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Essential tips for increasing TV’s lifespan | How is TV evolving?
In today’s time, OLED or smart TV produces the best quality of picture and sound. It has become so advanced that users can watch different content via OTT platforms directly through the Internet or vo(LTE). Television is a high ticket product that needs a little extra investment and accessories to serve at its best potential. No one wants to replace it or change it for a quite long time. So, to make your TV’s lifespan longer, there is a need to maintain it.
OneDios can suggest some Essential tips for increasing your TV’s lifespan:
Proper electricity/power connection for your TV:
There is a need for a proper and constant power connection to avoid fluctuations. If you are living in a high power fluctuation zone then it is advisable to connect your TV’s power to a voltage regulator with a built-in surge protector. If the power switches on and off very frequently an invertor is advisable. The biggest danger to a TV’s lifespan is voltage surge and fluctuation.
Control dirt around your TV
Accumulated dirt that deposits in our appliances increases the probability to trigger a short circuit. A short circuit can cause non-recoverable damage to the TV’s screen and end the TV’s lifespan. So it is advisable to always keep the television in dirt-free surroundings.
Keep your TV away from excessive temperature:
Extremes of temperature are never good for any general home use appliance. It is advisable to never place your TV in very low or high temperatures and high humidity. Keeping them there might reduce the TV’s lifespan as they can spoil the wiring and damage the electronic components inside the TV.
Clean and maintain your TV safely:
LED TV’s are susceptible to static power. So, it is important to use anti-static cleaners and cloth t clean your TV. Make sure to apply pressure to support your TV’s screen from the bottom and clean it softly and carefully. Many users tend to apply pressure on the screen or the body which can cause cracks in the screen or nuts and bolts. Causing damage while cleaning can be easily controlled by following recommended cleaning practices. This will increase your TV’s lifespan.
Avoid excessive usage of your TV:
If you leave the TV screen on at night for a long period of time, it can cause burn-in or overheating. Also all LEDs have a fixed lifespan. There is no point in consuming it if no one is watching. So, don’t use your television as a “screen saver”. Try to avoid watching shows with static images like news tickers. If you are not watching TV, then never leave it on.
Hopefully, this post assists helps you get the right pointers for increasing your TV’s lifespan. Heeding these suggestions will help to increase the lifespan of your Plasma, LED, LCD, and home theater television sets. In the unfortunate case of TV breakdown, you can utilize the OneDios TV service team to get it repaired. We, at OneDios, provide repair services for TV. If you have any queries, feel free to call us. We also provide the in-home inspection and diagnostic of TV and other electronic repair services.
We have qualified technicians that will ensure the best services and results when it comes to TV Repair or electronic repairs. | https://medium.com/@onedios-india/essential-tips-for-increasing-tvs-lifespan-40ac352d9a47 | [] | 2020-12-12 06:46:23.317000+00:00 | ['TV', 'Television', 'Tips And Tricks', 'OTT', 'Tv Repair'] |
Custos x Despesas — Saiba a diferença | in In Fitness And In Health | https://medium.com/treasy/custos-x-despesas-saiba-a-diferen%C3%A7a-84bdf0266d6b | [] | 2017-07-14 14:23:52.356000+00:00 | ['Custos', 'Financas', 'Despesas'] |
South Asia Genetic Chart | Using South Asian genetic samples run through the Harappa Calculator, I’ve constructed averages for various ethnic groups and castes across the Indian Subcontinent. Below is a quick guide on how to interpret the figures.
S Indian: A signal representing the Ancestral Indians, who were the indigenous hunter-gatherers of India. Their ancestry is most commonly seen in Dravidians, Adivasis, and Dalits.
Baloch: A signal representing pastoralists from eastern Iran who migrated to India thousands of years ago. Their ancestry is found most commonly in the Brahui and Baloch of Pakistan.
Caucasian: A signal representing ancient western Iranian populations, its found most often in populations near the Caucasus mountains.
NE Euro: A signal representing ancient eastern Europeans, its often used as a proxy for Aryan ancestry, and is most common among northeastern Europeans today.
SE Asian: A signal representing ancestry from early southeast Asian populations, most commonly seen in populations like Cambodians, Malay, and Southern Chinese.
Siberian: A signal representing ancestry from northern Asian populations, most commonly seen in Turks, Mongols, Tungus.
NE Asia: A signal representing ancestry from northeast Asia, seen most commonly in Japanese and Northern Chinese.
Papuan: A signal representing ancestry found in Papuan peoples and neighboring islanders in southeast Asia and Oceania.
American and Beringian: Signals representing ancient northeast Asian populations, most commonly seen among indigenous Americans.
Mediterranean: A signal representing early European ancestry, most commonly seen in modern Mediterranean populations.
SW Asian: A signal representing early Middle-Eastern ancestry, seen most commonly in Bedouin Arabs.
San: A signal indicating south African ancestry.
E African: A signal indicating east African ancestry.
Pygmy: A signal indicating pygmy related African ancestry.
W African: A signal indicating west African ancestry.
Note that genetic calculators are not perfect and can have glitchy results at the extremes of certain population clusters. They are however generally reliable, and are best used when pairing them with tools like G25.
All samples were drawn from publicly available forums like Anthrogenica, Eupedia, Reddit, and Genoplot. | https://medium.com/@araingang/south-asia-genetic-chart-fe9b591a91d9 | [] | 2021-09-11 01:05:21.938000+00:00 | ['Genetics', 'Pakistan', 'India', 'Muslim', 'Hinduism'] |
This Giant E-Ink Tablet Is a Dream Device for Reading and Taking Notes | This Giant E-Ink Tablet Is a Dream Device for Reading and Taking Notes Sbnd Nov 23, 2020·10 min read
Photos courtesy of the author
I’ve been obsessed with e-ink since buying my first Kindle, but the technology has largely been relegated to reading books, despite its potential for so much more. The 10.3-inch reMarkable 2 ($399) takes e-ink and shows off its capabilities beyond e-books, as if someone finally took the shackles off.
The reMarkable e-ink tablet has no apps, no notifications, and few features, outside of trying to do one thing well: writing with a pen, as if it were on actual paper — no additional distractions. It’s the antithesis of every gadget on the market today, which are jam-packed with as many features as possible, and it’s a breath of fresh air.
