconditioning methods are easy to do and they will save you a lot of money on battery costs over your lifetime.
You can learn more by clicking here.
*“note” — “this article may contain affiliate links, if you purchase anything after clicking an affiliate link, i may recieve some compensation”
|
https://medium.com/@fredlam1/prolong-the-life-of-lithium-ion-laptop-and-cell-phone-batteries-8b87efe42462
|
['Fred Lam']
|
2019-08-22 15:06:04.273000+00:00
|
['Battery']
|
React Components Lifecycle
|
React components lifecycle — Mounting, updating and unmounting of react class components.
In this tutorial, we will learn several react lifecycle phases which our class components goes through. We do not have any lifecycle phase for functional components. If you are new to react you can also check our previous tutorials on React Basics and React Hooks Introduction before continuing with react lifecycle.
Mounting Phase — This is the phase when the instance of a component is created and inserted into browser DOM. We have several methods gets called during this phase — constructor, render, componentDidMount
Here, constructor is the place to assign initialize state variables with default values or with props. componentDidMount is the place to make an AJAX call to an API while mounting your component. Render method renders the view we already know this. But during render, if we have any child components inside, then those components will also get mounted. Let’s see the order in which parent and child gets rendered.
Updating Phase — This is the phase when state or props of a component gets changed. We have two methods gets called during this phase — render, componentDidUpdate
In componentDidUpdate we can have our previous state and props values. And as we discussed this gets called after a state/prop update. So, if we want to perform any task based on specific state/prop variable change then we can compare old state/prop variable with the updated value and perform the task. Remember we can do this as well in the callback function of our setState method, but there we can’t access any previous state/prop after update.
Unmounting Phase — This is the phase when a component gets removed from the DOM. For example, in a shopping cart, a product item is a component inside the cart. So, when you remove a product item from your cart, it is being removed from the view DOM. That is called the unmounting phase of that product item. Here, we have a method called componentDidUnmount. And remember after unmounting the state changes because you can removing an item from the DOM tree. So, component Cart gets re-rendered, which means the component goes through updating phase after unmount.
componentDidUnmount gets called just before the component gets removed. So you can do any clean up activities here.
That’s all about class component life cycle. In the next tutorial we will be learning how to call an API from react, which we will doing using componentDidMount method as discussed in this tutorial. Hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. Thanks :)
|
https://medium.com/skyforce-technologies/react-components-lifecycle-7ba8a977095f
|
['Skyforce Technologies']
|
2021-01-01 15:25:15.759000+00:00
|
['React Lifecycle', 'React Lifecycle Method', 'React Tutorial', 'Componentdidupdate', 'Componentdidmount']
|
Why People Care What You Have To Say
|
At some point in our lives we realize that it isn’t all about us.
For some people that happens when they are young. Some when they are in high school, college, and unfortunately for some it happens way too late…
Before we go any further…I must say that I am a huge advocate of making yourself better, so that you can serve others at a higher level.
BUT
What I am talking about here, is getting people to listen to what you have to say.
It is true…not everyone will listen to you.
However, if you think about the people that already listen to you…like seriously listen…not just “hear” what you say…but actually listen, those are the people that know you CARE!
My story came just after I graduated college.
I started working at a training facility for baseball players.
And since I just had finished playing 4 years of college baseball, I knew that I had a TON of great information for these high school baseball players.
The thing is, most of them didn’t really care what I had to say!
Sure a few were listening out of respect, while the others merely were “hearing” what I had to say.
This drove me nuts!
So my mentor and I get into this discussion and he says “Sam, people don’t care what you have to say, until they know that you care.”
WOW!
I could literally be giving away the BEST INFORMATION in the entire world…but if people don’t know that you care about them, or the subject matter deeply, it will go in one ear and out the other!
That is really unfortunate!
So I challenge you!!
Think about those around you, your friends, family, coworkers, or maybe the potential customer! Once they know that you care about THEM and their success! AND they know you are an expert in a particular area…then you will have a raving fan for life!
Anyways! I hope you are sharing your knowledge and expertise with the world and showing them that you CARE.
Stay Strong!
Sam
P.S. If you want to attract more people into your Baseball Facility by showing how much you care, check out this program I made just for facility owners like yourself!
You can find it here
|
https://medium.com/@reachmoreagency/why-people-care-what-you-have-to-say-71824b824c72
|
['Sam Nott']
|
2020-02-07 18:19:39.793000+00:00
|
['Baseball', 'Coaching', 'Baseball Essential', 'Softball', 'Training']
|
That Time
|
As moments of our life drift by,
sudden intuitions
of something hidden,
an intelligence, perhaps,
throughout the Universe,
a light unseen by our eyes
shining deep into our heart
bringing inspiration
to brighten up our day,
an unheard sound
that slips suddenly away
but shows the cosmic
always present
in the everyday.
Like music
becoming visible
as biochemistry,
cosmic poetry
writes itself
into appearance
as the visible Universe,
bringing all life and art
into being
as it endlessly emerges,
dissolves and flows
into the slipstream of the moment,
a boundless river of intelligence
flowing into appearance
as human beings.
And feelings of regret
for things not done,
things not said,
moments never shared,
are only shadows in a dream,
lost echoes of the sound
of whispers in the wind.
Seeing and living
happen only now,
while now exists,
but as I look up at the stars
and think of you,
I find memories
of a long-forgotten time
when you touched my heart.
That time on the beach.
|
https://medium.com/assemblage/that-time-9ea0f7c9860a
|
['Paul Mulliner']
|
2020-12-21 13:00:43.162000+00:00
|
['Love', 'Life', 'Self', 'Poetry', 'Mindfulness']
|
Reflection on Amal Totkay
|
All the Five Tips for the growth mindset are truly important to take a good decision in practical life. These tips are Self Talking, get out of the comfort zone, create new habits/germinate different ideas, concern with other people for help, and Fake it till we make it. All these tips and factors make our life creative and well organized.
In all the Tips, I really like “Self Talking” because we are able to make good decisions through this tip. Self Talking is basically very necessary for the optimistic and growth mindset to achieve the goals of life. Self Talking makes us able to reduce the risk of problems.
All these tips play a vital role to release us from the fixed mindset and make our life very effective with a growth mindset. Mainly, people who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset.
With the Growth Mindset, we are usually able to achieve our goals right away because Growth Mindset provides us different opportunities towards achieving our life goals. Basically, this growth mindset is based on the belief that our basic qualities are things we can cultivate through our good efforts.
People with a growth mindset believe abilities like talent and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. They’re more likely to enjoy learning, seek out situations to experiment, and see failure as an opportunity to grow.
|
https://medium.com/@h-m-shiraz007/reflection-on-amal-totkay-efa182e6abfa
|
['Muhammad Shiraz']
|
2020-12-26 01:43:30.617000+00:00
|
['Amal Fellowship']
|
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Protein Donuts
|
CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH MINI DONUT
Being Healthy Doesn’t Have to be Boring! Here is a Healthy Treat for you and the whole family to eat! It will fit your macros and keep your waistline tight..
What you will need:
Mini Donut Maker (bought mine on amazon) — You can also purchase a mini donut baking pan if you’d rather use an oven!
Mixing Bowl
Liquid/Dry measuring cup
Whisk
Wax Paper
Plastic Fork
Ingredients
For donuts
Kodiak Cakes — Buttermilk Protein Packed
Quest Cinnamon Crunch Protein — I bought packets at GNC if you’d rather not buy a whole tub!)
Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
Whole Egg
Truvia — or sweetener of your choice
Protein Glaze
1 scoop Quest Cinnamon Crunch Protein
Vanilla Almond Butter — Can use any almond butter of your choice
Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
Directions:
DONUT: Mix 2 cups of Kodiak Cake, 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1/3 cup of water, 1 large egg, 4 TBSP Truvia, mix thourougly.
PROTEIN GLAZE FROSTING: 2 scoops Cinnamon Crunch Quest Protein, 1 TBSP almond butter, slowly add unsweetened almond milk until a thick paste
Turn on mini donut maker, once light indicates it is heated you are ready to get started. In measuring cup pour donut mix onto donut maker filling each just under the line. Lower lid until green light indicates donut is cooked. Remove donut with fork onto wax paper. Let donuts cool, then add frosting! Sprinkle with cinnamon toast crunch cereal (optional) and enjoy!
If you choose to buy the pan, preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease donut pan. Bake 15- 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Each batch should make around 44 donuts. Be sure to share or else you’ll end up consuming all…roughly — 1,100 calories … All things in moderation!
Nutrients: Per serving — 25 calories each | 6 grams of protein | 3 grams of carbs
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy these healthy recipes as much as I do! And don’t forget to subscribe for more healthy recipes, fitness tips, and new challenging exercises!
|
https://medium.com/okon/cinnamon-toast-crunch-protein-donuts-1319f427dba2
|
['Angie Marie']
|
2017-08-24 21:09:20.762000+00:00
|
['Recipe', 'Healthy', 'Donuts']
|
Developer Roadmap: Zero to Java Jedi
|
Some text goes here.
|
https://medium.com/@klezovich/java-developer-roadmap-zero-to-java-jedi-29ffc0d95e64
|
['Артур Клезович']
|
2020-12-04 13:04:44.156000+00:00
|
['Senior Developer', 'Spring', 'Junior Developer', 'Roadmap', 'Java']
|
Education Equity Comes First!
|
Most, if not all, states have experienced dramatic and significant drops in revenue due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic shutdowns with high unemployment and bankruptcies. State legislatures and governors will be facing some very difficult financial decisions in the 2021 legislative sessions and, if history is any guide, state education budgets will be decimated. I believe (and hope!) that the resulting state budget crises will prompt the incoming 117th U.S. Congress to pass another COVID stimulus plan to help backfill state budgets, similar to the 2009 America Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) after the 2008 financial crisis. I see no other way to help forestall a devastating nationwide calamity in the education sector, one that is still approximately $19B behind 2008 funding levels in half of U.S. states adjusted for inflation.
One of the most compelling — and controversial — initiatives born from the ARRA was the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) fund, a $4.35M competitive grant competition that encouraged states to enact a number of market-based education innovations and reforms in order to be eligible for a share of the pot. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the reform options and their effectiveness, the carrot of being eligible for even a small amount of federal grant dollars caused most states to heartily jump at the chance to compete for those dollars, greatly accelerating the pace of the enactment and implementation of these reforms.
The COVID crisis potentially offers another opportunity to provide a carrot to states to enact and implement another round of innovations and reforms in the education sector. However, rather than focus on innovations and reforms that have led to the dismantling of public education as we knew it in favor of a neo-liberal agenda, this time the carrot could encourage states to enact reforms to strengthen public education with a strong focus on equity through a new competitive grant program.
This competitive grant program — let’s call it Equity Comes First (ECF) for the sake of brevity — could be an even larger pot of money (~$7B) that is controlled by the federal Department of Education under the purview of the new Secretary of Education. Using the model of RTTT, but flipping it on its head, ECF could encourage states to enact and implement a number of the equity-based reform and innovation priorities that the new presidential administration is seeking. These reforms could include the entire slate, or a truncated list depending on the politics, of priorities from the Restarting and Reinventing School: Learning in the Time of COVID and Beyond report from the Learning Policy Institute.
Special emphasis could be placed on some top priorities, for example closing the digital divide, community schools, and/or equitable funding formulas, with points allotted to states based on a scale that is priority weighted. Unlike RTTT, however, the ECF grant amounts should be expressed by some type of cut point scale that demonstrates what states could be eligible for based on which priorities are enacted. This would hopefully encourage all states to work on at least one or more of the priorities and make it clear what a state would receive for each reform, as opposed to the seemingly random amount of dollars awarded to states in the RTTT all/most-or-nothing approach to change that resulted in a significant number of states not even competing for RTTT dollars, and others making changes and receiving nothing for it. In this way, any state that enacts and implements one or more of the priorities with fidelity to the policy would receive some amount of money to help implement the reform.
This proposal is admittedly half-baked and would require a deep dive into what priorities to emphasize and how the actual competition would be framed. However, I believe that this is the most effective way to steer state policymaking and education financial decisions in the direction they need to go, undo some of the more harmful public education reforms of the last decade, and ensure all states are eligible for money in exchange for a good-faith effort to enact one or more of the equity-based reforms of the incoming presidential administration.
(Cross published on Voqal’s #makingairwaves blog)
|
https://medium.com/@vinny-badolato/education-equity-comes-first-3acc5a7fc111
|
['Vinny Badolato']
|
2020-12-10 18:52:32.424000+00:00
|
['Education Reform', 'Digital Divide', 'National Education Policy', 'Education Equity']
|
Medium Money Trees, Ripe for the Picking
|
Writing | Tips
Medium Money Trees, Ripe for the Picking
How to succeed as a writer without really dying
We know everyone’s dying to learn the secrets to making money without working — better yet, while sleeping. And we’ve read our fair share of “insider secrets” and “tips and tricks” and, well, maybe some work for some people, some of the time. But that’s not what “being a writer” is all about.
Being a writer requires a love of the written word. Sometimes, it seems like a love-hate relationship, as we wrangle the words to communicate, with readers, exactly what we have bouncing around in our heads. But in the end, it’s in our veins, and sometimes it feels as if our veins are full of ink that oozes from our pores and out our fingertips.
This story is for serious writers who would also like to do a bit better at earning their pennies on Medium without resorting to cheap tricks that take them far from their real love: words.
Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
Improve Your Writing Skills
Now and then, I stumble across a bit of writing advice that doesn’t break all its own rules. Never mind that I can’t write “7 Tips for Writing Badly” without screwing it up and inserting something that’s actually good writing advice (only one Editor, off-site, caught me at it, so now it’s just an inside joke). Now and then, I find good writing advice and feel compelled to share it:
Not only do the readers on Medium love the fresh, thought-provoking, and beautifully written stories and poems, they crave fresh food. If a topic looks hot and interesting, serve it up before it grows cold. It doesn’t have to be rushed, sloppy, or callously controversial — I’m talking timely and accurate, or with the promise of updates. Don’t just jump on the bandwagon half-cocked and ready to raise a ruckus. If you do, be prepared to issue retractions, updates, and do the due diligence to correct any misinformation you helped to put out there.
Hot topics for me, this month, have included simple analysis on changes to the terms of service on Medium (with updates as those were clarified and updated), as well as stories on writers’ rights under copyright law, what constitutes public domain, current copyright violations, and how to find a violator’s web hosting company and submit a complaint.
Aside from that, people seemed to like my poetry.
I cannot say that stories placed in publications or stories that “got curated” did significantly better or worse than stories I simply published.
Build Your Audience
I hate to use the word “following.” You could “follow” me all over the Internet, but God only knows where I’m “leading” you as a writer. Down the garden path, most likely. Into an intriguing rabbit hole, maybe. In a raucous dance to an off-tune piper, perhaps.
I make no promises, folks. I can’t teach you how to make money in your sleep, or sell vague “products” on the Internet. I can’t give you a magic formula for Medium success — though I did, at the last minute, slide into home plate to land a spot in the elusive 5.8% Club. But if you like anything you’ve read here, I’d love for you to click that Follow button next to my name, and come along for the ride.
Benny Lim lays out the case for why it matters — and why it’s about to become a whole lot more important:
I will add that you should probably make the larger, general-interest publications work for your following. Try unfollowing them for a week and see how that changes what you see on your Medium front page. Follow the writers whose work you consistently enjoy. Follow the publications that showcase the writing you consistently enjoy — otherwise, just visit them now and then to find new writers, and follow them individually.
What Makes ME Follow or Unfollow People Here?
1I try to follow, first and foremost, writers whose work I’ve really enjoyed on a consistent basis. Not necessarily a single story, but several. I will admit to giving some preference to paid members; after all, they are the ones who are contributing to my earnings here, as well, even if it’s just a few pennies a month. But if someone writes fantastic stories, using language that sings, I’m going to follow them whether they have a little green semi-circle around their picture or not.
2I try to follow people who leave thoughtful comments on my work, or whose comments on other people’s work are meaty and thought-provoking and inspire some discussion. I will follow these folks independently of whether I love their other writing or not, because they’ve shown themselves to be engaged readers and conversationalists. Medium is a blogging platform, not a traditional news media outlet or a magazine. Conversation matters; communication, here, is a two-way street. I value that, a lot. I enjoy it.
3I have tried to remove, from my “following” list, those who are no longer active on Medium, and those who are here as readers only. I love these folks — I truly love all the readers in the world who don’t fancy themselves as “writers” — but they don’t need “followers,” do they? They are the ones who decide whether we writers are worthy of following or not. So consider that when doing the “follow for follow” thing — there’s no good reason to follow back someone who’s not writing and publishing stories at all. If you’re a long-time reader who suddenly gets the itch to write, please drop a link to your first story in a comment on one of mine, and I’ll be happy to take a look, and maybe follow!
4I try to remove, and unfollow with extreme prejudice, the copycats — the plagiarists and copyright violators who worm their way onto a platform, thinking to make a few bucks off other people’s efforts. I refuse to reward them, and I suggest they not follow me, because I will report them when I see them.
Learn to Promote Yourself (Because You Don’t Have a Bot Army to Do It For You)
Friends, readers — a word?
Writers live and die by word of mouth promotion. See those little social media icons near the title of each story here — the ones that look like this:
Sharing is Caring — Please USE These! Click Harder!
Most of the writers I know are hopeless introverts and fairly clueless when it comes to doing their own marketing, advertising, and public relations. It’s not natural. Even if we manage an effective PR campaign, deep down in our souls, we feel like sleazy sellers of rip-off Ginzu knives at a second-rate state fair in some little square state out west that no one can identify on a map.
Normally, I wouldn’t ask, but behind me are hundreds, if not thousands, of writers pushing me forward, begging me to speak for them:
We suck at this. Please help us.
If you love us (or hey, even if you just don’t hate us enough to enjoy thinking about us hanging out on a street corner with a pencil cup and a sign saying, “Buy me coffee before I kill someone in my novel), share.
Click the bird and tweet. Better yet, highlight a favorite sentence or two, then hit that bird and tweet — it’s much more likely to pique your Twitter followers’ interest if there’s a teaser, and if that teaser is why you found it interesting enough to share.
Hit the “in” and tell all your colleagues you read this thing and it’s made you smarter, more successful, and instantly more promotable. Click the “f”— because giving the “f” to Facebook is the only way, lately, to slip a Medium link past the algorithmic gatekeepers. Clearly, we’re all a bunch of troublemakers who deserve to be banned. I don’t know, but I’m starting to wear it like a badge of honor.
Writers: Get Clever
Writing for Reading Rhombus is a great way to promote yourself and others, as well as a fantastic way to build a network among colleagues. The whole idea, here, is to write well and showcase four other writers in the process — what’s not to love? Give readers an in-depth introduction to writers and topics they may enjoy, while giving a wider reach to those writers than they had before.
In more general terms, here are some creative ways to promote your writing that don’t involve lots of cheap make-up and posing under a streetlamp on Twitter:
Love Instagram, but find that “one link in bio” bit frustrating? Try smart.bio by Tailwind. (I think that clicking that might get you a credit, courtesy of me, but it really gets me nothing, because I’m not on a paid plan and don’t plan to be.) Still, there you go — a way to expand that one link into more, so you can promote your own website, your books on Amazon, your Medium writing, and your favorite social media pages.
Here are a few more ideas for using Instagram as a writer:
Position Yourself for Success
You may not make a gazillion bucks while snoozing away, but if you constantly work to improve your writing, build a real and engaged audience — one you can count on to help spread the word about how fantastic your work is, and try to promote your writing in both the tried and true, and novel ways, you will succeed as a writer.
Wait.
Scratch that. You still have to write something worth reading. Do more of that, too! As Tom Clancy once said to me, “Just write the damned book.”
|
https://medium.com/reading-rhombus/medium-money-trees-ripe-for-the-picking-3dfd9bbc1ffd
|
['Holly Jahangiri']
|
2020-09-09 02:20:01.601000+00:00
|
['Build Your Audience', 'Writing', 'Promotion', 'Reading', 'Networking']
|
Day 22: A lone seeker
|
I like airports. I feel them as places where everybody has their wish granted. Going somewhere they imagined long time ago. Meeting someone they invited for holiday after not seeing them for too many years. Passengers going on the same plane are strangers, but they have the same goal. Everything is buzzing, yet it all seems like a calmed ant farm. All the shops, bars and restaurants make you feel like you’re in your own town. And especially I like bookstores. They are like reminiscences of the past, embracing our hungry soul, feeding us with curiosity, hugging us and sending us into the world richer, enlightened, wiser.
I like hotels. I feel them as places where everybody is home for just a little while. There is always someone at the desk that says goodnight, always a good morning. I know it’s their job, but still, their nature is friendly, they try to be human as possible, they help through those rare moments when you’re not at home, yet you are. And especially I like their piano bars. Everyone is welcome there and no one is lonely, even if they come alone. Music is gentle, there is no rush, only slow movement of lost souls, trying to have a pleasant evening.
I like cities in the evening. I feel people on long walks, exploring bright alleys. I hear distant chatter, music from the bars. I smell the food from the restaurants, taking me all over the world. Everything feels more peaceful. Everyone starts accepting reality that day is coming to an end. And especially I like people, wondering around like they in the city for the first time, trying to find where to go next to a dinner, party, hotel.
Barcelona, November 2008
There are so many places in our lives where we are surrounded with people, but we feel so alone. And sometimes there are places, where we are alone on a journey, but feel so connected. Connected not only with complete strangers, but with their souls, their exploring spirits, their adventurous hearts.
One of the hardest thing in the world is feeling lonely in a group of people. And one of the most beautiful thing is being one with lone seekers just like you.
This post is a part of my 30 Days Writing Challenge. Wanna join me? ;)
|
https://medium.com/30-days-writing-challenge/day-22-a-lone-seeker-f17d10176e2e
|
['Matjaž Šircelj']
|
2016-12-21 22:29:41.830000+00:00
|
['Travel', 'Love', 'Airports', 'Hotels', 'Cities']
|
‘Ava’ is Full of Problems
|
But it’s not all that bad.
Ava movie poster | Vertical Entertainment
I am one of those who are inclined to believe that Jessica Chastain can do no wrong. Even when I don’t enjoy a movie that she’s in, she still gives a great performance. And that’s what we see in Ava, a film that is somehow equal parts action film and family drama.
Ava centers around a troubled female assassin who has to battle her own demons, her family’s past, and those seeking to take her out. The story is entirely predictable and doesn’t do anything new or ground-breaking. It’s a film that’s entertaining enough to have on in the background while you’re doing something else — I’m really glad that I didn’t pay money to go see it in theaters.
Chastain, of course, holds her own in this. This film, for all its flaws, really shows off her range as an actress, from flirting to get close to a target, to weeping with her family, to beating up a whole room of bad guys, she did a great job. I was willing to go through the weirdly complicated plot just to spend more time with her.
I’ve read some reviews where Ava is compared to John Wick, saying that this film is just as good or bad as that one, but I have to disagree. While I did grow frustrated with the John Wick films just because I didn’t want to keep seeing Keanu Reeves in a constantly concussed state, I do think those films are better.
Jessica Chastain in Ava | Vertical Entertainment
Ava Tries to do Too Much
One of the beautiful things about John Wick is its simplicity. A well-trained assassin who is dealing with the death of his wife is set over the edge when his dog is killed. That’s it. He goes on a whole killing spree in order to get revenge on the guy who killed his dog. Then, from that simple premise, we’re brought into an elaborate and creative world of elite assassins.
Ava, on the other hand, has a ton of other plotlines going on. We learn about the death of Ava’s abusive father, her neglectful mother suffering from OCD and other health issues, her gambling ex-fiance who is now engaged to her sister who also happens to be pregnant. That’s in addition to her addiction and her attempts to stay sober, her relationship with her stand-in father figure Duke (John Malkovich), and the criminal enterprise that she is part of.
One of the beautiful things about many action films is their simplicity. The protagonist has a singular mission and as they’re trying to execute that, we can learn a ton about the characters and the world they live in.
If Ava had tried to do a little less, I think it could’ve been a lot better.
Jessica Chastain in Ava | Vertical Entertainment
The Choreography is Only Okay
What amazed me about the John Wick films is how incredible all of the fights are. Honestly, I still think about the knife fight in John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum from time to time, it’s that good. The fights in that series are so tight, every move so perfectly timed, and is all done where I can clearly see the people fighting. I hadn’t seen that wide-spread level of precision in action films before; the creative fights blew me away.
John Wick raised the bar when it comes to the quality of fight scenes in action films and Ava couldn’t keep up.
Ava just didn’t have as good of choreography, though there were moments of genius. These, largely happen when Ava is on her own, improvising when something goes wrong in the field. Like when she reacts to the Germans in Riyadh. I could watch her plowing through tons of bad guys all day long. Or when she leaps out of that fountain to take out the assassin who tried to kill her, I shouted at my TV — it was so great! It’s not only an exciting moment of action, but it shows a level of ruthlessness that made me really respect Ava.
The problem was that I found the larger fights to be boring. I was thoroughly uninterested in watching Duke and Simon (Colin Farrell) duke it out. It was hard to watch a bar brawl between two guys past their prime after watching just how smooth Ava fights.
And then, when Simon finally confronts Ava, I just wanted him to turn around and go back home. He makes it clear that he’s out of practice, yet he goes to try and kill his top assassin. This felt like an important reminder to stay in your lane.
Ava is an okay movie, which, sadly, isn’t enough because female characters are judged more harshly than male characters. It’s not right, but it’s where we currently find ourselves. An “okay” movie about a female assassin is always going to be seen as a massive letdown. Hopefully that won’t always be the case.
In the meantime, I’m glad that studios are trying new things and giving women the opportunity to be action stars. As more and more of these types of films come out, I hope that they get better and better.
|
https://medium.com/the-strategic-whimsy-experiment/ava-is-full-of-problems-e13716e30b05
|
['Sarah Callen']
|
2021-01-18 01:59:47.426000+00:00
|
['Movie Review', 'Ava', 'Movies', 'Film Reviews', 'Film']
|
6 entry-level careers in finance without a degree
|
Are you interested in a career in the lucrative industry of finance? Are you looking for a career change to fulfill your purpose? Here are 6 career paths in finance that helps people and pays well. There are several options that you can pursue with an online certificate and/or on the job training.
1.Bank Teller
2.Bookkeeping
3.Insurance Sales Agent
4. Tax Professional
5. Mortgage Loan Officer
6. Credit Analyst
1.Bank Teller
Provides account services to customers by receiving deposits and loan payments, cashing checks, issuing savings withdrawals, and recording night and mail deposits. Sells cashier’s checks, traveler’s checks, and series e bonds. … Reconciles loan coupons and other transactions.
Education: High School Diploma
Average Yearly Salary: $23,000
2.Bookkeeping
Bookkeepers oversee a company’s financial data and compliance by maintaining accurate books on accounts payable and receivable, payroll, and daily financial entries and reconciliations. They perform daily accounting tasks such as monthly financial reporting, general ledger entries, and record payments and adjustments.
Education: High School Diploma/ Certificate (for credibility)
Average Yearly Salary: $37,250
3. Insurance Sales Agent
Insurance agents sell and negotiate life, health, property, or other types of insurance to match the needs of their clients. As an insurance agent, you may work for an insurance company, refer clients to independent brokers, or work as an independent broker.
Education: High School Diploma/ 20 Hour Pre-licensing Course
Average Yearly Salary: $39,037
4. Tax Professional
A Tax Preparer is a qualified professional who assists clients to file their income tax returns. They meet with clients during the tax preparation process to review financial records, complete all tax forms, and ensure that completed forms follow legislation and regulations.
Education: High School Diploma
Average Yearly Salary: $50,264
5. Mortgage Loan Officer
Approves mortgage loans by examining application and supporting documentation; estimating credit-worthiness; calculating repayment risk. Competes mortgage loans by monitoring collection, verification, and preparation of mortgage loan documentation; scheduling and completing mortgage loan closing.
Education: High School Diploma/ 20 Hour Pre-Licensing Course
Average Yearly Salary: $63,040
6. Credit Analyst
The responsibilities of the credit analyst include analyzing credit data and financial information of persons or companies that are applying for credit or loans to determine the risk that the bank, or other lending or credit-granting institution will not recoup funds loaned.
Education: High School Diploma/ Certification Course
Average Salary: $52,000
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics expects to see a nearly 17% growth in the number of financial services jobs over the next decade. Nearly 1.2 million new finance jobs will be created due in part to increasing financial regulations and the need for oversight. The time is now to get into the financial services. Money is always a factor in anyone’s life so take the time now to start your career and help our communities excel in financial abundance!
|
https://medium.com/@virgofinancial/6-entry-level-careers-in-finance-without-a-degree-493354c00587
|
['Virgo Financial']
|
2020-12-23 05:54:25.175000+00:00
|
['Entry Level', 'Careers', 'Financial Services', 'Money', 'Career Change']
|
The Car Explosion Case Against Ford Due to Its Dirty Tricks for a Bigger Market Share
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The Launch of Ford Pinto Cars
To counter the rising subcompact competition in the US market, Ford Motor Company had to address the issue on a war footing basis.
Market situation
Volkswagen and Japanese car manufacturers were gaining the business.
To stay in the market, it was thus needed to produce an alternative to the V W Beetle, or the whole thing would have been lost earlier than anticipated.
The concept was simple. Make a medium-sized, low-priced car and have a slice of the pie or be thrown out for that particular niche.
In order to take advantage of the auto subcompact market, Ford was developing a similar car that was addressing all those issues. But if it took too long, Ford would miss the bus. Yet if it did things hastily, safety concerns and cost issues might have been in jeopardy. It was complicated.
Lee Iacocca, the Executive Vice President who later became the President of the auto giant, was in the pilot’s seat to make things happen for Ford. After his roaring success with the Mustang, the company’s management gave him the daunting task to launch the Ford Pinto model.
Design and cost issues
The car design had to be compact and the cost/price had to be minimal.
The standard time span required to launch a new vehicle was about forty-three months. But time was of the essence. Therefore, the new Ford Pinto car had to hit the market in around two years' time from its inception.
But there were critical design issues that were linked with the mechanism and protection of fuel tanks that could ultimately make or break the overall vehicle safety.
The required design changes would add the safety layers to the fuel tank issue and would not cost too much either. But Iacocca, the brain behind the Ford Pinto was determined not to let Pinto weigh over 2000 pounds and not to cost over $2000. That was Iacocca’ strategy to win the respective market share.
Risks involved
Ford knew about the fuel tank issue with health and finance risks associated.
Lee Iacocca spent millions lobbying Ford’s safety standards. Regardless of this futile attempt, Ford paid millions to settle out-of-court damages, as there were between 500 and 900 burn deaths because of Pinto car accidents.
By 1977, Ford Motor Company launched new Pinto models after incorporating a few minor design changes to comply with federal standards that Ford had held off for six years.
|
https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/the-car-explosion-case-against-ford-due-to-its-dirty-tricks-for-a-bigger-market-share-6410f745c4a0
|
['Misbah Ul Haq Syed']
|
2021-07-02 05:22:28.547000+00:00
|
['Lawsuit', 'Business', 'Competition', 'Ford', 'Marketing Strategies']
|
Vulnerability : A 2020 Theme. As we approach the end of what for so…
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As we approach the end of what for so many of us has been a year to remember, I can’t help but to think that the collective experience of 2020 has been “Vulnerability”.
The covid-19 pandemic’s impact has been insidious and felt in so many parts of our daily lives. It has brought to the forefront concerns about our health, the health of loved ones, finances, domestic life and careers. Some countries shut down whilst others remained defiantly “normal” mimicing the variety of individual choice. I don’t need to explain it to you, you’ve experienced it and continue to.
With racial tension and misinformation trying to out do their cousin covid, it’s no surprise we feel fatigued. It’s been a mental and emotional rollercoaster; we have felt raw, exposed and dare I say it again, vulnerable.
I’ll be presumptious and say that most of us have a complex relationship with vulnerability, I certainly do. Interestingly (to me at least) it’s not because I believe vulnerability is disempowering; it’s not that it’s uncomfortable to share my pain, my embarrassment, or suffering. Its the opposite in my case, I am uncomfortable displaying the fullness of my hopes, my dreams, my joy, love and excitement. I have a tendency to mute these things, perhaps its a fear of failure, a fear they won’t be everlasting, who knows, I’m sure my therapist and I will get to the bottom of it soon!
With so much uncertainty laying ahead of us, with us experiencing distrust in our politicians, healthcare and all the other smarty pants, how is your vulnerability showing up? How are you engaging with it? Is it holding you back or motivating you? In March of this year I threw my hands up and sat on my vision for several months but as happens when we practice awareness, when we tap into a higher state of consciousness, we gain clarity. I’m confronting my resistance to vulnerability, this full moon I surrendered to my worthiness to be vulnerable and simultaneously empowered, I implore you all to do the same.
"Vulnerability is the only authentic state. Being vulnerable means being open, for wounding, but also for pleasure. Being open to the wounds of life means also being open to the bounty and beauty. Don’t mask or deny your vulnerability: it is your greatest asset. Be vulnerable: quake and shake in your boots with it. the new goodness that is coming to you, in the form of people, situations, and things can only come to you when you are vulnerable, i.e. open.” — Stephen Russell
Over the next few weeks I want to introduce you to some amazing healers and coaches, first up will be my beautiful soul sister Aine Zyon, the creator of Spinning Chakras, I wont spill all the tea now, go find her on instagram.
Stay blessed.
|
https://medium.com/@thisiskikelomo/vulnerability-a-2020-theme-b23a7ec15deb
|
['Kimberly Fagbenle']
|
2020-12-02 10:05:22.413000+00:00
|
['Covid 19', 'Vulnerability', '2020']
|
26 Easy Steps To Making Friends In A New City
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Sign up for Yapjaw
By Slackjaw
Yapjaw is Medium's #1 newsletter for all things humor, and we're sorry to say you'll only receive it a few times a month. Take a look
|
https://medium.com/slackjaw/26-easy-steps-to-making-friends-in-a-new-city-d485b2d46f56
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['Emily Clouse']
|
2019-11-08 06:21:11.223000+00:00
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['Humor', 'Friends', 'Illustration', 'Moving', 'Comics']
|
Libra: Welcome to your new Surveillance Coin
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The new Chinese digital currency, the Chinese Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is being viewed as one of the ultimate ways to surveil its citizens. Libra is the other.
You’ve been Zucked! Photo Credit: Chris Boyer
The Chinese Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and Facebook’s Libra are two sides to the same coin. One deals with the most populated nation state on the planet, and the other (Libra), takes care of the rest.
How easily we as citizens give up our freedoms in exchange for so-called “security”. It tears a page from several Orwellian novels of a future dystopia where freedom is taken away piece by inexorable piece.
The protests in Hong Kong against the introduction of a bill that allowed extradition to Mainland China enlightened the rest of the world that there is such a thing as Facial Recognition Towers:
China clearly doesn’t think much about the privacy of its citizens. Yet, the same thing occurs in the rest of the world through seemingly innocuous social media sites.
The Perfect Surveillance Currency
I think Satoshi Nakamoto, wherever he or she is, is shaking their head at the idea of digital currency being used to surveil citizens of a nation state. Such a bastardization of Bitcoin’s founding ideals encapsulated in a currency that is Decentralized, with no central authorities, with no means of intercepting transactions, or confiscation, now being used to do exactly those things seems such a nightmarish reversal.
Introducing Libra and CBDC.
With a completely state sanction digital currency, one where paper money, and metal coins are done away with, all purchases and transactions, including the time and place where they occurred, can be tracked analyzed, judged and prosecuted — instantaneously.
It’s as if some nation states put their heads together and experienced an “Ahaa” moment when all their command and control visions were suddenly realized. If this is the final outcome of the creation of Bitcoin: a surveillance coin that is able to track all of your financial transactions, and prosecute you for it, then it is a sad state of affairs indeed.
Social Credit Score
Under the guise of tackling crime, China has introduced something called a Social Credit Score:
The Chinese Communist Party intends the social credit score system to “allow the trustworthy to roam freely under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step.” Generally, higher credit scores give people a variety of advantages. Individuals are often given perks such as discounted energy bills and access or better visibility on dating websites. Often, those with higher social credit scores are able to forgo deposits on rental properties, bicycles, and umbrellas. They can even get better travel deals. In addition, Chinese hospitals are currently experimenting with social credit scores. A social credit score above 650 at one hospital allows an individual to see a doctor without lining up to pay. ~Forbes
With a completely digital currency, paired with a social scoring system, it’s not a stretch to imagine a Chinese national tagging a photo of the protests in Hong Kong with a #noextraditiontochina hashtag finding themselves suddenly with no funds in the bank, access cut off, prison no longer necessary, yet probable.
Social engineering with an Orwellian twist.
And if you think a Facebook coin will only increase advertisements in your feed without a similar social engineering effect, well, you probably don’t keep up with the news:
Cambridge Analytica, a political data firm hired by President Trump’s 2016 election campaign, gained access to private information on more than 50 million Facebook users. The firm offered tools that could identify the personalities of American voters and influence their behavior.. ~NYT, Facebook and Cambridge Analytica: What You Need to Know as Fallout Widens
Right now, Facebook is being accused of Commercial Surveillance, yet no doubt they are just a Federal subpoena away from giving up their users online behaviors.
“Facebook continued to explore and implement ways to track users’ location, to track and read their texts, to access and record their microphones on their phones, to track and monitor their usage of competitive apps on their phones, and to track and monitor their calls,” one court document says. ~ The Guardian
The US Department of Homeland Security has already readied plans to create fake profiles on Facebook in order “to monitor the social media of foreigners seeking to enter the country.”
A 2nd US agency, the “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had authorized its officers to use fake social media accounts in a reversal of a previous ban on the practice.”
Facebook and Twitter both have objected to the practice, but the US agencies move ahead with their plans despite the social media companies objections.
The arguments of governments is that surveillance is in exchange or a social good: fighting crime, restricting the freedoms and rights of those deemed unworthy. In exchange, if you kowtow to the rules and restrictions of the governing state then the carrot portion of the ‘carrot and stick’ paradigm become apparent: no deposit for rent, freedom of travel, better dating opportunities, etc.
It’s a Faustian bargain.
“Protest our extradition policies,” I can imagine someone from the Chinese politburo ominously declaring, “- and we’ll take appropriate actions.” — Such as destroying you financially.
It’s one of the many reasons Decentralization matters for Bitcoin. Freedom, to think, to do, to believe.
To guard the ability to protest extradition to a Communist country without consequences to one’s manufactured “Social Credit Score” is an example. To live with Privacy as a constitutional right is another.
Unfortunately, not all nations recognize this most basic of human rights. And while CBDC can conceivably be used to pair China’s Social Credit Score with their citizen’s buying and spending decisions, and Libra “only” with commercial surveillance, the difference lies only in degree, not in substance.
|
https://medium.com/cryptozoa/libra-welcome-to-your-new-surveillance-coin-e08add23e269
|
[]
|
2019-09-06 12:47:26.768000+00:00
|
['Libra', 'Cbdc', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Crypto', 'Bitcoin']
|
San Francisco Could Soon Reopen as Infection Rate Falls
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Welcome news for our city’s small businesses (and the rest of us): San Francisco Mayor London Breed gave a hint today that the city could reopen soon if the Covid-19 infection rate continues at its current rate or declines.
The Bay Area has been in a second shelter-in-place for more than a month, since December 16, with no end in sight. The order was originally set to lift on January 7 but then was indefinitely extended due to continued dismal ICU capacity rates. Given the struggles small businesses have already faced this year, this news was hard to grapple with for many local business owners and workers.
Thankfully, it appears things could be looking up. The Bay Area can emerge from its state-ordered shutdown once the regional ICU rate is projected to hit at least 15% capacity within a four-week period. The current rate is 6.6% (up from its lowest point at 0.6% just a week ago), and with the infection rate back under 1%, that should lead us to a 15% or greater ICU rate soon if we all keep doing our part in slowing the spread.
In other news, San Francisco also opened its first of three planned mass vaccination sites today. This site is on City College of San Francisco’s main campus on Ocean Avenue in the Oceanview, Merced Heights, Ingleside neighborhood and is in partnership with UCSF Health. It will start at 500 doses a day with the goal of eventually issuing 10,000 vaccinations per day.
Two additional mass vaccination sites will be set up at the Moscone Center in SoMa and the SF Market in the Bayview. This is all part of the city’s plan to vaccinate every resident by June 30.