I wanted to try the reMarkable 2 because I’ve found writing things down by hand helps me remember them, and it improves my focus. While paper has worked well enough for this throughout its long history, I often forget my notebook or don’t have it close when I need it.
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Over the years, I’ve tried switching to a digital alternative, like the iPad and Microsoft Surface, but nothing stuck. A computer is too distracting, particularly for someone with a short attention span like me. It’s too easy to get lost in a different app instead of actually taking notes.
The entire premise of the reMarkable tablet is that it’s optimized for using a pen to draw or write notes, rather than typing, with literally nothing else to distract you. It’s ultrathin at 4.7mm and beautifully designed, as if it were a high-end Moleskin, albeit with a digital twist. The tablet sports USB-C for charging and file transfer, along with Wi-Fi for syncing to the company’s desktop and mobile apps.
Out of the box, the reMarkable boots up and invites you to start by just drawing on it during setup, providing a hint at just how focused this device is. The e-ink display is coated in a satisfying texture, providing a paper-like feel while you draw or write, which creates an experience that’s eerily similar to writing in a physical notebook.
The notebook functionality takes up the entire home screen. When creating a new “notebook,” you can choose the type of “paper” from a range of templates, such as lined, dotted or a grid, then start taking notes or drawing. Swipe across the screen whenever you want a fresh page.
From there, you can choose from a marker, ballpoint pen, and so on. With the basic pen, you’ll need to manually tap the eraser icon to undo mistakes, but if you jump for the more expensive $99 “Marker Plus” version of the pen, you can erase by using the top of the pen, as if it were an actual pencil (it’s worth the upgrade over the normal pen, which costs $49 — the device does not come with one by default).
What surprised me most about writing on the reMarkable is how good the pressure sensitivity is on the pen, and how low the latency is as you draw and write — it’s good enough that it feels like writing with a physical pen, on real paper.
I’m not particularly good at drawing, but over the last few weeks I’ve been using the reMarkable for taking notes during meetings and to remember tasks throughout the day. It’s been delightful for my memory to force myself to write things down by hand rather than trying to tap things into the Notes app on my computer, and keeping this habit helped me pay more attention to what’s going on as people talk in meetings.
Because the tablet has Wi-Fi built in, you can hit a button after writing notes and have them transcribed into text, then sent via email, which is great for a quick recap or sharing with others. The transcription is serviceable, and did a good job of figuring out what I wrote despite my terrible handwriting — though I wish that the tablet transcribed everything automatically so it would be searchable, rather than requiring you to hit a button first.
Your notes also sync to the reMarkable desktop and mobile apps, which I found useful for quickly pulling up an insight or meeting note when the tablet wasn’t handy, though the app is limited to showing images of your writing, and doesn’t offer a way to search the contents or turn convert the writing into text; that needs to be done on the tablet itself.
reMarkable macOS app
On top of all the writing features, the reMarkable also supports reading PDFs and e-books, which is particularly useful for things like textbooks thanks to the large display. You can annotate pages with the pen directly as you read for quick reference later, which I found myself doing a lot as I read a puppy training book over the last few weeks. As with normal note-taking, these show up seamlessly in the apps as well.
It should be noted here, however, that the reMarkable doesn’t have a built-in backlight like a Kindle, so you need to use it in a well-lit room. I can understand why the company omitted this, given the focus on note-taking and reproducing writing on paper, but I found it disorienting at times — I simply expected it to have one, as has become common on e-ink readers.
What I really wanted to use the reMarkable for, however, was disconnecting from my phone to try and stop doom scrolling so much. The company has a Chrome extension that allows you to click a button in your browser and throw a page onto your tablet for reading later, which is useful, but I was hoping it would support a service I already use, such as Pocket.
On that note, the surprising news here is that the reMarkable is a refreshingly hackable device. It’s not locked down at all and runs a light version of the Linux operating system, which allows you to run whatever software you want on it by uploading via a SSH connection from a computer.
The hacking community has embraced the device as a result and built out an array of customizations, including, yes, a rough Pocket integration and even a way to set the “sleep” screen to the latest front page of the New York Times. This gives me optimism about the future of the reMarkable as a platform — though I’ll admit that it’s very early days still — and I’m excited to tinker with it to see what I can do. Being able to tinker, and get under the hood of the reMarkable is a fabulous and surprising change of pace from locked down devices like the iPad.
If you’re considering a reMarkable 2, you should know that it’s targeted at a very specific type of person that wants to take notes, by hand, but have them automatically digitized — without the burden of being distracted by a full-on tablet with notifications and tons of apps.
Unlike almost every other tablet on the market, the reMarkable isn’t packed with features or full of apps; after opening it and tapping around for a few minutes, you might realize it doesn’t have a ton of functionality. But, that’s the entire point of this tablet: It’s a focused device that does very few things, but tries to do them really well.
Occasionally, that focus left me wanting a little bit more integration with my existing workflows, be it syncing my notes into an app like Notion or playing nice with my saved articles in Pocket. Given the hackability of the device, however, it’s likely the community will come through on this front in time and build on top of the device where the company left off.
In my opinion, it succeeds at the goal of being focused, especially as a digital notebook for an age in which we’re assaulted by distractions constantly — I love my Kindle for the same reason I fell in love with reMarkable; it doesn’t try to slather on features, it just gets out of the way to do the task at hand. Sure, the reMarkable 2 isn’t cheap, but that’s a price to pay for a device this focused from an independent company, rather than a tech giant.
Now that I’ve used the reMarkable 2, my love for single-purpose devices has been rekindled. Instead of trying to be good at everything, reMarkable focused on being great at one thing: using a pen — and the tiny Norwegian company that built it knocked it out of the park. | https://medium.com/@hsjdbdkdbdb/this-giant-e-ink-tablet-is-a-dream-device-for-reading-and-taking-notes-6314e76ed368 | [] | 2020-11-23 23:44:12.967000+00:00 | ['Hardware', 'Consumer Tech', 'Gadgets', 'Technology', 'Tablets'] |
Reality Capture Alignment Settings, Tips, & Fixes | Image Raw processing
If you captured the dataset in its RAW format (available with DSLR’s/drones), you should take advantage of the ability to adjust processing settings to reveal details in the images that were not visible.
By doing so, you might reveal some details and features that previously did not have enough contrast with their surrounding pixels to be considered a feature.
Using a RAW photo processing software (Lightroom, DxO Photolab, etc), process the entire dataset with these settings:
Typically, I don’t reduce the highlights by -100, but this photo was a bit overexposed
Reduce Highlight value
Increase Shadow value
Adjust Exposure if necessary
Export the full image dataset with the same adjustments into a folder called “_geometry” which you’ll use for the Alignment and Reconstruction steps in Reality Capture.
You can export a 2nd set of processed images that are “color corrected” which you can use for Texturing. I typically bring the highlights and shadows back to towards original positions, adjust the white balance to my liking, and export them to a folder called “_texture”.
Reality Capture has a great feature that lets you use different processed versions of the images for different steps (called Image Layers). This is great because you can use this processed dataset for the alignment and reconstruction steps (aka, the geometry layer), but use a secondary color corrected dataset for texturing (texture layer).
Check out this section of my video tutorial discussing the Image Layers feature in more detail. | https://medium.com/@wizardofaz/reality-capture-alignment-tips-fixes-d49371ee6643 | ['Azad Balabanian'] | 2021-06-16 09:47:28.908000+00:00 | ['Photogrammetry', 'Drone', '3d Scanning'] |
What is Anger? | What is Anger?
Anger is an emotion that can be either positive or negative, depending on how you handle it and whether or not you are able to control it. Many things can often trigger anger and that’s not always a bad thing. However, when it borders on you hurting people either physically or verbally, then it becomes a bad thing. Many times, some people who you get angry and frustrated allow their anger to get the better of them. That’s when it can lead to them doing or saying things they later come to regret.
It is perfectly fine to be angry about things quite frankly. For instance, if someone does or says something to upset you deliberately, when an institution has failed or abused your relative who is vulnerable, if you have been falsely accused of something, when you are crossing at traffic lights and they are green but cars are driving past instead of allowing you to cross, or if someone is generally rude to you for no apparent reason. In those situations anger is perfectly justified, because you want some sort of action to be taken. The danger is taking it too far, or it gets to a point where the anger manifests itself so much that you can no longer control it.
Anger Management
There are many things someone can do to help them to control their anger. Boxing is always a good sport to do, because it is about discipline and controlled aggression. Therefore, it is a good thing to do because it helps someone with anger issues to channel all that aggression and get it out of their system. Other physical contact sports like rugby or football are also a way of getting rid of any pent up anger you may have, simply because you are running a field kicking a ball around and trying to get one up on your opponent.
Seeing a psychologist or other health professionals also helps, because it is good to talk to someone who doesn’t know you about the things that trigger your anger. It’s also good to talk to a medical professional because they are not going to judge you. Once you seek help, you also get the chance to open up and confront your anger issues head on, instead of simply bottling it all up inside.
Sometimes if you are out somewhere with a group and you feel yourself about to get cross with something or someone, take some time out. Whether it be sitting in another room by yourself, sitting out in the garden and having a rant to yourself, punching the wall or door or simply talking to someone about what’s upset you. That’s the way forward and is far better than physically and verbally lashing out at people and getting yourself into hot water.
Punching the wall or door also helps because it gets your anger out pretty easily. You can also buy those stress balls or those stretchy things you see in the gym, because it releases any stress and tension you may be feeling at the time.
My Own Personal Experience
I myself have often had problems with controlling my anger in many situations. A lot of the things that trigger it are: when I can’t do something, if someone tells me how to do something instead of advising me on how to do it or they generally tell me what to do, having a disability, if I feel like my independence or my ability to do things is being undermined, if I feel like someone is trying to change me, not having control of certain situations and sometimes having to do things other people’s way and not mine.
I realise we have to be told what to do from time to time. Nonetheless, that’s has always been my biggest hurdle amongst other things. I also realise that some of it is probably just in my head and I really need to do something about that. I have actually sort help in the past from a psychologist to talk through my anger issues. sI have to say I have calmed down a lot since then. However, I still sometimes have the pertinacity to physically and/or verbally lash out.
It has been a different story in the past though. Many times whenever I have got really upset, I either verbally or physically lash out. I know that I should really just walk away from situations and take some time out, but that’s sometimes easier said than done for me. When you are angry and upset you are not thinking rationally, neither are you in the right frame of mind. Sometimes I get myself so worked up about things that I am not really thinking straight and therefore, I end up doing and/or saying things I regret.
I used to lash out at people a lot whilst at school which isn’t a good thing I know. How I never got excluded I will never know. I am not proud of this behaviour at all, as I know it doesn’t get you anywhere and only leads to serious problems. You can actually get into trouble with the law for physically and/or verbally lashing out at people of course.
I suffered from a hole in the heart as a child and needed an operation. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line I suffered from brain damage which caused my visual impairment. Furthermore, I suffered from a global developmental delay which now means I have mild learning difficulties. I sometime wonder if this would have affected my behaviour, because of all the problems that come with brain damage. I have had problems with my aggressive outbursts and my overall behaviour all my life though.
Why People Get Angry
There are lots of things that can trigger anger from people. For instance, if someone isn’t doing things the way they want, but anger is also triggered by the issues I outlined in my second paragraph. Nonetheless, you do get some people who simply get angry for no reason, or they love being angry and get a kick out of using anger to intimidate and overpower people. Either way, we all know that anger can either be a good or bad thing depending on how you channel it of course.
Not being able to get their own way is usually another reason why some people may get angry. However, I believe this is a silly reason for getting angry because in life you won’t always get your own way. Neither will people always do what you want when you want. Therefore, instead og losing your temper, it’s worthwhile trying to work your way around it.
Some other people get angry because they have been bullied at some point in their lives, or they have been controlled by someone else. This can make someone angry for many reasons. Mainly because they have been taunted or dictated to in the past and they haven’t been able to stand up to it. This anger can make someone determined that they will never allow people to treat them like that ever again which is a good thing. It’s good to stand up for yourself and not allow people to walk all over you. However, some people go the other way and end up thinking everyone’s against them and wants to bully and intimidate them all the time. They therefore feel that they must always fight everyone and everything,which is only going to cause problems for them in the near future.