“Large vaccination sites like this one at City College are going to be critical for getting people vaccinated quickly and safely, and getting our City on the road to recovery,” Breed said in a press release, saying also that “San Francisco has a plan and we are ready to distribute 10,000 doses per day once we have enough vaccine. To fully deliver this plan, we need more vaccine and we will continue to do everything we can to be ready when our supply of vaccine does increase.”
These are promising pieces of news we love to see, capping off an already hopeful week. Enjoy your weekend at home, Bay Area, while we continue to wait.
|
https://thebolditalic.com/san-francisco-could-soon-re-open-as-infection-rate-falls-3d896e4a6d2e
|
['Clara Hogan']
|
2021-01-22 23:36:33.924000+00:00
|
['Bay Area', 'San Francisco', 'Coronavirus']
|
175. Why Legitimacy And Trust Are Huge Problems For The Experience Industry (And How To Fix It)
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“Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this Board of Directors meeting at MegaCorp LLC. As you know, the current crisis has left us in a bad position. Luckily, we still have plenty of space to manuever and resources to make change happen. We are, after all, a huge company! But, truth be told, we need new ideas and new perspectives. It’s adapt or die time, and I for one, intend to adapt! So… who should we bring in to help?”
“Yes, Linda?”
“Well, we’ve worked with the consultants at Booze Allen Hamilton in the past, and that’s been good. How about we bring them in?”
“Good suggestion, Linda. Noted. Sam, you also had a hand up?”
“There’s a Stanford University Professor I know. She teaches Innovation Strategy. How about I call her in and we set up a workshop?”
“Great. You get on that, Sam. Fatima, how about you? Any ideas?”
“Hmm… ok, now that think of it, there’s a new company consisting of former Wall Street big shots, who now offer advice on Mergers and Acquisitions. They’re expensive, but they sound good. Should I reach out to them?”
“Definitely! We need all the help we can get. Remember the Einstein quote about always doing the same thing and expecting different results? We need to think outside the box here!”
…
“Peter, you’ve been quiet. Damn it, man, now isn’t the time for silence! We need ideas, and you know a million people. What’s on your mind?”
“With respect, I do have some ideas, but they are a tad unusual…”
“That’s exactly what we need! Spill the beans!”
“Ok, so I’ve got this friend that runs something called The Experience Design Bureau. They’re a bit wild, but have a crazy track record. They helped Coca Cola rethink their customer experience strategy, were the creative minds behind the new Ford multi-family car that everyone is talking about and helped MOMA in New York boost their revenue by 300% by letting guests co-design the exhibitions. How about I give them a call?”
“… Experience Design bureau? What the hell is that?”
“Well, it’s a bit new, but as I understand it, they think of the experience rather than the product. Not sure I get it myself, but they’ve done some really impressive stuff.”
“Who’s behind it? I read something about Universal Studios branching out in new areas. Is it part of that?”
“No, it’s just them. They’re a six-man operation, from what my friend tells me, and then they pull in freelancers when needed. Kind of like a film studio, but they design experiences instead of movies, or something like that.”
“Ok, so it’s just six guys in some garage somewhere selling pipe dreams?”
“Well, no… I mean… I don’t think so. They’ve worked with Coca Cola and Ford and MOMA, after all…”
“Forget it. We need serious suggestions. You got anything else, Peter?”
“How about Escape Your Own Reality? They started in 2015 with a single escape room in Atlanta and now they’re running almost 400 escape rooms in the Middle East. They helped British Airways find new ways to make money on their brand and I read that their deal with Hyatt brings in more than 600 million dollars a year for the hotel chain. I know someone, who went to school with their founder.”
“Escape rooms? Peter, this isn’t a time for jokes. Anything else?”
“If you don’t like either of those, how about Unlimited Imagination LLC? They took an old theme park in Germany and did a complete makeover on the concept. Apparently, they didn’t build anything, but just changed it from a place with rollercoasters to a zombie horror thing. The number of visitors more than 10x’ed over the course of two years! I met their COO at a conference in Paris in the spring, and I seem to remember that they also did corporate collaborations.”
“Ok, I’ve heard enough. Linda, call the consultants. Sam, you get hold of that Professor! Fatima, I want a meeting with those ex-Wall Street types asap. And Peter, I suggest you go home and take a long hard think about why you’re on this board. We brought you on because we wanted someone different. Not because we wanted a hopeless dreamer. Consider this a warning!”
Does this sound hauntingly familiar?
It’s been more than twenty years ago since Jim Gilmore and Joe Pine took the corporate world by storm with their writings (and talks) about “The Experience Economy”. Since then, experience evangelists have spread the gospel from Australia to Alaska — we should no longer think only of commodities, products or services, but instead of experiences.
If you don’t already have it, this book is a must for your collection!
But while the theory is sound and the numbers are clear, even the most successful experience innovators have a hard time getting the word out. In the recently published “The Innovation Cycle”, Pine himself shares this story:
Years ago, I gave a boardroom talk in Milan, Italy, to a dozen or so executives from different companies. One was the VP of a global coffee manufacturer, and made a statement that amazed me: “There has been no innovation in the coffee industry in fifteen years.” I respond: “Have you never hard of Starbucks?”
And this isn’t just a small time local experience designer from Greece — this is Joe Pine, one of the godfathers of the Experience Economy. This guy is one of the few people, who actually DOES get listened to.
We have a legitimacy problem in the experience design space
The horrible truth is that there’s a huge disconnect at play here.
As the world becomes more and more complex and change happens faster and faster, it’s increasingly necessary for companies both big and small to be constantly re-imagining themselves. But when the giants look for “the next big thing”, they have a tendency to overlook experience design.
And why? Is it because there aren’t examples of how to use experience design to create amazing things? No, certainly not. While the cases above were fictional, there are plenty of impressive real world numbers out there.
About five years ago, the Danish interactive theatre designer Peter Holst-Beck partnered up with Kronborg Castle in Denmark (the castle of Hamlet) and started doing interactive productions of Hamlet there. Though the price for admittance rose by nearly 50%, visitor numbers soared, and within a three year period, Kronborg saw an increase in guests from ~100.000 to ~350.000. That’s insane. And on the money side, the numbers are even better. Kronborg, which is part of the National Museum of Denmark, is now cash flow positive and helps fund the other museums — and the Museum Director, Rane Willerslev, has called it “the Museum’s golden egg”.
And don’t even get me started on Meow Wolf. (Seriously, if you’ve never heard of them, google “Meow Wolf”. You won’t be sorry!)
But even so, it’s hard for people like Peter Holst-Beck to get in front of boardrooms and executives. Of course! Who’d ever think of bringing in an experience designer, when you can hire McKinsey?
Full disclosure: I work as a coach at McKinsey, so I’m happy whenever anyone brings them in!
Now, personally, I’m quite happy about that, since I sometimes get pulled in because of my Experience Design skills, but just because I’m lucky to have landed in the middle of consulting royalty doesn’t mean that everything is as it should be. Like Pine and Peter Holst-Beck, I’m one of the exceptions.
But I shouldn’t be.
And that’s an ugly truth we have to face (and change):
Experience Design has a legitimacy problem.
We don’t have enough prestigious names in our corner
Harvard Business School. Stanford. State Departments. Oxford. Maersk. Morgan Stanley. CBS News. Ford. British Airways. These are just a few names on the list, and it goes on and on and on. There are many ways to gain respect in the corporate world, and these are just a couple of names that are nice to have on your resume.
“Top Ten Most Famous Logos” | From the Designbro blog
There are also awards and conferences and magazines and courses and certifications and and and. The different paths to respect and success in the world of big corporate (and big government) are many and varied.
And the world of experience design?
Well, on one hand we have giants like Disney and Universal Studios. It’s also easy to argue that Facebook contains its fair share of experience designers and that McDonalds is in the experience design business.
We do have Disney in our corner. And that is definitely something!
But outsiders don’t see it that way — and neither do the giants themselves, necessarily. Yes, Disney has its Disney Institute that helps organisations with “learning a bit about the Disney magic”, but it’s not like Kodak brought on ex-Disney thinkers when their photography empire started crumbling.
And that’s the big names. Try knocking on the door of a 1,000 person company that’s looking for fresh ideas and saying “Hi there — I’m a highly trained and award winning experience designer. Maybe I can help solve your problems!”. Try it. You might succeed, but I can guarantee you that it’s easier to get into that room if you flash your ex-Deloitte past at them.
Because we’re hard to understand, we need strong institutions to back us, and as of right now, we simply don’t have those institutions.
We need to pioneer, partner and piggyback
Luckily, this is something we can change. It’s not going to be easy and it’s going to be a long hard struggle, but we CAN actually make it better.
I see three clear paths forward:
Pioneering. We have to create our own institutions and grow their reputations. We must band together to strengthen each other by being many instead of few. We need to support the existing networks in our space and signal boost them. In short, working together amongst ourselves to present a stronger front towards the rest of the world.
We have to create our own institutions and grow their reputations. We must band together to strengthen each other by being many instead of few. We need to support the existing networks in our space and signal boost them. In short, working together amongst ourselves to present a stronger front towards the rest of the world. Partnering. We need to find allies who can help us while we help them. We have to connect with existing institutions, resources and brands and co-create with them. We must accept trade-offs and compromises, so we can move forward, because if we don’t expand our bubble we’re tiny. That means learning how to speak the lingo of others to be understood, and accepting that they don’t know ours.
We need to find allies who can help us while we help them. We have to connect with existing institutions, resources and brands and co-create with them. We must accept trade-offs and compromises, so we can move forward, because if we don’t expand our bubble we’re tiny. That means learning how to speak the lingo of others to be understood, and accepting that they don’t know ours. Piggybacking. We also have the advantage that since we don’t have a strong identity of our own (yet), we can ride on waves others have created. We need to use phrases such as “… like X, but Y” instead of trying to re-invent the wheel. We have to accept that it’s easier to get in the door if a bit of nuance is lost. And we must latch onto trends and find a niché in them. Once you’re at the table, it matters less how you got there.
What an award show looked like in 1929 — not too shabby!
What does this mean on a practical, hands-on level?
It means creating and supporting organisations not because of what they can do now, but for what they may become in the future. The first Oscars back in 1929 didn’t matter much to the world, but now, they are hugely important on a global level. Let’s start things like the WXO on that path.
It means getting over ourselves and realising that we are stronger together, even when our allies look different than we’d like. Partnering with a utility company might not feel as sexy as partnering with Disney, but if you want to change the world, you need to look for impact rather than glamour.
It means swallowing our pride and saying yes instead of no, when prestigious institutions do something similar to what we do. Explaining Star Wars as “a bit like Star Trek” may be blasphemous to some, but it makes it easier to connect with someone who is very new to space adventures.
Zig Ziglar is right
Finally, I know that it’s a bit crass talking about this like it’s only a matter of selling, because it’s so much more than that — but there is something to be said about this quote from the American sales legend Zig Ziglar:
“Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust.”
The rest of the world will gladly take care of the first four.
But if we don’t work on improving the fifth one, who will?
|
https://clausraasted.medium.com/why-legitimacy-and-trust-are-huge-problems-for-the-experience-industry-and-how-to-fix-it-f7b5c64fb5ef
|
['Claus Raasted']
|
2020-12-20 21:03:43.898000+00:00
|
['Creativity', 'Ideas', 'Business', 'Culture', 'Experience Design']
|
Party Planning Tips for a Baby Shower
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Party Planning Tips for a Baby Shower
The good news announcement has been made: there’s a baby on the way! When that news flash comes from someone near and dear to you, you’re likely to think of hosting a baby shower — but how do you go about that? It’s not difficult! Decide on the theme you want and then the five main considerations for hosting a shower will be easier to pursue: invitations; decorations; menu; activities; and favors. Check out these awesome Perks of a Target Baby Registry!
Pondering the theme choice is the backbone of everything so let’s focus on how to choose the theme. Here are three suggestions to help your contemplation:
Is the focus to be on new mom-to-be or on baby?
If your focus is on the new mom, use her interests as a take-off. For example, if she is a gardener, incorporate lots of flowers and references to seeds growing. Or use a spa theme and make the shower all about pampering her and the guests by doing facials, neck rubs, or foot massages and serving healthy menu choices. Think of what you know new mom likes and use that as a direction. If the shower focuses on new baby, then celebrate childhood passions with toys, nursery rhymes, favorite characters or books as inspiration. You could feature hopes for the baby’s future, too.
What mood/feel do you want the party to have?
Is your party a casual get-together or is this going to tend toward elegance? Some themes just work better in one category. Whatever your decision, follow through on the details.
Is there a seasonal reflection or favorite color to inspire your choice?
A springtime celebration in pastels will convey an entirely different vibe than a rustic autumn gathering in earth tones.
Hosting any party takes work, but it is fun effort, especially when there is such a happy ending of welcoming a new baby to the world!
For more specific details or visual inspiration, visit my baby shower theme ideas on my blog at Spaceships and Laser Beams.
Plan Ahead to Save Money!
Plan ahead and you will save money! Always shop around and if your shopping online be sure to look for coupon codes, free shipping or email me/comment and I will be glad to help! Another great way to save is to create your own invitations! I created these over at Zazzle and the best part was they look EXACTLY like they did on the computer! I’m was very pleased. They offer great deals all the time!
What theme would you love to see for a baby shower?
Stephanie Keeping is a wife to Mike, mom to a boy named Sam, a blogger, and an Etsy-preneur. She celebrates boyish charm at Spaceships and Laser Beams, where she talks about all things boy and birthday party. You can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on Etsy
|
https://medium.com/@hirecoachhulltoady/party-planning-tips-for-a-baby-shower-f3bf979bf6f4
|
['Coach Hire Hull']
|
2020-03-11 10:40:02.216000+00:00
|
['Baby Shopping Online', 'Baby', 'Baby Shower', 'Baby Bath Products', 'Baby Consignment']
|
How To Become A Web Developer
|
You can also read the full content here on Xprexity
With job growth in the website development industry expected to skyrocket in the upcoming years, more and more people are wondering how to become a web developer themselves.
For those looking to get in on the action, a career in website development can be engaging, exciting, and most importantly, rewarding.
However, figuring out how to learn web development by yourself can often be complicated and confusing, which has resulted in the premature end of too many potential web development careers to count.
As such we have taken the time to prepare the following guide to work towards a meaningful career as a web developer.
While we cannot guarantee that this guide will help you to become a successful web developer overnight, we can say that following this guide will help you get on the right track.
This Image below summarizes the topics that we’ll cover in the article:
Learning paths: becoming a Web Developer
Website development is a career field that offers numerous different tracks depending on one’s preferences. Whether you’re interested in creating highly interactive websites or designing beautiful layouts, there is a rewarding career for you waiting in the world of website development.
Typically, web development is broken into two major fields: frontend development and backend development. As a web developer, you have to get a good grasp of both fields because both go hand in hand inside the web development world. When a developer master both fields, we name it a “full stack web developer”
Frontend developers focus on the client-side development of websites, which consists of the design, layout, content, and navigation within a webpage. They use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build a web application.
One of the main challenges to becoming a skilful front end developer is to keep updated with techniques and technologies which are constantly evolving.
Another important point is that nowadays users utilize a wide variety of devices (with different screen sizes and resolutions), different browsers and various operating systems and developers must take these aspects into consideration when making a site.
On the other hand, backend developers focus on the service, application, and database side of web pages. They create the logical foundation and the computational logic of a site, software or information system.
The role of this kind of developer is to ensure that the data or services requested by the front-end application are delivered correctly through programmatic means. They are also responsible for creating and maintaining the core app logic, databases, APIs, performing the testings and debugging of the system.
Web developer programming languages: Where should I start?
There are literally dozens of programming languages in use today, so needless to say that finding a place to start can be overwhelming for new web developers.
Instead of offering an overview of every top programming language used for web development, we’d like to highlight the most effective learning path with significant languages that are easier to learn, yet versatile tools for modern developers.
The major technologies that we believe every new website developer should start with include:
HTML and CSS go hand-in-hand to make the written content and beautiful layouts seen throughout modern websites a reality.
Javascript, which is an easy-to-learn language that also happens to form the backbone of most websites and web-based applications in use today. Notice, that nowadays, with frameworks like Webpack, React and Vue, the frontend is becoming extremely relevant and complex, to a point that a frontend web development demands nearly the same software skills required on the backend development world.
SQL, a domain-specific language (it stands for Structured Query Language) used in programming and designed for managing data held in a relational database management system or for stream processing in a relational data stream management system.
Scripting languages, they form the basis of almost all web-related. As such, they are invaluable tools for any web developer to master. They can bring new functions to applications and glue complex systems together. They differ from programming languages in a way that they don’t require an explicit compilation step. Good examples of scripting languages are Ruby, Python, PHP, and Elixir.
Great web development courses to get started with
For those looking to learn web development without investing tens of thousands of dollars on academic credentials, we’ve got great news: it is now more accessible and more affordable than ever to get started.
We’ve hand-picked the best courses from the best providers. If you follow these suggested steps, chances are you’re going to become a skilled web developer.
Are you ready to start this journey?
Learning path for front-end developers:
1.1 Introduction to HTML and CSS
1.2 Fundamentals of Javascript
1.3 Learning Modern Javascript: Getting Started
1.4 Webpack Fundamentals
1.5 React.js or Vue.js
Learning path for back-end developers:
If you intend to become a back-end developer you should start with these “back-bone” courses in order to build a solid foundation.
2.1 Introduction to HTML and CSS
2.2 Fundamentals of Javascript
2.3 Programming Foundations: Databases
Depending on the type of back-end developer you want to become (Ruby, Django or PHP), you should choose the correspondent course below:
2.4 Ruby | Python (Django) | PHP
In case you want to explore other options, use classpert.com to search.
Key skills for Web Developers
When starting your journey in web development, it is important to work towards developing relevant skills immediately.
Today’s employers look for two major types of skills, which include technical skills (like programming, of course!) and soft skills (or “team-player” attributes).
Technical skills
To get started, let’s look at the most important technical skills for those looking to become web developers today.
Must have technical skills for web development will always centre around the mastery of multiple different programming languages.
To this end, most employers will look for web developers to have an excellent grasp on HTML/CSS, JavaScript, and Git.
While the importance of HTML/CSS and JavaScript was mentioned above, we haven’t yet had the chance to discuss Git. In short, Git is an open-source version control software that forms the backbone of the ever-popular GitHub service. It’s a great tool, as it allows for multiple different developers to collaborate on the same project in real-time, regardless of where they are or what operating systems they’re using.
Soft-skills
In terms of soft-skills, these typically include attributes that allow aspiring web developers to interact effectively and efficiently with their co-workers and peers.
But, the most important soft skills that employers look for are strong communication skills and the ability to work with a diverse team.
Despite the stereotype of the always-working programmer tucked behind a desk in a dark room, most web developers will be tasked with working on a large project with an even larger team.
As the saying goes, teamwork helps to make the dream work, so if your dream is to be a professional web developer, being able to work well with others is a crucial skill to master.
Can I become a Web Developer without academic credentials?
Yes! There are countless examples of individuals who taught themselves the basics of programming and used this experience to embark upon long and successful careers in the field of web development.
In fact, the book titled No Degree Web Developer by Dom Xing provides an excellent overview of individuals who have made this dream a reality.
While the average web developer in the industry today holds an associate’s degree of some sort, advanced formal education is not a requirement to land that first web development contract or full-time job.
For those looking to gain more insight into how to become a web developer without academic credentials, we suggest checking out forums like Quora and Reddit, which each offer robust communities for both veteran and newbie web developers looking to pursue this exciting career field without the need for a ton of expensive, formalized academic experiences.
At the end of the day, landing a career in web development is more about your experience, qualifications, and portfolio then it is about which university you attended or what you happened to study.
Writing clean code
Writing clean code, oftentimes referred to as “readable code,” is an essential aspect of becoming a great web developer. While many companies have their own definition of what clean code actually is, this guide from the team at WebDev Studios provides excellent insight into the basics of writing great code.
The messier the code is the more time developers will take to understand it and give continuity to existing work. Sometimes, it can lead developers to want to reset the job from scratch.
In contrast, clean codes make it easier and faster for team onboarding, avoiding misunderstandings.
Another benefit is to make it simpler for new developers to understand the current coding practices and keep it that way, no matter how many developers are working on it.
In order to write clean code, it is important to do it in a way that even if the person who wrote get back to it in the future, they understand it with ease.
In the direction of achieving that, a first tip is to enforce code guideline to all developers. You need to be consistent and keep things isomorphic. Define a guideline for indentation, spaces, line breaks, and empty lines. Embracing this practice makes readability, and comprehensibility of our code improves undoubtedly
A second tip is the use of meaningful names for variables, functions, and method. By meaningful we mean words descriptive enough so other developers, and not just ourselves, are able to comprehend the purpose of them. Also, try to make it as short as three to four words.
The third suggestion is to let every function, or method, execute only one task (it will also help you name it more accurately).
The fourth one is the usage of comments when your function is accomplishing something that is not directly obvious or it has some contextual background. Even when our code is as clean and comprehensive as it can be, there are some lines that demand more explanation. Use comments to fix this problem, it helps to explain to other people why we decided to make an unconventional approach, for instance.
Trying to stick with a consistent style and practices in different projects, is our fifth tip. Only when we are really convinced that we like a new practice and we feel comfortable with it, we should implement it.
The last tip is to review your code frequently. This is a healthy way to keep it clean and try to improve it. Otherwise, if we don’t review and update our old code it will soon get outdated.
Average Web Developer salary
While we don’t suggest choosing a career based on pay alone, if you’re passionate about pursuing web development, your salary is sure to be an appreciated bonus.
According to Glassdoor, the average salary for web developers in the United States is over $75,000 today, with wages expected to increase in the years to come.
Needless to say, web development jobs offer great pay and will continue to do so into the future.
Web Development As A Remote Job
In addition to great pay, a career in web development offers excellent flexibility, with the option to work remotely often available.
Working remotely can be a great perk, as it allows employees to work from anywhere in the world.
While there are indeed challenges associated with working remotely, such as keeping yourself motivated, overall it provides a great work-life balance for today’s developers.
Common Web Developer interview questions
Every interview is different, but there are a few classic questions that almost always seem to come up for aspiring web developers.
Some of the more frequent interview questions that web developers will see throughout the interview process include:
Have you ever given a presentation?
What is namespacing in JavaScript?
Can you list some of the input types that are new to HTML5?
Who is your role model in the world of technology?
Do you have any projects that you work on in your spare time?
Tell me about a time you have had to respond to negative feedback.
Which perks of this job are you most excited about?
As you can see, these questions run the gamut from highly-technical matters to test your understanding of programming to soft-skill questions that highlight how you may handle everyday stressors.
With such questions in mind, we encourage our readers to prepare diligently for their upcoming interviews, as knowing how to approach subjects such as these can make or break your first job opportunity.
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|
https://medium.com/@fanimokunsundayp/how-to-become-a-web-developer-f61e207d46d1
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['Fanimokun Sunday P']
|
2019-11-27 00:35:10.789000+00:00
|
['Website Development', 'Web Development', 'Website', 'Web Design']
|
Homophobes Burst From Closets as Trump Cancels Race Training
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Racism is rampant in the US
If you’re a white person raised in the United States, you know deep in your heart the deck is stacked against Black people. I know you know, because I’m white too, and I hear all those racist conversations we pretend don’t happen.
My fellow white people, we’re not kidding anybody. If you’re one of those people who denies the ingrained depth of America’s racism, you’re either not paying attention or you’re in denial.
I’m sure what I just wrote doesn’t genuinely shock anyone, so I won’t say much more. I’m not writing primarily about racism today, I’m writing about the intertwining of racism and anti-LGBTQ bigotry.
As a gay man and lifelong LGBTQ activist, I’ve learned something racism and othering. Scratch an American who supports discrimination against LGBTQ folks, and you’ll likely find a white supremacist.
Ordinary white supremacy is a practice
I’m not talking about neo-Nazis, KKK members, and jerks who march in the streets for white power. I’m talking about the everyday kind of white supremacist, that nice couple who live next door or the devout church-going family down the road. I’m talking about people so invested in white privilege they speak up for it and vote for it in millions of little ways that add up to white people staying on top of the pile, holding others down.
To deny the truth of America’s systemic racism, after all is said and done, is to practice white supremacy.
So why is it that those who deny that truth so often express the strongest anti-LGBTQ sentiment? That’s a question worth asking, but first a topical object lesson. Let’s look at what’s going on in the news right now.
Trump cancels race sensitivity training in government agencies
Last Friday, OMB Director Russell Vought issued a letter to federal agencies directing them to identify and end funding for racial sensitivity or diversity training:
All agencies are directed to begin to identify all contracts or other agency spending related to any training on ‘critical race theory,’ ‘white privilege,’ or any other training or propaganda effort that teaches or suggests either (1) that the United States is an inherently racist or evil country or (2) that any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil.
On Saturday, President Trump went on a tweetstorm, revealing he had been motivated by reports in the right-wing press, including Fox News and Breitbart. Here’s just one of the president’s tweets:
NPR notes that “Racial sensitivity training has long been conducted on college campuses and across much of corporate America.” Typically, such programs aim to raise people’s consciousness about privilege and about challenges members of minorities, especially Black people, face in the workplace.
It’s unclear how much sensitivity or diversity training goes on at federal agencies, but conservatives have been complaining about it in recent weeks. Christopher Rufo, director of the Center on Wealth and Poverty at the conservative Discovery Institute, argued on Fox News last week that Trump should immediately end funding for such programs.
He calls sensitivity training “the default ideology of the federal bureaucracy,” and claims it’s “being weaponized against the American people.” His arguments don’t make a lot of sense. They boil down to asserting that acknowledging the harm of systemic racism amounts to preventing the unity of the American people.
From my perspective, we can’t unify until we work on the racism that keeps us apart.
Trump’s tweets flush out homophobes
Trump’s Saturday tweeting flushed a lot of racists out of the woods as public figures who deny systemic racism exists cheered the president on. That’s no shock. What might surprise people is that many of those figures are also loud homophobes and transphobes. They often cite religious belief systems to prop up the supremacy of straight/cis people.
Reporters at LGBTQ nation noticed the “coincidence” right away.
Tony Perkins — head of the anti-LGBTQ hate group Family Research Council and a former Louisiana state legislator with ties to the Ku Klux Klan — praised Trump immediately.
Scott Lively, a prominent Republican anti-LGBTQ activist took the opportunity to “blame” gay people for the rise of Critical Race Theory and the downfall of Western civilization.
Senator Josh Hawley (R)-MO, tweeted out his own support, bizarrely equating diversity training with Marxism, joining Lively in invoking the threat of civilizational collapse.
I’m not at all surprised Hawley is an extremist homophobe the Washington Post has called “the Senate’s new culture warrior.” LGBTQ Nation calls him a “religious right poster boy.” He’s a staunch opponent of same-sex marriage who bitterly opposed the Supreme Court’s June decision mandating workplace equality for LGBTQ people.
It turns out Christopher Rufo, who helped kick the whole defunding thing off, has his own history of inciting panic over transgender people.
The list of homophobe-racists goes on
I could cite many more examples — of people and organizations praising Trump for killing diversity training — who are on the public record opposing LGBTQ equality. Most of them are at least as extreme as Senator Hawley, who doesn’t want gay and trans people to be protected from discrimination at work. Many of them are as deranged as Perkins, who fears God is going to destroy the world over the gays.
But I think I’ve made my point.
Public racists and loud homo-transphobes are often the same people, seemingly motivated by the same kind of ideas. They often reference bogeymen like socialism, the fall of “Western” civilization, or the destruction of the family.
They’re invested in keeping things exactly the way they are right now, in keeping themselves at the apex of a hierarchy that reserves the most privilege to white, cis, straight, Christian men.
It’s no coincidence that if you poke a homophobe, you often discover a racist. It’s no coincidence that people who wants transgender folks to disappear usually also want to pretend Black folks in the US don’t get the short end of the stick.
It’s no coincidence that churches that revile LGBTQ people are filled with white folks who won’t admit systemic racism exists. That’s probably why Trump ordered diversity training cut in the first place. He’s throwing another bone to the Evangelical base whose support he must keep in order to win in November.
The status quo cannot stand
The United States was torn up by racial strife this summer in the middle of a pandemic. Americans everywhere are admitting to one another that we have a big problem. Admitting we have to fix it. Demanding our elected officials take action.
That won’t ever happen on the federal level while Trump maintains a grip on power. But it has to happen. The alternative is unending violence that will tear apart the fabric of our nation.
The only way we can fight racism and othering is to see it and talk about it. Federal sensitivity training is clearly no panacea, but it’s certainly an important part of seeing and talking.
We must understand that the people trying to stop that process are most invested in their own privilege, in maintaining their own wealth and power as white people, as straight people, as cis people, as Christians, and often as men.
Racism and homophobia are strange fruits of the same evil tree. Facing that reality empowers us as a people to start doing something about it.
|
https://medium.com/james-finn/homophobes-burst-from-closets-as-trump-cancels-race-training-dd5ea9196e7e
|
['James Finn']
|
2020-09-12 23:45:37.378000+00:00
|
['LGBTQ', 'Social Justice', 'Politics', 'Equaity', 'Racism']
|
Why I Regularly Watch My Boyfriend Having Sex with Other Women
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I was in my early twenties when I discovered I could get off to my boyfriend having sex with other women. Here’s how that came about.
Two years into my first long-term relationship, my sex drive was at an all-time low. My partner at the time was understandably confused. We hadn’t been married for decades. We didn’t have childcare responsibilities. I wasn’t struggling with postpartum or post-menopausal hormone changes. Why, then, was our bedroom as dead as the contents of a casket?
I didn’t want to deprive my boyfriend of a physically intimate relationship. But neither did I want to force myself to have sex when I wasn’t feeling it. I mean, I tried that for a while — but it was about as fun as mopping the floor. Sex became a responsibility, like any other household chore. But that didn’t mean I looked forward to it.
My partner, being the loyal soul that he was, insisted he didn’t want to break up with me over my libido. But I knew our dry spell was taking a toll on him, so I considered suggesting he sleep with other women. One evening, while he was out drinking with friends, I asked myself how I’d feel if my lover had sex with someone else. The moisture in my panties told me all I needed to know. For the first time in months, I was wet.
“This is going to sound crazy,” I warned my boyfriend when he got home. “But I just made myself come imagining you having sex with another woman. I can’t remember the last time I felt this aroused… And I’m certain I’d love it if you made my fantasy a reality.”
At first, my tradition-loving, monogamous partner was aghast. But over the next few weeks, as we discussed my proposal, he began to warm to it. Initially, I didn’t even plan to be a voyeur. I was happy to let him bed someone else and fill me in on the dirty details afterward so I could get off. But my boyfriend wanted us to stay connected before, after, and during the encounter. It was his idea to have me watch his sexcapades. That would be better for our bonding, he felt.
“If you’re turned on by the thought of me with someone else, I want you to be present when I bed them,” he insisted. “I wouldn’t feel right if you weren’t there.” I have to admit that made me feel special. How could I turn down an exclusive sex show performed, in part, for my benefit?
It took us another month to find him a lover who felt comfortable with such an unusual setup. But when we did… My God, did fireworks fly!
It was more exhilarating than any porn I’ve ever watched. I saw my boyfriend in an entirely new light. His seduction of — and attraction to — another woman made him more enticing in my eyes. I loved seeing her face contort in pleasure as he sucked her nipples. It felt incredible knowing my man was giving her such delicious sensations.
Hearing his animalistic groans as he thrust into her turned me on, too. He was satisfying his desires without me, but I wasn’t insulted by that. I was actually excited by the thought that he could enjoy sex with others. I loved seeing him so horny, virile and lust-crazed. The harder and faster he fucked his lover, the more furiously I masturbated. And when he spilled his seed into her, I climaxed as well.
By then, I was on cloud nine and I knew I’d discovered my new favorite form of sex. Had the pair of them not looked so sated, I would have suggested they go for round two. But I let it go, knowing they’d enjoy round two (and three, and four and beyond) in the weeks and months to come.
After a few years, my then-boyfriend and I split amicably because he got a job in a different country. But I’ll always be grateful to him for his open-mindedness. He gave me my first taste of consensual voyeurism, and that’s a gift I can never forget.
As for his lover, I remain close with her to this day. We’ve never fallen out, or felt jealous of each other. She’s in an open relationship herself. And she was totally comfortable being my ex-boyfriend’s sexual partner while I was his romantic one.
|
https://medium.com/sexography/why-i-regularly-watch-my-boyfriend-having-sex-with-other-women-fd5ea0eada6d
|
['Katy Rivers']
|
2020-12-28 18:38:11.242000+00:00
|
['Compersion', 'Relationships', 'Consensual Non Monogamy', 'Kink', 'Sex']
|
Best online movie streaming : It Chapter Two google drive 2019..!!
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https://medium.com/@marythies19/best-online-movie-streaming-it-chapter-two-google-drive-2019-4ca732c28e10
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[]
|
2019-09-10 18:11:34.149000+00:00
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['Fiction', 'Movies', 'Live Streaming', 'Download', 'TV Shows']
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Having a Docker Container As Your Private NPM Registry — The Easy Way
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Setting up a Docker Private NPM Registry
To create the Azure Container Registry, you should have a valid Azure subscription. If you don’t have one, please get one; it will help you follow this piece. Once you get an Azure subscription, you are ready to start.
Creating an Azure Container Registry
With GitHub, we can upload our projects/source codes, do versioning, create branches, and much more. You can consider the Azure Container Registry as a similar service. An Azure Container Registry or ACR is a private Docker registry where you can easily manage all of your Docker container images from the same place. Isn’t that cool? According to Microsoft, you can use Azure Container Registry to:
Store and manage container images across all types of Azure deployments
Use familiar, open-source Docker command-line interface (CLI) tools
Keep container images near deployments to reduce latency and costs
Simplify registry access management with Azure Active Directory
Maintain Windows and Linux container images within a single Docker registry
Once you log in to the Portal, click on the + icon, create a resource, and search for the Container Registry.
Search Container Registry
When you click the Container Registry, you will be asked to give the details shown in the preceding image.
Container Registry Details
Remember to enable the Admin user, as you will be able to use the registry name as the username and the admin user access key as the password to login to Docker only if it is enabled. I will explain this further in the coming section.
Once you create your Container Registry, you will be given a login server as yourregistryname.azurecr.io . You can always view other information in the overview section. If you click on the Access Keys link under the settings, you can see the username and the password for your Container Registry. Remember, we have enabled the Admin User property while creating the Container Registry.
Container Registry Settings
Note that the registry name and the admin username are the same.
Creating a local Docker Container
For this step, you should download and install Docker on your machine. Once it is installed, please make sure that it is running in your machine. Let’s go ahead and start some amazing things together.
Let’s try the Docker version command first to make sure that it is working correctly.
Docker version
Now that Docker is working fine, we can start creating our local NPM registry. To do so I am going to pull a package from Docker hub, Verdaccio.
Verdaccio is a private npm proxy registry built on top of Node.js. According to the Verdaccio documentation:
It’s a web app based on Node.js
It’s a private npm registry
It’s a local network proxy
It’s a Pluggable application
It’s a fairly easy install and use
It is 100% compatible with yarn, npm, and pnpm
It was forked based on and [email protected] 100% backward compatible.
Let’s pull the image of Verdaccio:
docker pull verdaccio/verdaccio
Once you have done that, run “docker images” to see your Verdaccio image.
verdaccio/verdaccio latest c542d9e516e4 3 weeks ago 659MB
It may take a few minutes to pull the entire image. As I have already pulled the latest image, it will be quick for me to get the output below.
Docker pull Verdaccio
You can also tag the version you need:
docker pull verdaccio/verdaccio:3
Now it is time to run the Verdaccio, are you ready?
docker run -it --rm --name verdaccio -p 4873:4873 verdaccio/verdaccio
The last argument is our image name, if you don’t have such an image in your local files, it will be pulled from Docker hub. As you might have noticed already, we are using port 4873, and the same will be mapped to the container instance port later when we create the container instance. Make sure that you are getting the output shown.
Verdaccio docker run
You should now be able to go to http://localhost:4873 and see that Verdaccio is running successfully.
Pushing our local container to Azure Container Registry
Now that we have an Azure Container Registry running and a local container which can act as a private NPM registry, let’s push this to our ACR. Start by logging to your Azure Container Registry server.
docker login sibeeshpassion.azurecr.io
Once you run the above command with the correct credentials you will see the output below.
Docker login to Azure Container Registry
Now let’s tag our image, as this will help us manage our images easily in the Container Registry.
docker tag <image name> <login server>/<repository name>/<name>:v1
For example, I used the command below:
docker tag verdaccio/verdaccio sibeeshpassion.azurecr.io/verdaccio/verdaccio:v1
Push your image to the Container Registry:
docker push sibeeshpassion.azurecr.io/verdaccio/verdaccio:v1
If everything works correctly, you will see this output:
Pushing to Container Registry
Now, you can log in to your Azure portal and check the repositories of your Azure Container Registry. You should be able to see your image with the tag we have provided.
Repository in Azure Container Registry
Creating a container instance
We have a valid container registry which can act as a private NPM registry, but we are not finished yet. We need a place where this registry can run. Thankfully, Azure has everything we need. We are going to create a Container Instance, which is the simplest and fastest way to run a single container. While creating the Container Instance, you will have to go through three steps:
Configure the basic settings Specify the container requirements Finalize the Container Instance
Configure basic settings
You can configure the settings to suit your needs, I have configured mine as below:
Container Instance Basic Settings
Note that I have set the container image type to Private.
Specify container requirements
Here, I set the Public IP address to “Yes”, so that I can set the DNS label while configuring. I also set the port to 4873.
Network Settings in Azure Container Instance
Finalize the Container Instance
In this step, you can verify all of your settings, and in the background, Azure will validate them. If they are valid, the OK button will be enabled. Click OK once it is enabled. It may take some time to build your resource, once it is done you can always go to the overview of your Container Instance and run it with the port 4873. For example, I can see my container in this URL http://sibeeshpassion.westeurope.azurecontainer.io:4873/#/.
Pushing your own private NPM package to the Docker private NPM registry
Wow, we have a private Docker NPM registry now! Let’s push our private NPM package to this registry. I created my own NPM package a few days back, if you want to know how, you can read this article. I will open my package in vscode.
Before we publish the package, add the user:
npm adduser --registry=http://sibeeshpassion.westeurope.azurecontainer.io:4873/#/
You will be prompted for the username and password:
NPM Publish with Private Registry AddUser
Run our publish command:
npm publish dist --registry=http://sibeeshpassion.westeurope.azurecontainer.io:4873/#/
If the publishing is successful, you will get the following output:
npm notice === Tarball Details ===
npm notice name: org-npm-package
npm notice version: 1.1.1
npm notice package size: 7.8 kB
npm notice unpacked size: 37.9 kB
npm notice shasum: f1d8e033bb6d2545502802510258cf9f8bcc9ab3
npm notice integrity: sha512-3MuplP75D0gpj[...]Z5KFo0DNbzGFw==
npm notice total files: 22
npm notice
+ [email protected]
What are you waiting for, go and see your package in Docker! I was eagerly waiting for this moment and viewed my package by navigating to my container here: http://sibeeshpassion.westeurope.azurecontainer.io:4873/#/detail/org-npm-package.
|
https://medium.com/better-programming/having-a-docker-container-as-your-private-npm-registry-the-easy-way-68159fa94cc4
|
['Sibeesh Venu']
|
2019-08-21 16:18:25.089000+00:00
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['Npm Private Registry', 'NPM', 'Azure', 'Azure Container Service', 'Docker']
|
Realme C12 in the market!
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Realme comes with good news for all the budget buyers. At KES 14,999, realme C12 offers a range of features that would slightly set it apart from the average budget smartphone.
The phone comes with a 6.50-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. Realme C12 is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G35 processor which makes the Realme C12 a budget gaming smartphone. It comes with 3GB of RAM as mentioned before. Helio G35 is a budget gaming chipset, by no means does it compromise with the efficiency of its performance especially when it comes to gaming. With the HyperEngine Technology built into the chip, it ensures a sustained peak performance while gaming without any lag or latency. The HyperEngine Technology is responsible for dynamic allocation of CPU, GPU as well as RAM. It supports dual-channel Wi-Fi and LTE support that reduces latency.
MediaTek Helio G35 sports an eight ARM Cortex-A55 cores with maximum frequency at 2.3GHz. The maximum memory size is 6GB. This gaming chipset comes packed with a PowerVR GE8320 GPU clocked at 680MHz with a maximum display resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels.
The Realme C12 runs Android 10 and is powered by a 6000mAh non-removable battery. On the front of the display, it sports a 5-megapixel camera for selfies with an f/2.0 aperture. While on the rear the Realme C12 flaunts a 13-megapixel primary camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a second 2-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture and a third 2-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture on the rear along with autofocus
The Realme C12 runs Realme UI based on Android 10 and packs 32GB of inbuilt storage that can further be expanded via microSD card up to 256GB with a dedicated slot. The Realme C12 is a dual-SIM (GSM and GSM) smartphone that accepts Nano-SIM and Nano-SIM cards. The Realme C12 measures 164.50 x 75.90 x 9.80mm (height x width x thickness) and weigh just around 209.00 grams. There are two color variants available for the Realme C12; Power Blue and Power Silver colors.
For connectivity, the phone includes Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS, Bluetooth v5.00, Micro-USB, 3G and 4G. A few of the sensors on the phone are ambient light sensor, compass/magnetometer, proximity sensor, accelerometer and fingerprint sensor. The Realme C12 supports face unlock.
While the Realme C12 is powered by the powerful MediaTek chipset, it is a powerful gaming centric smartphone in its own also. It flaunts a combination of impressive set of features that make up a powerful gaming smartphone in the budget segment.
|
https://medium.com/@bennyefosa19/realme-c12-in-the-market-b34e5d129aae
|
['Benny Efosa']
|
2020-12-04 11:12:38.817000+00:00
|
['Smartphones', 'Budget', 'Gaming', 'Real Me', 'Mediatek']
|
12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson
|
12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson Book Summary
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER
#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
What does everyone in the modern world need to know? Renowned psychologist Jordan B. Peterson’s answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research.
Humorous, surprising and informative, Dr. Peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone, what terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily, and why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street.
What does the nervous system of the lowly lobster have to tell us about standing up straight (with our shoulders back) and about success in life?
https://bookpedia.co/book/1150863560/12-rules-for-life
|
https://medium.com/@booklovers/12-rules-for-life-by-jordan-b-peterson-599c18ab040b
|
['Book Lovers']
|
2020-12-14 21:07:40.086000+00:00
|
['Psychology Books', 'Book Summary', 'Books And Authors', 'Book Recommendations', 'Book Review']
|
About Water
|
There was another time a dude told me about a very interesting game one could play with water.
One could create an infinite water by taking a bit of water that has been prayed on and store it in a container that simply gets refilled; always taking the information from the last drops of the older water and passing it on to the new flow.
I thought it was a brilliant idea and I gathered a mouthful of the water we used to pray during a singing circle.
As I started doing it, I suddenly remembered that a friend of mine who was dying of cancer had told me her favourite prayer was “thank you for my life” as she was basically living borrowed time.
I decided to say that prayer every time I drank water from my infinite water bottle because obviously water is life.
I performed that ritual for about a year without a particular goal in mind.
Then, one day, I attended a mushroom ceremony.
They, the mushrooms, the divine children, the playful bunch, had certainly been expecting me.
School. University. Postgraduate. The whole shenanigans were on schedule for me.
We got down to work and that meant I had to undergo a variety of states where my ego was non-existent or very close to non-existent.
In conversation with the wise kiddos, there was a point I knew that I wasn’t understanding what they were transmitting because I no longer knew or remember what it meant to be a human.
There was no fear or resistance, just the sheer awareness of being in a dissonant state of reception.
I was informed I needed to get back into my humanity for a bit and I was puzzled because I didn’t know how to do that.
Then, my water bottle, that praying water I had had for over a year started glowing in my hands.
Not that I could see it because my ego no longer involved eyes or a body, but I could tell the bottle was glowing warmly and coldly at the same time, calling for my attention.
As I paid attention to that glow, I started feeling my hands holding the bottle and I promptly opened it and I gulped down a bit.
With the speed of light, I remembered who I was. My Water had refreshed my memories with Her memories.
In a split second, I remembered what it was to be human and my human life. Then, the shroomy friends took over. The lesson that required my humanity was done in a matter of seconds.
As soon as it was done, I shifted into another state of consciousness, closer to an ego-less situation. Only this time, I had a tool to come back to my humanity whenever I needed it.
I knew I had that tool because I was the one who built it.
I built it with my friend Water.
|
https://bernadette.life/about-water-91f1cc09b389
|
[]
|
2020-12-13 02:35:36.917000+00:00
|
['Water', 'Ritual', 'Women', 'Play', 'Magic']
|
Sharia Goldbugs: How ISIS Created a Currency for World Domination
|
Article by Coindesk: Rachel Rose O’Leary
As Islamic State (ISIS) sought to dominate large parts of Syria and Iraq, it used a subtle weapon to go with the car bombs and suicide attacks: money.
The self-declared caliphate aimed to unify the world under a militant interpretation of Islam. It created a highly efficient, hyper-violent society inside Iraq and Syria, coupled with an economic experiment — what I call “ISIS-coin.”
Consisting of 10 coins ranging in value from nearly a thousand dollars to pennies, ISIS sought to replace U.S., Iraqi and Syrian banknotes with purpose-built coins backed by the gold, silver and copper standard.
At the time, ISIS was sitting on 34,000 square miles of oil-rich territory. By trading oil using its own currency, the dinar, ISIS planned to destabilize the U.S. economy by forcibly decoupling the dollar from the oil business (the petro-dollar system, which ISIS refers to as America’s “Achilles heel”).
The dinar was modeled on coinage from a medieval Islamic empire named the Umayyad Caliphate, the leader of which — a man named Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan — issued coins to economically connect Muslims who were scattered across the Middle East.
Silver dinars in 1 in 5 denominations, Qamishli, North Syria.
In 2015, the dinar was made compulsory for civilians living under ISIS control. At its peak, ISIS controlled 10 million people across Iraq and Syria — making the ISIS dinar among the most ambitious economic experiments in modern history.
While living in the autonomous Rojava, in northern Syria, I met with an ISIS prisoner, Mohammed Najjar, in a facility operated by the Syrian Democratic Forces in Northern Syria. Najjar refused to be photographed or filmed. He was nervous about my sound recorder, and asked me not to publish his name for fear of repercussions from the jihadist group (Mohammed Najjar is a pseudonym).
Najjar worked in oil: ISIS’s most lucrative export and the heart of the dinar experiment. He laughed as I placed a silver dirham down on the table in front of him. It’s a wide coin, about a centimeter in diameter. It is decorated with Arabic calligraphy — a verse from the Hadith that praises hard work and charity.
“In Islamic State, this was a failure,” he said, grinning, “It didn’t work.”
In a 2015 propaganda film announcing its release, called The Return of the Gold Dinar, ISIS’s monetary experiment is described as a sequel to the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center — and a new weapon in an all-out war against the US economy.
“You’ve seen the documentary, right?” Najjar asks with a twinkle in his eye, adding:
“The plan was to destroy the global economy.”
The sales pitch
Najjar joined ISIS in October 2013, months after its formation.
With a background in petroleum studies, he spent his days working among oil fields, the heart of ISIS’s economic strategy.
Controlling many oil-rich areas in Iraq and Syria, ISIS had a lucrative business in selling oil to neighboring clients, including Damascus, the Iraqi government, and Turkish-backed rebels, which, according to my source, would then smuggle the oil into Turkey.
“It was the boom,” Najjar said, “Islamic State was making about $60 million a month.”
The problem for ISIS was that all that trade was executed in U.S. dollars. So in spite of the group’s declared war on U.S. hegemony, its economy was actually facilitating U.S. dollar dominance.
Enter the dinar — or, as ISIS propaganda describes it: “The return of the ultimate measure of wealth for the world: gold — as the [caliphate] surges into the financial sphere.”
First, it was introduced in the oil sector — ISIS’s most lucrative export. To buy oil from ISIS, countries had to exchange their dollars for dinar.
ISIS then introduced the dinar to civilians within the Islamic State, slowly at first, with merchants giving change in the new dinar as opposed to banknotes.
By late 2015, the currency became compulsory. Said Najjar:
“It was prohibited to use the Syrian government currency. It was prohibited to use anything other than the ISIS dinar in all the Islamic State areas.”
The Islamic State was littered with exchanges, he explained, which would swap ISIS dinar for dollars and other currencies, allowing people and businesses to trade with one another.
This came with other advantages for the Islamic State.
While the market price for a 4.25-gram gold dinar was around $160, according to Najjar, it could retail locally at $190. That meant a profit of $30 per dinar for ISIS: a colossal sum when its oil trade was peaking at 150,000 barrels a day.
ISIS member shows gold dinar to a shopkeeper.
Goldbugs
The ISIS dinar wasn’t just a money grab.
It was also an attempt to create an economy based on Islamic principles. And that’s because, in Sharia law — the religious legal code underpinning Islam — certain kinds of economic practices are forbidden.
Sharia puts a ban on interest — what is called riba — which, according to some interpretations, rules out many conventional banking practices. Certain kinds of debt are also forbidden, because transactions must be backed by an underlying asset, like gold.
The dinar experiment had its roots in the teachings of Islamic scholars such as Sayyid Abdil A’la Mawdudi, who proposed a middle-ground alternative to capitalism and communism and emphasized the importance of zakat, or charity. ISIS’s unique interpretation of zakat allowed the group to fund much of its state-building efforts through the contributions of civilians.
The New York Times reported that this tax formed the basis of the ISIS economy, stating that profit from zakat far outweighed oil sales.
But Najjar vehemently denied this point, calling it “lies” and stating that the people in ISIS-occupied territories were too poor to contribute in any meaningful way.
That’s notable because, in propaganda, ISIS describes conventional banking practices as “satanic,” and proposes the dinar as an antidote to the “fraudulent and riba-based financial system of enslavement orchestrated by the Federal Reserve in America.”
U.S. thinkers, such as noted goldbug Mike Maloney, conspiracy theorist Edward Griffin and libertarian politician Ron Paul are quoted directly in ISIS propaganda. In rhetoric not unfamiliar to bitcoin enthusiasts, the thinkers criticize the inflation of the U.S. dollar, the abandonment of the gold standard, and the dominance of the dollar globally.
“The U.S. is playing a game in controlling the world by using the dollars,” Najjar said, adding:
“Oil you have to buy using dollars. Internationally you have to buy everything using dollars. The dinar was more Islamic. Dinar has a real value, gold has a real value.”
Why it failed
Despite the successful launch of the dinar, ISIS remained vulnerable to economic attacks. When, in 2016, the U.S. began a bombing campaign against ISIS’s oil fields, the so-called state began to crumble because it was cut off from its most lucrative resources.
Najjar says the dinar worked better as a means of exchange in the oil industry than an everyday currency for ISIS residents and businesses.
“We used to get it in dollars. Then they changed it to the dinar and that’s when the problems started,” he said. “Traders stopped bringing in products because they noticed the dinar was not working, so they started retreating from it.”
With demand non-existent outside of the Islamic State, the currency began to exchange for less than it cost to produce.
“The problem was always in buying products. The value of the silver dinar, in particular, was so low. So when you go to a trader to buy anything they won’t accept this, they say, ‘Ah, we’re not accepting this.’ Or he put the price higher,” Najjar said.
Because of its weight — the largest coin is worth nearly a thousand dollars at the time of writing — the gold dinar was coveted by traders and was often melted down or resold on the market, effectively draining out the gold-based economy.
Gold dinars.
Not quite bitcoin
Given the restrictions of a Sharia-compliant financial system, including the prohibition on riba, cryptocurrencies have been touted as potential alternatives.
CoinDesk recently reported that the Ethereum Foundation, the non-profit that oversees the management of the ethereum platform, was courting investors from Wahhabist Saudi Arabia, for example.
But Najjar said that, while he had “heard of bitcoin,” he never heard of it being used by ISIS.
An SDF intelligence official confirmed that ISIS was dependent on the U.S. dollar for international trade. Other terror organizations have experimented extensively with crypto.
ISIS lost its last territory to U.S.-backed SDF forces in May. At the time, U.S. forces are said to have collected some $2.1 billion worth of gold — and intelligence officials are hoping to discover more.
“Whenever I go to an interview like this they ask me, ‘Where is the gold? Where is ISIS hiding it?’” Najjar laughed.
In North Syria, the dinar has fallen out of circulation. Some are passed around between SDF fighters as war trophies. These are mostly copper and silver — the more expensive currencies like the gold dinar have largely been melted down. Reselling the currency is illegal and those in circulation are seized by authorities, aside from a handful kept as souvenirs.
According to Najjar, the failure of the dinar — and Islamic State more broadly — was because it failed to implement Sharia correctly.
“Islam says take from the rich and give it to the poor,” he said, adding:
“It was not properly done. It was not implemented properly, it wouldn’t fall. I see it like this.”
Dinar images via “Return of the Gold Dinar” propaganda video
|
https://medium.com/@gte.io/sharia-goldbugs-how-isis-created-a-currency-for-world-domination-f5e55c92267
|
['Gte Io']
|
2019-10-08 02:25:49.558000+00:00
|
['Iraq', 'Gold', 'Syria', 'ISIS']
|
Being A Voyeur in the Digital Age
|
The upside of the pandemic is that it galvanized many people to reflect on their lives and find ways to better themselves: some changed careers, others wrote books, and some people even started businesses.
I didn’t have the same ambitions.
Quite the opposite, amid the pandemic, I found even more ways to waste time. The pandemic fuelled my already-spiralling binge-watching habit — a coping mechanism I’m sure. I’ve already had questionable taste in tv and film (Lifetime thrillers and B-horror movies are my go-to), but I’ve since resorted to watching nostalgic reality shows that speak to my desire for simpler times.
Early on in the pandemic, I watched Rock of Love with Bret Michaels (including the spin-off series), and from there I turned to Flavour of Love, and other MTV classics like Pimp My Ride and Teen Mom. Of course, in between all these, I watched a slew of other shows — far too many to name. These shows had all the necessary components for providing a much-needed pandemic distraction: crude humour, dated jargon (and fashion), B-list celebrities (if I’m being generous), and all-around absurdity, all tied together by a low-budget production. I felt fulfilled from early 2000s television, but eventually it was time to bid adieu.
A New Era of Watching Has Arisen
Passive TV watching was no longer able to whet my appetite. I shifted gears and turned my attention to YouTube — primarily because it was free and easily accessible. The options seemed endless: I’d watch reaction videos; tiny home builds; mukbangs; grocery hauls — it was like reality TV, but arguably less scripted. YouTube quickly became my go-to. I’d watch different vloggers to suit my different interests — some channels I watched for pure passive entertainment, others when I wanted to learn something, and others when I wanted to wind down after a long day.
Naturally my YouTube viewing escalated. I’d memorize some of my favorite’s vloggers’ uploading schedules — one vlogger I subscribed to would upload a video every Saturday, and every Saturday morning, I’d tune in. This continued for months on end. Naturally, I felt like I had come to know this vlogger on a personal level, like she was a close but distant friend. I knew her so well, that one time I was confronted with a new persona that didn’t align with this person I had come to know — and because I had invested so much time in her life, I took this as a personal affront. I was so taken aback by this juxtaposition that in some way, I felt entitled to say something (a far cry from passive tv watching). So, for the first time, I scrolled down to the comments section and made a comment, as if I was a disappointed mother scolding my child. And in that moment, I no longer became a passive viewer but an active participant in someone else’s life.
I closed the video, and instantly felt like I had outed myself as a voyeur — an intruder in someone else’s life. I was criticizing this person for not adhering to my own image I had of them. The lines of reality and entertainment blurred.
The Normalization of Modern-Day Surveillance
In many ways, my foray into YouTube seemed inevitable based on my tv viewing habits. But this venture went deeper; it represented a new kind of ‘watching.’ This trajectory reminded me of the 2013 dystopian novel The Circle, which centers around the culture of surveillance. In it, the protagonist, Mae Holland, initially critical of social networking, is slowly absorbed into the tech cult. By the end of the novel, she concludes that she is a true believer in surveillance by way of technology:
‘I think everything and everyone should be seen. And to be seen, we need to be watched. The two go hand in hand.’ ‘But who wants to be watched all the time?’ ‘I do. I want to be seen. I want proof I existed.’ (Eggers, 2013, p. 485)
While my sources of entertainment seemed innocuous at first glance — it is precisely this innocuousness that normalizes the practice of modern-day surveillance. These acts of participatory surveillance are a common feature today: we invest in these watcher relationships online for entertainment, convenience, social capital, comfort, etc. They have become part of our embodied selves. These voyeuristic tendencies (i.e. surveillance practices) are no longer relegated to society’s deviants; all of us are susceptible.
Beyond a Hierarchy of Surveillance
This rise of user-generated surveillance is best explained in Kevin D. Haggerty and Richard V. Ericson’s article on the surveillant assemblage. In it, Haggerty and Ericson criticize the notion that surveillance is conducted only through top-down, centrally organized systems. It is not, as many believe, a one-way information highway, nor can it be reduced to George Orwell’s Big Brother metaphor or Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon. While these comparisons still dominate contemporary surveillance discourse, they are simply not adequate enough to explain the current intersecting levels of surveillance at play. The concept of the ‘surveillant assemblage’ seeks to describe these complex surveillance systems, in which “seeing” technologies work together to create a larger, integrated whole, reaching all forms of society.
By abstracting human bodies from their territorial settings, and then separating and reassembling them into distinct flows, the surveillant assemblage in effect “transforms the purposes of surveillance and the hierarchies of surveillance, as well as the institution of privacy.”
TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. and user-generated sites like Reddit and YouTube, illustrate how the hierarchies of surveillance have been restructured, and much of this restructuring depends on active viewer participation. Where surveillance was once referred to as the ‘unwanted eye’ has now turned into ‘welcome watching’ — the desire to be seen, eventually became the new normal — so people like myself, who were once critical of surveillance culture, effectively shed these principles in exchange for cheap, escapist entertainment. The additional element of getting paid per view further normalizes this structure and incentivizes the creator to probe deeper inward and reveal more of themselves.
This new form of reassembling abstract bodies means that no one is immune from the gaze — including the watcher. But the bodies that watch the watcher are equally as insidious, as they often comprise of private companies, governments, and other third parties who collect and exploit our digital footprint without our knowledge.
A Digital Legacy For All To View
Boundaries crumbled. Privacy eroded. And it is us, the consumers, who demand it. Concurrently, online creators come to define and carve out their existence by way of their online personas. Their online presence will provide proof that they once existed — a digital legacy for all to view. They desire the recognition of having a distinct identity — and make a living doing it, thus creating a self-sustaining, perverse relationship in which both parties stand to gain.
For so long celebrity culture preyed on our voyeuristic perversions — and made them socially acceptable (it’s no accident that tabloid magazines are displayed near the check-out counter). And now, these perversions are made acceptable through user-generated sites. And they are far more immersive. While most of us are unable to escape the gaze, we can still make concerted efforts to humanize the person behind the screen.
|
https://medium.com/the-bad-influence/being-a-voyeur-in-the-digital-age-9264aafc8bea
|
['Rozali Telbis']
|
2020-12-17 16:02:39.051000+00:00
|
['Culture', 'Entertainment', 'The Bad Influence', 'Society', 'Surveillance']
|
A beautiful process
|
Lines Depicting Simple Happiness
The shine on her buckle took precedence in sun
Her shine, I should say, could take me anywhere
It feels right to be up this close in tight wind
It feels right to notice all the shiny things about you
About you there is nothing I wouldn’t want to know
With you nothing is simple yet nothing is simpler
About you many good things come into relation
I think of proofs and grammar, vowel sounds, like
A is for knee socks, E for panties
I is for buttondown, O the blouse you wear
U is for hair clip, and Y your tight skirt
The music picks up again, I am the man I hope to be
The bright air hangs freely near your newly cut hair
It is so easy now to see gravity at work in your face
Easy to understand time, that dark process
To accept it as a beautiful process, your face
— Peter Gizzi
You protest when I take a photo of you but you don’t understand where I go when the editing program opens and I tweak the light and push the contrast and smooth out the grains. You think I’m touching up, erasing the imperfections. That’s not what I’m doing. The photograph isn’t you until I find you inside it, and every picture I have of you is the start of an exploration. It is a beautiful process, and you are the only one in the world who gives me that gift.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
|
https://medium.com/drmstream/a-beautiful-process-54faf612b3f9
|
['Dan Mccarthy']
|
2016-11-10 02:26:56.181000+00:00
|
['Desire', 'Peter Gizzi', 'Love', 'Photography']
|
How To Get A Free iPhone
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FAQ
What features does the iPhone 11 have?
The iPhone 11 features an Intel modem chip with Gigabit-class LTE, 2x2 MIMO, and LAA, Wi-Fi 6 support (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, Dual-SIM with eSIM, and an Apple-designed U1 Ultra Wideband chip that improves spatial awareness and allows for better indoor tracking.
Why should I get the iPhone 11 Pro Max?
The two reasons to opt for iPhone 11 Pro Max, There are two main reasons to go for this year’s most extreme iPhone: Either you want that larger OLED display (2,688x1,242 versus 2,436x1,125 for the Pro) or you want that extra hour of battery life.
Can iPhone take pictures underwater?
Before you hit the water, you still need to remember that you can’t use your touchscreen when you’re under. To take photos underwater on your iPhone, the volume key will be your new best friend — this is also called taking photographs in burst mode, which is what is needed when shooting fast-moving objects underwater.
What is the best iPhone right now?
Here are the best iPhones in 2021:
· Best iPhone overall: iPhone 11.
· Best small high-end iPhone: iPhone 11 Pro.
· Best big high-end iPhone: iPhone 11 Pro Max.
· Best budget iPhone: iPhone SE (2021)
· Best big-budget iPhone: iPhone XR.
· Best small iPhone for less: iPhone XS.
· Best big iPhone for less: iPhone XS Max.
How much RAM does the iPhone 11 have?
Hardware. The iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max both have an A13 Bionic processor. Both phones have three internal storage options: 64 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB, and have 4 GB of RAM. Both models are rated IP68 water and dust resistant and are resistant for 30 minutes at a depth of 4 meters.
So hurry up guys this is -limited time giveaway as iPhone 11 is an expensive device and availability is very rare. This Contest is a first in first serve contest; followers entering now has a high chance of winning the Giveaway.
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https://medium.com/@mebok62893/how-to-get-a-free-iphone-81ca9090e2f8
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[]
|
2021-07-02 23:11:39.277000+00:00
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['Win', 'Giveaway', 'Free', 'Apple', 'iPhone']
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Pahami 3 Hal Ini Sebelum Investasi di Usia 20-an — Part 1
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Sharing my interest in financial management. A full time traveler.
|
https://medium.com/@dindadiana/pahami-3-hal-ini-sebelum-investasi-di-usia-20-an-part-1-7a4e47ffa13e
|
['Dinda Diana']
|
2020-12-17 08:02:39.853000+00:00
|
['Financial', 'Lifestyle', 'Book Recommendations', 'Young People', 'Investing']
|
What’s All The Hype Around Non-Alcoholic Beverages?
|
Are these booze-free alternatives what we’ve been looking for?
What’s All The Hype Around Non-Alcoholic Beverages?
Influencers have flipped the script from wild parties to self-care and seltzer!
In 2020 we’ve seen a major shift towards taking care of ourselves, and focusing on mindful living. Sun Chaser has already been riding that wave! Focusing on providing you a more enlightened drinking experience, Sun Chaser prioritizes well-being, full flavor, and good vibes all day.
It might feel easy enough to sip alcoholic beverages when you’re looking to have a lively weekend. The trouble is, those drinks might not allow you to get your surf on the next morning, feel peaceful during your Sunday meditation, or have the energy to meal prep for the week ahead.
Using 4 mood-boosting supplements, Sun Chaser gives you an all-natural buzz! This alcohol-free buzz won’t stop you from enjoying your favorite activities.
Who wouldn’t want to be hangover free? Heading into 2021, everyone is looking for a new routine that doesn’t involve feeling down. Quarantine may not have been glamorous, but it gave us a chance to take an authentic look at the way we’re living.
The binge-drinking culture that exists in most major cities and college towns has students feeling drained. So, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing millennials leading the zero proof trend. With new beverage startups building a category of mood-enhancing alcohol alternatives, each with their own take on the concept, it’s easy to ask if the trend will stick around.
We think NA drinks are here to stay. The hype around NA beverages speaks for itself. Even last year, Forbes Magazine proudly said “the biggest trend in the bars are drinks without booze.” That hype continued it’s rapid climb all the way through 2020. We are seeing no booze bars popping up all over London, Los Angeles, and New York to please the crowds asking for mocktails.
How can you bring this trend to your own home?
Sun Chaser is an easy, toxin-free option to try any night! We spend all day drinking something. Coffee, espresso or tea in the morning. Water to stay hydrated, and then something to spice up the night! People are demanding more from their beverages this year, and they’ve got every right to.
Bringing the NA trend into your lifestyle allows you to completely be your natural self. People who choose to socialize sober are letting the authentic version of themselves shine, instead of using liquid courage. Now, this trend is not made exclusively for non-drinkers. You don’t need to be sober to experiment with sober socializing. The sober-curious movement just encourages people to feel comfortable in a booze-free environment, while still having the option of using NA alternatives to boost your experience!
Is it possible that you might want a better beverage experience for yourself?
We think yes! Sun Chaser is an easy go-to for that spice you’re looking for in the evening — minus all the bad stuff. Reimagine the way that you celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and graduations. The pandemic has shown us that we should seriously value the social time we have. By socializing sober, you’re experiencing life with a clear mind.
Enjoy your happy moments toxin-free by trying the NA trend this year. Feel confident about heading to your New Years Eve party with Sun Chaser in hand, and start 2021 off right!
|
https://medium.com/@drinksunchaser/whats-all-the-hype-around-non-alcoholic-beverages-9b8ec5226b85
|
['Sun Chaser']
|
2020-12-22 18:11:54.559000+00:00
|
['Trends', 'Beverage', 'Sober', 'Drinking', 'Life Hacking']
|
Part 2: TestFlight Easy Automation
|
Part 2: TestFlight Easy Automation
In part 1 we showed how to distribute your app using default settings. In part 2 you will see how to customize the settings to suit your project.
There are many ways to customize your app distribution including signing, bitcode, app thinning, provisioning profiles, and more. Apple provides some basic documentation about these options here. Learning which setting(s) you want is beyond the scope of this article. But once you know which options you want it is simple to enter your choices into a custom export.plist file and start building. Here is an example plist file:
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC “-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN” “
<plist version=”1.0">
<dict>
<key>method</key><string>app-store</string>
<key>teamID</key><string>YourTeamID</string>
<key>uploadBitcode</key><true/>
<key>compileBitcode</key><true/>
<key>uploadSymbols</key><true/>
<key>signingStyle</key><string>manual</string>
<key>signingCertificate</key><string>YourCertificate</string>
<key>provisioningProfiles</key>
<dict>
<key>com.client.appname</key>
<string>Client App Release</string>
<key>com.client.appname.watchkitapp</key>
<string>Client App WatchApp Release</string>
<key>com.client.appname.watchkitapp.watchkitextension</key>
<string>Client App WatchKitExtension Release</string>
<key>com.client.appname.RemoteNotificationServiceExtension</key>
<string>Client App PushExtension Release</string>
<key>com.client.appname.Stickers</key>
<string>Client App Stickers Release</string>
</dict>
</dict>
</plist> -//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN” “ http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd "> method app-store teamID YourTeamID uploadBitcode compileBitcode uploadSymbols signingStyle manual signingCertificate YourCertificate provisioningProfiles com.client.appname Client App Release com.client.appname.watchkitapp Client App WatchApp Release com.client.appname.watchkitapp.watchkitextension Client App WatchKitExtension Release com.client.appname.RemoteNotificationServiceExtension Client App PushExtension Release com.client.appname.Stickers Client App Stickers Release
Below is more information about each of the available options.
compileBitcode : Bool
For non-App Store exports, should Xcode re-compile the app from bitcode? Defaults to YES.
destination : String
Determines whether the app is exported locally or uploaded to Apple. Options are export or upload. The available options vary based on the selected distribution method. Defaults to export.
distributionBundleIdentifier : String
Reformat archive to focus on eligible target bundle identifier.
embedOnDemandResourcesAssetPacksInBundle : Bool
For non-App Store exports, if the app uses On Demand Resources and this is YES, asset packs are embedded in the app bundle so that the app can be tested without a server to host asset packs. Defaults to YES unless onDemandResourcesAssetPacksBaseURL is specified.
generateAppStoreInformation : Bool
For App Store exports, should Xcode generate App Store Information for uploading with iTMSTransporter? Defaults to NO.
iCloudContainerEnvironment : String
If the app is using CloudKit, this configures the “com.apple.developer.icloud-container-environment” entitlement. Available options vary depending on the type of provisioning profile used, but may include: Development and Production.
installerSigningCertificate : String
For manual signing only. Provide a certificate name, SHA-1 hash, or automatic selector to use for signing. Automatic selectors allow Xcode to pick the newest installed certificate of a particular type. The available automatic selectors are “Mac Installer Distribution” and “Developer ID Installer”. Defaults to an automatic certificate selector matching the current distribution method.
manifest : Dictionary
For non-App Store exports, users can download your app over the web by opening your distribution manifest file in a web browser. To generate a distribution manifest, the value of this key should be a dictionary with three sub-keys: appURL, displayImageURL, fullSizeImageURL. The additional sub-key assetPackManifestURL is required when using on-demand resources.
method : String
Describes how Xcode should export the archive. Available options: app-store, validation, ad-hoc, package, enterprise, development, developer-id, and mac-application. The list of options varies based on the type of archive. Defaults to development.
onDemandResourcesAssetPacksBaseURL : String
For non-App Store exports, if the app uses On Demand Resources and embedOnDemandResourcesAssetPacksInBundle isn’t YES, this should be a base URL specifying where asset packs are going to be hosted. This configures the app to download asset packs from the specified URL.
provisioningProfiles : Dictionary
For manual signing only. Specify the provisioning profile to use for each executable in your app. Keys in this dictionary are the bundle identifiers of executables; values are the provisioning profile name or UUID to use.
signingCertificate : String
For manual signing only. Provide a certificate name, SHA-1 hash, or automatic selector to use for signing. Automatic selectors allow Xcode to pick the newest installed certificate of a particular type. The available automatic selectors are “Mac App Distribution”, “iOS Developer”, “iOS Distribution”, “Developer ID Application”, “Apple Distribution”, “Mac Developer”, and “Apple Development”. Defaults to an automatic certificate selector matching the current distribution method.
signingStyle : String
The signing style to use when re-signing the app for distribution. Options are manual or automatic. Apps that were automatically signed when archived can be signed manually or automatically during distribution, and default to automatic. Apps that were manually signed when archived must be manually signed during distribtion, so the value of signingStyle is ignored.
stripSwiftSymbols : Bool
Should symbols be stripped from Swift libraries in your IPA? Defaults to YES.
teamID : String
The Developer Portal team to use for this export. Defaults to the team used to build the archive.
thinning : String
For non-App Store exports, should Xcode thin the package for one or more device variants? Available options: <none> (Xcode produces a non-thinned universal app), <thin-for-all-variants> (Xcode produces a universal app and all available thinned variants), or a model identifier for a specific device (e.g. “iPhone7,1”). Defaults to <none>.
uploadBitcode : Bool
For App Store exports, should the package include bitcode? Defaults to YES.
uploadSymbols : Bool
For App Store exports, should the package include symbols? Defaults to YES.
|
https://medium.com/@ehmjaysee/part-2-testflight-easy-automation-632391fe1c8d
|
['Mike Chartier']
|
2020-12-25 21:33:56.953000+00:00
|
['iOS', 'Xcodebuild', 'Xcode', 'Automation']
|
Ross Taylor Announced Retirement From International Cricket
|
Ross Taylor has stated that he will retire from international cricket at the end of the current domestic season, with the forthcoming series against Bangladesh serving as his final Test before the ODIs against Australia and the Netherlands. His final Test series will be against Bangladesh, followed by ODIs later in the season.
Taylor, 37, has 110 Test caps and is the top run-scorer for New Zealand in both Tests and ODIs.
In March 2006, he made his international debut in an ODI against the West Indies, and in November 2007, he played his maiden Test against South Africa. In Perth, he had his best score of 290 against Australia.
Taylor, who was at the crease with Kane Williamson when New Zealand won the World Test Championship earlier this year, had previously shown interest in playing in the 2023 World Cup but has opted to call it a day and will not be available for the Tests against South Africa later this season.
New Zealand is scheduled to tour Australia for three One-Day Internationals beginning in late January, followed by a home match against the Netherlands.
Ross Taylor
“It’s been such a privilege to play with and against some of the greats of the game and to have created so many memories and friendships along the way.”
You may also like: Cricket Betting & Online Casino Games
Taylor will go down as one of New Zealand’s all-time greats, according to coach Gary Stead.
Ross Taylor stated:
“We’re grateful for Ross’ efforts to the Blackcaps during an extraordinary career,”
Williamson paid respect to his long-time teammate and batting partner, who will miss the Bangladesh series because to a persistent elbow issue.
“Ross has been at the heart of the team for a long time and can be tremendously proud of helping to improve the game in this country,” he said. “He’s a world-class player who has consistently been our greatest batsman over a long period of time. And it’s been a pleasure to work with him in so many different formats.
“We’ve enjoyed some pretty spectacular events together. The most recent of which was the World Test Championship Final, which was certainly a highlight. He’s been a tremendous support person for me as a senior player and a leader in the group. Especially out on the field, where I can draw on his expertise.”
Taylor stated that he would be available for Central Districts until the conclusion of the season. Before deciding whether or not to play domestic cricket again.
Read the following Topcricketindia article to learn more about 1CRIC‘s playing strategy and other game-related information.
Read more: Chris Silverwood will miss the fourth Sydney Test due to Covid-19 close contact
Visit also: Sanjay Bangar tells the story of Mohammed Shami’s incredible comeback.
Let’s play and Register now!
Play Rummy Online with Dafabet
|
https://medium.com/@krishnasujeev25/ross-taylor-announced-retirement-from-international-cricket-608939a9a7ad
|
['Krishna Sujeev']
|
2021-12-30 07:21:30.381000+00:00
|
['Cricketsports', 'Sportsgame', 'Fantasy Sports India', 'Cricket', '1cric']
|
Women Entrepreneurs Prove Its Not Just A Mans World
|
women Entrepreneurs
I had the pleasure of talking this week at a ladies’ business affiliation lunch meeting on the subject of business. When I referenced to my better half the day preceding that I was addressing gathering of ladies business people she asked, “Why for heaven’s sake would they request that you talk?”
With all due respect, my dear spouse has no clue about I’s job. She’s never perused a solitary one of the few hundred segments I’ve composed. She’s never gone to a capacity where I’m talking or sat in the crowd at any of my courses.
She just realizes that we carry on with a truly agreeable way of life and trusts me when I reveal to her our cash doesn’t come from the medication exchange.
Past that, she’s inconceivably upbeat in her obliviousness of her significant other’s aptitudes.
When I pretended hurt sentiments she waved a hand at me and stated, “My point is, what on the planet can a man tell a roomful of ladies that they don’t as of now have the foggiest idea?”
Henny Youngman, Ralph Cramden, Rodney Dangerfield, Tim Knox. In any event I’m following in some admirable people’s footsteps.
Yet, she had a point. What the hell did I think about ladies in business? So as not to seem as though an absolute imbecile before this gathering of what I presently call “ladies business visionaries” I chose to do a little research on the subject.
This is what I found: while some actually trust it’s a man’s reality, with regards to business, ladies are making up for lost time quick.
As per the Center For Women’s Business Research there are more than 10 million ladies claimed organizations in the US, utilizing 18 million individuals and creating $2.32 trillion in deals.
Ladies start organizations at multiple times the pace of people claimed organizations represent 28 percent of all organizations in the United States and speak to around 775,000 new businesses for each year and record for 55% of new companies.
One thing that I discovered especially intriguing was that the top development ventures for ladies claimed organizations lately were development, discount exchange, transportation/interchanges, agribusiness and assembling, enterprises customarily overwhelmed by men.
In the previous 25 years the quantity of ladies possessed firms in the US has multiplied, work has expanded four-crease and their incomes have risen five-overlap.
Here is the issue I looked for especially to reply: Do ladies approach business uniquely in contrast to men? I’ve been contrasted with a bull in a china shop with regards to business. Would a female partner approach things in an unexpected way? All the more smoothly, maybe? As my beautiful lady of the hour would state, “Duh.”
In her book, How to Run Your Business Like a Girl, Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin investigated normal female attributes and how ladies business people — and maybe men, too — can utilize those characteristics for their enterprising potential benefit.
Baskin revealed that ladies will in general utilize three interesting qualities more than their male partners: confiding in their instinct, zeroing in on connections, and placing more accentuation on keeping their life in equilibrium.
Trust Your Gut
Ladies are significantly more liable to settle on a choice dependent on a premonition. Ladies may assemble the statistical data points important to back up that feeling, however they for the most part understand what they need to do dependent on instinct.
Assemble Strong Relationships
Men play the round of systematic a game. They are out to win and overwhelm. “Ladies,” Baskin says, “are considerably more keen on setting up an association.”
Discover A Balance Between Work and Life.
Various ladies met for this book referred to on personal satisfaction as their purpose behind beginning a business, suggesting their craving to figure out how to shuffle family and work. “In the event that possessing more energy for your family is essential to you, figure out how to work that into your day. It’s less how much work you do, yet having the option to choose when you’ll do it.”
Baskin offers one more suggestion to ladies in the beginning phases of their business:
You Don’t Have To Know Everything.
My significant other would contend this point since she truly knows it all, however Baskin says with regards to business, thinking you know everything isn’t the way to progress.
“It’s stunning the number of ladies state they knew nothing when they began their business,” Baskin said. “Try not to be hesitant to request help — you don’t need to be amazing at everything.”
Strong business counsel: for ladies and gentlemen.
Here’s to your prosperity!
|
https://medium.com/@michaelchi071/women-entrepreneurs-prove-its-not-just-a-mans-world-b90d0589f8d1
|
['Michael Onyeodiwe']
|
2020-12-24 12:23:36.797000+00:00
|
['Money', 'Networking', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Women', 'Business']
|
Facial Recognition Companies See the Coronavirus as a Business Opportunity
|
Facial Recognition Companies See the Coronavirus as a Business Opportunity
Facial recognition companies are pitching the technology as a sanitary alternative to fingerprint scanners
Photo: Cai Zixin/China News Service/Getty Images
The Covid-19 crisis enveloping millions of people around the world is also presenting an unlikely business opportunity for one sector of tech: facial recognition technology. Companies including DERMALOG in Germany and Telpo in China are pitching the technology as a method for identifying individuals without the risk of close contact.
Fingerprint scanners, for instance, require that many people touch the same surface, which could potentially spread infection if someone with Covid-19 were to use an unclean scanner. Businesses in India are being directed by police to ditch fingerprint authentication in lieu of facial recognition or ID cards, and the NYPD is pausing its fingerprint entry amid coronavirus concerns.
Companies eager to make facial recognition the default form of identification are rushing to fill the void.
“In the face of this outbreak, we have developed a solution for noncontact body temperature measurement plus face recognition.”
DERMALOG, a biometrics company that makes fingerprint, iris, and facial recognition hardware, has adapted its technology to determine temperature and is pitching the update as a safety feature. It’s already in use by the Thai government for border control. Telpo is launching temperature-sensing terminals with facial recognition, which allegedly work even if a person is wearing a face mask.
“In the face of this outbreak, we have developed a solution for noncontact body temperature measurement plus face recognition in order to meet the rapid need to diagnose the patient and isolate and control the virus in time,” Crystal Chu, a platform marketing specialist at Telpo, wrote to OneZero in an email.
And the company is touting the benefits of facial recognition beyond the coronavirus pandemic.
“This technology can not only reduce the risk of cross infection but also improve traffic efficiency by more than 10 times, which will save time and reduce congestion. It is suitable for government, customs, airports, railway stations, enterprises, schools, communities, and other crowded public places,” the company wrote separately in a press release.
Another Chinese company, Wisesoft, is also bundling facial recognition and temperature-sensing technology.
Meanwhile, manufacturers of fingerprint scanners are pushing back.
“People like facial recognition or iris companies are saying, ‘Well you don’t want to use fingerprint scanners anymore, they’re bad for you because of this virus. I think that’s a little ridiculous,” says David Gerulski, executive vice president of Integrated Biometrics, a firm that specializes in lightweight and mobile fingerprint scanners.