Control Your And and Don’t Let it Control You
Sometimes it is very easy to allow your anger to get the better of you in certain situations. No mater how hard you try not to let something or someone get to you, sometimes the red midst just descends and you can’t control it. However, if you are constantly losing your temper because of something or someone, then there’s something clearly wrong with you. There is a problem that clearly needs to be addressed and the sooner one addresses it the better it is for them.
Some people have difficulty controlling their anger for many different reasons. For instance, if someone is saying or doing something to upset you and they are going on and on at you. The reason they are doing this is because they want to get a reaction out of you and to upset you. That’s their aim. Once you get angry and lose your temper with them they have won. I guess sometimes it is better to simply ignore it and let things go.
That’s easier said than done though. Some people feel they must stand up to the people or pers on who has annoyed them, because if they don’t it will seem like they are a push over and they allow people to just treat them anyhow. Nonetheless, sometimes it is better to either talk to the person calmly and assertively about the effect their behaviour is having on you, or to just back down. There are some battles you fight and some you just have to leave. No mater how much you want to go up against someone who has upset you sometimes it’s really not worth it. It will only get you into trouble and people will think you are confrontational and aggressive, even though it really isn’t your aim to come across like that.
Conclusion
Anger is a perfectly normal emotion to feel from time to time. We are all entitled to feel angry about things that have made us frustrated and upset. Nonetheless, it isn’t OK to verbally and/or physically lash out at people. Something I myself have had to learn overtime. Sometimes it is all too easy to let things get on top of you and not know how to handle it. It is very easy sometimes to just let the pressure of life or certain difficult situations build up, therefore things tend to then escalate.
The longer you allow your anger to manifest, the worse things get for you and the worse you feel within yourself. It isn’t good to bottle things up either. If something has upset you, it is always worth either taking time out to calm down by sitting somewhere by yourself, or talking to someone about what has made you angry.
If you have anger issue, then the sooner you seek medical assistance the better. If not, you will only get yourself into real trouble because you have done something you live to regret. Control your anger and don’t let it control you. | https://medium.com/@anujemis/what-is-anger-6f44bc32c748 | ['Anu Fajemisin'] | 2019-08-01 15:34:34.505000+00:00 | ['Anger'] |
This Backpack-Mounted Robotic Arm Gives You a Third Hand | Robots, like virtually every other machine, are designed to make our lives easier or more productive. You car is just a complex machine that makes travel faster and less difficult. A 3D printer is just a robot that makes fabrication faster and less difficult. Just about every task you perform on a day to day basis can potentially be made easier with the right machine or robot, and this backpack-mounted robotic arm gives you that third hand that would be useful in so many situations.
This robotic arm was developed by doctoral student Julian Whitman in Carnegie Mellon’s Biorobotics Lab. It uses a modular actuator system that was originally developed for a snake robot. Because the actuators are modular, the snake robot could be expanded as needed and individual modules could be replaced if they ever failed. But those modules have also found a home in other robots, because they’re so versatile. Whitman’s backpack-mounted robotic arm is one of the newest.
The backpack houses the robotic arm’s control electronics, as well as sturdy frame to support the weight of the arm. The arm extends from that over the wearer’s shoulder, and can be used as a third hand. The robotic arm is controlled by either a joystick or voice commands, but Whitman hopes to give it its own sense of perception in the future so it can help out more autonomously. He envisions a design like this being used in the automotive or aerospace industries, where a technician needs to hold a part up while they work on it with their hands. The robotic arm could be commanded to hold the part in place, freeing the technician’s hands to do the dexterous work. | https://medium.com/@cameroncoward/this-backpack-mounted-robotic-arm-gives-you-a-third-hand-b212f3646935 | ['Cameron Coward'] | 2019-04-12 17:21:41.105000+00:00 | ['Research', 'Makers', 'Robotics', 'Engineering', 'Technology'] |
Guan Yin speaks. Day 11. Scrooge, a genius tale of karma | “Blessings to you, this is Guan Yin. Do you think it odd that I should teach about a Christmas story? It’s not. Karma is karma, no matter what corner of the earth one might dwell, or what beliefs one might have. Karma is a Sanskrit word that simply means action.
Charles Dickens may not have intended his little Christmas story to become the widespread holiday watching event that it is, but I think we can be glad that it has. For a world that misunderstands and denies karma, it is a story that can resonate with anyone. And it truly is about karma, sometimes brutal in its depiction. Dickens lived in a time when daily life was a constant desperate struggle for survival.
In the early part of the story, Ebenezer Scrooge meets with the ghost of his business partner, who is trying to get across to him what lies in store.
“You are fettered,” said Scrooge, trembling. “Tell me why?”
“I wear the chain I forged in life,” replied the Ghost. “I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?”
Scrooge trembled more and more.
“Or would you know,” pursued the Ghost, “the weight and length of the strong coil you bear yourself? It was full as heavy and as long as this, seven Christmas Eves ago. You have laboured on it since. It is a ponderous chain!”
And,
“It is required of every man,” the Ghost returned, “that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death. It is doomed to wander through the world — oh, woe is me! — and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!”
Almost every scene contains a true teaching about how the actions, or lack of action, of any being affects the lives of the beings around them.
Ghost of the past:
All the choices and events of Scrooge’s life lead to his moment of ultimate choice, change or die, transform his heavy chain of karma, or wear it.
Ghost of the present:
He is guided to images of what is happening with other beings in the present, and where he stands in the minds and hearts of those beings. He is forced to see how his words and actions have impacted others.
Ghost of the future:
Scrooge sees his own death, and how little love or joy he has ever engendered in any being. He sees the aftermath of the death of Tiny Tim, and how he could have changed the course of that event through compassion and service.
This story is all of humanity either in the microcosm or the macrocosm.
We create some kind of karma in every instant of experience in the yin yang world. The way to transcend this is contained in 3 instructions. Stop human thought, replace it with what is sacred, serve others.
It is vital also to move the human perspective from victim-hood and grievance to a real forgiveness process. Do you think all your lifetimes were flowers and sunlight? Good deeds and kindness? Probably not. Come to understand that you and your ancestors have caused enormous harm and suffering throughout hundreds or thousands of lifetimes, even this lifetime. Acknowledge the suffering of others and ask forgiveness with a sincere heart. Forgive all souls. That is the beginning.
That is all. I love you.”