The company has been communicating with customers for weeks about how to properly clean the devices, and advising that those who use the scanner should use hand sanitizer afterwards.
Gerulski points out that he’s heard recommendations that people should use the iris scanners on Clear’s biometric machines at airports rather than its fingerprint function, but that requires holding your face close to a shared surface.
“The main thing is we want to make sure there aren’t terrorists who take advantage of this time period when everybody’s worried about viruses and then something bad happens,” Gerulski said.
Automated fingerprint analysis has been the most common form of biometrics since its invention and adoption in the 1980s.
NEC, the Japanese technology company, was the first to build and market automated fingerprint analysis for forensic use by police and federal investigators. The company has now morphed into one of the biggest companies selling biometric technology across the world, and it pitches facial recognition as the most cutting edge of its offerings.
Covid-19 has also spurred technology companies to market facial recognition algorithms that work even when someone is wearing a mask. Companies like China’s Hanvon and Spain’s Herta have announced their facial recognition is works with or without wearing a mask as well.
Facial recognition is also being used amid the pandemic to determine if people are following local regulations. Baidu’s facial recognition can look for people who aren’t wearing masks in China, since masks have been deemed mandatory in many parts of the country.
Russia is using facial recognition to track those who are leaving their quarantine. One Moscow resident was visited by police after violating his quarantine by taking out the trash, according to the Moscow Times.
In Shanghai, communities are installing facial recognition in residential buildings to reduce contact with shared physical surfaces.
Other residents in China, where facial recognition partnered with temperature sensing has become commonplace, wonder whether this level of surveillance will subside after the virus has been contained, according to The Guardian.
“This epidemic undoubtedly provides more reason for the government to surveil the public. I don’t think authorities will rule out keeping this up after the outbreak,” activist Wang Aizhong told The Guardian.
|
https://onezero.medium.com/facial-recognition-companies-see-the-coronavirus-as-a-business-opportunity-6c9b99d60649
|
['Dave Gershgorn']
|
2020-03-19 13:58:42.667000+00:00
|
['Facial Recognition', 'Identification', 'Technology', 'Coronavirus', 'Biometrics']
|
When An Abusive Relationship Produces a Special Needs Child
|
When An Abusive Relationship Produces a Special Needs Child
How I lost my adult son, and found a way back to him.
Photo by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash
It’s a cool and drizzly spring afternoon here in Australia. I’m sipping a tea while my favorite scented candle burns away next to me. My husband is pottering around doing a bit of housework, and I am writing.
I could never have dreamed I’d be so free.
With the benefit of hindsight I now know that there were early red flags of serious problems in my first marriage. Of course I could not see them at the time. I was the proverbial frog in the pot, the abuse progressing so gradually that I could not pinpoint what was wrong. Instead I slowly fell into a web of confusion and despair.
I so dearly wanted a child, someone to love who would love me. I know that’s naive and desperate. I’ve learnt a lot about myself since then. After repeated miscarriages I finally had my beautiful son, my dream of motherhood was a reality. His dad treated me better, for a while.
As always it didn’t last.
By the time Jack was three it was clear that all was not well with my precious boy. He had lost what speech he had, was spinning in circles. Then the seizures started. In those early years I threw myself into my parenting. I desperately wanted to rescue my son from wherever he had disappeared.
He never came back to me, not the same anyway.
All the while my marriage got worse and worse, the time and attention I invested in my son enraged my husband who expected to have all his needs met, no matter what. By the time my son started school I was emotionally exhausted.
Jack was exposed to intense fighting between his parents. My ex would tolerate no dissent. Most of the time I acceded to his view to avoid the conflict. Sometimes I fought back, which enraged him.
That’s when things got violent. Expressing a view of my own triggered his wrath. Things would be thrown, tables upturned, holes punched in walls.
Many times he threatened to self-harm or take us all out. I watched him hold a kitchen knife to his chest, or threaten to stop the car and walk in front of a truck.
Constant trauma changes you, it changed me as a mother.
I became consumed by my career.
Through all this turmoil, I somehow managed to continue my studies that I had commenced before my son was born, and complete my law degree.
Looking back I think I instinctively knew that the qualifications I was working for, would give me capacity to eventually escape.
The year Jack started school I started my first job as a lawyer. I loved it. When I went to work no-one took their frustration out on me, no-one yelled and people valued what I had to say. Work became my refuge. Every day, when I got in my car, I felt like I was on day-release from prison.
I was escaping from the invisible bars that surround a relationship that is steeped in abuse. But it wasn’t only that. If I’m honest I was also escaping the relentless job of looking after my son. My energy and resilience, that should have been invested in him, had been sucked away by his father.
It turned me into a hollow empty shell with little left to give.
An abusive marriage and a disabled child, it’s a horrible combination. My love for and commitment to my son was constantly battling with my desperation to be free from abuse. It felt like I was being punished, for what I don’t know. I wanted to leave, but didn’t believe I had the capacity to care for my rapidly growing son alone.
I developed coping strategies during those years, ways to escape the reality that I hated my husband, hated my life. I retreated into work and books. I craved time alone, of which I got precious little.
Eventually I did leave, my son was 14.
Parenting a severely autistic teenager.
For a little over three years I barely coped with week about care of my son. He rapidly grew into a tall, strong young man. Puberty struck and he didn’t know how to cope with the changes in his body and I didn’t know how to help him.
His father, a man livid that I had got away, used Jack as the final conduit of control. He forced me to take him when he knew I could not cope, denied us access to the services that would have helped so much, that could have provided Jack and I with the support we desperately needed. Instead he orchestrated things so that I had to remain in regular contact with him. He would call and text all the time. Once again I was on eggshells, living in fear, sacrificing my freedom.
It just kept getting worse.
A little over a year ago I got to a point where I could not mentally or emotionally take one more moment of contact with my ex-husband. Just receiving a text from him would send me into a downward spiral of nausea, sweats and a feeling like the world was closing in on me. I was warned by my doctor and counselor that to continue contact was a serious threat to my mental health.
I begged for a solution that would remove our need for contact but still allow me to see my son. He refused and insisted that if I wanted to see Jack, I had to pick him up from him myself and manage him without help.
His conditions effectively severed my relationship with my child.
I wrote here about that heartbreaking decision.
There is a time for everything.
A year ago I wrote this:
If you are anything like me, you have no idea how to look after yourself, you have been so irrelevant for so long. Learn to look after yourself. For me that means a season of recovery, of rest so I can ready myself for the battle that is ahead. The battle I will fight for my son, just as soon as I have the strength.
I grieved for months, but I knew I had no choice. I had broken free from what was effectively a hostage situation. I had to find another way to have a relationship with my son.
The first step was retreat.
I pulled away from everything that was not essential. I gave myself something I had never had. The gift of time. Time to reflect, grieve and plan for the future. For eight months I practically hibernated, the pandemic helped with that.
I wrote, I prayed, and I confided in a very small group of trusted people.
Gradually my energy reserves returned.
Then I fought.
I took legal steps to have an alternative decision maker appointed for my son. I didn’t really want to take the day to day decisions out of his father’s hands. With the exception of his distorted thinking about me, he is a good father, but I had to force him to the negotiating table, so to speak, so we could, with the help of intermediaries, come up with a solution.
I knew my ex’s weakness, it was the same thing that kept me trapped for all those years. Ironically it was the same thing that ultimately broke down the the barrier between me and my son.
His father’s desperate need for control.
The possibility that he would lose control over Jack’s decision making was enough to force him to see sense. I know this man pretty well, and my experience gave me a way in. I had to be tactical and I was, I found a way to make an unreasonable person come to a reasonable solution.
I had to threaten him with the only thing that really scares him. The threat of losing control. That’s not manipulation it’s just using your experience to achieve justice. Justice for Jack and for me.
The most amazing demonstration of grace.
I’ve said before that my son is the most gracious human being I have ever known. Yesterday I saw him for the first time in just over a year.
I was prepared for the worst, for anger, for him to refuse to come near me.
But instead I got a hug and a kiss. I was a recipient of grace. We will be seeing each other regularly now, and I believe we will be okay.
Where to from here?
Relationships are complex, and the family unit that my son was born into certainly was. But humans are resilient creatures and have amazing capacity to forgive and move on. Jack could have been angry with me, but he wasn’t.
He has taught me that it is never too late to restore what has been broken and that all I have endured has been worth it.
My son, despite all his challenges, has shown me the truth that love really does endure. Today I am grateful for his resilience.
|
https://medium.com/a-parent-is-born/when-an-abusive-relationship-produces-a-special-needs-child-166bb8828a54
|
['Matilda Fairholm']
|
2020-11-01 20:04:40.342000+00:00
|
['Life Lessons', 'Disability', 'Domestic Violence', 'Relationships', 'Parenting']
|
Mama Wants Me Dead
|
When the pastor at my church has a heart attack, I am still a little girl who wants to believe in God. I lose my faith that day, hugging my little cousin close to me while the pastor’s wife cries and we hide behind a chair.
I look around for God, but I don’t see him. I see death though, sitting in the first pew; he recites psalms just like you and me.
I do not worry about God or death, but I do worry for the pastor, for his wife; what it means for people to be in pain. I read about other people’s suffering and write about my own. Then I write about everyone else’s.
Suddenly I see it everywhere; the sad eyes of schoolteachers, the lilt in the voice of a grocery store clerk who is lonely, the tender spots on a school mate’s arm where cigarettes scalded skin.
I’m not sure what hurts worse: the truth or the lies spun to cover it up.
|
https://medium.com/s/losing-my-religion/when-the-pastor-at-my-church-has-a-heart-attack-i-am-still-a-little-girl-who-wants-to-believe-in-3f2b940fc525
|
[]
|
2018-08-13 21:12:11.445000+00:00
|
['Writing', 'God', 'Memoir', 'Religion', 'Faith']
|
Writing Goals: 2021 [Part 6] — Schedule
|
This week we shift the focus to a more pragmatic part of the discussion, considering a variety of tips about how to manage time and projects more efficiently. But before we dig into that, let me roll out one of my oft-repeated mantras:
“There is no right way to write.”
Some of you will have no need for any of this series of posts. Indeed some of you may have discovered that any sort of intention inhibits your creativity and ultimately writing output.
That said, I think it’s probably safe to say most writers benefit from setting and working toward specific writing goals. Moreover some of you may think being intentional and setting goals will hurt your writing when in fact you may discover quite the opposite is true.
Bottom line: We’re all just trying to wrangle magic. And specific to spec scripts, as noted in one of the early posts in this series, if you don’t actually write the script, you have no chance of selling it or use it to get representation. All I’m trying to do is provide some ideas to help you get done that most basic goal: Write a spec script. To that end, hopefully you will find something of value in this series of posts.
Okay, having dispensed with that caveat, we move on.
Today: Schedule
When I was writing screenplays full-time for a living, I had a routine: Mornings were for exercise and taking care of personal business. Afternoons were for writing. Nights and weekends were for research and brainstorming other projects [for more on stacking projects, go here]. In fact for the afternoon writing sessions, I had this little numeric code: 1 to 5, 5 to 7. That is I wrote from 1PM to 5PM every week day and expected to produce 5 to 7 pages each writing session. If I knocked out 7 pages by 3 or 3:30, I had the option of knocking off early, or continuing to plow ahead if I had built up a good head of steam.
That was a simple system and didn’t require much in the way of oversight other than a commitment to work every day.
Now that I have so many different types of writing [creative writing, teaching, blogging, lectures, research, script feedback], and am currently writing a book, I have had to revise my work habits and the way I handle schedules. The key is the calendar. In fact, were I not so fastidious about using a calendar, there is no way I could manage all the writing I do.
Because one of my primary email accounts is Gmail, I use Google Calendar. For planning purposes, I break things up this way:
Annually
Quarterly
Monthly
Weekly
Daily
I plug in a projection of how I see the year laying out. Obviously that is going to flex along the way, but I find it’s helpful to lay out markers for gigs and writing goals throughout the upcoming year.
I divide things up quarterly to help break down goals into more manageable chunks and to stack projects more effectively.
At the end of each month, I create a lay-out of what I project will need to happen over the next 30 days to manage everything.
Same thing with the weekly schedule where I get very specific with daily items that need to be handled.
Finally, a daily calendar breakdown.
Three particular things about schedule:
Open items on my calendar that need to be taken care of are GREEN. When I finish that task, I change it to BLUE. This not only helps me have a visual reference as to what I need to do, it also provides a tiny, but satisfying experience of knocking things off the list.
Prioritizing: This has made a huge difference for me. I have always been good about making lists, but in the past I have tended to have a rather laissez faire approach to how I would work my way through the things I had to do. Because nowadays I have so many different things going on, I prioritize the items on my list, and go through them in the order of their importance.
Do the hardest thing first: My Air Force Colonel father drilled this into the core of my being, so when I prioritize writing tasks, I put the tougher ones at the head of the list.
This may sound like a hugely schematic way to write, but I look at it like an extension of my own creative writing process in that my schedule is like a story outline: It’s how I provide shape to the ‘narrative’ of my daily, weekly, monthly, and so on ‘story.’
Indeed, if you are into the sequence approach to screenwriting, I look at monthly and weekly writing goal breakdowns as ‘sequences,’ parts of the larger whole.
But that’s just me. I’m really curious how you approach scheduling your writing. And especially if you have any tools or software resources you use to manage your writing projects.
So please join me by composing a RESPONSE to discuss your own way of dealing with schedule as it relates to your writing.
Tomorrow, we have a go at time management.
To kick off that part of our collective thought process, here are five pieces of advice from Jane Friedman about finding time to write.
|
https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/writing-goals-2021-part-6-schedule-984d92bd58f4
|
['Scott Myers']
|
2020-12-14 17:22:41.373000+00:00
|
['Writing', 'Productivity', 'Fiction', 'Screenwriting', 'Creativity']
|
My 4 Wildlife Tourism Regrets
|
Turtle Feeding
Photo by David Troeger on Unsplash
One of the most common practices to lure wild animals to a keen human audience is through food. For wild animals, food means survival, and an easy, reliable meal is more tempting than a long hunt for a small morsel of food.
Several friends have told me about tourist operations where feeding of wild animals is used to guarantee a wildlife sighting. I unwittingly found myself in this very situation when I was working as a Divemaster. A friend and I were leading a group of amateur underwater photographers on several dives, the last of which was set to be at ‘turtle point’.
As soon as the dive boat anchored, a little turtle head popped up and I was pretty surprised. My previous flirtations with turtles were few and far between. In just over 150 dives, I had seen about 4 or 5 wild turtles on a dive. And every time it was a blessing. I was happy that we had already seen a turtle.
We rushed our diving holidaymakers into the water and just as I was about to roll in I saw one of the boatmen chucking dead cuttlefish into the water. My heart sank as I realised that they were feeding the turtles here at ‘turtle point’.
It might not be immediately obvious why feeding wild animals is detrimental, besides the fact that they aren’t fending for themselves. Feeding wildlife can have a lasting impact wherein wildlife becoming more dependent on this resource of an ‘easy’ meal. Long-term feeding can, “alter natural behaviour patterns and population levels”, such that the animals no longer follow their natural migration patterns. Research shows that although there are occasionally benefits for animals in this scenario, there are a lot more benefits for humans. Being up-close to an animal could also carry the risk of potential disease transmission from humans to animals.
At first, it was amazing to be so close to so many turtles. It quickly became clear that they were unnaturally friendly and slightly aggressive. One diver freaked out because a turtle was harassing her for food. It wasn’t the turtle's fault that it expects food when humans are around — its entirely human fault driving this unnatural behaviour.
We were a large group in shallow water and whilst everyone was clambering to get the best shot, I witnessed several turtles being whacked by unsuspecting divers fins. The frenzy was heartbreaking to watch.
In this instance, I was working and I was unaware that we were in a place where animal feeding occurs. However, I do know that I will never willingly support this kind of practice when I am a tourist due to the risks, both for humans and wildlife.
|
https://farewellalarms.com/my-4-wildlife-tourism-regrets-91003fa84a6a
|
['Katie Sheps']
|
2020-12-01 12:21:59.604000+00:00
|
['Wildlife', 'Travel', 'Tourism', 'Conservation', 'Regret']
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Map clustering with Leaflet
|
It’s been two months since I’ve started my internship at Entgra. During those two months, I was able to learn both backend & frontend related things. From the stuff I learned, “Map clustering” was totally new to me. I never had used maps before in a web application. So this mapping thing was really exciting for me. In this blog post, I’ll share my experience on how to do the map clustering using Leaflet.
Before getting into the topic, For those who don’t know what “Leaflet” is, It’s an Open-source Javascript library which is similar to Google maps. It’s really easy to use, 100% free to use and it has almost every mapping feature. You can find instructions on how to setup Leaflet here. At the end of this tutorial, you’ll be able to cluster your map as below
If you’ve already setup Leaflet on your website/web application, You can clone the repository of Leaflet.MarkerCluster. There’ll be two CSS files & a Javascript file named as below
1. leaflet.markercluster.js
2. MarkerCluster.css
3. MarkerCluster.Default.css
Import the above three files into your project. For the tutorial, I’ll add a random map location to the map. This is how you initialize the clustering feature to your project. You can create a javascript file add the below code. You can also change it according to your requirement. Add this code and you’ve got yourself a clustered map.
I’ll include more documents I found interesting and useful for further my development.
Clustering Live Preview
How to use the MarkerCluster plugin
Add custom icons to map
Hope this was helpful and see you soon in another blog post. Keep Coding!
|
https://medium.com/@gimhan-wijayawardana/map-clustering-with-leaflet-8a01dbf9376
|
['Gimhan Wijayawardana']
|
2020-10-22 16:01:36.855000+00:00
|
['Leaflet', 'Markercluster', 'JavaScript', 'Maps', 'Clustering']
|
A new poll shows that the British people overwhelmingly want a deal — West England Bylines
|
Melissa Chemam
December 21, 2020
Ten days away from the end of the year, and the looming date of 1 January, the British government still can’t negotiate a deal with its most important commercial, political and trading partner, the European Union.
As the numbers of Covid cases grow every day in the country, what could bring more panic to British people? Indeed, a few days ago, a new opinion poll showed that two-thirds of Brits want the government to reach a trade deal with the EU.
This poll was conducted by YouGov on behalf of the group known as Best for Britain, which has done remarkable work to inform British people on the consequences of Brexit since 2016. The poll interrogated 1,703 people between 10 and 11 December 2020.
The results show that the country overwhelmingly supports ending the Brexit transition period with a trade deal. We now have less than two weeks to do so. 66% of those polled supported leaving with a deal, compared to just 15% who said they would prefer a no-deal outcome. The poll found that even Conservative voters prefer a trade deal to a no-deal outcome by a ratio of 2 to 1.
This also clearly shows that every region in the UK came out in favour of a EU trade deal by the end of this year. London and the North of England were the regions with the highest levels of support for a deal, at 73% and 68% respectively, followed by Scotland and the rest of the South of England.
With just a few days to go before the end of the transition period, Best for Britain CEO Naomi Smith said the findings show that:
“The Prime Minister has no mandate for a no-deal Brexit. A year ago he won the election on a promise of delivering an ‘oven-ready’ trade agreement with the EU. He told voters the chance of no-deal was ‘a million to one’. Failing to deliver on those promises just a year down the line, while the country is in the middle of the most painful economic recession in recent memory, would be a betrayal of all those voters who supported the Prime Minister at the last election and, in his own words, a failure of statesmanship.”
Best for Britain is a non-partisan group campaigning for a UK-EU trade deal. I have had the pleasure to meet their CEO Naomi Smith while invited on a couple of episode of a podcast about Brexit issues. These podcasts were called “Remaniacs” but are now “ Oh God What Now”. I’ve followed Naomi’s amazing work since and Best for Britain is one of the organisations we can trust the most on this issue.
With the passage of the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020, Best for Britain believe the UK must now focus on securing the trade deal promised in the Conservative Party manifesto, delivering for business and communities across the country. In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, they also worry about the impact of leaving the Single Market and Customs Union when the transition period ends on 31st December 2020.
I personally believe Brexit should be “frozen” until the pandemic is over. No one, even the most determined supporters of Brexit, voted for such suffering and uncertainty.
Last week, the EU announced that British citizens would not be allowed to travel to the EU member-states after 1 January as long as the threat of the pandemic is ongoing. Since Saturday (19 December), the traffic between Calais and Dover has become extremely difficult. This Sunday (20 December), the Netherlands announced they are banning British citizens from entering their country with immediate effect.
Here in Bristol, where the Europhile sentiment is quite high and the organisation “The 3 Million” was founded to support the Euro-citizens, I see many people expressing their anxiety on social media on a daily basis.
If Boris Johnson’s government ends up not signing a deal in the coming days, the British public now knows he is able to deliberately go against their will.
|
https://medium.com/@melissachemam/a-new-poll-shows-that-the-british-people-overwhelmingly-want-a-deal-west-england-bylines-9cdf8259c983
|
['Melissa Chemam']
|
2020-12-21 18:28:35.009000+00:00
|
['Citizen Journalism', 'UK', 'Brexit Deal', 'Brexit', 'Best For Britain']
|
Weekly innovation roundup! #2
|
Weekly innovation roundup! #2
AI racial profiling, digital assistant wars, 50 shades of emotion ai and more…
By Francisco Jordão, Technical Lead at AnalogFolk
Welcome to the AnalogFolk weekly innovation roundup, where our technical lead Francisco Jordão summarises the innovations of the week; from the weird to the wonderful, and everything in-between.
Samsung has released an official statement addressing reports of display issues with the upcoming Galaxy Fold. There are two parts to the story. First, it noted that it intends to “thoroughly inspect [the review] units in person,” referring to the devices that seemed to have had screens break without a direct, obvious cause. Our review unit developed a bulge that appeared to be the result of something in between the screen and the hinge, ultimately breaking the screen.
Read more…
In a major ethical leap for the tech world, Chinese start-ups have built algorithms that the government uses to track members of a largely Muslim minority group.
Read more…
The shades of emotion in human voice are being decoded and mapped in a way that has never been done before, and it’s providing the foundation for the next generation of emotionally intelligent AI.
Read more…
Facebook is reportedly getting into the A.I. game by developing a voice-enabled digital assistant to compete with products like Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon’s Alexa. If the report is true, Facebook could incorporate the voice assistant into its Portal and Portal+ smart displays.
Read more…
Read more…
|
https://medium.com/analogfolk/weekly-innovation-roundup-1-2d292b90742c
|
[]
|
2019-04-25 08:52:12.264000+00:00
|
['Artificial Intelligence', 'Innovation', 'Technology']
|
Electric G-Wagen Volvo’s crypto sourcing ethanol hiccups
|
The boxy Mercedes G-Wagen will go electric. Trump’s ethanol push isn’t actually making it to many pumps. Lucid moves earth to build Air. Volvo is using tech from cryptocurrencies to track its raw materials for batteries. And is the German auto industry falling behind? This and more today at Green Car Reports.
In the interest of responsible sourcing of raw materials like cobalt for battery production, Volvo is turning to a blockchain-based traceability program that maintains a “digital ledger.”
It seems the strong boost that the Trump administration gave to potentially more smog-prone gasoline with higher ethanol levels isn’t actually changing much about what consumers see at the pump. That’s because state laws, push-back from consumers, and costly pump retrofits are keeping it away.
Mercedes-Benz has a whole suite of electric vehicles on the way — most of them via its EV-focused electric brand. Last week Daimler CEO Ola Källenius revealed that even the brash, boxy G-Wagen SUV — long one of the company’s top gas-guzzlers — is due to go electric.
Lucid is readying the site of its Arizona factory for production of its Air electric sedan — with production to be overseen by former Tesla production VP Peter Hochholdinger. Bear in mind too that Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson was the chief engineer of the original Model S.
The first production Lexus electric vehicle — likely to be a version of the Lexus UX dubbed the UX 300e — is due this month at the Guangzhou auto show.
And over the weekend, we considered a lengthy, well-crafted editorial about how Tesla, Google, and other tech companies may have gotten a huge leap ahead of traditional automakers. What made this all the more unexpected and compelling was that it came from Germany’s Spiegel, and the industry it’s pointing to as in danger of being left behind is the German auto industry.
Credit : Green Cars report
|
https://medium.com/@voltzuk/electric-g-wagen-volvos-crypto-sourcing-ethanol-hiccups-7e98ccb7ac8a
|
[]
|
2019-11-15 03:56:56.745000+00:00
|
['Cryptocurrency Investment', 'Tesla', 'Electric Car', 'Bitcoin News', 'Cryptocurrency News']
|
Advanced NumPy: Master stride tricks with 25 illustrated exercises
|
Answer
strides = (2,)
shape = (25,)
💡 Explanation
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 23 → 24, 24 → 25) were originally 2 bytes apart (=1 element away × 2 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 25.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,26), np.int16).reshape(5,5)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(25,), strides=(2,)) array([ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20,
21, 22, 23, 24, 25], dtype=int16)
Similar to
>>> x.ravel() array([ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20,
21, 22, 23, 24, 25], dtype=int16)
4) Skip every other element
Input itemsize: 1 byte | Input strides: (5, 1)
Answer
strides = (2,)
shape = (3,)
💡 Explanation
Adjacent elements in the output (i.e. 1 → 3, 3 → 5) were originally 2 bytes apart (=2 elements away × 1 byte) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 3.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,26), np.int8).reshape(5,5)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(3,), strides=(2,)) array([1, 3, 5], dtype=int8)
Similar to
>>> x[0,::2] array([1, 3, 5], dtype=int8)
5) Slice first column
Input itemsize: 8 bytes | Input strides: (40, 8)
Answer
strides = (40,)
shape = (4,)
💡 Explanation
Adjacent elements in the output (i.e. 1 → 6, 6 → 11, 11 → 16) were originally 40 bytes apart (=5 elements away × 8 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 4.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,26), np.int64).reshape(5,5)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(4,), strides=(40,)) array([ 1, 6, 11, 16])
Similar to
>>> x[:4,0] array([ 1, 6, 11, 16])
6) Slice a diagonal
Input itemsize: 8 bytes | Input strides: (40, 8)
Answer
strides = (48,)
shape = ( 5,)
💡 Explanation
Adjacent elements in the output (i.e. 1 → 7, 7 → 13, 13 → 19, 19 → 25) were originally 48 bytes apart (=6 elements away × 8 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 5.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,26), np.int64).reshape(5,5)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(5,), strides=(48,)) array([ 1, 7, 13, 19, 25])
Similar to
>>> x.diagonal() array([ 1, 7, 13, 19, 25])
7) Repeat the first element
Input itemsize: 8 bytes | Input strides: (40, 8)
Answer
strides = (0,)
shape = (5,)
💡 Explanation
Adjacent elements in the output (i.e. 1 → 1) were originally 0 bytes apart (=0 elements away × 8 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 5.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,26), np.int64).reshape(5,5)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(5,), strides=(0,)) array([ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1])
Similar to
>>> np.broadcast_to(x[0,0], (5,)) array([1, 1, 1, 1, 1])
2D exercises
8) Simple 2D slicing
Input itemsize: 8 bytes | Input strides: (40, 8)
Answer
strides = (40,8)
shape = ( 3,4)
💡 Explanation Output’s left-to-right dimension (axis= -1 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 8 → 9) were originally 8 bytes apart (=1 element away × 8 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 4. Output’s left-to-right dimension (axis= -2 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 6, 2 → 7, 9 → 14) were originally 40 bytes apart (=5 elements away × 8 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 3.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,26), np.int64).reshape(5,5)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(3,4), strides=(40,8)) array([[ 1, 2, 3, 4],
[ 6, 7, 8, 9],
[11, 12, 13, 14]])
Similar to
>>> x[:3,:4] array([[ 1, 2, 3, 4],
[ 6, 7, 8, 9],
[11, 12, 13, 14]])
9) Slice a zigzag
Input itemsize: 8 bytes | Input strides: (40, 8)
Answer
strides = (48,8)
shape = ( 4,2)
💡 Explanation Output’s left-to-right dimension (axis= -1 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 2, 7 → 8, 13 → 14, 19 → 20) were originally 8 bytes apart (=1 element away × 8 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 2. Output’s left-to-right dimension (axis= -2 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 7, 2 → 8, 13 → 19) were originally 48 bytes apart (=6 elements away × 8 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 4.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,26), np.int64).reshape(5,5)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(4,2), strides=(48,8)) array([[ 1, 2],
[ 7, 8],
[13, 14],
[19, 20]])
Similar to
>>> # this may not be achieved concisely
10) Sparse slicing
Input itemsize: 8 bytes | Input strides: (40, 8)
Answer
strides = (80,16)
shape = ( 3, 3)
💡 Explanation Output’s left-to-right dimension (axis= -1 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 3, 21 → 23, 13 → 15) were originally 16 bytes apart (=2 elements away × 8 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 3. Output’s left-to-right dimension (axis= -2 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 11, 13 → 23, 15 → 25) were originally 80 bytes apart (=10 elements away × 8 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 3.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,26), np.int64).reshape(5,5)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(3,3), strides=(80,16)) array([[ 1, 3, 5],
[11, 13, 15],
[21, 23, 25]])
Similar to
>>> x[::2,::2] array([[ 1, 3, 5],
[11, 13, 15],
[21, 23, 25]])
11) Transpose a 2D array
Input itemsize: 1 byte | Input strides: (5, 1)
Answer
strides = (1,5)
shape = (3,3)
💡 Explanation Output’s left-to-right dimension (axis= -1 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 6, 7 → 12, 3 → 8) were originally 5 bytes apart (=5 elements away × 1 byte) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 3. Output’s top-to-right dimension (axis= -2 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 11 → 12) were originally 1 byte apart (=1 element away × 1 byte) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 3.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,26), np.int8).reshape(5,5)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(3,3), strides=(1,5)) array([[ 1, 6, 11],
[ 2, 7, 12],
[ 3, 8, 13]], dtype=int8)
Similar to
>>> x[:3,:3].T array([[ 1, 6, 11],
[ 2, 7, 12],
[ 3, 8, 13]], dtype=int8)
12) Repeat the first column 4 times
Input itemsize: 4 bytes | Input strides: (20, 4)
Answer
strides = (20,0)
shape = ( 5,4)
💡 Explanation Output’s left-to-right dimension (axis= -1 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 1, 6 → 6, 16 → 16) were originally 0 bytes apart (=0 elements away × 4 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 4. Output’s top-to-bottom dimension (axis= -2 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 6, 6 → 11, 11 → 16) were originally 20 bytes apart (=5 elements away × 4 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 5.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,26), np.int32).reshape(5,5)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(5,4), strides=(20,0)) array([[ 1, 1, 1, 1],
[ 6, 6, 6, 6],
[11, 11, 11, 11],
[16, 16, 16, 16],
[21, 21, 21, 21]], dtype=int32)
Similar to
>>> np.broadcast_to(x[:,0,None], (5,4)) array([[ 1, 1, 1, 1],
[ 6, 6, 6, 6],
[11, 11, 11, 11],
[16, 16, 16, 16],
[21, 21, 21, 21]], dtype=int32)
13) Reshape 1D array to 2D array
Input itemsize: 8 bytes | Input strides: (8,)
Answer
strides = (24,8)
shape = ( 4,3)
💡 Explanation Output’s left-to-right dimension (axis= -1 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 7 → 8, 11 → 12) were originally 8 bytes apart (=1 element away × 8 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 3. Output’s top-to-bottom dimension (axis= -2 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 4, 4 → 7, 7 → 10) were originally 24 bytes apart (=3 elements away × 8 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 4.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,13), np.int64)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(4,3), strides=(24,8)) array([[ 1, 2, 3],
[ 4, 5, 6],
[ 7, 8, 9],
[10, 11, 12]])
Similar to
>>> x.reshape(4,3) array([[ 1, 2, 3],
[ 4, 5, 6],
[ 7, 8, 9],
[10, 11, 12]])
14) Slide a 1D window
Adapted from a StackOverflow post [1]. Similar to [2] and [3].
Input itemsize: 1 byte | Input strides: (1,)
Answer
strides = (1,1)
shape = (8,3)
💡 Explanation Output’s left-to-right dimension (axis= -1 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 2, 3 → 4, 4 → 5) were originally 1 byte apart (=1 element away × 1 byte) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 3. Output’s top-to-bottom dimension (axis= -2 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (i.e. 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 4 → 5, …, 7 → 8) were originally 1 byte apart (=1 element away × 1 byte) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 8.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,26), np.int8)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(8,3), strides=(1,1)) array([[ 1, 2, 3],
[ 2, 3, 4],
[ 3, 4, 5],
[ 4, 5, 6],
[ 5, 6, 7],
[ 6, 7, 8],
[ 7, 8, 9],
[ 8, 9, 10]], dtype=int8)
Similar to
>>> # this may not be achieved concisely
15) Slide a 2D window then flatten
Question taken from a StackOverflow post [4].
Input itemsize: 1 byte | Input strides: (2, 1)
Answer
strides = (2,1)
shape = (4,6)
💡 Explanation Output’s left-to-right dimension (axis= -1 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 0 → 1, 1 → 10, 31 → 40) were originally 1 byte apart (=1 element away × 1 byte) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 6. Output’s top-to-bottom dimension (axis= -2 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 0 → 10, 10 → 20, 41 → 51) were originally 2 bytes apart (=2 elements away × 1 byte) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 4.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(
... [0,1,10,11,20,21,30,31,40,41,50,51],
... np.int8).reshape(6,2)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(4,6), strides=(2,1)) array([[ 0, 1, 10, 11, 20, 21],
[10, 11, 20, 21, 30, 31],
[20, 21, 30, 31, 40, 41],
[30, 31, 40, 41, 50, 51]], dtype=int8)
Similar to
>>> # this may not be achieved concisely
16) Collapse an axis from a 3D array
Input itemsize: 1 byte | Input strides: (4, 2, 1)
Answer
strides = (4,1)
shape = (3,4)
💡 Explanation Output’s left-to-right dimension (axis= -1 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 2, 3 → 4, 4 → 5) were originally 1 byte apart (=1 element away × 1 byte) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 4. Output’s top-to-bottom dimension (axis= -2 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (i.e. 1 → 5, 5 → 9, 2 → 6, 6 → 10) were originally 4 bytes apart (=4 elements away × 1 byte) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 3.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,13), np.int8).reshape(3,2,2)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(3,4), strides=(4,1)) array([[ 1, 2, 3, 4],
[ 5, 6, 7, 8],
[ 9, 10, 11, 12]], dtype=int8)
Similar to
>>> x.reshape(3,4) array([[ 1, 2, 3, 4],
[ 5, 6, 7, 8],
[ 9, 10, 11, 12]], dtype=int8)
3D exercises
17) 2 corners
Input itemsize: 2 bytes | Input strides: (10, 2)
Answer
strides = (30,10, 2)
shape = ( 2, 2, 2)
💡 Explanation Output’s left-to-right dimension (axis= -1 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (i.e. 1 → 2, 6 → 7, 16 → 17, 21 → 22) were originally 2 bytes apart (=1 element away × 2 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 2. Output’s top-to-bottom dimension (axis= -2 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (i.e. 1 → 6, 2 → 7, 16 → 21, 17 → 22) were originally 10 bytes apart (=5 elements away × 2 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 2. Output’s box-to-box dimension (axis= -3 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (i.e. 1 → 16, 2 → 17, 6 → 21, 7 → 22) were originally 30 bytes apart (=15 elements away × 2 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 2.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,26), np.int16).reshape(5,5)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(2,2,2), strides=(30,10,2)) array([[[ 1, 2],
[ 6, 7]], [[16, 17],
[21, 22]]], dtype=int16)
Similar to
>>> # this may not be achieved concisely
18) Staggered slicing
Input itemsize: 1 bytes | Input strides: (5, 1)
Answer
strides = (10,6,1)
shape = ( 2,2,3)
💡 Explanation Output’s intrabox left-to-right dimension (axis= -1 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 17 → 18) were originally 1 byte apart (=1 element away × 1 byte) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 3. Output’s intrabox top-to-bottom dimension (axis= -2 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 7, 11 → 17, 12 → 18) were originally 6 bytes apart (=6 elements away × 1 byte) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 2. Output’s left box-to-right box dimension (axis= -3 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 11, 8 → 18, 9 → 19) were originally 10 bytes apart (=10 elements away × 1 byte) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 2.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,26), np.int8).reshape(5,5)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(2,2,3), strides=(10,6,1)) array([[[ 1, 2, 3],
[ 7, 8, 9]], [[11, 12, 13],
[17, 18, 19]]], dtype=int8)
Similar to
>>> # this may not be achieved concisely
19) Repeat a 2D array
Question taken from a StackOverflow post here [5].
Input itemsize: 2 bytes | Input strides: (10, 2)
Answer
strides = (0,10,2)
shape = (3, 2,4)
💡 Explanation Output’s intrabox left-to-right dimension (axis= -1 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 6 → 7) were originally 2 bytes apart (=1 element away × 2 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 4. Output’s intrabox top-to-bottom dimension (axis= -2 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 6, 2 → 7, 3 → 8) were originally 10 bytes apart (=5 elements away × 2 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 2. Output’s left box-to-right box dimension (axis= -3 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 1, 3 → 3, 7 → 7) were originally 0 bytes apart (=0 elements away × 2 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 3.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,26), np.int16).reshape(5,5)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(3,2,4), strides=(0,10,2)) array([[[1, 2, 3, 4],
[6, 7, 8, 9]], [[1, 2, 3, 4],
[6, 7, 8, 9]], [[1, 2, 3, 4],
[6, 7, 8, 9]]], dtype=int16)
Similar to
>>> # this may not be achieved concisely
20) 3D transpose
Input itemsize: 4 bytes | Input strides: (16, 8, 4)
Answer
strides = (16,4,8)
shape = ( 3,2,2)
💡 Explanation Output’s left-to-right dimension (axis= -1 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 3, 2 → 4, 10 → 12) were originally 8 bytes apart (=2 elements away × 4 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 2. Output’s top-to-bottom dimension (axis= -2 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 2, 3 → 4, 9 → 10, 11 → 12) were originally 4 bytes apart (=1 element away × 4 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 2. Output’s left box-to-right box dimension (axis= -3 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 5, 5 → 9) were originally 16 bytes apart (=4 elements away × 4 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 3.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,13), np.int32).reshape(3,2,2)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(3,2,2), strides=(16,4,8)) array([[[ 1, 3],
[ 2, 4]], [[ 5, 7],
[ 6, 8]], [[ 9, 11],
[10, 12]]], dtype=int32)
Similar to
>>> np.swapaxes(x,1,2) array([[[ 1, 3],
[ 2, 4]], [[ 5, 7],
[ 6, 8]], [[ 9, 11],
[10, 12]]], dtype=int32)
21) Slide a 2D window
Question adapted from SciPy 2008 conference [6].
Input itemsize: 8 bytes | Input strides: (40, 8)
Answer
strides = (40,40,8)
shape = ( 3, 2,5)
💡 Explanation Output’s intrabox left-to-right dimension (axis= -1 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 2, 12 → 13, 16 → 17) were originally 8 bytes apart (=1 element away × 8 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 5. Output’s intrabox top-to-bottom dimension (axis= -2 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 1 → 6, 8 → 13, 11 → 16) were originally 40 bytes apart (=5 elements away × 8 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 2. Output’s left box-to-right box dimension (axis= -3 ):
Adjacent elements in the output (eg. 9 → 14, 14 → 19) were originally 40 bytes apart (=5 elements away × 8 bytes) in the input. Shape of this dimension is 3.
Code
>>> x = np.asarray(range(1,21), np.int64).reshape(4,5)
>>> as_strided(x, shape=(3,2,5), strides=(40,40,8)) array([[[ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5],
[ 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]], [[ 6, 7, 8, 9, 10],
[11, 12, 13, 14, 15]], [[11, 12, 13, 14, 15],
[16, 17, 18, 19, 20]]])
Similar to
>>> # this may not be achieved concisely
22) Reshape 1D array to 3D array
|
https://towardsdatascience.com/advanced-numpy-master-stride-tricks-with-25-illustrated-exercises-923a9393ab20
|
['Raimi Karim']
|
2021-01-04 01:29:51.365000+00:00
|
['Towards Data Science', 'Numpy', 'Data Science']
|
Revisiting Paris’s history museum
|
June 17, 2021
Imagine air so cold it takes the feeling from your fingertips. This is the kind of weather that always comes to mind when I think of Paris’s history museum, le musée Carnavalet.
When I was a student here in Paris, a friend and I often used to stroll around the beautiful Marais neighborhood. When we got cold in winter, the musée Carnavalet was a warm refuge for us. The seemingly endless permanent collection rooms were heated and free, and full of amazing, often very strange objects.
Housed in two old hôtels particuliers (mansions built in the 16th to 18th centuries that are a signature of Marais architecture), the museum possesses an eclectic collection of items tied to Paris’s history.
Some are fairly expected: paintings, maps, charts, city seals and street signs, for instance. Others, though, veer towards the odd. There’s Voltaire’s surprisingly tacky chair, a slipper that probably belonged to Marie-Antoinette, a model of the Bastille carved from a stone of the actual Bastille after its demolition, and quite a large tuft of hair from famous French letter writer Madame de Sévigné, who lived here when the museum was a grand residence, in the 17th century.
Voltaire’s surprisingly tacky chair
One of Madame de Sévigné’s famous letters, as well as a scrap of fabric from her burial dress and a tuft of her hair
A 200-or-so-year-old board game featuring the monuments of Paris
But these weird objects also perfectly symbolize the history of the City of Light. So many strange, extraordinary, and even somewhat miraculous things have happened here, after all. And so it is with anywhere in the world. History is great because it can be so weird. Still, Paris does have an abundance of strange stories and objects tied to it in particular.
When I first came to live in Paris, visiting the musée Carnavalet felt like you were visiting the house of some eccentric old friend who collected little bits of everything. The place was enormous and somewhat difficult to navigate, no matter how many times you’d been there, with something around the corner or tucked into a niche that caught your eye and often surprised you.
It’s been a long time since I was a college student in Paris, but I thought the musée Carnavalet would stay in my life for good. It’s such a part of Paris for me that I even wanted to include it in Hearts at Dawn. But as I’ve learned, historical fiction writers’ plans often go awry due to, well, history itself.
The museum didn’t open until 1880, ten years after Hearts at Dawn takes place. Still, a city history museum was already being planned in the 1850’s. A little more research convinced me that while I couldn’t include the musée Carnavalet itself in my novel, I could show what its beginnings might have looked like.
And so, we meet Jules Cousin, head of the library at the Hôtel de Ville in 1870 and the future first curator of the musée Carnavalet. We see a model of the streets of Paris submitted for the museum committee’s consideration. And we witness the museum’s collection of signs being gathered, including one sign that I have to confess I’ve never seen in the permanent collection, but who knows — maybe a large gold-painted wood panel that depicts a very strange monster is stocked somewhere in the museum’s basement.
The newly renovated museum’s small homage to its early days, including a photograph of Jules Cousin (left)!
One of the doors of the old Hotel de Ville, which was destroyed in a fire set by angry Communards in May 1871.
It turned out that visiting the musée Carnavalet would become difficult in real life. Five years ago, it shut down for renovations. In France, there’s a saying: Les travaux, on sait quand ça commence… (Construction work, you know when it starts but….) The renovations, as well as the pandemic, meant that the musée Carnavalet’s doors stayed shut to the outside world for half a decade. And, this being France, on May 29, the day of its reopening, staff went on strike, forcing them to stay shut for 24 more hours.
An alluring glimpse of the museum’s newly renovated gardens
In these still-pandemic times, you can’t just pop in to the musée Carnavalet the way my friend and I used to on those winter days. Instead, you have to reserve a time slot online, even to see the still-free permanent collection. With that in mind, and waiting for the initial craziness of the reopening to die down, I finally revisited the musée Carnavalet on Sunday, June 13.
I was actually pretty nervous to go back.I knew that the museum’s renovation would mean things were more serious now. I expected there would be no more dusty display windows of flat-out oddities like the group of stuffed squirrels dressed in little 19th century outfits that a bygone glassblower once thought was a great way to advertise his shop. Sadly, I was right on that account.
A few of my other favorites also seem to be missing, although it may be that my family and I simply didn’t make it to some of the rooms. Despite the renovation, the museum is as winding and tricky to navigate as ever, and the newly printed maps aren’t much help. There was a section of the 19th century that I think we missed, as well as a contemporary section. So I hope that maybe my squirrels are still there, tucked away. Not to mention the magnificent shop sign of a black cat perched on a crescent moon, or the small model guillotine carved from bone.
Other beloved objects are still there, but sometimes they didn’t feel in the right place. In the past, for instance, the reconstituted room that Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, and their children occupied in the prison of the Temple was set into a small corner of the Revolution section of the museum. In a display niche opposite, nearly at eye level, were the little lead soldiers that Louis XVII, the ten-year-old heir to the throne who was abused and murdered in the prison — used to play with. There was something so moving about seeing those little soldiers close up. They reminded you that while this boy was a powerful prince, he was also just a child.
In the new version of the museum, the lead soldiers are displayed with other leisure objects the royal family brought with them to prison (back then, if you were rich, you could have furnishings, personal objects, and even servants in prison with you) in a clear display case in front of the reconstituted prison cell (now sans period wallpaper). The arrangement makes things look somehow haphazard and more natural, but you lose the closeness.
Louis XVII’s lead soldiers are in the small white-fabric-lined box in the left foreground.
In other areas, though, a new closeness comes into play. The prehistoric section was the most notable to me: now entirely housed in a cozy underground area, it features a few interactive activities that help you better understand everything from life in Gallo-Roman Lutèce (Paris’s old name) to how to reconstruct fragments of an ancient wall painting. I appreciated this new approach to displaying the very distant past of my beloved adopted city. There were even some painfully close moments; amazingly, a funeral mask of a baby who died in the 1st century AD is on display, nearly at eye level.
Still, there’s something so polished to the place now. Walls are cleaner and less wallpapered. There are more interactive multimedia displays, not to mention educational games (which my seven-year-old son especially liked). In some ways, these are real improvements, but some of the charm of the old museum is gone.
One of the many interactive games and activities in the museum, this one lets you design your own French formal garden.
The visit made me think of reconnecting with an old friend. Now, they’ve got a stable job, a house, and kids. It’s not a bad thing, just different, and maybe at times you miss the old messiness and closeness you once shared.
Still, there are glimmers that remind you that they haven’t changed entirely. For instance, the museum’s curators decided to put a very realistic-looking replica skeleton inside one of the ancient sarcophagi. And to add a pair of guillotine earrings to the Revolution rooms, even though they were made in the 1880’s.
Never have I regretted that my ear piercings closed up more than now….
One of the most important things that’s stayed the same is what greets you when you first walk in: a long gallery of shop signs from various eras in Paris’s history.
A sign about the size of the one in Hearts at Dawn…here I am beside it for scale, striking a pose that I did not realize would make it look like I’m missing an arm.
These aren’t just there because they look cool. Shop signs were a major part of city life for generations of Parisians. Medieval Parisian poet François Villon name checks many of them in his work, for instance.
A depiction of a Parisian May Day celebration in what is probably the Place Saint-Gervais, in 1560. Note the street signs that are very much a part of the landscape.
I’m glad the collection was kept, even though, as I mentioned before, a few of my favorites seemed to be missing.
The scale models of the city are also fewer than before, but some remain, now in different parts of the remodeled museum. The biggest one, a scale model made in 1900 of the Île de la Cité around the time of the Renaissance, has even been given a star placement in the medieval and Renaissance rooms. This model, along with a few others I can no longer find, inspired me when it came to Claire’s secret hobby in Hearts at Dawn.
The man in the background helpfully provides a sense of scale.
If you’re wondering whether it’s still worth it to visit the musée Carnavalet, I’d give a very enthusiastic “OUI!” in response — unless you’re not into history museums or don’t care much about the history of Paris. But even then, who wouldn’t want to see Marie-Antoinette’s slipper, especially for free?
Marie-Antoinette’s slipper
Leather shoes that once belonged to 15th-century Parisians
~~~
A Beauty and the Beast retelling that will enchant lovers of fairy tales, Paris, history and romance, Hearts at Dawn is currently available in Kindle and paperback formats and is part of the Kindle Unlimited Library. I hope you’ll give it a read!
And if you do, I’d be forever grateful if you left a review. These help books gain more visibility and credibility.
Thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed this visit to the musée Carnavalet! Feel free to follow me on Medium, subscribe to my author blog or follow me on Goodreads or Amazon to find out when I publish new posts.
Until next time!
|
https://medium.com/@alysasalzberg/revisiting-pariss-history-museum-8b953d1a9c3a
|
['Alysa Salzberg']
|
2021-06-17 09:47:53.111000+00:00
|
['France', 'History', 'News', 'Paris', 'Museums']
|
A city, a jungle and a cave with fresh waters
|
A city, a jungle and a cave with fresh waters
There and back in a short urban tale
Photo by Boston Public Library on Unsplash
The other day I was in Tokyo, city centre. Or maybe Singapore – I don’t remember.
What I do remember was a feeling of ok-ish sickness of the mind. And of the stomach. I was OK, but somewhere in my depths there was the faintest feeling that I was not.
Let me explain.
I was walking around the city, in mind I had a deal that I was making with a potential new client. I was hungry and out of the office, through the streets, I was wading through people to find a place of restoration. To satisfy my hunger and to relieve my mind.
The deal I had in mind was exciting, as was the thought of biting some all-star sandwich so big that it could temporarily cease starvation in some less fortunate parts of the world. I was firing at all cylinders – tired but energised, focused but also a bit overwhelmed by it all.
Shut.
They’re on holiday?? They’re my best grub in town! What the hell?!
The sandwich deli that my body had been craving for at least 15 minutes was shut. What a punch in the guts. Okay, where next?
As I was mindlessly going through the motions of jumping from take-out to take-out like a bee on several garden flowers my mind started to think.
Not sure you’ve got the gravitas to swing this deal that you want.
Wait, what? Why not? What’s the problem?
Am I suddenly not interested enough to will this deal into the world? I don’ feel the energy, there’s no wave to ride! Gosh, I have no gravitas – that’s true!
Ah-ha! Here’s a burger place, I never get burgers at work – they normally devour me after I devour them. They make me snooze all afternoon as I try to digest them. But what the hell – I’m having a tough day, let’s dive in.
You know, I just need to regain some composure. The deal is there, I can structure it the right way, I can create a win-win for both. He’ll understand that he’s about to make the best purchase available to him. I’ve done it before a number of times, and I can do it again.
In other words, I felt OK. But I was not. From my depths, signals were going all over the place. Up here, superficially, I was experiencing all this as an unfortunate, mild wobble, caused by the world not going the way I wanted.
There she is
Psssst. Hey, you!
My attention is gently, but firmly grabbed. A woman, standing by the side, among the chaos and mayhem of lunch-time city centre, looks at me.
Like a cork in a whirlpool, I was bobbing up and down pretending to be fine. She’d just created a new space and I stepped into it, entirely, unknowingly.
It felt kind of like a waiting room. A small protective space, just by the side of the chaotic, roaring vortex I was in.
Who are you? She asked.
That’s a loaded question, I thought. And quite an important one too actually. It’s so important – why don’t I think of it more often?
Who are you? She asked again.
I need to think. I need to stop and think.
And so I did.
Firmly focused on this thought, the noise of the street started to blur into the background. The images of the street absorbed away. It’s like I took a step forward, and the daily madness became a muffled, retreating entity.
Who are you? She asked once more.
I am what I feel. Or I feel what I am? Confusion! Distraction! Fragmentation!
I need to cling onto this small heaven. I need to find the tethering. Where’s the tethering?
Focus! That’s it. I can’t allow to be distracted, or pulled away. I need focus!
I quickly grabbed the only thing that I felt possible: my breath, and its pattern.
Who are you? Again.
The more she asked, the more I tethered to my breath. Gradually, it was revealed to me that the waiting room was not a waiting room. It slowly became apparent that it was a departure lounge.
I was gradually being ushered to a departure. Guided by this ever so pragmatic form of tethering: my breath – a calm, powerful thing, once you observe it.
Off you go
Photo by Yoal Desurmont on Unsplash
She showed me the way ahead.
In the distance, I saw a glass wall. Beyond that there was a lot of green stuff. Leafy things, trees…it was a jungle.
I was being led to a jungle?!
Strangely, it felt like I knew this jungle. The map of it was in my knowledge. And awareness was my compass.
I was led into a place I wasn’t familiar with, except that I strangely felt I was. It’s like the jungle was, in fact, the map of me.
I don’t know how long I’d been in that place for. But by then, with quite a bit of perseverance and focus, those pre-existing thoughts and wants and preoccupations felt like they were in a far away place – buoying at the top.
Not me.
As I was stepping into the jungle, I also felt a sense of descent: slow, gradual, meaningful. Every step, led me down a notch, and it was something to savour slowly & attentively.
The jungle has its fiends, too
Quietness started to really pervade the space. I could only hear something far away in the jungle – it was splashing water. It was a solemn sound, whole, and I felt a strange attraction to it.
More immediately, I was dealing with the surroundings of the jungle.
In front of me some sort of windy path figured, blending in the dark through the green leaves and the resonating noises of the wilderness. It was clear that it was the way to go, it was also not possible for me to go anywhere else. The only other path was backwards, into the chaos and instability.
Thank you, but no thank you.
Tethered to this strange quality that is observant focus, and I kept descending through the jungle.
It was strange, the more I was trying to get acquainted with the place and its motions, the more I felt nagged by something. It was annoying and childish-like. Almost like a whiney presence that pulls your jacket, to get your attention and to persuade you into other plans.
Here is the spiel: you feel uncomfortable, you’ve been here for too long. You really don’t want to do this. You’re forcing it, it’s clearly not you and not a spontaneous act.
You must check your phone, by the way. You’ve been waiting for that email for so long. You know you need to action it as soon as you get it. Also, you can do the jungle another time – you got all the time you want. But you really want to check your phone now. And scratch that itch on the leg. And get up and get a piece of chocolate – you know you love the taste and the way it makes you feel.
Its force was so strong and it nearly got me. It nearly pulled me back up in no time – back into that endless flow of symbols and representations, of constructs, of precepts made of plastic. Of stimuli to live by as they get you, one by one.
I don’t know what was in me that day, but I did manage to overcome those temptations – letting go, sinking in, packaging those thoughts and seeing them flow away like mailboxes.
They became external concepts that I wasn’t allowing to infiltrate me.
Gradually, the focus turned onto the quietness of the jungle, its mysterious features and reflections of me that I didn’t quite understand.
Gradually, there was the calling of those fresh waters again. Those solemn sounds of truth. A wholesome attraction, innate, bearer of vitality.
Prepare for landing
In awareness, more or less, I landed precariously on the other side: a deep, low, slow cave of oneness. Where I could bathe in peace and in tranquillity. I had found the waters.
Photo by Michael Behrens on Unsplash
These waters had a quality that I immediately sensed. They were quietly strong – they didn’t bother anybody but also they could not be denied. I guess that’s the power of truth. They simply were.
Familiarising with these waters was like becoming them. A sense of vitality and quiet strength was unfurling in me. Slowly, gradually. The more I gave up control the more they found ways to resonate in me.
You’ve landed, sir. Now it’s time to go back up.
Unsustainable. What it is that makes this unsustainable I don’t know. Maybe lack of practice, but at some point you have to get back.
My only hope was to take this awareness with me and carry it – even if just for a little bit – in the day-to-day of my chaotic life.
If anything, sometimes, I was hoping for memories of this experience to bubble to the surface to provide some guidance, some relief, some caring voice letting me know that another way is possible. That another way is there.
As I snapped out of the cave. I could see the car crash of the world that was before me.
It was exactly the same place, at the same time (more or less) as before. It was the same scenes, the same needs and wants. The same tortuous path to achieving something that maybe I didn’t really want or understand. There was the chaos that I thought was my friend, my natural habitat.
This time though, I waved at it from a distance.
I see you, chaos, life of plastic. I see you and I salute you. I salute you and respect your presence. I respect you but I am not you.
I am me, I have my strength and wisdom. And I use these tools to navigate you, chaos. To blend with you and to understand you, but never to be you.
You and I are not one and the same.
|
https://medium.com/anima-sana/a-city-a-jungle-and-a-cave-with-fresh-waters-c84156ff09eb
|
['Abraxas Monk']
|
2020-05-01 09:42:26.643000+00:00
|
['Self-awareness', 'Tales', 'Self', 'Awareness', 'Stories']
|
Protective Coating
|
Protective Coating
A Poem
Photo by Nikolaos Choustoulakis on Unsplash
It’s a wonder I am able to walk around every day
when I carry this protective coating with me
thereby keeping anyone intent on piercing this heart
at a broom’s length so as not to disturb my solitude
It’s self-made, as there was no kit to buy to get this
It took years and years of layering and wrapping
to get this resistant to what the outside world brings
It’s like I’m wrapped in a blanket, inside a hundred blankets
It’s warm in here, cocoon-like and embryonic
because some days it feels like I was never even born
because if I was, I should actually feel something
other than the heft from all of my protective coating
|
https://medium.com/assemblage/protective-coating-b5cc17914595
|
['Jonathan Greene']
|
2020-11-24 12:03:26.137000+00:00
|
['Safety', 'Poetry', 'Life', 'Self', 'Protection']
|
Aurora Voices with Randy Reibel
|
Meet Randy Reibel, Aurora’s VP of Lidar and the founder of Blackmore
At the heart of Aurora’s technology and mission are the individuals behind it. In our series, Aurora Voices, we share the unique voices and stories of the people of Aurora, celebrating our backgrounds as well as personal and professional experiences.
Randy Reibel is a founder and entrepreneur at his core. He built and led Blackmore, the industry-leading lidar company acquired by Aurora last summer, and his team played a big role in the recent launch of Aurora’s next-generation trucks. As Aurora’s VP of Lidar, Randy’s team is responsible for FirstLight Lidar, the FMCW technology that enables trucks to see further than ever before, unlocking the ability to pursue autonomous trucking. When Randy’s not working, he can be found playing Pickleball or doing strength-training.
Here’s a timeline showing the deliberate path we’ve taken in building our autonomous trucks and the important role that acquiring Blackmore and its FMCW lidar has played.
What is your role at Aurora?
Aurora’s vehicles “see” the world around it using different sensors — cameras, radar, and lidar. As the VP of Lidar, I work across the organization to set the vision for our internally-developed lidar products: determining the appropriate requirements for our product roadmap and then ensuring the lidar team has the resources to make it happen.
What makes FMCW lidar such a game-changer?
Before I joined Aurora, I was the CEO at Blackmore, where we were developing FMCW lidar. FMCW lidar has three major benefits when compared to traditional lidar sensors. First, FMCW lidars are incredibly sensitive and that allows long-range sensing. Second, these sensors measure both range and velocity, allowing additional information to be collected at every single point in the pointcloud, which enhances perception. Finally, the sensors are not sensitive to interference, allowing them to operate directly in bright sunlight or when other lidars are on the road in close proximity. Given highway speeds, FMCW lidar’s longer range and precision perception are essential for self-driving trucking applications.
The power of Aurora’s FirstLight Lidar.
What is your proudest moment at Aurora?
Making the first-generation FirstLight Lidar and seeing that on our fleet. It brought folks together from across the company — perception, calibration, software, mechanical and electrical engineering, optical engineering, and production — and it was a true “win together” moment for Aurora.
Tell us about one of the coolest challenges you’re trying to solve.
Following the launch of FirstLight Lidar, we need to mass-manufacture these systems for our future commercial fleet needs. To do so, the engineering team is working to design photonic integrated circuits that effectively reproduce many parts into a single semiconductor chip that can be stamped out in large quantities at commercial foundries. This process is very similar to producing silicon chips. But while these types of processes have been matured by the telecom industry, there are significant differences when doing it in our industry. Our team has already made significant advancements in producing the world’s first mass-manufacturable FMCW lidars.
You were a founder and entrepreneur and then joined Aurora. Why did you and the team join Aurora?
One of the most important traits an entrepreneur can have is a flexible and open view of the world and what’s possible. It is through flexibility and openness that new ideas can be discovered and curated. As we thought about Blackmore’s core technology and path, we understood what we’d gain by joining forces with the Aurora team. Now we’re able to move faster working together and we’ve gained a diversity in skillsets and perspectives.
|
https://medium.com/aurora-blog/aurora-voices-with-randy-reibel-5351e8941831
|
['Aurora Team']
|
2020-11-20 17:39:15.229000+00:00
|
['Trucking', 'Autonomous Cars', 'Autonomous Vehicles', 'Lidar', 'Tech']
|
Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff Are People Too, You Know
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Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff Are People Too, You Know
The two Georgia Senate candidates are Democrats’ last hope for Senate control. But they’re also a lot more than that.
For the first seven years after moving to Athens, Georgia, from New York City, most of my old friends back in NYC had little interest in my new home. They kept thinking that Athens meant Atlanta (it doesn’t), that I by definition lived in a deep red county (not since 1984, baby), that I was somehow going to really get into golf or something (god no). But once Election Day came and went, and it became increasingly clear that the only way the Senate could end up in the hands of Democrats (and not have everything Joe Biden is trying to do constantly obstructed) would be for Georgia’s two runoff races to go the Democrats’ way … well, suddenly my friends out east and up north suddenly became very interested in my adopted state.
I don’t blame them for this: Control of the Senate is a really big deal! But it still feels like the immense interest in this race is more about that Senate control than, you know, the actual two Democrats who are running and who would become the actual seated Senators. They are the Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, and if they win, they will become United States Senators. It’s probably worth learning a little bit about them other than just “we need their seats, and they have to be better than Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue,” no?
To be clear: They are absolutely both better than Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, two particularly lousy Republican candidates who would be third-tier politicians even if they hadn’t made money off coronavirus information that they didn’t provide to us. But if you knew more about Warnock and Ossoff, you might end up liking them for more than just “they’re the last hope for a functional national government.” Even though, uh, they sort of are.
So, here are three likable, commendable factoids about both Democratic candidates. On January 5, when you’re watching returns come in, know that you’re not just rooting for the Senate: You’re rooting for these two.
Jon Ossoff
He’s as connected to the late John Lewis as anyone. When Ossoff was 16, he wrote an admiring letter to the Georgia congressman, who immediately brought him on as an intern and set him up with a job running the longshot campaign of a fellow Georgia Democrat, Hank Johnson. Ossoff led Johnson to victory and worked for him for six years. Former U.S. ambassador and Georgia civil rights legend Andrew Young went so far as to call Ossoff “Lewis’ protege.” Some of his documentaries are legitimately good, and they’re all extremely noble. Ossoff’s job is often called “documentary filmmaker,” but that’s only slightly true. What he really is is the owner of Insights TWI, a documentary production company that helps make documentaries for news and entertainment organizations. I’ve seen a few of these films, and they are uncommonly gripping; they tell stories that are rarely told elsewhere. The best is Cry Freetown, about the Sierra Leone Civil War; it won an Emmy. It also was made before Ossoff took over; the best in his tenure is Living With Ebola, which was made for Al-Jazeera English and is, uh, rather relevant to the current moment.
3. He’s a former blogger. In a good Charles Bethea profile in The New Yorker back in 2017, Ossoff admits that he spent most of high school writing a politics blog called “Great Speckled Pi.” (I have not been able to find archives of this blog online. Ossoff admits he was “a little nerdy.”) If that sounds like a guy with no future, know that he had top secret security clearance roughly five years later as a member of Johnson’s staff. See? Blogging works.
Raphael Warnock
He’s the only author in the race. Warnock’s book is “The Divided Mind of the Black Church: Theology, Piety, and Public Witness (Religion, Race, and Ethnicity),” which came out in 2013, nearly a decade after he took over as pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Martin Luther King Jr.’s old church. Publishers Weekly called the book “an altar call to action that honors the liberationist roots of a global church community, regardless of race or gender.” He grew up in Savannah’s Kayton Homes housing projects and ended up getting a world-class education. His father was a WWII veteran who fixed cars and had 12 children with his wife. Raphael was number 11, and the first to go to college. He has four different degrees, by the way: A Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Divinity, a Master of Philosophy, and a Doctorate of Philosophy. (As of yet, no one from The Wall Street Journal has told him not to use any of them.) His views on reproductive health are hard-earned and well-considered. Warnock has taken heat in recent weeks for being, as he puts it, “a pro-choice pastor.” But a new profile in Harper’s Bazaar notes that Warnock has a deep and rich history with the subject, thanks largely to how he navigated the AIDS/HIV epidemic in the Black community over the last two decades, noting that Warnock “engaged the faith community around HIV/AIDS as pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore. During an interview with Project Q, Warnock pointed to Georgia’s status as the state with the third-highest number of HIV cases as reason to fight for equity in prescription drug coverage, including PrEP, and increased funding for HIV and AIDS prevention.” His opponents may be just attacking him for this now, but this is a field he long been navigating.
Also, in case you were curious: He still loves puppies.
But these are just three arguments for the men: Leave your own in the responses. Because you’re not voting for parties, not really: You’re voting for people. These people.
Will Leitch writes multiple pieces a week for Medium. Make sure to follow him right here. He lives in Athens, Georgia, with his family, and is the author of five books, including the upcoming novel “How Lucky,” released by Harper next May. He also writes a free weekly newsletter that you might enjoy.
|
https://williamfleitch.medium.com/raphael-warnock-and-jon-ossoff-are-people-too-you-know-5ee5c3965a0
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['Will Leitch']
|
2020-12-15 16:31:00.720000+00:00
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['Jon Ossoff', 'Politics', 'Georgia Runoff', 'Georgia Elections', 'Raphael Warnock']
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My Cats, over the years, all from the streets
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I just write whatever comes to mind. A writer, reader, near accountant, small time investor, avid political follower and a nice man to know
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https://medium.com/@kerhaffar/my-cats-over-the-years-all-from-the-streets-e823cbfd1147
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['Farhan Kermani']
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2020-12-19 13:04:01.242000+00:00
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['Pets And Animals', 'Cats', 'Animals', 'Paws', 'Pets']
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Home Warm with Fire
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A Chain of Haiku Dedicated to Winter
Photo by Ian Keefe on Unsplash
Cold winter is dark,
A frozen desolation,
With rare signs of life.
…
Winter winds blast cold,
Unforgiving and harsh now,
But Home’s warm with fire.
…
Winter’s cold mystery,
How life lives in a wasteland?
The wolf breathes hot fire.
…
My home has a fire,
Keeps me warm here in winter,
But the wood is wet.
…
My fire needs wood,
I search out in the open,
The wolf was hungry.
…
Bleak winter poem,
But life’s just like that I guess,
Eat or get eaten.
|
https://medium.com/this-shall-be-our-story/home-warm-with-fire-50685dee7dc
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['Joseph Brown']
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2019-10-17 01:17:49.095000+00:00
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['Haiku', 'Winter', 'Poetry', 'Isolation', 'Life']
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What’s in a Name?
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What’s in a Name?
Is there a better option than changing the names of our brands and institutions?
Photo by Nong Vang on Unsplash
Earlier this year, Quaker Oats announced the end of Aunt Jemima. The company said, “Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype” and the removal of the name and logo represents a stride “toward progress on racial equality.”
Shortly thereafter, the Washington Redskins football team announced they would be dropping the word “Redskins” and their logo. Then, the Cleveland Indians baseball team said it would also consider changing its name.
Not to be undone, Princeton University renamed a programme and building formerly named after Woodrow Wilson. The University of Southern California changed the name of one of their buildings that was previously named after a president who supported eugenics.
That these names and brands are mired in the racism and hatred of the past is without question. Today, we are striving toward something better, so, understandably, people want these names and brands stricken from history. What they represent are heart-wrenching and enraging facts, which still impact our societies to this day.
But, is the removal of these names and brands a gut-reaction that misses a crucial opportunity? In our efforts to right the wrongs of past and present injustices, could we be going overboard? Could there be a better way?
Lest we forget
Many countries observe what was originally called Armistice Day. This was first held on November 11, 1919, in honor of the ending of the First World War. Member states of the Commonwealth now refer to this day as Remembrance Day. In the United States, it’s called Veteran’s Day.
We use this day as a reminder of the sacrifices and hardships that past generations have endured due to war so that we could enjoy the freedoms of the present. The phrase “lest we forget” has been used as a plea to not forget the past and therefore not allow it to be repeated.
By changing the names of existing brands and institutions, are we purposefully striking out on the road to forgetfulness? In our efforts to make people feel safe and welcome, could our current solution be pushing us in a direction in which we are more likely to repeat the past rather than prevent it?
“Not all tears are an evil”
The history of the human race is rife with heartache. Unimaginable suffering has been endured and abided. And suffering continues to this day.
But not all suffering is bad. Not all emotional pain is negative. Sometimes it inspires us to be more and better.
When we look upon our shared history, when we examine it in a fair and unbiased way, we see our follies and our triumphs, our sins and our virtuous acts. We see the mistakes we have made and the pain we have caused. We see ourselves in everyone: the victims and the perpetrators.
What every human must learn from history is that we are all capable of incredible kindness and unspeakable malice. This is a painful lesson. No one wants to accept that within them lies the potential for evil. Yet, there it is. It’s a haunting, uncomfortable truth. One we forget at our peril. After all, November 11th is not only a day to feel grateful for what we’ve been given but a day for remembering the horrors of which humans are more than capable.
It is with this painful knowledge that we can move forward more appropriately, more carefully, and more thoughtfully. As J.R.R Tolkien wrote in The Return of the King:
“I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.”
What can we do, instead?
We are at a crucial moment in history. The choices we make in the coming decades will determine the fate of our species, as well as this beautiful, unique planet we call home. What we do next is of the utmost importance.
When it comes to renaming our brands and institutions, let’s pause for a moment to consider our options. By removing these names and logos from public spaces, we may be creating an environment that has less emotional “triggers”, but at what cost?
Purging our public spaces of negative imagery may cause us to forget the hardships we’ve endured and thereby lead us to commit more evils in the future. This purge might cause us to repeat the past in unforeseeable ways.
Could we, instead, re-claim these names and logos for ourselves and re-purpose them toward our own ends?
What if the stories of these names and brands weren’t over? What if we could create new endings for them? Endings that don’t stop at racism or sexism or any other “-ism”, but ones that remind us of where we’ve come from and the better future we’re fighting for?
What if instead of demanding companies and institutions purge these names and logos from our public spaces, we pressure them to write these new stories? Stories that includes the truth of the heartache and the pain, but also the promise of a better tomorrow? Could these names and brands be used to inspire positive change if only they were presented in a different light?
Yes, it would hurt. Yes, it would be uncomfortable. Yes, it would have to be done thoughtfully and carefully. But, it would paint the struggle of humanity’s pursuit of justice and fairness in a more accurate and, I think, more hopeful light.
After all, human progress is not made by forgetting our past follies, but by embracing them and using what we’ve learned to make life better.
|
https://jeff-valdivia.medium.com/whats-in-a-name-a066869a602a
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['Jeff Valdivia']
|
2020-12-30 21:22:03.209000+00:00
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['Politics', 'Advertising', 'History', 'Psychology', 'Racism']
|
The Good Egg: Early Start To Resolutions
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Click here to sign up for this daily newsletter!
Happy beginning of the week, Good Eggs! This week we’re giving some quick tips on how to incorporate new habits when thinking of our upcoming New Year’s Resolutions.
According to Ali Pattillo, author of “How To Break Bad Habits In Three Steps, According To Science,” there are 3 easy things you can do to incorporate healthy habits in your life. They are listed below:
1. Ease Up — if your new goal is too challenging, you simply won’t do it. Make it easy for yourself.
2. Make It Enjoyable — find a way to make this habit more enjoyable. If you really can’t stand doing it, you won’t do it. Find ways to make it fun, so that doing it doesn’t become a chore.
3. Repeat On A Regular Basis- pick days and times that are doable in your schedule. Surround the new habit with previously created habits. For example, maybe you do the habit after you brush your teeth and before you start working. This will help you to remember to do the habit and it makes the habit automatic.
Keep these in mind when thinking of your New Year’s Resolutions. You can even write out a plan on how you will execute this new habit. Enjoy!
-The Good Egg 🐣
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https://medium.com/@katherineripple/the-good-egg-early-start-to-resolutions-5b39d6b10ce6
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['The Good Egg']
|
2020-12-13 20:26:17.046000+00:00
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['Self Improvement', 'Habits', 'Routine', 'Morning Routines', 'Resolutions']
|
The depth of Islamabad, the death of Lahore
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It ebbed and it flowed. It fastened and it slowed. And as the story is mostly told, it was Lahore who could not hold. The audience hung tight. Deep into the dark night. A tantalizingly close fight. The adrenaline in top flight.
The Professor had led the way for his class of 2020 with a magnificent show. And for the most part of that evening in Lahore, it looked like a decisive blow. But what was written in the stars, who of them Qalandars would know.
It looked enough to eye. It appeared tough to try. It seemed rough to fly. Lahore was hoping against hope. Islamabad was walking on a tightrope. The great chase was in the scope. A thrill that you can just about cope.
Islamabad batted deep. Though they did not have enough wickets to keep. Their finishers did only finish themselves. But their tail enders said we back ourselves. The game swung till the very end. No one could guess which way it will bend.
Captain played his cards alright. To set up a nail biting fight. He stretched the game to the max. Giving supporters time to relax. But he was drowned by his crew. With the victory, off the enemy flew. And the home side could only rue. The chances they blew.
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https://medium.com/cricket-cover-drives/the-depth-of-islamabad-the-death-of-lahore-31cf63276150
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['Muhammad Ismail']
|
2020-02-23 19:25:12.084000+00:00
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['Journalism', 'Storytelling', 'Blog', 'Cricket', 'Pakistan']
|
Ethereum Multi-Signature Wallets.
|
If you have been dealing with crypto currencies for a while, you will have heard about “Multi-Sig Wallets” being used to safeguard ether or tokens held by an entity — often as the result of an ICO. They are used for several reasons, the foremost of these being
To stop one person from running off with the loot
To reduce key person risk in case one person is incapacitated or loses their keys.
So, you’ve just raised 10,000 Ether in an ICO, you’re thinking that it sounds like a good idea. Next you start trying to figure out what one is and how to use it.
When I first heard of multi-sig wallets I was puzzled and thought of a group of people sitting around a computer or mobile device waiting for their turn to key in a password. Hey we are the blockchain generation! It’s decentralised. Your multi-sig wallet is a smart contract living on the blockchain!
Each of the wallet’s users can be in a different location in different timezones. The weird bit is that they each have to use a normal wallet to talk to the multi-sig wallet.
We will go through the basics and then see examples of following these steps using the Parity Wallet. You can use almost any wallet but the Parity wallet is BIG and FRIENDLY which suits me for this tutorial. If you are having trouble and want to see some of the basics on another wallet tell me in the comments.
The Basics
At its core, a multi-signature wallet needs
A list of people who are allowed to do things
Rules on how many of those people have to agree before it happens
A way to receive ETHER
A way to submit a request
A way to agree to a request (and submit it if you are last)
A way to re-submit the request if it fails
There are a load of nice to have as well, but that is enough to get started.
The first two rules have to be decided right at the beginning
Say we have Tom, Dick and Harry sharing their funds and they decide that any two if them can decide to spend some Ether, we would right at the beginning deploy a smart wallet with Tom, Dick and Harry as the owners and the number TWO as the requirement (we need TWO approvals). We can carry on using this wallet as long as we are happy with these conditions.
Simple eh?
Receiving Ether
Once the multi-sig wallet has been deployed, Ether can be sent to it just like to any other Ethereum address.
Submitting a request
Every transaction in Ethereum consists of
who it’s intended for (an Ethereum address )
) the amount of Ether (if any) it carries (in Wei*)
special data
*1 Ether = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 Wei
These values are not to be confused with things like gasLimit and gasPrice which user use to submit the transaction but are not part of the actual transaction.
example : To send 10 Ether to Alice,
to: 0x31EFd75bc0b5fbafc6015Bd50590f4fDab6a3F22 *
value : 10,000,000,000,000,000,000
*ok — I lied, that’s not Alice’s address, it’s mine. Contributions gratefully accepted 😐
If you want to call a function on a contract you need to add some data e.g. to call a function finalize() on a contract at address 0xf09bEda21EFd99bc7719E284696f4f8471d0286C you would send a transaction like this:
to: 0xf09bEda21EFd99bc7719E284696f4f8471d0286C
value: 0
data: 0x4bb278f3
Don’t worry about how to find the data, I will give an example later.
Your multi-sig wallet will have a function on it with a name like
function submitTransaction(address destination, uint value, bytes data)
So you have enough information to call this function once you have setup your wallet to talk to the multi-sig.
Once Tom has submitted, in his generosity
submitTransaction(0x31EFd75bc0....fDab6a3F22,1000000000,)
he will get a message back from his wallet with a number or hash code which is the transactionID. Tom has to communicate this transactionID to Dick or Harry to get them to confirm it.
Confirming the transaction
When either Harry or Dick receive the transactionID from Tom, they should use the transactionID to review the transaction data, then they can confirm it by calling
function confirmTransaction(uint transactionId)
In our case, with the required amount of signatories being set to two, that would cause the transaction to be sent.
If we had a higher number of signatures required, the person whose confirmation caused that requirement to be met would cause it to be executed.
What if it fails?
There are numerous reasons why you could fail to send the transaction. The most obvious is that you do not have enough Ether to send. The multi-sig wallet should give you the opportunity to retry the transaction.
Is that it?
No, of course it isn’t. If you had such a wallet you would have a load of administration things and “what-if’s” that need handling which I will address in part II of the article. For now, let’s see how this all works with just these functions. I will look at it using Parity for the moment :
Deploying the wallet
I downloaded the following multi-sig wallet: https://github.com/gnosis/MultiSigWallet/blob/master/contracts/MultiSigWallet.sol
Next I booted up the Kovan Testnet. Let’s see how the selected contract helps us by deploying it from Parity’s web interface*. I am assuming that you have already downloaded the file from Github. Select develop from the contracts tab.
click on DEVELOP
*Parity’s web interface is at at http://127.0.0.1:8180
Next click “import” and import the contract file into Parity. The contract will be compiled automatically. Remember to save it.
Now click on the “Deploy” button.
Don’t be alarmed by the warning. Just enter a name for the wallet and select the account to launch it from.
Next you will be asked to supply the signees.
Nobody is included by default, not even the person launching the contract .
Click on the “+” sign to add signees (owners). Note that once you have entered the required number of signees and, of course, enough actual signees, the warning bar will disappear.
Note : The person deploying the contract is not automatically a signatory
Now click on “Create” and, once you have signed the transaction, your wallet will be ready for action.
You can look at the properties of the wallet — check who the owners are, how many signatures are required etc. from the properties page of the contract. You can also send Ether to the wallet. Any Ether sent will be reflected at the top of the wallet :
Proposing a transaction
Tom, Dick and Harry need to be watching the multi-sig contract. In order for this to happen, the person who generated the contract must share
The Address of the contract
The ABI (Application Binary Interface)
You can find both of these by inspecting the deployed contract on the machine that deployed it.
Once you are watching the contract you can click on the “execute” icon to execute the contract’s functions. Select submitTransaction
Enter (or select from your address book) the destination and value. If you are sending Ether, leave the data field empty ( 0x ).
Sign and submit the transaction. The contract will now show the result in as two events, a submission and a single confirmation:
Confirming the transaction…
Tom tells Dick that he has submitted a transaction to send 1.2 Eth to the Test Address and needs it confirmed. Dick, not trusting Tom an inch checks the contract. He sees that there is ONE pending transaction :
Anyway, Dick can also see the events so he knows it is Transaction Id 0 so he checks the transaction:
Satisfied, Dick confirms and the transaction (id= 0 )
And the transaction will be confirmed and the Ether sent.
Let’s check….
Hang on! The transaction was confirmed but the execution failed! Why? A quick check (see above) reveals that the contract does not have enough Ether in to to pay “test Address” his 1.2 Ether. Sending more Ether to the contract should solve that…
Somebody needs to ask the wallet to try again. It can be any of the signatories.