Flowed through Kristin Strachan. Guan Yin Lineage holder, teacher, student of Master Zhi Gang Sha, spiritual practitioner in Colorado.
compassionbuddha.net | https://medium.com/@kristinstrachan/guan-yin-speaks-day-11-scrooge-a-genius-tale-of-karma-ee3d6cbf269f | ['Kristin Strachan'] | 2020-12-19 18:38:01.484000+00:00 | ['Forgiveness', 'Chains', 'Guan Yin', 'Karma', 'Scrooge'] |
The Red House on Mississippi: Narcissism and irony under capitalism | Controversy acts like a sieve.
Only a small percentage of overall protestors are left defending the RHAZ — we might ask: what is special about this subset in particular? As it turns out, these are the most narcissistic of all the protestors.
Narcissism, to me, is the willingness to challenge orthodoxy (and accept pain) as a means of self-expression.
For these protestors, it is more important that they express themselves as revolutionaries than it is to follow the new orthodoxy, one which would make defending William X. Nietzche difficult. They continue to defend him, against intuition, even though it turns them into pariahs.
This is a fairly common practice: people will often tolerate pain because it communicates something about how they imagine themselves — for example, a “starving artist.”
In addition to the pain of challenging orthodoxy, everyone under capitalism experiences a daily pain known as alienation.
Alienation under capitalism is when workers feel disconnected from their final product, or when they feel emotionally detached from the problematic actions of their company (example: Amazon). Since no one feels directly responsible, the company’s momentum is harder to stop. The workers know they are part of the problem but feel powerless to do anything about it. Each worker knows that this irony should bother him more than it actually does, making him feel alienated because his intentions and actions do not match up, making him lose self-confidence.
Capitalism offers an alienated reality, known as “the Spectacle”, in lieu of actual reality. We can just barely detect that something is amiss, that our experience is unintuitive, creating a pervasive feeling of alienation: that this is not our home, that something better exists, that we are being sold something.
In order for narcissists to tolerate this alienation, every so often they must explode with self-expression. The narcissist’s need for self-expression, this cathartic release, is so strong that it counteracts the pain of challenging orthodoxy.
Now, imagine there was an entire class of people like this. People whose primary response to alienation is to seek self-expression, stamping one’s self upon the alienated reality, instead of seeking to accept and internalize it.
(And another class of people, the ironic class, who respond to alienated reality by seeking to internalize it… and yet a third class, the schizoid class, which neither needs to internalize reality nor demonstrate self-expression.)
I propose that as an alternative to a Marxist model using economic classes like bourgeoisie and proletariat, that we develop a psychological model using psychological classes like the narcissistic and ironic classes.
We can understand capitalism and communism as different psychologies instead of different economic systems. We could seek to explain capitalism by examining psychological classes in partnership and opposition to each other, instead of the forces of labor and material value.
Using such a psychological model in a critical examination of history — asking which events and institutions are a result of the narcissistic class, for instance — would be an interesting exercise: an alternative to historical materialism.
I think we will find this psychological model more useful when examining the actions of individuals, like William X. Nietzche and the RHAZ protestors. | https://medium.com/@mzemel/the-red-house-on-mississippi-narcissism-and-irony-under-capitalism-a707bd763bc2 | ['Michael Zemel'] | 2020-12-17 19:54:37.522000+00:00 | ['Narcissism', 'Gentrification', 'Psychology', 'Capitalism', 'Marx'] |
Using Data Science to Assess How Well US States are Responding to Flood Risks | Using Data Science to Assess How Well US States are Responding to Flood Risks
Photo by Jonathan Ford on Unsplash
With climate change and climate risks moving to the forefront of the conversation in almost every industry, it’s more important now than ever to understand where we are today and what trajectory we are heading on. In this article, I want to focus on flooding specifically in three parts:
What are the risks and causes of flooding and what are the impacts? What could an assessment framework look like, one that is generalized enough to be helpful for anyone? How can we fill the framework using data of any type from states along the U.S. coasts (East, West, Gulf)— news, state bills, municipal investments, geographic/sea data?
I’ll try not to get overly technical, to the point where you should be able to just skim the charts and bolded points below to get the main ideas of this article. I hope you have fun and learn something about climate science, risk frameworks, and/or data science!
Let’s Learn Some Basic Climate Science:
While they are not the sole reference on this topic, I like the way that the TCFD (Task Force for Climate Related Disclosures) categorizes physical risks from climate change:
Acute: increased severity of extreme weather events. This includes everything from wildfires to hurricanes.
Chronic: rising sea level, temperatures, heat and rain patterns.
These can be further split into direct and indirect effects on industries or businesses, for for flooding direct would be damage to property and indirect would be transport or supply chain interruption.
This analysis will be focused on direct impacts from acute (storm surges/floods) and chronic (sea level rise) climate risk.
Sea level rise is set to continue well past 2100 even in the most conservative scenarios due to the combination of glacier melting and thermal expansion. The East, West, and Gulf coasts are being affected unevenly but for similar global factors as well as local factors such as ice melt and sinking land. El Niño cycles can make this worse as well.
There are many types of flooding, some of the most common being storm surge, fluvial (river overflow), or backup from faulty drainage systems. These all have strong secondary effects like corrosion of infrastructure as well as changing the microbiome due to sewage or other waste that is brought up to the streets or underground areas. Sea level rise (especially during high-tide) is one of the main contributors of making any of these types of flooding more likely.
So what exactly do these two risks affect? C40 put out a great research report that shows the interdependence of urban infrastructure and how flooding damage to one or more categories creates much larger economic consequences.
Figure from https://www.c40.org/researches/understanding-infrastructure-interdependencies-in-cities (Image Not by Author)
It should go without saying that property damage and population displacement are significant effects as well on a personal or community level. Climate risks and impacts can quickly compound on top of each other, and they shouldn’t be viewed as just one-off or “black-swan” events.
Time to Have Some Fun Creating an Assessment Framework:
Let’s start by creating a crude chart to eventually place states in:
Image by Author
From this we can see that there are two values we need formulas for:
State Risk Severity = combination of Historical NFIP Claims, Inches of Sea Level Rise Since 1950, Annual Precipitation increase since 1950. Given both sea level rise and frequency/volume of rainfall makes flooding worse, they should have compounding risk effects. Non-coastal states will just have no sea level rise multiplier. NFIP claims are a way of saying “here’s where we are right now in terms of flood risk”. State Response Strength = combination of $ spent, properties protected, and # Flood Bills and Flood Projects. For this approach to work, we’ll need to check to make sure that the range of responses employed are relatively identical from state to state. This wouldn’t make sense if many states only pursue two or three types of action, and another cluster of states only pursue two or three completely different types of action.