The person holding the “test Address” account will now see their funds arrive:
And Tom, Dick and Harry will see the success in the event list of the contract:
Coming Soon…
In part TWO I will look at some of the administrative functions of the contract. Meanwhile :
You can find the ABI and address of my sample wallet (deployed on the Kovan test network) here on github gists
|
https://medium.com/hellogold/ethereum-multi-signature-wallets-77ab926ab63b
|
['Dave Appleton']
|
2017-10-05 07:38:51.730000+00:00
|
['Digital Wallet', 'Ethereum', 'Multi Sig']
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MUST HAVE EQUIPMENT FOR YOUR SUMMER BAKING CLASSES
|
We all have had quite some time on our hands to think and discover things we like doing. It’s already summer time, which means most of us are looking for any good reason to stay indoors. Be it our classrooms, restaurants, cafes, theatres or the comfort of our homes. This also happens to be the perfect time to get ourselves busy with a new hobby, there are definitely a few things that you might have been putting off for quite some time. While we are at it, allow us to suggest an exciting course for this summer: Baking!
Yes, you heard it right! Baking is one of the most sought after areas and Baking courses can be taken up as a hobby or to improve your baking skills and become a professional baker. This is the perfect time to explore Baking as our summer break is approaching and you’ll have some extra time to experience new things! Hamstech is offering you a short and informative Baking course that lasts three months and is full of exciting recipes and interactive sessions.
While you pick a date to enroll yourself into one of these courses, we thought we would help you get prepared for your summer baking. To know some basic things about baking, you can start with the necessary equipment and maybe even try one or two simple recipes at home. Baking is all about the proportions and tiny details, so the equipment does play a very important role. Let’s introduce you to some of the must have baking equipment before you dive into the world of batter!
Weighing Scales
The quantity of ingredients used is also one of the important steps in Baking. All baking recipes come with specific weightage of ingredients to reduce the chances of a bad bake! Kitchen weighing scales are available in most general stores and can even be bought online. These will help you measure out the ingredients before you add it in the mixture. These weighing scales are super handy and can be easy to carry around.
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Baking is all about proportions and precision, so it’s really important to get your measurements right. There are different sets of measuring cups and spoons available for both dry and wet ingredients. These measuring cups can be bought at a hyper-market or from a store that sells baking items exclusively. While the measuring cups come in different teaspoons and tablespoons variations like ½ tablespoons, 1 teaspoon and so on. The measuring cup sets are available in sizes of ½ cup, 1 cup, ¼ cup and so on. Liquids can be measured in cup sizes that come as 1 — cup, 2-cup and 4-cup!
Whisker
One can’t think of Baking without thinking about eggs! While we do have a lot of eggless and vegan recipes out there, eggs come with their own charm. When there are eggs, there is whisking. Whisking( 1) is beating an egg or cream with a continuous rhythm for a required amount of time. Whisks are also available in different sizes and it’s always good to have a small one and a medium sized one. It’s easy to whisk manually when the quantities are less, but if you are baking for a large number of people, it is better to opt for an electric whisk!
Baking Trays
You’ll definitely need baking trays, if you are thinking of baking! These are also available in a variety of shapes and sizes. The most commonly used baking trays are shaped round, rectangular and square. As you are just starting out, you could start by buying a rectangular tray. These will come in handy while baking brownies, cakes, sheet cakes, breads and a lot of other things!
Spatula
Spatula is very useful in scraping off all the leftover batter from your pan or post baking the little bits of cake remaining on the baking tray. Spatula is also used for folding, which is a type of mixing in Baking, where you fold the batter in to not let any air or air bubbles stay around. They are super useful on a daily basis also while baking, when it gets all messy with the batter. You can scoop out your pots clean with the help of a rubber or silicone spatula!
Hand Mixer
A Hand Mixer might seem like an expensive investment in the beginning, but you will thank us later for having this one ready. Combining your dry and wet mix can be a pain sometimes, especially if the quantities are more. Hand mixer makes it easier and quicker, you just have to put in all your ingredients in here, turn it on and wait for it to get your dough ready. As baking already has so many steps, you can get your other components ready while the dough is being kneaded.
Baking classes can be your pick for this summer! Hamstech offers a Baking course that will equip you with all the information, guidance and training that you need to start baking on your own. Why wait when you get baking already? Visit Hamstech’s website and enroll now!
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https://medium.com/@mahi-chaudhary4415/must-have-equipment-for-your-summer-baking-classes-db2c57d3af81
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['Hamstech Creative Education']
|
2021-04-26 11:29:59.385000+00:00
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['Baking Powder', 'Baking Classes', 'Baking Tips', 'Baking', 'Baking Soda']
|
New Year’s Dingbats 2020 edition
|
Happy Christmas to my faithful Ding Bat followers.
You have no idea how long these take, so you better enjoy this …
1.
ANTHONY JOSHUA
2.
JOE BURROW
3.
MARTY MORRISEY
4.
MO SALAH
5.
OSCAR PISTORIOUS
6.
CJ STANDER
7.
NEIL LENNON
8.
TJ REID
9.
PAT LAMBE
10.
SAM BENNETT
11.
JACK CHARLTON
12.
COACH K
13.
|
https://medium.com/@conorkeenan/ding-bat-a-ling-439e0175fd67
|
['Conor Keenan']
|
2021-01-01 23:22:05.019000+00:00
|
['NFL', 'Trivia', 'Sports', 'Premier League', 'Ireland']
|
They Warned Me About You
|
They warned me about you.
They shook their heads, made funny signals
with their fingers as if I could understand
a sign language invented on the spot.
They must have gotten you confused
with what you shared about your brother,
mushed it all up in their brains.
Because, of course, the fact that you
threw our things in the car when they
needed to leave due to allergies is an unmistakable
sign of schizophrenia right?
Hogwash! They were so busy
securing their places in the big house,
they pushed any button they could
on their way out the door.
Suddenly, we were alone
in the vacation cabin meant for six.
Suddenly, we didn’t have to sleep
in the attic dorm and kibosh our love-making.
Suddenly we got the king bed in the master bedroom —
and the private bath and the fireplace all to ourselves.
Yes, they would look down their noses,
raise their eyebrows
when they caught me off to the side
as we cut and chopped
for the big feast in the big house.
Are you sure? Are you really sure?
But later, back at the cabin,
away from the wine and weed
that clouded their vision —
my eyes were clear.
Your eyes were clear.
My choice was clear.
Our choice was clear.
You. And. Me.
We’ll get in this car together
and drive it for as far as we can go.
In the meantime, here’s the fire,
there’s the nice big warm bed —
All. To. Our. Selves.
|
https://psiloveyou.xyz/they-warned-me-about-you-1c1598f8a201
|
['Marilyn Flower']
|
2020-12-13 13:03:33.382000+00:00
|
['Poetry', 'Poetry Sunday', 'Love', 'Sexuality', 'Mental Health']
|
Version Control System
|
Version control systems(VCS) are a category of software tools that helps record changes to files by keeping a track of modifications done to the code.
Use of Version Control System:
Repository: It contains all the edits and historical versions (snapshots) of the project.
It contains all the edits and historical versions (snapshots) of the project. Copy of Work (checkout): It is the personal copy of all the files in a project. You can edit this copy, without affecting the work of others and you can finally commit your changes to a repository when you are done making your changes.
Types of Version Control Systems:
Local VCS
It is one of the simplest forms and has a database that kept all the changes to files under revision control. RCS is one of the most common VCS tools. It keeps patch sets (differences between files) in a special format on disk. By adding up all the patches it can then re-create what any file looked like at any point in time.
Centralized VCS
It contain just one repository and each user gets their own working copy. You need to commit to reflecting your changes in the repository. It is possible for others to see your changes by updating. Two things are required to make your changes visible to others which are: Commit and Update.
The benefit of CVCS makes collaboration amongst developers along with providing an insight to a certain extent on what everyone else is doing on the project. It allows administrators to fine-grained control over who can do what.
It has some downsides as well which led to the development of DVS. The most obvious is the single point of failure that the centralized repository represents if it goes down during that period collaboration and saving versioned changes is not possible. What if the hard disk of the central database becomes corrupted, and proper backups haven’t been kept? You lose absolutely everything.
Distributed VCS
It contain multiple repositories. Each user has their own repository and working copy. Just committing your changes will not give others access to your changes. This is because commit will reflect those changes in your local repository and you need to push them in order to make them visible on the central repository. Similarly, When you update, you do not get other’s changes unless you have first pulled those changes into your repository.
To make your changes visible to others, 4 things are required:
Commit
Push
Pull
Update
The most popular distributed version control systems are Git, Mercurial. They help us overcome the problem of single point of failure.
|
https://medium.com/@abhayjain13/version-control-system-66f8b004c7b6
|
['Abhay Jain']
|
2020-12-16 05:03:13.171000+00:00
|
['Version Control', 'Git', 'Web Development']
|
Did the European Union just ban End-to-end encryption?
|
The EFF has already reported on this in October, 2020, the European Union has a timeline on “dismantling end-to-end encryption”. What has been a “draft for undermining encryption tools and installing backdoors" has resulted recently into a resolution on encryption, highlighting the need for security through encryption and security despite encryption from the European Commission, and there are a few recommendations on encryption from the EU Council.
2020 is really shaking up things: now privacy is luxury in the European Union.
As a reminder: e2ee is used in messengers, such as Signal, Whatsapp and similar.
What do you think will happen in 2021? Will messengers such as Signal be taken off the European market, or will they implement backdoors? Will this affect crypto (and the blockchain landscape generally)? What are your opinions in this regards?
Links:
|
https://medium.com/@opengears/did-the-european-union-just-ban-end-to-end-encryption-9c8b74838126
|
[]
|
2020-12-15 13:06:34.790000+00:00
|
['European Union', 'European Parliament', 'Privacy', 'End To End Encryption', 'European Commission']
|
Spring Boot OAuth2 Login With GitHub
|
Spring Boot Code
To enable Spring Security OAuth 2.0, we need to add the following starter:
compile 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-oauth2-client'
or for Maven:
<dependency>
<groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-boot-starter-oauth2-client</artifactId>
</dependency>
Now, we’ll need to modify our application.yml :
spring:
security:
oauth2:
client:
registration:
github:
clientId: ${GITHUB_CLIENT_ID}
clientSecret: ${GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET}
The GITHUB_CLIENT_ID and the GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET are environment variables that hold the values that you get back once you register your application on GitHub (same for Google, Facebook, or any other provider).
Now let’s configure our security:
@EnableWebSecurity
public class SecurityConfig extends WebSecurityConfigurerAdapter { @Override
protected void configure(HttpSecurity http) throws Exception {
http.authorizeRequests()
.anyRequest().authenticated()
.and()
.oauth2Login();
}
}
In the above code, we want every request to be authenticated. We add oauth2Login in order to configure authentication support using OAuth 2.0.
Now if we try to access localhost:8080 in our browser, we’ll be forwarded to the GitHub sign-in page:
So what happened here?
When a request is made to localhost:8080 , Spring security will try to find an authenticated object, but eventually, it fails to. So it redirects to:
http://localhost:8080/oauth2/authorization/github
Internally, this request is getting handled by OAuth2AuthorizationRequestRedirectFilter , which uses implements doFilterInternal that matches against the /oauth2/authorization/github URI and redirect the request to
the above redirect_uri contains the same value we put when we registered our application.
After we successfully authenticate against GitHub, the user will be redirected to login/oauth2/code/github with the authentication code in the request parameters. This will be handled by the OAuth2LoginAuthenticationFilter , which will perform a POST request to the GitHub API to get an authentication token.
|
https://medium.com/swlh/spring-boot-oauth2-login-with-github-88b178e0c004
|
['Maroun Maroun']
|
2020-12-23 07:39:55.938000+00:00
|
['Java', 'Spring', 'Security', 'Oauth2']
|
Darkness in America: How to start healing from toxic masculinity
|
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Have you felt repressed? Have you felt ashamed of yourself, of your sexuality, afraid of being too loud? Have you felt embarrassed by your emotions, believing you are too sensitive or dramatic? You are not alone.
“Men who do not turn to face their own pain are too often prone to inflict it on others.”
Both men and women have many shadows, pain that has been shoved away. Every year, over 10 million Americans are victims of psychological and physical abuse from people they love and trust the most. I want to share my trauma with you. I want to share how I have learned to feel safe and whole.
14 years old, Courtesy of the author, Allison Crady
At 14 years old, I was bright, curious, and energized by the world around me. As my healthy adult self, I would tell young Allison, “You are beautiful and full of light. I will give you the unconditional love you need. The people around you are in pain, and it’s not your fault.”
Religion, especially men in religion, traumatized me. Religious teachers taught me that as a woman, I am meant to be quiet, submissive, and “sexually pure.” If I fail to mute myself and save my sexuality for marriage, then I am evil. I am not evil; I am courageous and powerful, and that scares them.
We need to integrate our shadows
Our American culture has become increasingly masculine and toxic. We are taught to be productive above all else, how to do more with our time. We are not taught how to be more authentic, to embrace gratitude, joy, and being.
We need more nurturing, acceptance, curiosity, empathy, and kindness of the feminine consciousness to heal. We need to explore and integrate our shadows, to stop passing judgment on ourselves and each other. We are human beings, not super-humans or machines.
We do not have to pretend to be perfect. We can find safe spaces to explore the darkness. When we integrate our shadows, we stop feeling repressed. We stop accepting the expectations and “truths” that have been given to us. Feeling, exploring, and healing our shadows make us more balanced humans.
“Survivors of abuse show us the strength of their personal spirit every time they smile.”
21 years old, Courtesy of the author, Allison Crady
I was not taught to create physical or emotional boundaries, to keep my heart safe. I had been criticized for dressing immodestly and “being a distraction,” and I felt rebellious. I have been sexually abused by men multiple times, and I felt guilty. It must have been my fault. I never shared my story, and I internalized that guilt.
For years I have struggled with owning my voice, expressing my needs, and embracing my sexuality without feeling ashamed or embarrassed.
I never deserved that treatment. I definitely did not “earn” abuse through my wardrobe. I felt so small and ashamed.
We need to nurture ourselves
Our culture’s Capitalistic messages convince us that we need more to feel happy and complete, i.e. more things, fame, money. Our souls have become under-nourished, and we feel disconnected, disenchanted, and competitive.
Patriarchy has led to so much pain in our country. Women have been told to be more like men to become leaders when actually the average woman has more natural and effective leadership skills, i.e. humility, empathy, inspiration. Men often become leaders with overconfidence and narcissistic behaviors, leading to poor leadership and toxic work environments.
We need to nurture ourselves with our creativity, playfulness, openness, curiosity, kindness, and intuition. We need more collaboration, empathy, psychological safety, and compassion in our personal and professional lives, starting with ourselves. We need to cultivate strong internal relationships.
We need to honor our feelings
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Our bodies and emotions are incredibly wise. Studies have shown that our bodies pick up on the relationship and environmental issues long before our minds do.
We are not thinking machines; we are feeling beings who think.
The more we honor our emotions, the less burned out, depressed, anxious, stuck, and out of shape, we’ll be. Awareness and kindness towards our emotions is a superpower.
We need to reconnect with our divine feminine energy to bring balance to our hyper-masculine selves and our hyper-masculine culture.
Instead of trying to fit in, let’s tune in to our own frequencies and surround ourselves with people who resonate, people who want the best for us and who nurture our growth.
Sometimes, We need to walk away
Our work and relationship environments have a strong impact on our wellbeing. If you find yourself in environments that do not nurture your wellbeing and encourage your growth, then it’s probably time to walk away.
Feeling unworthy and unsupported makes walking away really difficult for most people. Find communities who can relate, find the right therapist, find the people who give you unconditional love, and make yourself one of them. Instead of traveling outward, try exploring inward to learn about yourself, who you want to be.
26 years old, Courtesy of the author, Allison Crady
Writing this article has been very emotionally challenging for me. I started with the idea a few months ago, and I never thought I would feel comfortable or confident enough to share my experiences and feelings on this dark topic. But I know that getting out of the “nice and pretty,” people pleaser box means ruffling feathers and sharing hard stories.
I believe being creative heals ourselves and each other. I hope my story helps at least one person to know that they are not alone and that they deserve better unconditional love. You are loved and lovable.
|
https://allisoncrady.medium.com/darkness-in-america-how-to-start-healing-from-toxic-masculinity-f1aa59dc5b00
|
['Allison Crady']
|
2020-12-11 18:52:23.519000+00:00
|
['Creativity', 'Mental Health', 'Feminism', 'Psychology', 'Abuse']
|
3x11! “Star Trek: Discovery” Series 3 Episode 11 Online”
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✌ THE STORY ✌
Its and Jeremy Camp (K.J. Apa) is a and aspiring musician who like only to honor his God through the energy of music. Leaving his Indiana home for the warmer climate of California and a college or university education, Jeremy soon comes Bookmark this site across one Melissa Heing (Britt Robertson), a fellow university student that he takes notices in the audience at an area concert. Bookmark this site Falling for cupid’s arrow immediately, he introduces himself to her and quickly discovers that she is drawn to him too. However, Melissa holds back from forming a budding relationship as she fears it`ll create an awkward situation between Jeremy and their mutual friend, Jean-Luc (Nathan Parson), a fellow musician and who also has feeling for Melissa. Still, Jeremy is relentless in his quest for her until they eventually end up in a loving dating relationship. However, their youthful courtship Bookmark this sitewith the other person comes to a halt when life-threating news of Melissa having cancer takes center stage. The diagnosis does nothing to deter Jeremey’s love on her behalf and the couple eventually marries shortly thereafter. Howsoever, they soon find themselves walking an excellent line between a life together and suffering by her Bookmark this siteillness; with Jeremy questioning his faith in music, himself, and with God himself.
✌ STREAMING MEDIA ✌
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a provider. The verb to stream refers to the procedure of delivering or obtaining media this way.[clarification needed] Streaming identifies the delivery approach to the medium, rather than the medium itself. Distinguishing delivery method from the media distributed applies especially to telecommunications networks, as almost all of the delivery systems are either inherently streaming (e.g. radio, television, streaming apps) or inherently non-streaming (e.g. books, video cassettes, audio tracks CDs). There are challenges with streaming content on the web. For instance, users whose Internet connection lacks sufficient bandwidth may experience stops, lags, or slow buffering of this content. And users lacking compatible hardware or software systems may be unable to stream certain content.
Streaming is an alternative to file downloading, an activity in which the end-user obtains the entire file for the content before watching or listening to it. Through streaming, an end-user may use their media player to get started on playing digital video or digital sound content before the complete file has been transmitted. The term “streaming media” can connect with media other than video and audio, such as for example live closed captioning, ticker tape, and real-time text, which are considered “streaming text”.
This brings me around to discussing us, a film release of the Christian religio us faith-based . As almost customary, Hollywood usually generates two (maybe three) films of this variety movies within their yearly theatrical release lineup, with the releases usually being around spring us and / or fall respectfully. I didn’t hear much when this movie was initially aounced (probably got buried underneath all of the popular movies news on the newsfeed). My first actual glimpse of the movie was when the film’s movie trailer premiered, which looked somewhat interesting if you ask me. Yes, it looked the movie was goa be the typical “faith-based” vibe, but it was going to be directed by the Erwin Brothers, who directed I COULD Only Imagine (a film that I did so like). Plus, the trailer for I Still Believe premiered for quite some us, so I continued seeing it most of us when I visited my local cinema. You can sort of say that it was a bit “engrained in my brain”. Thus, I was a lttle bit keen on seeing it. Fortunately, I was able to see it before the COVID-9 outbreak closed the movie theaters down (saw it during its opening night), but, because of work scheduling, I haven’t had the us to do my review for it…. as yet. And what did I think of it? Well, it was pretty “meh”. While its heart is certainly in the proper place and quite sincere, us is a little too preachy and unbalanced within its narrative execution and character developments. The religious message is plainly there, but takes way too many detours and not focusing on certain aspects that weigh the feature’s presentation.
✌ TELEVISION SHOW AND HISTORY ✌
A tv set show (often simply Television show) is any content prBookmark this siteoduced for broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, cable, or internet and typically viewed on a television set set, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are usually placed between shows. Tv shows are most often scheduled well ahead of The War with Grandpa and appearance on electronic guides or other TV listings.
A television show may also be called a tv set program (British EnBookmark this siteglish: programme), especially if it lacks a narrative structure. A tv set Movies is The War with Grandpaually released in episodes that follow a narrative, and so are The War with Grandpaually split into seasons (The War with Grandpa and Canada) or Movies (UK) — yearly or semiaual sets of new episodes. A show with a restricted number of episodes could be called a miniMBookmark this siteovies, serial, or limited Movies. A one-The War with Grandpa show may be called a “special”. A television film (“made-for-TV movie” or “televisioBookmark this siten movie”) is a film that is initially broadcast on television set rather than released in theaters or direct-to-video.
Television shows may very well be Bookmark this sitehey are broadcast in real The War with Grandpa (live), be recorded on home video or an electronic video recorder for later viewing, or be looked at on demand via a set-top box or streameBookmark this sited on the internet.
The first television set shows were experimental, sporadic broadcasts viewable only within an extremely short range from the broadcast tower starting in the. Televised events such as the 944 Summer OlyBookmark this sitempics in Germany, the 944 coronation of King George VI in the UK, and David Sarnoff’s famoThe War with Grandpa introduction at the 9 New York World’s Fair in the The War with Grandpa spurreBookmark this sited a rise in the medium, but World War II put a halt to development until after the war. The 944 World Movies inspired many Americans to buy their first tv set and in 94, the favorite radio show Texaco Star Theater made the move and became the first weekly televised variety show, earning host Milton Berle the name “Mr Television” and demonstrating that the medium was a well balanced, modern form of entertainment which could attract advertisers. The firsBookmBookmark this siteark this sitet national live tv broadcast in the The War with Grandpa took place on September 4, 94 when President Harry Truman’s speech at the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in SAN FRAThe Good Doctor CO BAY AREA was transmitted over AT&T’s transcontinental cable and microwave radio relay system to broadcast stations in local markets.
✌ FINAL THOUGHTS ✌
The power of faith, love, and affinity for take center stage in Jeremy Camp’s life story in the movie I Still Believe. Directors Andrew and Jon Erwin (the Erwin Brothers) examine the life span and The War with Grandpas of Jeremy Camp’s life story; pin-pointing his early life along with his relationship Melissa Heing because they battle hardships and their enduring love for one another through difficult. While the movie’s intent and thematic message of a person’s faith through troublen is indeed palpable plus the likeable mThe War with Grandpaical performances, the film certainly strules to look for a cinematic footing in its execution, including a sluish pace, fragmented pieces, predicable plot beats, too preachy / cheesy dialogue moments, over utilized religion overtones, and mismanagement of many of its secondary /supporting characters. If you ask me, this movie was somewhere between okay and “meh”. It had been definitely a Christian faith-based movie endeavor Bookmark this web site (from begin to finish) and definitely had its moments, nonetheless it failed to resonate with me; struling to locate a proper balance in its undertaking. Personally, regardless of the story, it could’ve been better. My recommendation for this movie is an “iffy choice” at best as some should (nothing wrong with that), while others will not and dismiss it altogether. Whatever your stance on religion faith-based flicks, stands as more of a cautionary tale of sorts; demonstrating how a poignant and heartfelt story of real-life drama could be problematic when translating it to a cinematic endeavor. For me personally, I believe in Jeremy Camp’s story / message, but not so much the feature.
FIND US:
✔️ https://official.streamtv-movie.com
✔️ Instagram: https://instagram.com
✔️ Twitter: https://twitter.com
✔️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com
|
https://medium.com/star-trek-discovery-2020-s3-e11-episode-11-sukal/3x11-star-trek-discovery-series-3-episode-11-online-ac699be519fd
|
['Maxine Freeman']
|
2020-12-25 16:37:52.684000+00:00
|
['Illumination', 'Start', 'Covid 19', 'Life']
|
Learn Agile: 2 biggest mistake Product Owners make regarding Product Vision
|
Do you know what are the 2 biggest mistakes Product Owners make regarding Product Vision? Download Product Vision Template. Agile Software Development and Scrum Series…
You can also jump in right away: https://www.udemy.com/course/how-to-build-an-effective-digital-product/?referralCode=111D4F91601055EE0609
|
https://medium.com/@dejansoftware/learn-agile-2-biggest-mistake-product-owners-make-regarding-product-vision-70772c727dc8
|
[]
|
2020-12-18 08:31:06.739000+00:00
|
['Product Management', 'Digital', 'Agile', 'Scrum', 'Digital Product']
|
How To Make API calls in Fullstack Apps or React Apps Using Axios
|
API CALLING
When I began programming some years back, APIs, REST APIs and Endpoints were some of the programming concepts that I had the general idea of but didn’t fully understand.
I later took up some internships and came across the term “API” again. This time my colleagues made it seem like an out of this world concept that required 10 years of programming experience and luck from the gods to make work. I felt like the APIs I had been exposed to were wrong just because of the way my internship mentors and online tutorials explained.
But now looking back I realize it’s all the same story: Programmers love overcomplicating the definition of simple concepts.
DEFINITION
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a software/piece of code that allows two separate programmes to interact with each other by passing data with each other.
A simpler definition is: an API is a code that triggers/ causes the transfer of data from one point to another
TYPES
There are two types of APIs that can be configured in your code:
1. ) Internal API:
These are APIs that are configured in full-stack applications. The API is called in the front end requesting for information from the back end server of the same application.
There are typically four operations that can be carried out with APIs. These are called CRUD (Create — POST API Request, Read — GET API Request, Update — PUT/PATCH API Request, Delete- Delete API Request).
We will be focusing on the two main requests, GET and POST, as these are the most widely used.
i.) Internal API GET Request
A GET request means that we are receiving (GETTING) data. An Internal API GET request means we are receiving data from the back end server of the same application.
import axios from "axios" ... axios.get(url) /*state which route/url to get data from*/
.then((res) => {setState(res.data)}) /*do something with data*/
.catch((error) => {console.log(error)}); /*show error if any*/
ii.) Internal API POST Request
A POST request means that we are sending (POSTING) data. An Internal API POST request means we are sending data to the back end server of the same application.
import axios from "axios" ... axios.post(url, "object to be posted")/*state url and data to send*/
.then((res) => {console.log(res.data)}) /*do something with data*/
.catch((error) => {console.log(error)}); /*show error if any*/
2.) External APIs:
These are APIs that are configured in either the front end or back end of applications to interact with an external server. The API is called in the front end/ backend requesting for data or sending data to the server of another individual’s server.
We will be focusing on the two main requests, GET and POST, as these are the most widely used.
To make proper external API requests, make sure you always check the external API’s documentation. However, this is the typical layout:
i.) External API GET Request
A GET request means that we are receiving (GETTING) data. An External API GET request means we are receiving data from the server of another person’s application.
import axios from "axios" ... axios({
method: "get",
url: "https://...../",
headers: {
x-api-key: *key/apikey*
},
"params" : {
custom_params : "custom_param_value"
}
})
.then((data) => {*do something with data*})
.catch((error) => {*do something error*})
ii.) External API POST Request
A POST request means that we are sending (POSTING) data. An External API POST request means we are sending data to an external server.
import axios from "axios" ... axios({
method: "post",
url: "https://...../",
data: {
firstName: 'Peter',
lastName: 'Parker'
},
headers: {
custom_header: *custom_key*
},
params : {
blah_blah: "place param value"
}
})
.then((data) => {*do something with data*})
.catch((error) => {*do something error*})
That’s it for calling APIs
NOTE
In addition, note the following:
Only configure the routes in your backend server if it’s an internal API because External APIs do not require routes in your backend server as it interacts with routes on an EXTERNAL server. For headers and params, they are not always going to be configured in your API.Their requirement(if you should include them or not )will be stated in the external API documentation You can use both internal and external APIs in the same application.
EXTRA:
This is how backend routes are configured for Internal APIs
*These are example Routes/End points. This code is placed in the routes file in the backend server* const mongoose = require("mongoose");
const express = require("express");
const router = express.Router();
const article = require("../models/articlesschema"); router.route("/addarticle").post((req, res, next) => {
return article.create(req.body, (error, data) => {
if(error){
return next(error);
} else {
console.log(data);
res.json(data);
}
});
}); router.route("/").get((req, res)=> {
return article.find((error, data) => {
if(error){
return next (error);
} else {
return res.json(data);
}
});
}); router.route("/edit/:id").get((req,res) => {
return article.findById(req.params.id, (error, data) => {
if (error){
return next (error);
} else {
return res.json(data);
}
});
}); router.route('/update/:id').put((req, res, next) => {
article.findByIdAndUpdate(req.params.id, {
$set: req.body
}, (error, data) => {
if (error) {
next(error);
console.log(error)
} else {
res.json(data)
console.log('User updated successfully !')
}
})
}) router.route("/delete/:id").delete((req, res, next) => {
return article.findByIdAndRemove(req.params.id, (error, data) =>{
if (error){
return next(error);
} else{
return res.status(200).json({
msg: data
})
}
})
}) module.exports = router;
Fin.
|
https://medium.com/simply-complex/how-to-make-api-calls-in-fullstack-apps-or-react-apps-using-axios-12c2ae52d650
|
['Ohuoba Omoruyi David']
|
2020-11-09 11:19:05.244000+00:00
|
['React', 'API', 'Axios', 'Mern', 'Full Stack']
|
US Remove Sudan From State Sponsor Of Terror List
|
The US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has signed a notification, removing Sudan from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, said the US embassy in Khartoum on Monday.”
The congressional notification period of 45 days has lapsed and the Secretary of State has signed a notification stating rescission of Sudan’s State Sponsor of Terrorism designation is effective as of today (December 14), to be published in the Federal Register,” read a Facebook post from the US embassy in Khartoum.
This comes after US President Donald Trump sent Congress a letter formally informing the lawmakers that his administration has rescinded Sudan’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, in late October.
Trump additionally same that Sudan has provided assurances it’ll not support acts of act of terrorism within the future.
Earlier, in October, the President proclaimed that Sudan are off from its State Sponsors of terrorist act list once it pays USD 335 million to the victims of previous attacks in the US.
According to a report by Anadolu news agency, the announcement marks a milestone in relations between the countries that are steady up following the 2019 ouster of former old leader Omar al-Bashir.
Sudan, that secure Osama Osama bin Laden for nearly 5 years at a time once the terrorist organization leader was concerned in attacks within the United States, was placed on the United States State Sponsors of terrorist act list in 1993, orbiter quoted the US State Department.
|
https://medium.com/@bakkerlucas/us-remove-sudan-from-state-sponsor-of-terror-list-9733273b84f8
|
['Lucas Bakker']
|
2020-12-14 11:26:59.195000+00:00
|
['Sudan', 'Us', 'Terrorism']
|
3D Pedestrian Network Dataset of Hong Kong — A Quick Look
|
Note: The full version of this article (with codes written in R to reproduce the charts) is available on my personal blog.
The Lands Department of Hong Kong finally published the 3D pedestrian network (3DPN) dataset to the public. I have been waiting this for a long time. The whole dataset is available in the following link. The data dictionary could be found after clicking the Notes button on the left of the Download Dataset button.
https://geodata.gov.hk/gs/view-dataset?uuid=201eaaee-47d6-42d0-ac81-19a430f63952&sidx=0
Here’s what the network looks like in GIS…
3D View of the network
Another 3D View of the network
But we can do more instead of just displaying the paths. One thing we could do is to strip the spatial elements off and analyse the properties of the path in terms of 1. path type, 2. length and 3. gradient. I will not bother showing the paths in 3D Map (Plug the database into your GIS software if you want!). Here, I exported the attribute table of the network from GIS to conduct some basic data visualisation analysis.
Types of footpath
Let’s dive into the dataset and take a glance in terms of summary statistics.
The level of details of the network already dropped my jaw — it has a total of 436,426 path segments! An extremely large spatial dataset which contains only footpaths. About 334,000 paths are ubiquitous footway (i.e. sidewalk or pedestrian walkway). What also surprised me is that there are in total 27,470 crossings in the dataset. Although crossings are usually separated into two parts in the network sense (they are separated by the traffic islands), the total number of crossings still largely exceeds my random guess. Meanwhile, the 2,000 footbridges consist of 7,200 segments, and the 400 subways are split into about 1,000 segments.
Distribution of path length
How about their distribution in terms of length and gradients? Here I use ridgeline plot to visualise the shape of the distribution and relative height across each footpath type. I excluded the lifts category as their gradient and length are not useful at all — they are just some vertical lines and you will not “walk” on them.
In addition to the distribution, showing some critical values would allow those math nerds to grasp the look of the distribution quickly. Therefore, I also computed the median and mean value of each group.
As a supplementary note, the median and average length of all footpaths (excluding lifts category) are 8 m and 19 m respectively.
Travelator in MTR stations has the largest mean and median length. Not surprising when you consider the length of the travelators in HKU MTR Station, specifically those from the concourse to Exit C. Other long travelators include the one from Three Pacific Place to Admiralty Station.
Distribution of path gradient
How about gradient? Again, as a supplementary note, the median and average gradient of all footpaths (excluding lifts category) are 0.01 and 0.06 respectively.
One interesting observation is that the gradient of the staircases (i.e. steepness of the stairs) in MTR stations is much higher than the normal staircases.
Gradient of normal footpaths on ground level has median around 0.01 to 0.02, while the mean is around 0.04 to 0.06. We can see the distribution of gradient is positively skewed. Again, this is not surprising as the footpaths in the main area of the city are mostly built on flatland. However, there are abundant steep footpaths located in the hilly districts like Sai Ying Pun and Tsz Wan Shan.
It could be something worth investigating by classifying the footpaths by residential areas, then investigate the differences of slopes across various districts. A “Steepness Index” of each residential area could be computed. The steepness of the path could be used as an indicator to measure walkability. We could even look into the correlation between this index and flat price!
|
https://medium.com/@khwongk12/3d-pedestrian-network-dataset-of-hong-kong-a-quick-look-e7d8a7e4fabc
|
['Kenneth Wong']
|
2020-12-14 19:09:08.143000+00:00
|
['Pedestrian Network', 'Hong Kong', 'GIS', 'Walking', 'Data Visualization']
|
That Time I Had to Shut Down Patriarchal Comments…From My Hippie Feminist Mom
|
I am so sick of wading through her fears.
Let’s break them down.
She thinks I’m not qualified to start a company because I don’t have a degree. From what I’ve learned from friends and colleagues that are successful CEO’s, a degree can strip you of all of your start-up money and leave you simply with a broad education of economics. Just sayin’!
Listen, businesses are changing. I think there are so many alternative ways to learn how to succeed in business — online courses, mentorships, YouTube for God’s sake! You don’t need Harvard to succeed in business.
College, for most, is not an investment in actual growth or their future career. It’s a checked box. It shows an employer you finished something. To some employers, this does matter. But is a checked box worth $150,000? In my career, no one cares at all if or where you went to school, unless it was very specialized to filmmaking.
Finally, my decision to do something out of the norm of a traditional relationship steps, just about broke her brain.
So, what’s a millennial to do?
I started off asking her some questions.
Did you ever think about starting a business?
She surprisingly answered, yes. I thought about being a life coach.
But then her brows moved into a scowl as she explained:
The instructor told me I had to commit to finding clients, and I didn’t know how to do that — he said without clients, it’s an expensive hobby. So I never did it. I started to get freaked out.
She had a college degree — but she didn’t feel she had the skills to get the job done. My point is, even back in the 70s before computers, she needed to seek outside of traditional education to figure out how to market a start-up business. Instead of breaking away from the fold, she was defeated.
I felt bad for her. But here’s what I said:
Mom, I’ve noticed a pattern. I had to start paying attention to it, because I have overwhelming feelings of fear when I go to do a new thing — particularly in business and making my own money. I’ve been wondering why, for years, I don’t feel confident in these realms, even after having some great ideas and doing a lot of research. I think it’s because you have taught me to doubt myself, because you have also viciously doubted yourself in these ways. Have you noticed that every man in the family unabashedly has started several businesses — and although half the time they fall on their faces — they’re still supported. The men in our family don’t have to swim through doubt, discouragement, and inherited or taught fear to do…anything! I need you to listen and not respond with fear. Don’t forget that I’m a self-taught web designer and I started and ran a media company for years. I’ve produced films and pitched TV to studios and networks. When I’m confronted with something like…I don’t have the skill set, I go get that skill set. I know you’re not used to thinking outside of the box, but what if you tried? The world has transformed. I no longer live in a box, and neither should you.
She was silent for a moment, and then she told me she had incorrectly phrased what she meant. She wanted to say that she was excited about the idea, but felt I should think about a few things before I jumped in — maybe getting a certification.
But that’s not what came out of her mouth.
I know I should have stopped consulting my mom on things years ago. But we always want approval from those who are supposed to be in our corner, no matter how toxic their “support” can be.
If you’re a mentor or Mom, I urge you: Fear is the biggest threat to our success. It runs through our society like poison in a well — and tells women they’re not strong enough, good enough, or simply…enough.
I’ve had to rise above these comments my entire life, and at 27, I’m just now getting good at it. It took way too long for me to get here — but here’s the good news: I’m where I am now.
And that’s pretty beautiful because at 19 I left home and college and started doing everything on my own. It forced me to reach out to those around me, teach myself, and leave the fears behind.
|
https://medium.com/you-got-you/that-time-i-had-to-shut-down-patriarchal-comments-from-my-hippie-feminist-mom-de233c1ddc94
|
['Flannery Maney']
|
2021-01-16 10:23:39.066000+00:00
|
['Fear', 'Patriarchy', 'Confidence', 'Empowerment', 'Feminism']
|
Does Green Energy Really Green?
|
Green Energy is being promoted to help on reducing environmental issues but does this goal could be really achieved?
Green Energy (source: https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/renewable/polish-parliament-approves-changes-to-green-energy-law/64794684)
Nowadays, there are a lot of campaigns to promote the Green Energy development and usage. The main idea is to do the energy transition from the conventional. This program is come from the Energy Mix which will differ for every country depends on their source and capability. The transition is aimed to reduce the effect of energy use to the global warming as the conventional energy will produce more carbon which will affect the Ozone as the Greenhouse Gas (GHG).
The idea is simple and the goal is clear. However, does the Green Energy will give a better condition for our life?
The answer is not at all. The emission will still there but there might be a slight reduction.
Why?
As the highest demand in energy source, the transportation will shifted into an EV type. With this case, the basic material in EV which is battery was made from a mineral source, such as Cobalt, Graphite, Lithium and Manganese. As the main component of battery is come from mining result, the increase of EV demand means an increase in mining exploitation. This means that the mine activity couldn’t be avoided and there still pollution in the environment. The global warming might be reduce as there are no significant GHG emission in mining operation. However, it will be the same and will be the time bomb where we only wait for our environment to be destroyed.
In the other hands, there is a case where a human exploitation was practiced due to high demand of EV. For example, in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRO) which is the highest cobalt reserves in the world with their 3.6 mTon in 2019, there are a child exploitation to produce more and more cobalt. Even though this problem is not fully the false of the company as there should be an improved rules from the local government but the problem is with the increase of EV demand, there will be another country which will start to do a human exploitation in the future.
The further problem that might be occur due to Green Energy glorification is the human sacrification in some poor and remote regions. The Green Energy implementation need to adapt with the environment condition. For example, in Africa where there still 352 million people that still use solid-fuel for cooking, it is really hard to enforce the energy transition into electric-based. Also, in the same region, almost 70% of local people are depending their economic source from mining and coal-fired power plant. Therefore, the electrification and Green Energy transition might impact on killing these people.
The other problem from the Green Energy is that there will still a carbon emission. However, the carbon is not come from the fuel that is used but come from the manufacture process. The overall carbon emission reduction of EV is only around 17% if compared with the conventional based on the Comparative Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Conventional and Electric Vehicles. The reason is there is an additional part in EV car if compared with the conventional car. For the more specific number, the EV car production will caused 30,000 pounds carbon-dioxide emissions while conventional car will caused only 14,000 pounds. The more complex problem is the source of electricity in EV car. If the electricity is still come from coal power plant or other hydrocarbon-based power plant, the application of EV car will not give a significant impact to the carbon emissions.
The last problem from Green Energy is about the current technology that still have a little efficiency. This will caused a lot of area needed for solar or wind power plant to produce the same electricity with the conventional source. This problem could caused a deforestation in some places. The reduction of CO2 might be increased but there still CO2 being produced by human or other activity that needs tree to process and change it into oxygen. This will be a big problem in the future if there are no any improvement in the technology.
So what is the conclusion?