At this point, you might be asking:
“Andrew, why are you trying to create a framework for something so complex that you probably need subject matter experts and a team of academics to help with?”
In my experience, a data science project that doesn’t have clear guidance on a large, ambiguous ask is destined to become a headache that fails to really move the needle for anyone — even if the visualizations and models from it look great. We can always improve this framework in the future with those smart people anyways.
Now for the Data Science:
Risk Severity Calculations
For this section we will be using 40 years of NFIP claims data, precipitation increase data from NOA National Climate Assessment 4 since 1958, and sea level rise from satellites, floating buoys off the coast, and tidal gauges since 1950. These three sources of data allow us to combine historical damage severity with historical climate trends to create a linear guess on how severe risk will get for a certain state in the future.
I recognize I have not included hurricanes in this analysis, but I feel that would overcomplicate the formula. However, I expect this to have already shown up in some capacity within the NFIP claims.
First let’s look at a choropleth map of total amount paid in claims from NFIP claims data, where I set $1m as the darkest shade on the heatmap. We can see the strong impact on the coasts, but also spread out through the East.
Sum of amountPaidOnContentsClaim by countyCode (Image by Author)
For the sake of our analysis, let’s see this again by state level and set a higher maximum. In reality, Texas has the highest at $3.9b — we’ll see this later:
Image by Author
Thankfully, someone else has already gone through and organized the hourly precipitation data from the NOA and applied the UN IPCC scenarios for forecasting them out. I’ll be using the more conservative RCP8.5 scenario for my model.
https://data.globalchange.gov/report/nca4/chapter/our-changing-climate/figure/heavy-precip (Image not by Author)
As mentioned earlier, sea level rise affects each coast a little differently with the East and Gulf coasts facing stronger near term impacts than the West coast. I’ll show all of these variables next to each state soon.
I recognize that doing this at a state level is quite the aggregation and if anyone wants to do more granular analysis, I would check out the First Street Foundation flood risk platform which has block level property exposure data. Their model already accounts for everything from protective actions to storm simulations on a 30 year outlook (to 2050). Here’s our NFIP claims, sea level rise, and precipitation metrics compared to their state level property risk:
Image by Author
Using their model as reference, it looks like sea level rise has the heaviest impact followed by precipitation increase. We have two choices now:
Create a linear regression (OLS) predicting historical claims data, then insert expected sea level rise and precipitation increase by 2100 under RCP8.5 to come to expected claims/risks by 2100 Create a simple model that is trying to just rank states, rather than predict some exact damage value. This also works better since we want this to be a generalized risk framework that can be fine tuned later based on industry or asset focus.
The FSF is already a much better example of #1 than anything I can create with two variables, so I will be going with approach #2 instead. My approach was to take the standard normal of my four variables (rain since 1958, rain by 2100, sea level since 1950, and NFIP historical claims) and then just add them together to get to a cumulative spread measure.
These are cumulative z-scores (Image by Author)
A quick caveat, there was missing data for Hawaii and Alaska under a few measures — so only sea level rise is reflected in my risk severity scores.
Response Strength Calculation
There are two types of responses a city can make. The first is adaptive, which encompasses anything that is helping to reduce overall emissions. The second is mitigation, which would be anything that directly protects against the effects of flooding or sea level rise (pumps, barriers, expanded drainage systems). The calculation in this article will be focused on adaptive responses only, as mitigation responses for most states has taken more of the form of announcements or target dates as of now instead of easily trackable concrete actions.
With this in mind, I went to National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) database of bills under the category of Environmental and Natural Resources — Flood Mitigation since 2015. This gave me 736 bills, originating from 47 states.
Image by Author
I usually like to use natural language processing on large sets of structured textual data to help figure out what the similarity/spread of keywords across a set of documents. It makes it easier to identify any categorical (in our case states or coasts) outliers or clusters. Here’s how it was done:
Technical Explanation: I performed a soft cosine similarity matrix on a word vectorization of the bill-texts and then reducing the dimensionality using a PCA and then t-SNE.
Non-technical Explanation: I created relationships in two dimensions (instead of 1000s where each word is an axis) between different bills by using a language model that “understands” the relationship between word meanings such as King and Queen and extrapolates that across all the words of two documents — so two bills that are more similar to each other will be plotted closer together than two bills that are very different.
It’s not perfect but we end up with the following distribution of bills, which we can then explore to figure out what is so different between bills at top left versus the bottom right of the chart.
See my Dash app here at floodrisk-us.herokuapp.com to explore the bills and more yourself. (Image by Author)
It’s a little hard to make sense of the clusters and spread from the bills alone since they do cover a wide variety of topics, but the bottom left is roughly about coastal protections and natural resources, and the top/top right covers insurance and real estate/property damage issues. What is quickly observable is that while the spread of topics is large, state’s generally have a similar distribution of bills across the space.
Now, I needed to quantify what states are doing so I turned to another source of mitigation action: FEMA hazard mitigation assistance projects. This open dataset showcased over 29,000 projects, of varying statuses and included projects from all 50 states + D.C.
Image by Author
Read here if you are interested in the details of project types, though they mostly mean exactly what you think they do.
Image by Author
It’s really interesting that acquisition of private real property is such a popular project type, meaning governments may be stockpiling real estate in flood zones that will one day be underwater (literally).
The dataset also tracks how much is spent in each project (funded in part by the state and in part by FEMA, usually 75% by the former) and the number of properties protected/impacted. All of this FEMA data is also explorable in my dashboard webpage.
Spending and Coverage for states seems to have some variance though generally positive corr. (Image by Author)
We now have all the parts we need to calculate response strength, but it helps to ask one more question before making our calculation:
“What exactly should cities by doing in response to increased flood risk and sea level rise?”