Overall the Green Energy could give an impact to the carbon emissions, but the reduction is still not that big. Therefore, there still need a further research and development to make a more impact in the carbon emissions. Also, the other side impact of the Green Energy should be reconsidered to make the execution run well. Before all of the problem is being solved, the Green Energy still have some disadvantage.
|
https://medium.com/@tonyswriting/does-green-energy-really-green-7da7431c7df1
|
['Anthony Kurnia Jaya']
|
2020-11-23 06:05:12.961000+00:00
|
['Green Energy', 'Environment', 'Renewable Energy', 'Carbon Emissions', 'Carbon Footprint']
|
Temel Git Komutları Dersi
|
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
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https://medium.com/royto/temel-git-komutlar%C4%B1-dersi-9f1c685349f3
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['Ertan Özdemir']
|
2020-12-17 02:02:33.789000+00:00
|
['Free', 'Komut', 'Course', 'Github', 'Git']
|
Company Spotlight: MANNA
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Making an impact through food in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.
As part of our theme for this month, Impact, we have chosen to spotlight a company in which we feel is truly making a positive impact on its community: Manna. We sat down with a member of their team (over skype that is), to discuss what exactly Manna is doing and how feeding a stranger goes beyond just eliminating hunger. See below for the transcribed interview:
What is the story of Manna? How did it start?
Our website says it best…“MANNA began in 1990 when seven members of the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia began delivering meals to their neighbors dying of AIDS. It was at this time, people diagnosed with AIDS found themselves incredibly ill, isolated, and in need of hope. MANNA’s founders fulfilled this need with nourishment — giving love and community to those who needed it most.
In the 30 years since our founding, MANNA has stayed true to its original mission of providing nourishment to our critically ill neighbors. As our knowledge of utilizing food as medicine deepened, our program evolved to include medically-tailored meals created in our in-house kitchen and professional nutrition counseling. After recognizing the widespread need for our services, MANNA began serving anyone at nutritional risk due to critical illness in 2006. Since then, MANNA has served clients with over 85 different illnesses. In 30 years, our program has improved the health and quality of life of more than 31,000 of our Philadelphia area neighbors with more than 16,380,000 medically nourishing meals.”
What does your role entail at Manna? While we’re on the theme, how do you impact Manna as a member of the team?
The bulk of my job is making sure the day-to-day operations are running smoothly — this includes managing and routing 5 staff drivers and 10–15 volunteer drivers, getting our trucks packed for the next day, and putting out any fires (literal or figurative) that pop up.
Outside of my job description, I view my role here as having two major parts. The first is with regard to operational or procedural efficiencies and improvements. Asking & answering questions like “What can we do better or more efficiently?”, “Why did this mistake happen and how can we implement procedures to correct for it?”, and “What actions can I take to align my department with our larger organizational goals?”. The second major lens through which I view my role is from a relationship standpoint. One of the highest priorities for me on a daily basis is relationship and trust-building, fostering communication and trust between departments and coworkers, ensuring that no one team member is tasked with taking on more than is reasonable and just generally making sure that everyone is happy to be working at MANNA that day. I view my role…as a human… as being an agent for love and connection and humanity and I do my best to bring that into my work life, as well.
Providing a basic need to those less fortunate is seemingly a simple gesture. How does the impact go beyond just a meal?
Great question to which I could probably speak endlessly…haha… Simply put, “Nutrition as medicine” means that in order to survive, to fight the disease that is threatening your very existence, you have to be putting the right building blocks into your body in order to recover and continue the fight. One thing that we do that I absolutely love is to celebrate each client’s birthday. Each client receives a cake and a card on their delivery day, and I think that’s really what it’s all about to me — more birthdays.
Being a non-profit organization, how does marketing work for you guys? Is there a budget for those activities?
Our organization’s lifeblood is our volunteer base. Without the volunteers we get on a daily basis, we would not be able to provide the same level of service to our clients. And because we are a local organization, most of our reach with regards to recruiting new volunteers and filling in time slots ends up being through social media.
What are your communication channels? What has been done to reach your audience to support the cause?
A lot of our new client reach is grassroots/word of mouth; people telling others of the services that they receive and then being referred. MANNA also has historically had strong roots in the Philly area and is well known for the work we do!
What is one major insight you have gained from working at Manna?
The little things add up. Whether it’s a birthday cake, a familiar face dropping off your weekly meals, a friendly voice on the other end of the line when you’re having an off day, or just the basic sustenance you need to keep the fight going, they all add up. So while a singular part of what you’re doing may not seem to mean much at the moment, you just haven’t seen the bigger picture yet.
To find out more information about MANNA or how you can support them, please visit https://www.mannapa.org/.
|
https://blog.seriousbusiness.agency/company-spotlight-manna-86f8358b84d
|
['Serious Business']
|
2020-03-06 16:05:29.361000+00:00
|
['Helping Others', 'Conscious Leadership', 'Impact', 'Food']
|
Original Falsehood
|
It was never true that you weren’t beautiful
that the scarves and sweaters you hid behind
were anything more than a prelude
to loving the Botticelli muse you are
It wasn’t true that I abandoned you to your
coffee and cake without a thought
I just had to call the pen and arrange a meeting
later
I came upon your statue, years after the fact
witnessed again your curves and intimacy
the warmth bleeding right through my hand
In fact, it was brutal to have sat through time
just like this, cold hand on marble
mind on the history I didn’t want to write
I printed everything I could remember about you
then wondered what I’d left out
and my own taunting ego
hears a different chorus, wants to leave again
before I finish copying this down
|
https://medium.com/storymaker/original-falsehood-158415b6bb5d
|
['J.D. Harms']
|
2020-12-06 21:24:26.402000+00:00
|
['Relationships', 'Love', 'Intimacy', 'Poetry', 'Image']
|
The Duty of Care
|
The duty of care should be the first thing that is discussed during new board member onboarding.
The duty of care applies to many aspects of life but it is particularly important for someone who serves on a board. The reason for this is because as a board member you are accepting responsibility for the organization on whose board you sit.
Individuals are responsible for their own actions, as long as they are legally an adult. In Canada that is the age of 18. Parents or legal guardians are responsible for the kids until they are of legal age. Parenting is a concept very similar to being a director.
When you serve on a board, you accept responsibility for the organization. The organization, whether it is a society, a business corporation or a not-for-profit organization is not a natural person. Because it is not a person, human beings must fill this role, the directors exist to accept responsibility — sometimes known as taking the blame.
If you have become a board member, then your new job is to set the strategic direction of the organization, supervise management so that you can be sure that they are following your direction and accept accountability for the results.
All of this ties into the duty of care — which says that a board member must conduct themselves in the manner that a reasonable person would, with a view to the best interests of the organization.
This opens the door to interpretation. What activities define reasonable? In the court of law the arguments are made that due diligence is the opposite of negligence and negligence occurs in the absence of due diligence. A board must be careful in making their decisions so that due diligence has been met, but each situation is different.
When I attended university, students and professors were allowed to smoke cigarettes in class. This behaviour was accepted at that time. People carried around their own ashtrays. If you look back on those years now, you might think that the board of governors was clearly negligent when they allowed smoking in class. Judging those people using the lenses of 2021 gives different results than if they were being judged in the 70’s. At the present time if you lit a cigarette in a classroom anywhere in Canada you would be breaking a law, but not then.
Boards should give a thought to the fact that often they will be judged after a certain amount of time will have gone by. Perhaps a couple of years, maybe longer. If you take care to be sure that you have documented the facts and assumptions at the time the decision was actually made, then the decision about whether you were negligent at the time, can be made in context.
Remember if you are acting in the best interests of the organization in a manner that a reasonable person would act, then you are not negligent.
|
https://medium.com/governance-guru/the-duty-of-care-599cf4b8fe3
|
['Debi Peverill']
|
2020-12-19 01:42:27.231000+00:00
|
['Governance', 'Board', 'Productivity', 'Meetings', 'Committee']
|
3 Planning Strategies Writers Should Explore
|
3 Planning Strategies Writers Should Explore
Photo by Paico Oficial on Unsplash
I’ve been in pursuit of the “perfect planner” for as long as I can remember. And I suspect a lot of other writers are similarly obsessed/perplexed.
Writing life just isn’t a good fit for standardized, calendar-focused planners — at least not usually. If you happen to have the sort of writing job that involves lots of deadlines and editorial meetings, you probably need an hour-by-hour daily view.
But.
If you are writing on your own — whether part or all of the time — you need a strategy that can combine big goals, small tasks, lots of notes, ideas to investigate or organize, and more. The key is finding a format that balances structure with freedom.
Ideally, a structure that nourishes rather than restricts creativity.
If there’s one thing I’ve figured out in my quest for the perfect planning strategy, it’s that different approaches work for different people, at different times in their writing life. Some writers find a fit with the bullet journal method, or with one of the designed planners that combine a little bit of everything.
At one point in my quest, I was so determined to understand the whole range of approaches that I compiled a database of all the planner products I could find out about. And there are a lot of them.
That was a great exercise, and still has some value I think. But in the end, I never found my soulmate planner. I ended up creating my own approaches — methods and templates that I go back to again and again.
I mix and match them to meet changing needs, and I freshen them up with new tweaks when they no longer seem satisfying.
So here are my three go-to strategies. The first is an inexpensive and not-obvious online tool. The second combines several different paper resources. And the third (my core approach) uses a simple but powerful graphic form to organize everything — from parts of the day to parts of a novel to parts of life.
1. SuperNotecard
I tried many online planning products before eventually deciding that my love of paper is stronger than my desire for a cross-platform strategy. Of all the popular tools I tried, Trello was the only one that clicked, and I used it quite a bit for a while. But I was continually frustrated by the fact that you can only arrange/move cards horizontally. And it’s rather complicated to combine cards with calendars.
As for OneNote and its various cousins — don’t get me started. I’m pretty savvy, but I never figured out the organizational metaphor. So after putting a ton of stuff in, I took it all out.
And then . . .
I stumbled on a tool that’s not particularly meant to be a planner, but works well if you want to use it that way. To be candid — it’s a rather “old” product (started out as a flashcard-maker in 2011), and may seem a bit clunky at first. There are a lot of features, which are reasonably well organized, but the interface isn’t entirely intuitive.
So there’s a small learning curve. Once you catch on to the metaphor, though, SuperNotecard is a lot of fun. To give you a general idea of the approach, here are a few screenshots from projects I experimented with last year.
Top level — card stacks
Next level — stack opened up to show cards
Single card view
You can customize the cards with colors, tags, flags, etc. You can format card text with bullets and tables, embed images, add line numbers and links, apply a variety of styles, search for text.
You can filter views in a variety of ways — and best of all, for my taste, you can move the cards any which way, just as you would move paper notes laid out on a desk or pinned on a corkboard.
Within a project (SuperNotecard’s basic organizational unit), you can stack groups of cards into decks. Double-click on the deck to see all the cards, rearrange them, edit them, etc.
There’s also a reference library feature where you can create cards for any kind of material, then link to the reference from any card in the project. But each library is part of a specific project, so you can’t have a “master” that’s accessible to all projects. (This was a significant limitation for me, but might not bother most people.)
The product is geared toward writers, and provides slightly different toolsets depending on whether a particular project falls into the category of Fiction, Nonfiction, or Script. But the basics (project, deck, cards) are the same for all three categories.
So — how is this a planning strategy?
Simple enough. Just create a “Today” deck, add cards for whatever you like (appointments, goals, tasks, etc.) and arrange them. Add keywords to the cards if you want to be able to view ad hoc groups, and/or color-code them to create a better visualization. You can copy cards from other decks into “Today,” so it’s easy to keep track of ongoing or unfinished tasks.
You can also nest decks within decks — so you can have a “Week” deck containing “Monday,” “Tuesday,” etc. decks. If it suits your personal approach, add a “Goals” deck for the week, and an “Assessment” decks. Or zoom further out with a “Month” or “Quarter” decks.
With SuperNotecard, you can have everything in one place — ideas, text blocks, reference materials, planning tools — which has a lot of potential advantages for writers.
On the plus side, you can tinker up a completely customized personal system. On the negative side, you will have to put some effort into figuring out what works for you, and getting it set up that way.
Their how-to texts are a bit cumbersome, and you won’t find help outside the program, as it’s pretty much a niche product. But it has some of the features in a high-end product like Scrivener, while being more broadly useful and much less complicated.
So! Some of you might already be in love with SuperNotecard, while some already hate it, just from that description. If you’re somewhere in the middle, take it for a free 30-day spin (limited to five projects). And if it clicks for you, the annual subscription is just $19.
2. Spiral notebooks, 3-ring binders, sticky notes, and “real” index cards
If that looks like a list of school supplies — true enough! And you can add in some ordinary office supplies for good measure. The creative part derives from how you combine basic items into a personally perfect planning system.
Full disclosure: I love anything that falls into this category, and will amuse myself if time permits by building a new “kit” for a new project. Candidly, I don’t end up using most of them — their usefulness comes from the process itself. From thinking through a project by deciding what sorts of working structures I might want to create, what color seems to fit, and so on.
Which might seem ridiculous. If so, jump ahead to strategy 3! But if the general idea has some appeal, I’ll share a short list of things in this category that have made me happy.
I like to get a really big picture sometimes. And as I don’t have room for a giant whiteboard at home (sadly!), I’ve taken to buying several desk-sized calendars as soon as they get marked down (often by the end of February). I rarely use the dated sides — I just turn the pages over and use the blank side for notes I want to see in mind-map relationships, or all in one place.
Ordinary 3x5 index cards are insanely cheap — often less than a dollar per hundred. And they can be used for almost anything. Sometimes I just put a single word, phrase, task, or goal on each card and lay them out Kanban-style. There’s something about the physical act of making them and moving them around that has a clarifying or focusing effect.
For a couple of extra dollars, you can get index cards in a riot of colors! And you can get bigger ones (4 x 6) and biggest ones (5 x 8).
Jumbo, color-coded index cards can be a lot of fun.
If you are fond of index cards, Post-Its makes sticky ones that can be used in various ways. And there are spiral-bound sets (the cards are perforated for detachment), and sheets of cards that can go in a 3-ring binder (ditto).
Speaking of 3-ring binders — they have three great advantages. First (and obviously), you can easily rearrange the pages, and separate them into groups by using dividers. Second, you can equip them with various accessories, such as pocket tabs, sheet protectors, zippered cases, and so on. Third — and this is most important for me — you can have three different kinds of pages: blank, rules, and grid. (There’s more in Strategy 3 about why that might matter.)
I put this notebook together (mostly with $1 items) for a bit of portable color.
Since there are calendars and planner pages designed to fit them, binders offer an easy way to combine structured and freeform approaches. Etsy is awash with page templates if you don’t want to make your own.
Over the years, I’ve collected a lot of “art cards.” Galleries used to send them out to announce new shows, though of course that’s mostly not happening now. But if you happen to have a stack of them — or something equivalent — tuck them into pockets of notebooks, or cut them up and hide them in your index cards. Just a nice visual refreshment!
If these old-school approaches appeal to you, a couple of famous writers offer inspiration. Check out Joan Didion’s essay “On Keeping a Notebook” (in the 1968 collection Slouching Toward Bethlem) and Anne Lamott’s “Index Cards,” found in Part Three of her wonderful book Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.
Didion and Lamott both focus more on writing than on planning. But there’s a lot of overlap between the two processes, I think.
3. Quadrants, circles, and triangles
Until fairly recently, I always used ruled pages when I wrote in a notebook. Then I started to feel very restricted by the lines. I’d already experimented with some planner styles that offer open parts of the page for freeform notes, as well as the use of a blank journal for bullet-style pages.
Neither worked for me — mainly because there was no consistent approach to the structural part of planning. I didn’t want to be faced with a completely new set of organizational decisions every day . . . .
So I adopted a strategy from my experience in corporate communications: the quadrant chart. Truly the Swiss Army Knife of information organization! Once you put any kind of content into a quadrant format — it might be grossly over-simplified, but it will communicate very effectively with most audiences.
Basically, I create a quadrant chart every time I start to plan anything. Some examples . . .
From a calendar perspective:
Plan the day (4 time blocks, e.g., 7–10 AM, 10 AM-2 PM, 2–5 PM, 5–8 PM)
Plan the month (4 weeks)
Plan the year (4 quarters).
From a project perspective:
Big picture (e.g., preparation, design, development, deployment)
Project elements (e.g., plot, characters, scenes, themes)
Project requirements (e.g., people, budget, infrastructure, materials)
The beauty of dividing everything into fours is that it usually makes you think harder. So if you can’t immediately come up with four equal categories, keep trying — because there is almost always something else that needs attention.
For example, when I was sketching out this story on planning for writers, I knew right away that three quadrants would contain strategies, because the story is part of an informal series organized in three's. But I needed to fill four slots, so realized the fourth square should be “Introduction/Conclusion.”
Now all I had to do was drop in notes for each part, and I had a roadmap. Plus a head start on writing the story efficiently.
Very often I just raggedly draw a quadrant on a sheet of graph paper or a blank page, and go from there. But I’ve also created a PowerPoint deck with ready-made quadrants in different sizes, and some with pre-defined labels.
It’s actually a bit of a pain to draw an exact quadrant in PPT, but you can grab this image, drop it on a blank slide, and stretch/shrink it to the desired size.
|
https://medium.com/the-book-mechanic/3-planning-strategies-writers-should-explore-3460838274a3
|
['Cynthia Giles']
|
2020-12-14 15:38:03.042000+00:00
|
['Planning', 'Writing Life', 'Productivity', 'Writing', 'Writing Tips']
|
How important is UI/UX Design for the development of mobile application
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What is the first thing that you look for when you form an opinion about any app, the way it looks, how easy it is on your touch, does it display extraneous content or is pretty focused, how can it fit in my everyday schedule, and some more around the same contexts. What do you think is the foundation behind this, without a doubt, UI/UX Designing.
With over 5 million apps on the Google Playstore and Apple Store, you have to make your app stand out of the crowd, and how you can do that, you ask, the answer is right in front of you. This blog explains the importance of UI/UX Design when it comes to developing applications. Let us start by understanding what exactly these terms mean.
UI or User Interface
If I had to sum it up in two words then, UI is all about the appearance. User Interface design patterns are the means that combine structure and order to deliver a powerful experience and a pleasant time. UI helps you design how actually your application will look. Designers help to create an interface that is easy to use and pleasurable. From the color scheme to the font sizes, everything comes under UI. Now, this is very important because the impression will be faced on the basis of the glance.
It goes without saying that you have to master this, in order to increase the impact of your app. A careful and innovative design leads to your company gaining a brand name and enhances your relationships with the customers. You also have to be careful about the desires and needs of your target customers in order to provide them a satisfactory or at least a frustration-free experience. A good design nudges the sentiments of the users and provides them with a seamless experience, which ultimately is the goal of any service provided.
UX or User Experience Design
The UX design aims to gauge and reach maximum customer satisfaction. UX helps to create products that provide relevant tactics to the user. It is a procedure that builds an improved customer experience and minimizes hindrances in its use. Now this is required to provide a definite flow of the application, like what window comes after what, are the clicks in the thumb zone, is the drift smooth, and everything a user goes through when he is operating the app. This becomes vital to structure and provide an appropriate wireframe to maintain the flow of the app.
UI is all about the experience. A UX designer is concerned with the entire process of acquiring and integrating a product, including aspects of branding, design, usability, and function. It is a story that begins before the device is in the user’s hands. UX designers don’t just focus on creating products that are usable; we concentrate on other aspects of the user experience, such as pleasure, efficiency, and fun, too. Consequently, there is no single definition of good user experience. Instead, good user experience is one that meets a particular user’s needs in the specific context where he or she uses the product.
Why do you need a UI/UX design?
UI/UX designs if taken in a serious way highlight your application and make it fit for propagation. It has a domino effect, so basically if a user likes your app, they are more likely to recommend it to their acquaintance as well. The goal here is to acutely design it to be able to make it suitable for all kinds of users and provide them with a cognitive satisfaction when they are doing so. This can be solely accomplished by the optimization in the UI+UX designs. Consequently, this will lead to an increase in sales and revenue which is ultimately the destination of any organization.
The designs are most certainly based on concrete and careful observations and predictions about user behaviour. This also assists the company to understand its customers well. To be more precise, the number of consumers is directly related to the success of the UI/UX design.
With the advent of so many apps, you get very little space and time to capture the attention of your consumers. The trick is to target them at that time with a quality, and antiquity that they simply cannot resist. Successful developers like Apple and Google use this as their mantra. However, this becomes more crucial when you’re just setting your foot in the market. It helps you to create a strong stand if you’re a start-up.
Let us discuss some of the key points of its importance:
Enhances customer satisfaction and ROI
Why do we even care to provide satisfaction to our consumers? Because if we fail to do so, there is an entire queue of competitors ready to step in our shoes. The aim of any business is to earn profit and loyalty from your customers and their dedication which arises from the ease that you provide them doesn’t only limit them but to the people who they suggest it to. This, in turn, increases your customer turnover and hence, an increase in the Return On Investment, which most definitely is required for the survival and growth of your business.
Understand your clients better
The UI/UX designs are without a doubt based exclusively according to the preferences and ease of the customers. So when you are studying and predicting the plausible success and use of your product, the process leaves you with a better understanding of your clients and helps you to make it more user-centric. It also helps in understanding the different segments of your audience and what each segment demands. This understanding and knowledge help you provide a more seamless experience that gets the customers to commit to your product and maintain brand loyalty. This definitely indicates an uptrend in your performance chart.
Builds your brand
An efficient UI/UX design achieves customer satisfaction and leaves you with happy clients. People are always on the go now so they are looking for something that fits smoothly into their day. The more focused your app is on its purpose, the more attractive it is to your customers. This increases the credibility of your product and builds a brand name which in itself is a colossal achievement. You’d definitely want your customers to come to you for the services that you provide and not to your competitors, UI/UX designs help you provide that touch of distinctness that makes your product protrude than that of your rivals.
Saves Time and Money
If your design has been developed with the utmost perfection and skill (of course there is always room for new ideas and innovation), then it is quintessential to the success of your company. Also, a good design doesn’t fuel any bugs or unnecessary upgrades. The time and cost involved in fixing these bugs or handling such upgrades are cumbersome and expensive. A good prototype of the product ensures and secures the interest of both the users and the developers. The companies should hence, diverge their focus to this aspect and make sure to make it flawless.
The natural question that arises is, which of the two is more important. The truth is they are two sides of the same coin. You cannot ignore one, to make the other perfect. The success of UI and UX goes hand in hand. The developers should aim at the optimization of both in order to achieve credibility and success.
An aesthetically good looking website that is difficult to navigate, locate content and call-to-action. An easy to navigate website with poor visuals that spoils the brand positioning and user experience. You’d not want either of those scenarios. You need a perfect combination of both UI and UX. It all anyways comes down to how happy are your clients.
Some components of UI/UX
The first key component is the Information Architecture, which essentially provides a structure to your design. It ensures the serenity of your model. It should provide a tranquil experience to the user while navigating through the app or the browser for the website. All kinds of codes and combinations should be used to assist your users with the same.
The next in line is the interaction design, which is more of a UI aspect. It deals with the visuals of your app; the graphics, the animations, the fonts, the colours, the aesthetics, sounds, spaces, touch, etc.
Usability focuses on how convenient the app is to use for the user. Are all the buttons in the reach of the fingers, is all the information relevant to the use are at the customer’s disposal? All of these issues are addressed through usability. It also comprehends the method to handle errors.
Just like any big player company launches a beta version of its software before the official product, to test and improve it, the developers should adopt this practice and launch a sample before the full-fledged version. This is also known as a wireframe.
Last but not least is the visual design which definitely serves as a factor in building your brand name. Visual Design is not only about selecting the best images, colors, icons, fonts, but also identifying the appearance of the application impacts the interaction of its users.
Conclusion
Till now, the things discussed above should have provided you a glimpse into the significance of UI/UX design. In a world dependent on smartphones, it becomes difficult to create something that hasn’t been created before. This is accompanied by the responsibility of providing a phenomenal and coherent experience to your users which keep them coming back to you. This is an innate premise for a successful business model.
|
https://medium.com/@solulab/how-important-is-ui-ux-design-for-the-development-of-mobile-application-b4bc1e681a2e
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[]
|
2020-07-01 11:26:17.440000+00:00
|
['Mobile App Development', 'UI Design', 'UX Design', 'Designing Digitally', 'Ui Ux Design']
|
America’s First Suicide Hotline Was a Single Phone in San Francisco
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America’s First Suicide Hotline Was a Single Phone in San Francisco
Modern-day crisis hotlines like this are modeled after Bernard Mayes’ original program from the 1960s. Photo: Steven Clevenger/Corbis via Getty Images
When someone calls the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, they’re routed to one of over 180 crisis centers across the country, where health professionals and volunteers are standing by, ready to help them through a crisis.
But the first U.S. suicide hotline was a far more modest setup: a single red telephone in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District in 1961. The man behind the phone wasn’t a therapist or counselor. His name was Bernard D. Mayes, a British priest and journalist alarmed by the high suicide rate in San Francisco and compelled to do something about it.
Bernard D. Mayes in 2006. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Decades before Google and other search engines started advertising the national hotline on suicide-related search results, Mayes put cardboard advertisements on the side of city buses: “Thinking of ending it all? Call Bruce, PR1–0450, San Francisco Suicide Prevention.” The name Bruce was an alias, but the message was sincere.
Mayes received a single call on the first night after placing his ads. He took the call from his couch. By the end of that week, he had 10 callers a day. Now, 50 years on, phones on similar hotlines across the U.S. ring hundreds of times a day, many of them modeled on Mayes simple approach.
Mayes passed away in 2014, but his legacy is one that has saved and enriched countless lives. He wasn’t a trained crisis counselor, but he did possess deep empathy for others. Mayes intuitively understood that what distressed people needed was a compassionate ear and someone they felt comfortable talking to. He told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2012, “It occurred to me that we had to have some kind of service which would offer unconditional listening and that I would be this anonymous ear.”
Trained professionals play a critical role in suicide prevention, of course — but Mayes proved that anyone can provide life-changing emotional support by taking the time to listen with a nonjudgmental attitude. You don’t have to be an expert to make a difference.
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Mayes had a big idea and followed his calling even though he wasn’t quite sure how he’d pull it off. He knew his calling was to provide this service for people who were struggling and had nowhere else to turn. But with no staff, no office space, and no funds, the only place he could set up his hotline was his apartment.
Unfortunately, landlords weren’t keen on the idea of a tenant who was up all hours of the night. Mayes was repeatedly turned away by landlords until he met an apartment manager in the Tenderloin district. He explained his mission of wanting to provide a listening ear for those considering suicide. To his surprise, the manager pulled back his long sleeves to reveal his own scarred wrists. The manager offered Mayes the apartment at 965 Geary Street for half price.
Beyond his suicide prevention hotline, Mayes had many other impressive accomplishments. He was a journalist, professor, author, priest, founding chairman of National Public Radio, and gay rights activist. He didn’t pigeonhole himself into a single career or trajectory — he had many identities and passions and fully embraced them all. Mayes’ life was a testament to the fact that your seemingly disparate interests all have something in common: you. Life is an opportunity to try on as many personas as you wish.
In the 50 years since Mayes founded San Francisco Suicide Prevention, suicide rates in San Francisco have declined by 50%. Mayes never took credit for this — since the hotline is anonymous, he would never say for sure whether he’d ever saved a life.
A pedestrian takes a phone call across the street from the Tenderloin’s Dalt Hotel, where a person died by suicide in 1988. Photo: Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
To Mayes, the focus was always that he wanted to help people, and he knew that people calling into a hotline desperately needed help. He said, “We don’t go around asking people if they are suicidal, see. They call us. … It almost worked by magic.”
|
https://thebolditalic.com/life-lessons-from-the-founder-of-the-first-suicide-hotline-50b1993fa1fd
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['Liz Jin']
|
2021-01-14 21:28:40.359000+00:00
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['San Francisco', 'Mental Health', 'Suicide', 'History', 'Suicide Prevention']
|
Uniting as One: Art and Giving Back
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Photo by Josh Sorenson
The Uniting Factor
Whether it be cooking, playing sports, writing, or even watching a movie, we are immersed in art, both creating it and appreciating it. It is the one aspect of life that we all have a very close relationship — art. Art is the common denominator between all types of people, cultures, and ethnicities. The reason why we see art transcend generations, borders, and social constructs are because art goes well beyond the traditional visual art such as paintings and dancing. It is a wide array of multifaceted activities and you can even argue that it is in every essence of life that is meaningful. The relationship with a person and their art is intimate and oddly similar even with completely different kinds of art. It is a key part of everyone’s life and everyone is participating in their own art. Knowing this increases the compassion we have towards others and even lets us appreciate our own art, even when we are hard on ourselves.
Photo by Viktoria Goda
“You want to know how to paint a perfect painting? It’s easy. Make yourself perfect and then just paint naturally.” -Robert Prisig
The quote from above is from one of my favorite books, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Art is not just the final product that is made, it is the entire journey, from the initial inspiration to the vision, to the progress to finally the product. It then becomes not just separate the person, but It is a direct extension of the person, it is the being expressing and coming to fruition from the inside. The key and what makes art beautiful is that it can be shared with others, the extension of yourself can be shared with others and felt by them in a deeper level.
We at OneGivv see the platform as a work of art, an expression of ourselves that can be shared with others for good.
Photo by PublicDomainPictures
The Chronicle brings up that art is not only a uniting factor for people, but also an economic booster, helping the whole community and having a lasting effect on it. Events such as concerts, music festivals, and museums as all displays of art. They attract people from the community and the people that it attracts end up giving to the community by participating and facilitating economic growth.
More people are increasing their awareness of the different art forms and how art is the key to real, sustainable progress. The Conversation highlights that ‘STEM is going to be ‘STEAM’ (the A representing Art) even scientists, engineers, and mathematicians are now realizing that they need art. Having the technology is one thing, but art introduces innovation and ideation that transcends through even the toughest barriers, which is why art is key to sustainable progress.
Arts and Nonprofits
Art is very important to the progression of both society and individual people, and many nonprofits are working to make it more accessible for everybody. For example, nonprofit art galleries provide accessible space for artists to showcase their work. 1708 Gallery right here in Richmond provides space and exposure for new contemporary artists.
It all comes down to first acceptance of self-expression and second, providing a safe space, whether it be physically or mentally, for people that need it the most. It is often difficult for children that are in challenging circumstances to find creative ways of expression because it is not readily available to them. Expression through art is not a skill, but a practice. It is ongoing and the more you practice the art the better you get! That is why it is so important to provide a space for children to practice their expression through art. A nonprofit here in Richmond called art180, is dedicated to providing a space for children to freely express their creativity.
Another local nonprofit, Art for the Journey provides art classes to a wide variety of people, including people in prison and underserved youth, even the VCU Medical School.
This just shows that everyone can find their own place in art. It is only a matter of providing the means to find that place. In a world of differences and contradictions, art remains the factor that makes people think, question, wonder, hope, and most importantly, unite as one.
OneGivv aims to provide a platform that breeds self expression for good. To provide a means for people to truly unite as one to help one another. ❤
|
https://medium.com/onegivv/uniting-as-one-art-and-giving-back-4fdc5bef090e
|
['Shradda Adhikari']
|
2019-08-01 21:40:51.610000+00:00
|
['Unity', 'Giving', 'Painting', 'Art', 'Volunteering']
|
6 High Profit Businesses You can Start with Low Capital
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There are many business opportunities, but many of them require huge startup capital or even running capital. This most times discourages young entrepreneurs who don’t have such capital. I want to reveal these online and offline lucrative businesses you can start with very little capital.
Low Capital Businesses that Yield High Profit
Crypto Trading and Investment
You can make money by trading Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The concept is to look for crypto coins with good potentials and buy them when their prices are still low. Then when their prices go up, you sell them for profit.
Note that there are two main types of crypto trading: Short term and Long term trading. Day trading is an example of short term trading where you buy and sell the coins the same day. But for long term trades, you buy and hold them for a very long term in order to enjoy higher returns.
So if you have little capital, up to $100, and are looking for a good business to invest in, then you can try crypto trading. It is very lucrative, but at the same time, very risky. Here are some helpful strategies for making money in crypto trading.
Apart from crypto trading, there are other ways to earn cryptocurrencies. Some of them are: claiming airdrops, working on freelance sites that pay with crypto coins. There are also sites where you can do micro jobs like viewing ads, completing surveys, etc.
Self-Publishing Books
Here is another lucrative business that require little capital. There are many online platforms where you can self-publish a book without spending money. This is possible if you have the required skills like: writing the book manuscript, editing and proofreading it, designing the book cover. You can also utilize social media like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn to promote your books for free.
The most popular self-publishing platform is Amazon KDP, where you can publish both the kindle eBook and paperback versions of your book and make money. Here is a guide on how to self-publish best-selling book on Amazon KDP.
Blogging and Affiliate Marketing
There are many ways to monetize your blog. You can utilize ad networks like Google Adsense, Media.net, Adsterra, etc. One of the most popular blogging platforms is Wordpress. You only need to register a custom domain name and buy a hosting plan. Most of the plugins you need are free. So with less than $50, you can create a blog and start making money. But you need to build your domain authority by writing quality blog posts and optimize your blog posts so that they rank high on search engines.
Another alternative way to monetize your blog is through affiliate marketing. Here, you sign up to become a marketing partner for a merchant or an affiliate network. Once you sign up, you will be given an affiliate link. You can write a review article on your blog and insert your affiliate link. When a customer makes a purchase on the merchant’s site through your link, you will be paid a commission.
Note that you can also earn money from affiliate marketing without having a blog or website. You can use social media to promote your affiliate link and drive traffic to the merchant’s website. Check out this kindle book on how to make money from blogging and affiliate marketing for a step by step guide.
YouTube Video Blogging
Another popular type of blogging is video blogging. Here you create quality videos and upload them on video social media like YouTube. Once the videos on your YouTube channel meet the minimum requirements for YouTube Adsense, you can apply and get approved. Then Google ads will be displayed in your videos and you start making money.
These days, there are lots of competition in YouTube video blogging. One of the ways to survive this competition is to optimize your YouTube videos so that they rank high on search engines.
Dropshipping
This is a special type of digital marketing where you sell products to customers without having a physical store.
All you need to do is to setup an online store where you will market your products. Next, you research and find products that have high demand or each cheap. Then you enter into contract with a supplier who will supply the goods to you on whole price and take care of the shipping. Your work is to market the products in your online store. When a customer places an order, you forward it to the dropshipper and pay for the order. Then the supplier ships the product to the customer on your behalf. But you and your dropshipper will agree on how to foot the shipping fee.
Dropshipping has been in existence for decades. In fact many online stores operate on dropshipping basis. Some of the platforms where you can find wholesalers who dropship are Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, Etsy, etc. Here is a step by step guide on dropshipping.
Peanut Burger Making
One of the most lucrative businesses that you can start very little capital is peanut burger making. You can start peanut making business on small scale and then expand with time. With less than $50, you can start the business.
It is always advisable to write your business plan from the onset, so that you will be properly guided and monitor your progress. You also need to do proper business analysis and market survey before you go into the business.
Starting the business on small scale, you will use improvise for most of the costly equipment needed in the business like coating machine, frying machine, sealing machine, etc. You can check out the guide on how to start coated peanut making on small scale.
Conclusion
These are some of the online and offline lucrative businesses that will fetch you much money. Choose the ones that suit you, also which your little capital can cover. There are other cool businesses that require little capital.
Check Out:
Don’t forget to follow our publication so that you will be notified when we drop new business article. Also share this article with your social media friends. Enjoy!
|
https://medium.com/lucrative-business-ideas/high-profit-businesses-4b1fe45cbe0e
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['Buzzer Joseph']
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2020-12-23 12:55:14.837000+00:00
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['Online Business', 'Business Ideas', 'Entrepreneurship Ideas', 'Make Money Online', 'Business']
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Challenge: Admin has the power. CyberTalents CTF - Write up
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This is my first write up on Medium. This story is about the CTF on cybertalents.com. Challenge name is “Admin has the power”.
So lets begin with the challenge:
The CTF page looks like this when you visit the link:-
So as the challenge says we have to be admin in order to get the flag. As of now we do not have any login credentials whether it be of admin or a normal user. So just try some SQL injection or random login credentials.
Random Login Failed Attempt
So now inspect the source code of the page:
Page Source Code
As you can see we have a lead now. Hurray, we have the login credentials of support which are left mistakenly for the repair of the web page.
Now use these credentials to log in and get access to the support account.
Support Successful Login Page
Yeah. We are in. We have support privilege. But in order to get the flag we want admin privilege.
Let’s move on and inspect page. On inspecting the code again nothing suspicious found.
Let’s inspect the session storage or cookies, that might give us some hint.
Cookie inspection
Here you can see that we have a cookie and a role set to support. Let’s mess with the role, as our aim is to get admin privilege.
Change this role to : admin
Role Changed to admin
Now as the role is changed to admin. Refresh the page.
As you can see in the image We got the FLAG.
Now submit the flag and you are good to go for the next challenge.
Follow me on Medium and
Follow my page on instagram: @hackersdad_
|
https://medium.com/@hackersdad/challenge-admin-has-the-power-cybertalents-ctf-write-up-d8967cb1cd82
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['Avinash Pratap Singh']
|
2020-12-23 08:45:57.707000+00:00
|
['Ctf', 'Cybersecurity', 'Pentesting', 'Hacking', 'Ctf Writeup']
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Wayfair 101: A Good Way to Start Dropshipping and Furniture Sales
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Wayfair 101: A Good Way to Start Dropshipping and Furniture Sales
Photo by Phillip Goldsberry on Unsplash
But who and what is Wayfair?
It is an e-commerce retailer which focuses exclusively on home goods such as furniture, home appliances, décor and pet accessories.
They operate in the USA, Canada, Irelands and the UK.
The online seller was founded by Niraj Shah and Steve Conine who started operations in America in 2002 and has become a leading marketplace for home goods.
Wayfair is one of the largest online-only home goods retailers in the world, it has over 12,100 employees and 15 million active customers.
Its base is in Boston, Massachusetts and after huge success in the domestic market it expanded internationally in 2007. It is ranked as one of the fastest growing e-commerce retailers.
In 2020 the retailer, like many other online sellers, increased its sales with many more people turning to online purchases during the pandemic.
The trend for buying home items online was already on the increase with 19% of buyers going to the internet to purchase furniture and home goods but it has really seen a boom this year.
Wayfair sells over 14 million products, many of these through its “house brands” which are not actually Wayfair brands, it does not manufacture any products that are sold, but are a collection of merchandise that fit into a certain aesthetics characteristics that fit the Wayfair image.
The way in which items are sold on Wayfair is through a dropshipping model, when someone buys a product on the website!
As a seller through Wayfair the process of selling means that Wayfair will let you know that there has been a purchase and you are required to fulfil the order making use of their courier accounts and the buyer then receives the item with the Wayfair packing slip.
Wayfair will negotiate a price with the seller and will charge a small commission for their services — it can be seen as a wholesaler when negotiating with sellers.
So, if you sell any of the following home items then you should consider Wayfair as one of your potential sales platforms.
|
https://medium.com/@kemalsidar/wayfair-101-a-good-way-to-start-dropshipping-and-furniture-sales-9dbcae0a4ef4
|
['Kemal Sidar']
|
2020-12-16 11:24:42.505000+00:00
|
['Amazon', 'Retail', 'Wayfair', 'Sales', 'Ecommerce']
|
Rapha’s (free) repair service
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I was a bit dazed when I came off my bike and rolled down the road. Having got past the initial joy of “all my limbs still work, ish”, through the thankfullness of seeing the big dent in the front of my helmet, and into “ow, my face actually hurts quite a bit”, I realised this had been an expensive mistake.
The bike came out of things pretty well, and just needed the mech hanger bending out, a new GRX shifter and some bar tape. The hardest part of getting that back on the road was sourcing the shifter, with both Shimano and SRAM components being in short supply this year. My clothing was another story…
Suprisingly enough, most road cycling clothing isn’t built to be bounced along the tarmac, and I managed to damage everything I was wearing except my shoes (thankfully my ready-to-be-replaced overshoes took the brunt of that damage). I’d picked a terrible time to do this, as a few things were really new. My 3-week-old Castelli bib tights had a big hole in them, and my month-old POC helmet had a big dent too. For some context on how pleased I was with Rapha, I’ve been comparing them with these two brands:
POC ignored tweets and a couple of emails. They mention a crash replacement programme in North America, but not Europe, but I never got an answer about whether they do or not. The helmet was amazing, but the service less so.