This is important because if a state categorized as a “Reasonably Strong Response”, it is only so when compared against other states in the US. If all US state responses are in reality weak compared to what should be done (or to other areas around the world), then this methodology fails in application. Frankly, I’m not qualified to answer this question on a very technical or political level — however based on the research we’ve already done and studies like this page, it seems like mitigation actions can include everything from street-level pumps to revamping the drainage system and water storage of a city. Some other common flood infrastructure improvements are putting up a levee, dam, channel, flood wall, tide gate, culvert, or pervious pavement. The graphic below showcases how green strategies work together from the sea (or river) inwards:
https://floodfactor.com/solutions (Image not by Author)
I acknowledge that there might also be a lot being done that isn’t seen in a bill or project yet, such as creation of working groups to improve communication and data sharing between various stakeholders. For example, Philadelphia created a working group that put together this actionable flow chart for other cities to put to use. Regardless, here are our four variables organized by state:
Image by Author
And using the same cumulative Z-score across four categories, to get to our response strength by state.
Image by Author
If you want to look at the FEMA projects or state bills to figure out where you might place them in a more subjective ranking, you can check out my interactive dashboard webpage here.
Final Framework
Putting the “risk severity” and “response strength” axes together, we finally get to our final quadrant plot:
Image by Author
If we use the diagonal line from the origin (slope of 1) as a base case, we can start to see which states have done more to respond across the risk severity spectrum. In this model, few states seem to be having a strong response given their risk severity.
Looking back at the variable by state charts, you’ll notice that risks as well as project spending/responses tend to increase quadratically at the top — not linearly. Therefore it may be better to use a quadratic curve as the base line instead, as the effects and costs don’t scale linearly with the risk severity.
Image by Author
As a final sanity check, I used First Street Foundation risk severity (% properties at risk by 2050) instead and re-plotted:
Image by Author
It seems my model is mostly more conservative, which makes sense if we remember that FSF model already takes into account physical flood protection mechanisms for each state in their at risk metric.
I’ve put an interactive scatter plot of my framework in the dashboard as well:
Example capture from dash app, text is a little easier to read and can explore data by region (Image by Author)
In my next article, I will be applying this framework to the US Real Estate and Flood Insurance market to see if we can find any holes in either the framework or the markets. We’ll look into the cyclical effects of floods decreasing property values, which impacts property taxes, and in turn the ability of a state to invest in adaptive infrastructure — leading to more flood damage. On top of that, we’ll observe if and how the insurance market (public and private) is pricing this risk in. It’ll be linked it here when it’s ready.
Concluding Thoughts: Can we “Open-Source” a risk framework?
I’ve always loved the open-source community in technology — I couldn’t have done most of my coding projects without them. While this article isn’t tailored toward finance or economics, it’s certainly the start of a framework I could see being used for someone’s investment or risk thesis. I would love to see those in the risk community start to practice open-source principles, as we need as many heads as we can jam together to cohesively tackle climate risks and push forward sustainable finance.
I welcome any and all contributions and criticisms, please let me know if you think a state should be placed somewhere else or if you think I need different axes or formulas! If you’re interested in the code (all python files) or need help with the data, please feel free to reach out to me. More research should definitely be done on the shape of the base line curve, as well as expanding to a global scale so that response strength is better calibrated.
All views expressed are my own, and are not representative of the views of anyone I am affiliated with. This article is not financial advice and should not be taken as such. I do not claim to own images that I have not marked as such. | https://towardsdatascience.com/using-data-science-to-assess-how-well-us-states-are-responding-to-flood-risks-beeebfc4c761 | ['Andrew Hong'] | 2020-12-23 16:55:24.315000+00:00 | ['Data Visualization', 'Data Science', 'Dashboard', 'Risk Management', 'Climate Change'] |
Lanzamiento de v0.9.30 — ¡Extensiones, ENS Names, y más! | in In Fitness And In Health | https://medium.com/status-es/lanzamiento-de-v0-9-30-extensiones-ens-names-y-m%C3%A1s-5bbcaec68700 | [] | 2018-10-26 22:42:05.585000+00:00 | ['Ethereum', 'Blockchain'] |
Coming Out as Genderqueer with Lesbian Moms | On the day of my birth, I was given the name Jenny Isabel. I don’t know what my birth mother’s labor was like or how I entered the world but I imagine I was screaming, crying, and fighting for air. Not much has changed. For all of you astrology lovers with lesbian moms out there, I’m a Gemini sun with a Pisces moon.
My birth mother was 21 and my birth father was 20. The only information I know about them is from my birth certificate and my mom’s stories of my birth mother. According to my birth certificate, they both lived in Lima, Peru and worked in different professions. My birth mother was a housekeeper and my birth father’s occupation was labeled merchant.
Before I was born my birth mother knew that she was not going to be able to give me or herself the life she hoped for so she set up an adoption plan with my godfather who was also my uncle and an attorney. Together, they set out to find the perfect family. Their journey eventually lead them to The United States and to my future moms.
My moms had just bought a house together and were looking to start their family. They were in their late 20’s and early 30’s and wanted the lesbian American dream of a house, kids, and a cat (or dog depending on which kind of lesbians you’re talking about). They already had a cat (yes, they’re cat lesbians) and a house so they were almost there. My moms began the adoption process like any other family, by filling out mountains of paperwork but unlike most families, my moms had to hide their true identity. Back in those days, my moms were afraid that outing themselves would deter agencies from allowing them to adopt so my oldest mom decided to file as a single woman looking to start her family.
Fast forward to a few months later, my moms opened up a package and saw me for the first time in 2-d. I was as cute as a button while sporting a sassy face in a onesie. My moms say that they instantly fell in love with me as soon as they saw that picture and they knew right then and there that I was their child. They used a different term for me back then but for all intents and purposes, I was and still am their child.
Fast forward again to my college graduation. My moms and I were driving home after and were talking about my most recent break up with my partner of eight years. A lot had happened in my college years and I was finally able to find the words to come out as queer and genderqueer to them and the rest of the world. Somehow I did it all in one fail swoop. Like most intense conversations with my moms it ended in tears and hugs and hand holding. They didn’t know much about being genderqueer because they are what I like to call “classic lesbians” who met on the softball field and have only known the world through a cis-gender lesbian identified lens, but they loved me and thought that love could conquer all. I wish I could say that they dedicated their life right then and there to queer, trans, and GNC (gender non-conforming) liberation but alas, they were classic lesbians who didn’t know where to start.