Castelli’s UK replacement policy is oddly complex, with extra discount if you’ve bought directly from Saddleback. This one was the most frustrating — the almost-new bib tights needed a replacement panel, and it felt very wasteful having them destroyed for 40% discount on a full-RRP set. In the end I picked up a brand new set from Sigma Sports with a reasonable discount (though not 40%), and am waiting for Alpkit’s repair stations to open up as lockdown lifts. Hopefully I’ll end up with a slightly scrappy pair for mountain biking 🤷♂️.
The thinnest, lightest thing I was wearing was my Rapha Brevet high-visibility jacket, which came off peppered with holes and a couple of tears. I love this jacket. It’s reflective stripes are perfect for winter riding when you end up in the dark more often, and it still packed down small and breathes really well. Maybe a little too well after the fall…
Here’s a few “before” photos
The right arm of the Rapha Brevet jacket had a couple of holes.
Somehow I tore the shoulder along the seam too.
The back panel was grazed, with many tiny holes and a few you could almost poke a finger through.
Of all the damaged clothing, this was the one I assumed was destined for the bin. It’s a couple of years old, and a very fine material.
I knew Rapha had a free repairs service, but couldn’t find anything on the internet other than a forum post that said they’d got a free replacement and it had taken 5 weeks. With nothing to lose, I took the photos above, sent them to Rapha and had it in the post the next day.
Three and a half weeks later a package turned up, and in a nice little “first aid” tote bag was my repaired jacket. Here are a few photos of their handiwork:
The torn shoulder seam was repaired with a small patch. Maybe epaulettes will make a comeback in cycling?
The grazed back panel has been covered with another layer of fabric. This covers part of the lower reflective band, but is really robust.
The arm was sown back together. This made the fit a bit closer, but is really neat.
I’m more than satisfied with the repair. Sure, it’s no longer as-new, and the back panel adds a little more bulk to the jacket, but when there’s all the other expenses of replacing clothing and components I couldn’t be happier that I’ve not had to shell out (excuse the pun) on a new jacket.
Five stars, but I hope I don’t need to use the service again anytime soon!
|
https://medium.com/@spikeheap/raphas-free-repair-service-8a874939e590
|
['Ryan Brooks']
|
2021-04-09 11:24:26.328000+00:00
|
['Repair', 'Cycling']
|
Newbies Guide to Python-igraph
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Newbies Guide to Python-igraph
Handling graph/network data has become much easier at present with the availability of different modules. For python, two of such modules are networkx and igraph. I have been playing around with the python-igraph module for some time and I have found it very useful in my research. I have used python-graph in my latest published tool GraphBin. In this article, I will introduce you to some basic functions of python-igraph which can make implementation much easier with just a single call.
You can read my previous article Visualising Graph Data with Python-igraph where I have introduced the python-igraph module.
In this article, we will go through the functions that perform the following tasks.
Creating a graph Visualising the graph Obtaining information on the vertices and edges of the graph Obtaining adjacent vertices to a vertex Breadth-first search (BFS) from a vertex Determining shortest paths from a vertex Obtain the Laplacian matrix of a graph Determine the maximum flow between the source and target vertices
1. Creating a graph
Fig 1. Example graph
Let us start by plotting an example graph as shown in Figure 1.
This is a directed graph that contains 5 vertices. We can create this graph as follows.
# Create a directed graph
g = Graph(directed=True) # Add 5 vertices
g.add_vertices(5)
The vertices will be labelled from 0 to 4 and the 7 weighted edges (0,2), (0,1), (0,3), (1,2), (1,3), (2,4) and (3,4).
# Add ids and labels to vertices
for i in range(len(g.vs)):
g.vs[i]["id"]= i
g.vs[i]["label"]= str(i) # Add edges
g.add_edges([(0,2),(0,1),(0,3),(1,2),(1,3),(2,4),(3,4)]) # Add weights and edge labels
weights = [8,6,3,5,6,4,9]
g.es['weight'] = weights
g.es['label'] = weights
2. Visualising the graph
Now that we have created our graph, let’s visualise it using the plot function of igraph.
visual_style = {} out_name = "graph.png" # Set bbox and margin
visual_style["bbox"] = (400,400)
visual_style["margin"] = 27 # Set vertex colours
visual_style["vertex_color"] = 'white' # Set vertex size
visual_style["vertex_size"] = 45 # Set vertex lable size
visual_style["vertex_label_size"] = 22 # Don't curve the edges
visual_style["edge_curved"] = False # Set the layout
my_layout = g.layout_lgl()
visual_style["layout"] = my_layout # Plot the graph
plot(g, out_name, **visual_style)
Fig 2. Coloured graph
Running this code will result in a graph as shown in Figure 1. You can colour the vertices if you want as shown in Figure 2, by adding g.vs[“color”] = ["red", "green", "blue", "yellow", "orange"] instead of the line visual_style[“vertex_color”] = ‘white’ . You can read more on visualising graphs and analysing them from my previous article Visualising Graph Data with Python-igraph.
3. Obtaining information on the vertices and edges of a graph
You can obtain some basic information about the graph such as the number of vertices, the number of edges, whether the graph is directed or not, the maximum degree and the adjacency matrix of the graph by calling the functions vcount() , ecount() , is_directed() , maxdegree() and get_adjacency() .
print("Number of vertices in the graph:", g.vcount())
print("Number of edges in the graph", g.ecount())
print("Is the graph directed:", g.is_directed())
print("Maximum degree in the graph:", g.maxdegree())
print("Adjacency matrix:
", g.get_adjacency())
The output will be as follows.
Number of vertices in the graph: 5
Number of edges in the graph 7
Is the graph directed: True
Maximum degree in the graph: 3
Adjacency matrix:
[[0, 1, 1, 1, 0]
[0, 0, 1, 1, 0]
[0, 0, 0, 0, 1]
[0, 0, 0, 0, 1]
[0, 0, 0, 0, 0]]
4. Obtaining adjacent vertices to a vertex
You can obtain the adjacent vertices of a given vertex using the function neighbors(vid, mode=ALL) . If we consider vertex 0, the adjacent vertices or neighbours will be vertices 1, 2 and 3.
print(g.neighbors(0, mode=ALL))
5. Breadth-first search (BFS) from a vertex
To perform a breadth-first search starting from a vertex, you can use the function bfs(vid, mode=OUT) .
print(g.bfs(0)[0])
The vertex IDs returned will be [0, 1, 2, 3, 4] .
6. Determining shortest paths from a vertex
You can obtain the shortest paths from a given vertex using the function get_shortest_paths(vid) . You want to specify the destination vertex as get_shortest_paths(vid, to=destination) .
print(g.get_shortest_paths(0))
The above line will result in all the shortest paths to all the vertices starting from vertex 0 which will be [[0], [0, 1], [0, 2], [0, 3], [0, 2, 4]] .
print(g.get_shortest_paths(0, to=4))
The above line will return the shortest paths from vertex 0 to vertex 4 which is [[0, 2, 4]] .
7. Obtain the Laplacian matrix of a graph
You can obtain the Laplacian matrix of the graph using the laplacian() function.
print("Laplacian matrix of a graph:
",g.laplacian())
The output will be as follows.
Laplacian matrix of a graph:
[[3, -1, -1, -1, 0], [0, 2, -1, -1, 0], [0, 0, 1, 0, -1], [0, 0, 0, 1, -1], [0, 0, 0, 0, 0]]
8. Determine the maximum flow and the minimal cut between the source and target vertices
Let us assume that the source vertex as vertex 0 and the target vertex as vertex 4 in our example. We can determine the maximum flow and the minimal cut (according to the max-flow min-cut theorem) between the source and target using the function maxflow(source, target, weights) .
maxflow = g.maxflow(0,4,weights) print(maxflow.value)
print(maxflow.flow)
print(maxflow.cut)
print(maxflow.partition)
Fig 3. Maxflow in the graph with the minimal cut corresponding to
the flow
The above line will output a Graph flow object with the maximum value of the flow as 13 , the flow values [4.0, 6.0, 3.0, 0.0, 6.0, 4.0, 9.0] for each vertex, the minimal cut on the edge ids [5, 6] and the partition between vertices as [[0, 1, 2, 3], [4]] .
Figure 3 denotes the values related to the maximal flow and minimal cut with the cut marked in purple colour. The values in purple on the edges are the flow values. We can see that two partitions are formed by the cut with vertices 0, 1, 2 and 3 in one partition and vertex 4 in the other partition.
You can read more about graph algorithms from my article 10 Graph Algorithms Visually Explained.
Final Thoughts
If you come across a function that you do not know how to use, you can simply print its docstring which will have a description of the function’s inputs, outputs and what it does. For example,
print(g.bfs.__doc__)
print(g.laplacian.__doc__)
print(g.maxflow.__doc__)
Personally, I find the python-igraph to be a very useful module in my work. You can easily represent graphs and perform different analysis tasks using the provided functions.
I have attached the jupyter notebook containing all the examples and code I have used in this article. Feel free to play around with it and hope you can make use of igraph in your work as well.
Thank you for reading!
Cheers!
References
[1] Python-igraph manual at https://igraph.org/python/doc/igraph-module.html
[2] The example graph was adapted from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6FkNw16VJA
|
https://towardsdatascience.com/newbies-guide-to-python-igraph-4e51689c35b4
|
['Vijini Mallawaarachchi']
|
2020-08-27 07:44:05.834000+00:00
|
['Computer Science', 'Programming', 'Python', 'Data Science', 'Graph']
|
Environment and Fashion
|
Environment and Fashion
The term ‘fast fashion’ is used to describe a highly-profitable business based on copying the latest catwalk styles and high-fashion designs. These clothing items get wired quickly through outlets to maximize current trends. The industry has been buzzing with conversations surrounding high-quality fashion, sustainability, and environmental impact.
The fast fashion business model is a streamlined system involving cheaply produced and priced clothes with rapid design, production, distribution, and marketing processes. This enables vendors to pull smaller quantities of greater product variety, providing consumers with more fashion and product variation at reasonable prices.
Manufacturers often use women and children in impoverished nations to mass produce items for a fraction of the price. While this truth is terrible there is also the argument that they are better that other labor intensive jobs offered in these nations (read this article to learn more). What this shows us as consumers is that deeper systemic change needs to happen across the social and economic sectors for these countries.
The Impact of Fast Fashion on Environment
Fashion — a US$ 2.5 trillion industry — is one of the most polluting industries in the world and is responsible for at least 10% of global greenhouse emissions. Textile production is estimated to release about 1.2 billion tons of carbon emissions every year. Furthermore, vast amounts of water are required during the production process, and the apparel industry is responsible for 20% of wastewater worldwide.
Textile production has doubled since 2010. Due to its increasing popularity worldwide, the growing market for cheap garments and new designs is taking a toll on the environment. According to a study, people on average purchased 60% more items in 2014, compared to what they did in 2000.
The environmental challenges of fashion stem from the manufacturing process and overproduction — both of which plague all levels of the apparel industry. A rise in clothing consumption has led to a dramatic increase in textile waste, as around 85% of textile produced is thrown away or burnt every year. In the US, an average person throws out 37kg of clothes every year, while only 13.6% of clothes and shoes end up getting recycled.
The volume of clothing Americans discard has more than doubled in the last 20 years, from 7 million to 20 million tons. The reason for such a tremendous increase? Fast Fashion. Currently, only 12% of the material used for garments gets recycled. To meet the growing demands of consumers, fashion retailers produce cheap and non-durable items. This results in them churning out new apparel multiple times per month.
The Solution
The fact that people fail to consider is the disastrous impact our clothes have on the environment. Clothes require vast amounts of water, chemicals, energy, and other natural resources. A study by the World Resources Institutes states that it takes 2,700 liters of water to produce one cotton shirt. When these clothes end up in landfills or incinerators, not only do they waste money and resources, but also take several years to decompose. Furthermore, during the decomposition process, toxic gases such as methane and other chemicals are generated.
However, there are certain measures and alternatives to mitigate these issues. The initial step lies in building awareness and willingness to change fashion preferences. While most brands are looking forward to reducing textile waste, individuals and businesses can turn to the following approaches.
Thrift Shop
With fast fashion trends changing every month, new clothing items are being produced frequently. You can start thrift shopping to reduce your clothing footprint. It’s one of the best ways to stay fashionable yet find high-quality, unique garments at a fraction of the cost of purchasing new.
Before purchasing clothes from online or physical thrift shops, make a list of the items you are looking for to help you get organized. It’s not always possible to try everything before you purchase. In such cases, look for staple and layering pieces during shopping thrift. Besides, when you buy something, try visualizing yourself in it. If it can be worn multiple times and with different outfits, it’s worth buying. If you are looking for an online option try Depop or Poshmark.
Buy Sustainable
Buy from eco-friendly retailers who are promoting the production of clothes with more eco-friendly techniques. For example, clothing brands such as Levi’s, Eileen Fisher, and Amour Vert are trying to be more sustainable and use recycled items.
Besides, support small businesses that focus on creating a sustainability chain by producing less from the beginning. These retailers use strategies like producing made-to-order to avoid producing more than what is sold to keep more clothes out of landfills. Their clothing is of the highest quality, durable, and long-lasting. Some places will even fix your clothes so that they last a long time in your wardrobe.
Buy Less
Don’t purchase clothes unless you need it. The majority of people buy more clothing and footwear than required. You can try and extend the life of the clothing that you already have. You can do so by following the instructions on the label and washing them fewer times. This step not only helps reduce your carbon footprint, but it also makes them last longer.
You can also fix minor damages by getting a sewing kit and using it, for example, to put new buttons or mend holes. By fixing clothes when they’re damaged, you can reduce the amount of clothing sent to waste. Besides, to create new styles, you can mix and match your clothes.
Rent Your Clothes
For special occasions that require a special outfit, such as a wedding ceremony or important business meeting, retailers such as Rent the Runway allow you to rent a new outfit while saving the resources required to manufacture new clothing pieces. Moreover, it allows people to stay up-to-date with the latest fashion trends without having to spend thousands and eventually sending them to the landfill.
The Bottom Line
While recycling, swapping, and renting will be a crucial part of the solution, consumers will need to modify their preferences to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry.
We need to slow down, turn to sustainable means, and take a little time to reconnect and appreciate our old clothes again. Keep in mind that the clothes we wear took both physical and natural resources to make them.
|
https://medium.com/@cloebelle/environment-and-fashion-8036216acade
|
['Cloe Belle']
|
2020-12-02 02:58:51.658000+00:00
|
['Fashionblogger', 'Sustainability', 'Fashion Trends', 'Fashion', 'Environmental Issues']
|
Using Popily to Find and Present the Story
|
In the newsroom, getting the go-ahead to pursue a story can be entirely up to how well a reporter can sum up a lot of information to a rushed editor. That challenge is enormous for data journalists, who might have to begin a pitch by explaining why a standard deviation figure is significant or summarizing an interesting trend in a thousand-row data set.
That’s why Popily was made to be fast and shareable. The process is quick and the results are interactive. We want data journalists to see how it fits in their lives.
The graphics above were made in a matter of minutes, and I’ve already found questions to explore. They’re the results of 271 lead tests on tap water from Flint, Mich., published by the Flint Water Study in December. Seeing raw data displayed like this is a great step in the data exploration and story research process, and after some data fact-checking (is there really a Ward 0?) Popily can create polished interactive visualizations for the readers to explore.
Here were the steps to get from file download to graphs
Step 1: Find the Data (Cleaning Optional)
The raw data XSLX from the Flint Water Study.
The XLSX available from the Flint Water Study website has a few quirks that some visualization platforms dislike: the header row has some buttons and there are summary and source rows at the bottom. Popily is smart enough to ignore all that. All it needs is the file.
Step 2: The Six-Click Upload
|
https://medium.com/popily-weekly/using-popily-to-find-and-present-the-story-5429bc7cbce
|
['Erin Richey']
|
2016-02-09 16:11:53.252000+00:00
|
['Journalism', 'Data', 'Data Visualization']
|
Polynomial Regression in Python
|
Polynomial Regression is used when we have Non-Linear Model,👇
Implementation of Polynomial Regression
import numpy as nm
import pandas as pd
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt Data_set = pd.read_csv(‘./DATA.csv’,engine=’python’)
X = Data_set.iloc[:50,0:1].values
X
y = Data_set.iloc[:50,-1].values
y
plt.scatter(X,y,color=’red’)
plt.plot(X,y,color=’green’)
Splitting the Data — Train and Test
from sklearn.model_selection import train_test_split
X_train,X_test,y_train,y_test = train_test_split(X,y,test_size=0.2)
Linear Regression
from sklearn.linear_model import LinearRegression
reg = LinearRegression()
reg.fit(X_train,y_train)
y_predict = reg.predict(X_test)
print(y_test,y_predict)
plt.scatter(X,y,color=’red’)
plt.plot(X_train,reg.predict(X_train),color=’green’)
plt.xlabel(‘Time in Sec’)
plt.ylabel(‘Lateral Accelerarion in m’)
from sklearn import metrics
print(“Error : “,nm.sqrt(metrics.mean_squared_error(y_test,y_predict)))
Error : 6.180035887244287e-05
print(“Intercept : “,reg.intercept_)
Intercept : 2.8366343821695255e-05
print(“Coefficent : “,reg.coef_)
Coefficent : [5.04621376e-05]
reg.predict([[1.997]])
array([0.00012914])
Polynomial Regression
from sklearn.preprocessing import PolynomialFeatures
x_poly = PolynomialFeatures(degree=3)
X_p = x_poly.fit_transform(X_train)
reg_poly = LinearRegression()
reg_poly.fit(X_p,y_train)
plt.scatter(X,y,color=’red’)
plt.plot(X,reg_poly.predict(x_poly.fit_transform(X)),color=’green’)
plt.xlabel(‘Time in Sec’)
plt.ylabel(‘Lateral Accelerarion in m’)
reg_poly.predict(x_poly.fit_transform([[1.997]]))
|
https://medium.com/@dj-sri-vigneshwar/polynomial-regression-in-python-c082c698d081
|
['Sri Vigneshwar Dj']
|
2020-11-23 22:08:14.124000+00:00
|
['Polynomial Regression', 'Regression', 'Machine Learning']
|
Shocking Reason Behind Liam Breaking off Engagement With Maya Henry
|
Liam recently appeared in a podcast, The Diary of CEO, where he tells a lot of things about his life and what he has gone through all these years. When the host Steven Bartlett asks him about his relationship status, he answers that he is single. Payne says that he is disappointed in himself and that he is not very good at relationships.
He also says the breakup happened during the lockdown. He further explains that he needs to work on himself before putting himself on someone else and that the pattern of his relationship is not good at all.
Liam says that he didn’t give the better version of himself to his partner in the relationship, and he did feel bad, but it happened anyway. When Bartlett asks Him about what he has been doing to work out the things in the relationships, he says that people have been pushing him to go to therapy, but he is one who refuses. He also goes on to say how people have been controlling his life and he doesn’t have his own one.
Although Maya Henry’s………
Read More on: https://jovialhub.com/liam-and-maya-break-up-engagement/
|
https://medium.com/@jovialhub/shocking-reason-behind-liam-breaking-off-engagement-with-maya-henry-b2a71624853f
|
['Sairatna Gubhaju']
|
2021-06-08 15:56:31.625000+00:00
|
['Liam Payne', 'Engagement', 'Breakups']
|
Learning a XOR Function with Feedforward Neural Networks
|
What is the “Exlusive Or” function?
While a regular “or” has a truth table like this:
An “exclusive or” has a truth table like this:
If we translate this to a matrix we get the input:
…and the output:
Before we specify exactly which model, cost function, optimization procedure and data, let’s review some basics, nearly all deep learning algorithms consist of a few parts:
Dataset
Cost function
Optimization procedure
A model
Overview
We have the real XOR function, represented by:
Our task is to learn this function’s behavior, we pretend to not know how it works. Now let’s represent our version of the XOR function, and it looks like this:
for our function, the theta represents all the parameters that we adapt to make f as similar as possible to f*. This is our main task, in order to accomplish this task we will jump to a few mini lessons and sub-tasks. Let’s find out what the inputs or the x’s are…
Inputs
There can only be 4 inputs, the truth value of statement A & B inside one vector, in set notation it looks like:
We call our set of inputs fancy capital X. We can’t get a statistic generalization on such a small input space, all we can do is to fit the the dataset.
Cost Function
We use a MSE for the cost function because it has a simpler math. But you can use more different types of functions.
For our dataset we get:
Remember that our number of examples m = 4 and that we are trying to minimize the distance between the actual outputs and the predicted outputs. Next we choose our model, specifically what function the f will be.
Model
Let’s say we choose a linear model, again this part is interchangeable with many other functions but we start with a simple one:
… every input gets multiplied by a weight and adjusted by a bias term, this means that our parameters are:
We need to find what w is first. We will do that by using the Normal Equations. Normal equations are an analytical way to solve for the parameters. It’s the better option when you have a smaller data set to work with. Let’s see what Normal Equations are and what w and b are too.
|
https://medium.com/swlh/learning-a-xor-function-with-feedforward-neural-networks-74ba3841f1c0
|
['Jake Batsuuri']
|
2020-02-24 20:25:20.501000+00:00
|
['Statistics', 'Machine Learning', 'Mathematics', 'Data Science', 'Deep Learning']
|
Energy Storage Systems
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Growth of the Market:
The market for energy storage is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 24.38% during the forecast period of 2020–2025. In an attempt to make the power industry more effective, a new trend in electric power production has witnessed intense development during the recent past, which is energy storage.
Factors such as growing renewable energy sector, supportive government policies and schemes for energy storage systems (ESS), and improving energy storage economics are expected to be the major drivers for the energy storage market in the coming years. However, ambiguity in the EU legislation related to energy storage systems is forcing the network operators to refrain from using the ESS, which, in turn, is restraining the market growth in such major regions.
Which sector and region dominate the market?
Increasing Demand from Residential Sector dominate the market.
The residential sector is expected to dominate the energy storage market over the forecast period. The residential usage of energy storage systems is gaining importance on account of growing need to offset the power blackouts, which result from growth in power demand from the existing power infrastructure.
Residential energy storage system (RESS) business models are still at the early development stages in most markets. However, residential customers are expected to become actively involved in modifying their energy spending patterns by monitoring their actual consumption in real time.
Asia-Pacific to Dominate the Market.
Asia-Pacific is expected to continue its dominance in the energy storage market over the forecast period. The region consists of two main types of power grids each with different characteristics and opportunities for energy storage systems. On one side are highly developed nations, such as Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia, and other major cities with advanced grids that operate reliably and utilize advanced technologies.
Several other countries, such as Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Bangladesh, have introduced the net metering program, or have made certain amendments in the program to encourage solar PV in the residential sector, thereby, creating ample opportunity for the residential energy storage market.
India is one of the most promising countries for growth in the housing sector. During 2008–2020, the market size for the housing sector is expected to register a double-digit growth rate and account for around 10% of the country’s total GDP. The growing housing sector in the country is expected to drive the demand for residential energy storage systems for uninterrupted and reliable power supply.
Click here to view and/or download the sample report.
|
https://medium.com/@rakeshkulkarni87/energy-storage-systems-8a6e6de832ca
|
[]
|
2020-12-22 10:47:47.966000+00:00
|
['Energy Storage', 'Renewable Energy', 'Batteries', 'Storage Sector']
|
The team we are bringing together
|
The team we are bringing together
Good afternoon.
Over these past few days and weeks, we have announced members of our administration, who will help us meet the unprecedented challenges facing the American people.
We have brought together a health care team that will help contain this pandemic once and for all, an economic team that will help build an economy that works for working people, and all those looking to work, and a national security and foreign policy team that will help keep our nation safe, and restore and advance our leadership around the world.
Today, we are announcing leaders who will help deliver immediate relief to every corner of our great country, from rural communities to big cities and every place in between, leaders who will help care for our veterans and their families, and advance opportunity for all Americans at this consequential moment for our country.
At a time when one in eight households say they didn’t have enough money for food in the past week, we need leaders who understand that no one should go hungry in the United States of America.
At a time when one in six renters are behind on rent, we need leaders who will not only help provide relief to all who need it, but help address the affordable housing crisis in America.
I was in high school by the time my mother saved up enough to put a down payment on a home.
So, I understand the dignity of homeownership, and the importance of making the American dream a reality for everyone.
At a time when veterans, including those I’ve represented in California, have been strained by almost two decades of war and economic hardship, we need leaders who will treat all who’ve worn our nation’s uniform, and their families, with the dignity and respect they have earned.
Leaders who will be focused on doing what’s in the best interests of the American people, who will negotiate trade deals that are good for workers and good for our economy, who will address the defining challenges of our time — from combatting our climate crisis to advancing racial justice.
That is what these remarkable Americans will do. I know them well. And some are dear friends.
These leaders have different backgrounds and lived experiences. They bring to their roles different skills, perspectives, and areas of expertise.
And they all reflect the very best of our nation.
They are all dedicated and compassionate public servants, and all of them are ready to hit the ground running on day one.
So, congratulations Mr. President-elect on these outstanding choices.
I look forward to working with you — and the team we are bringing together — to meet the urgent challenges facing our nation, and rebuild our country in a way that lifts up all Americans.
|
https://medium.com/@kamalaharris/the-team-we-are-bringing-together-ec5bd778b1a5
|
['Kamala Harris']
|
2020-12-12 01:51:24.636000+00:00
|
['Kamala Harris', 'President', 'Policy']
|
It’s Time to Open More DAS Accounts!
|
02 Open accounts gradually
Now it’s time to further open more accounts for registration. The rules are as follows.
Notes.
1. A gradual opening strategy makes the start-up process more equitable. DAS is non-exclusive and competitive as defined in economics, and is a typical public resource. As a public resource, DAS should avoid being hoarded by a few people when it has insufficient social impact. Therefore, DAS account registration adopts a gradual opening strategy.
2. Hourly release is likewise used to ensure fairness in start-up. Considering the different time zones of global users, DAS will release a batch of accounts every hour on the hour of every Sunday.
3. The opening time is based on the time on the chain.
4. For accounts with the 4~9 digits that are not open, you can check the exact opening time on the page at that time to prepare for your preferred account in advance.
35% of the accounts with 4–9 characters will be randomly open for registration. The rule is as below:
The blake2b algorithm hash the account name (including the .bit suffix) and take the first 4 bytes of the hash result as a big-endian u32 integer, when the integer is less than or equal to 1503238553, it can be registered.
For example, if an account name is hashed by the blake2b algorithm and the resulting binary data is `[89, 153, 153, 154, …]` in the form of a byte array, then the first 4 bytes of the account name will be registered. ] `, then its first 4 bytes as u32 integers is 1503238554, because 1503238554 > 1503238553, so this account can not be registered; another example is an account name after blake2b algorithm hash to get the binary data is `[89, 153, 153, 153, … ]`, then its first 4 bytes as u32 integer is 1503238553, because 1503238553 ≤ 1503238553, so this account can be registered.
The pseudo code is as follows. let buf = blake2b(
digest: 32,
personal: ‘2021–07–22 12:00’,
account: ‘das00.bit’
) if buf[0..4].toBeUint32() <= 1503238553 {
return true
} else {
return false
}
blake2b Parameters to be used:
— output digest size: 32
— personalization: 2021–07–22 12:00
4 ~ 9 Length of Accounts Weekly Release Rules
Starting from Sept. 26th, a batch of DAS accounts will be opened for registration on every Sunday.
And every hour on the hour on Sunday, there will be a batch of DAS accounts will be opened for registration. (i.e. every Sunday at 00:00, 01:00, 02:00, … and 23:00(+UTC), there will be a batch of DAS accounts open)
The algorithm will be published on DAS Github in the near future, please follow DAS Github if you are interested.
|
https://medium.com/@dasystems/its-time-to-open-more-das-accounts-3b6c66ac3b02
|
[]
|
2021-09-14 03:42:10.502000+00:00
|
['Wallet', 'Nft', 'Domains', 'Decentralized', 'Blockchain']
|
Reducing Commercial Aviation Fatalities | Kaggle Competition
|
From Google Image
I was working on Kaggle competition which is organized by Booz Allen Hamilton company on Kaggle. From the title, we can understand competition is about aviation fatalities we have to predict fatalities based on given data in competition. So let’s discuss data provided for competition and how I solve this.
Table Content
Overview About Kaggle Problem All about Data Problem Type EDA -Exploratory Data Analysis Feature Engineering Model Training Conclusion Improvement
1. Overview
Any medium of travel one of import thing is safety which may occur due to mechanical or human error. There are many reasons why a plane might crash, including bad weather, imprecise navigation and pilot error. In fact, pilot error is the single biggest factor leading to a CFIT(Controlled flight into terrain) incidents (according to aircraft manufacturer Boeing). Pilots who may be distracted, sleepy or in other dangerous cognitive states.
2. About Kaggle Problem
In this dataset, we have given 18 pilot’s physiological data with their cognitive state and events. Our goal is to build a model which can detect their events, So pilots could then be alerted when they enter a troubling state, preventing accidents and saving lives. The data acquired from actual pilots in test situations and our models should be able to run calculations in real-time to monitor the cognitive states of pilots.
3. All about Data
Data is collected in Line Oriented Flight Training consists of a full flight (take off, flight, and landing) in a flight simulator (non-flight environment, outside of a flight simulator).
The pilots experienced below distractions
1. Channelized Attention (CA): the state of being focused on one task.
2. Diverted Attention (DA): the state of having one’s attention diverted by actions.
3. Startle/Surprise (SS): the state of surprising by when one event is occurring.
Variables with the EEG prefix are electroencephalogram recordings.
id — (test.csv and sample_submission.csv only) A unique identifier for a crew + time combination. we must predict probabilities for each id.
crew — unique id for a pair of pilots. There are 9 crews in the data.
experiment — One of CA, DA, SS or LOFT. The first 3 comprise the training set. The latter the test set.
time — seconds into the experiment
seat — is the pilot in the left (0) or right (1) seat
EGG- eeg_fp1,eeg_f7,eeg_f8,eeg_t4,eeg_t6,eeg_t5,eeg_t3,eeg_fp2,eeg_o1,eeg_p3,eeg_pz,eeg_f3,eeg_fz,eeg_f4,eeg_c4,eeg_p4,eeg_poz,eeg_c3,eeg_cz,eeg_o2 : Electroencephalogram recordings (EGG) which have different parameters.
ECG — 3-point Electrocardiogram signal. The sensor had a resolution/bit of .012215 µV and a range of -100mV to +100mV. The data are provided in microvolts.
R— Respiration, a measure of the rise and fall of the chest. The sensor had a resolution/bit of .2384186 µV and a range of -2.0V to +2.0V. The data are provided in microvolts.
GSR — Galvanic Skin Response, a measure of electrodermal activity. The sensor had a resolution/bit of .2384186 µV and a range of -2.0V to +2.0V. The data are provided in microvolts.
Event — The state of the pilot at the given time: one of A = baseline, B = SS, C = CA, D = DA
4. Problem Type
This is a classification problem in that we have to predict any event out of 4 events-based on given data.
A = baseline, B = SS, C = CA, D = DA
5. EDA -Exploratory Data Analysis
Let’s explore the data for that we have to do exploratory data analysis. So I had loaded both train and test data.
Let’s see train data sample
training file sample data
5.1. The first step to explore train data is to check data is balanced or imbalanced. So I plotted a bar plot based on the label value.
Bar plot of the Target value in training data
As we can see in above plot Event A, B, C, D have the completely different count percentage, we can understand from above plot D and B are in very less number like D=4.8 % and B is 2.7% which very less in compare to A and C. So if labels count in the dataset is not equal or about to equal that dataset is called imbalanced dataset. For make data balanced we need to oversample and under-sample after that we can train the model.
5.2 Experiment count plot
Compare between experiment and Event
when CA experiment happen A event is occurred on 0.1%, B=0%, C=34% and D=0% When DA experiment Event A is 29%,B=0,C=0%,D=4.8% When SS experiment event A is 29%, B=2.7%,C=0%,D=0%
Let’s see data in the test dataset
Test Dataset experiment data
We can see in Test dataset we have a completely different experiment which is LOFT — Line-oriented flight training
5.3 Time
Time for every record
Time taken for event A, C, D is about to equal. if we see mean of time taken for these 3 events is about 175 where event B meantime is 100. Event B,50% data is taken 60 to 100 and the remaining 50% data time is between 100 to 310 millisecond. Other 3 event A, C, D time taken of the experiment is about equal, we can see the plot having very small changes in that.
Let’s compare time distribution in train and test data set
Train and Test time distribution
From the above plot, we can understand that there is a huge difference in Train and test time of the experiment. So the use of time in training time may make our prediction makes the wrong direction. time in flight simulator nothing to do with time in the experiment
5.4 Electrogastrogram Reading:
EGG Box plot
I have plotted Box plot for EGG feature.Box plot show the quartile of data like 0,25,50,75,100 quartile .
1. In every plot off EGG feature we can see that event B have 0 to 100% shape larger than other which can distinguish from others event.
2. Using Box Plot we can see every plot looks about to same so we can’t get more details from box plot.
I have plotted EGG reading for every event.you can visit EDA ipython notebook to check this information I am putting final observation of EGG over here
Observation is as below.
1. As we know EGG reading taking with 20 electrode which is putting on different different position on scalp of head.
2. Based on every event reaction There is electrode getting more fluctuate . You can see in below image
Event A = Fp1,Fp2,F3,C3,Cz
Event B = F8,T4,T3,F4,P4,C2
Event C = Fp1,F8,T4,O1,F2,F4,F3,C2,C3
Event D = Fp1,Fp2,F3,C4,C3,C2
Now Let’s check train and test data distribution
Train and Test data distribution
We can see above both Train and Test EGG data follow about to normal distribution but test data have a bigger peek at zero(0) and more variance in test data. In the end, we can say train and test EGG data is coming from the same distribution. If train and test are coming from the same distribution model better because the model will find train type data in test dataset which is easy for the model to predict it.
5.6 ECG
Based on Labels I have plot violin plot of ECG features
ECG plot bases of Labels
In ECG violin plot we can see that all event plot looks about the same and there is 50% data range is also the same for all event. The event we can see data density between 700 mV to 1000 mV is high in all event.
I have plotted every Event frequency, from this plot we can say that every event has followed a different frequency range in ECG data. So ECG may play a big role in event classification. If we notice Event B has the clean frequency and Event A have noisy frequency based on that separation of both event is very easy.
5.7 Respiration:r
From respiration violin plot we can understand that A, C, D Event violin plot about same there 50% value is also coming about same on about 740μV event B There 50% data is coming on about 760μV. And if you Notice on Event A data is between 450 to 850 μV but other event data is about 540μV to 850μV
5.8 Galvanic Skin Response( GSR )
GSR
GSR Violin plot is almost the same as all other feature we have same B feature little difference. Every event data distribution for GSR is also about the same because if we see bottom side all violin plot is the same expect then B.
If we see the dark line of violin plot about the same range but the event is little larger then others.
Conclusion from EDA
Data is completely imbalanced so I have to oversample or under-sample dataset before the train. Time in Train and Test dataset is completely different distribution so the use of this in the train may our prediction in the wrong direction. EGG Reading violin plot is about same for every event, if we see EGG signal plot we will see different between every event on the different -different electrode on the scalp(see in scalp image). If we see the frequency plot of ECG, respiration,r we can see all three feature follow about the same pattern of frequency for every event.
Now let's come to Feature engineering part
6. Feature Engineering
We know that we training dataset is imbalanced so we have to make balanced with oversampling. So I have used the SMOT technique to oversample data I found one article about physiological parameters in that he has mentioned how EGG data in clinically reading form so that we can found something meaningful. So based on that we did feature engineering.
We can see below image how the electrode is set on the head scalp. For clinically reading we need to subtract from one electrode to another electrode for example eeg_fp1 — eeg_f7. It doesn’t matter which way you do it, as long as it’s consistent. I did this from front to back.
electrode setup on head scalp
Now our training data is ready for the train. Let’s talk about the model training part
7. Model Training
In the end, we need to train the training dataset using different machine learning algorithms and find the best result for test data because at the end we need to get the best score on Kaggle, the basis of test data prediction.
Approach 1
We have seen in EDA, time and experiment data in train and test dataset is completely different.so basic idea is drop those feature because they lead us in a different direction.
For check worst log loss I had created a random model which predict randomly event I found that on this dataset worst log -loss is about 1.64 that means our machine learning model must be less than this log loss.
Now I have tried first model Logistic regression which log loss is about 1.37. So this was not much improved so I understand any linear model will perform badly.
So I had tried Random forest and LightGBM in that I found there is much improvement in log loss, it is about 0.144 of Random Forest and 0.133 for LightGBM.I found a very good log loss so I have submitted test data basis on these models.
I found Test result on Kaggle completely shocking
Approach 2
I thought maybe I have to try with time and experiment features also so I have trained and submitted test data I found the result is about to same not change much. I am still far from the top score which is 0.300
Approach 3
If you notice first count plot of labels we can see only about 50% of train data is event A and other 3 are reaming 50%.So if we doing oversampling then we training event mostly B and D on mock data. which may cause our model prediction wrong. So I have tried model prediction without oversampling using LightGBM. I found a huge improvement in my Kaggle score.
Now I am on 12th position on the basis of the leader board score.
Approach 4
We know that we have time feature in the training dataset if you notice time is given interval of 0.003906. so I have treated as time-series data and did not split the training data randomly and train the model.
I found this model score on Kaggle test data has huge improvement it took my score from 12th position to about 3 rd position.
8. Conclusion
From model training part you can understand, Machine learning is all about the experiment. According to EDA, I thought time and experiment may cause prediction in the wrong direction but they play a big role in prediction. So my approach 4th on train dataset with time, experiment and without shuffling train_test_split giving very good result on test data.
9. Improvement
In this dataset about all features are biological reading so if we use the biological library and extract meaning full data then we can improve results. As we have seen time feature made a huge improvement in the Kaggle score. So we improve model using time series analysis using LSTM. We can also try Deep Learning Model on this dataset.
You can find my complete solution on Github link if have any suggestion or you like this article please comment your view on this article.
Reference
|
https://medium.com/@vkmauryavk/reducing-commercial-aviation-fatalities-kaggle-competition-4d49b3966f5c
|
['Vijay Maurya']
|
2020-10-03 06:08:42.024000+00:00
|
['Kaggle', 'Aviation Fatalities', 'Kaggle Competition', 'Lightgbm']
|
Defining Brand As Culture
|
It suddenly seemed so shockingly obvious to me. Why have I never thought of branding in this light before? It’s easy to assume that customer service is a one-way street. You have a problem with a product or service so you call someone to fix it. But it can’t possibly begin there. The employee on the other end of the phone has to believe in what they’re representing in order to be an advocate for the client’s needs.
The easiest way to visualize this is with a real brand example. One of the first companies Cravety talked about was JetBlue, which I agreed with whole-heartedly even before listening to their reason. If I’m going on a trip, the first airline I look at is always JetBlue. Why? Because their customer service is impeccable. One March, I was traveling to Fort Myers, Florida for spring break. Out of all the days I could have picked to travel, this ONE day was forecasted to snow. I called the customer service line, explained how I was afraid my flight would be cancelled and asked if I could hop on an earlier one. In a matter of seconds they had re-booked me at no cost, and I was on my way. Side note: my original flight ended up not getting cancelled because JetBlue is the GOAT. But I digress.
The Cravety team explained how JetBlue Founder and current Chairman of Azul Airlines, David Neeleman, achieves this top-tier service:
Train employees to act as ambassadors of the brand Create products or services that are as flawless as possible Transform problems into opportunities to please customers (like my example above!)
What exactly do your employees want, you say? Employers need to figure out what motivates each employee. For example, maybe one employee has a kid and wants to be able to pick them up from school each day. Another may desire flexible PTO and WFH benefits. When I worked in sales, my manager rewarded me with Sephora goodies when I met monthly quotas. You can bet your booty that made me hustle even harder each month!
Ultimately, the idea here is that we can’t assume all employees want the same things. We need to go deeper and see what motivates each individual.
Now, the flip side: How do you define what your customer service experience will be? This will look different from company to company, but start by mapping each interaction out on a piece of paper or white board to see where every client touchpoint, no matter how seemingly small, can be enhanced.
At the end of the day, people are driven by emotion. Good experiences are more likely to attract repeat happy customers.
So remember:
Happy employees = happy customers
Happy customers = happy business
|
https://medium.com/be-brllnt/brand-as-culture-1c4f21c8a90a
|
['Courtney Bochicchio']
|
2019-10-16 21:28:06.420000+00:00
|
['Blog Posts', 'Team Building', 'Culture', 'Customer Experience', 'Branding']
|
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