In the beginning the hardest thing for them to learn was to respect my pronouns, even when I wasn’t in the room. They would slip up and mispronoun me and when I would get upset and correct them they would, in turn, get upset and expect an apology from me for being so upset at them.
I am so thankful for my partners and friends who supported me during that time. My moms were not as supportive as I needed them to be while I was coming into my own and our relationship was strained for many years. I didn’t want to bring my friends around them because I heard one too many times that they would get cornered while I was in the bathroom by one of my moms and asked if I was going through a phase.
It still blows my mind that my moms would use the same hurtful language their families used against them when they came out as gay. I guess the saying is true, hurt people hurt people. While I celebrate being in a queer family I have also come to understand that my queer family lineage comes with a history of wounds that have never healed.
Our story is still being written but I can say, many years later, we are working to build a stronger future together. It’s taken me years to help them understand that I can’t be their trans 101 teacher and I finally feel like I’m making headway. Recently we have made a step in the right direction by going to family counseling together. So far it has helped a lot and I can envision a future where I am seen, heard, and held by my moms. My moms and I are working towards that future but the work is hard. Transgenerational trauma has been brought to the forefront of our work together and I struggle every session to be vulnerable but we are doing the work to break unhealthy cycles and strengthen our communication and bond. I’m not sure where the future will take us as a family but I am hopeful it will be in a direction that reflects my birth father’s Quechua last name, Quispe which means “Free”. | https://medium.com/colage/coming-out-as-genderqueer-with-lesbian-moms-4022800263d8 | ['Otto Quispe'] | 2018-03-31 12:01:01.108000+00:00 | ['LGBTQ', 'Genderqueer', 'Queerspawn', 'Family', 'Transgender'] |
The Show Must Go On: Empathetic Research Practices during Covid | The second step of gaining empathetic insights of target users, is wearing others’ shoes, such as through bodystorming.
The term “bodystorming” was introduced in the early 90’s to identify what was working and what wasn’t at the early stage of the product development process. Bodystorming simulates the roles of users by testing out a product in a similar situation that your users may be in. While bodystorming seems similar to role play study which also requires you to play the role of target users in a simulated situation, low-fidelity mockups or props (products that you are targeted to design) are a key requirement in bodystorming.
✔︎ Why this matters
When researchers and designers encounter challenges doing mock-up testing during Covid, they can consider conducting bodystorming. This helps your team fuel empathy by letting you act, feel, and think like your users without meeting them in person. In addition, it helps the design team continue to gain insights on possible problems and issues that could occur from the designs.
✔︎ Tips for panning bodystorming during Covid🤞
Accounting for the data you gathered in the step of observing others’ shoes, you can facilitate this activity remotely with your team:
Plan guidelines that help your team have a clear idea on how to perform the activity in their own place:
Define roles of users based on your preliminary research data: Who are they? Are they elderly people? What kind of characteristics do they have?
based on your preliminary research data: Who are they? Are they elderly people? What kind of characteristics do they have? Set limitations to replicate the role: Do your users have specific physical limitations? How will you help bodystormers to act out the limitations?
Do your users have specific physical limitations? How will you help bodystormers to act out the limitations? Write scenarios for what to perform : What do they need to accomplish? And in which context would your target users use your product and services: (E.g. When this happens? Where are they at?)
for : What do they need to accomplish? And would your target users use your product and services: (E.g. When this happens? Where are they at?) Reflection guide template : What do you want to measure from the test?
: What do you want to measure from the test? Video recording guide: Ensure the right angles of video cameras to capture their acting of users’ roles
2. Perform bodystorming remotely: Set deadlines. Collect videos and reflection guides from bodystormers.
3. Mapping out the findings (e.g. empathy map): Gather your team to share their experiences of the users’ role and integrate the shared understanding via mapping tools such as empathy map.
✔︎ Examples — to act, feel, think like your users
The 55 Minutes team conducted a bodystorming to understand “how the elderly people who are limited in their movements would act, feel and think when they get dressed from their caregivers.”
Set limitations to replicate users’ roles: The knees of the bodystormer who act out the role of elderly care receivers, are wrapped by cardboards and tapes in order to simulate limitations caused by knee pains in the scenario of getting dressed/undressed.
Replicating Scene of Elderly Care-Receiver’s Knee Pains
Mapping out the findings: An empathy map is a great tool to synthesize bodystorming experiences by summarizing what bodystormers do, think, feel, see, hear, and say.
Example of Empathy Map, designed by event design collective. Source
Step 3: Walking together | https://medium.com/55-minutes/the-show-must-go-on-empathetic-research-practices-during-covid-5b8508762e05 | ['Hye Yoon'] | 2021-02-09 05:00:55.193000+00:00 | ['Covid 19 Crisis', 'Empathetic Design', 'Projects', 'Human Centered Design', 'UX Research'] |
Stroke survivors to use robotics exo-suit | Stroke survivors at Brooks Rehabilitation are going to get support from a robotics exo-suit.
US based ReWalk Robotics (Nasdaq: RWLK), a manufacturer of robotic medical devices for individuals with lower limb disabilities, has donated one of its ReStore Exo-suits to the rehabilitation centre.
Brooks is located in Jacksonville, Florida, and the ReStore Exo-suit will be used by the therapy team in one of the specialized Neuro Recovery Centers to conduct gait training sessions with patients seeking post-stroke rehabilitation.
Brooks combines highly trained clinicians with the latest technologies to advance rehabilitation through innovation and research-based practices. The ReStore Exo-suit is a first of its kind technology which is designed to be versatile and adaptable, allowing it to be used with a broader range of a clinic’s stroke rehabilitation patients than previous robotic technologies.
“Being able to offer robotic assistance devices is especially important for patients and clinicians during the COVID-19 crisis to help support public health safety protocols,” said Larry Jasinski, ReWalk CEO. “Our ReStore exo-suit is an innovative solution for stroke patients, and we’re happy to deliver the device to a leading national care center known for adopting advanced care solutions to help serve their patients.”
“As a recognized leader in physical therapy for 50 years, Brooks’ sees technology not as a tool, but as a resource to help our clinicians achieve higher quality outcomes during a patient’s rehabilitation. Thanks to this donation, we are able to offer our patients additional options for their stroke recovery,” added Robert McIver, PT, DPT, NCS, Director of Clinical Technology at Brooks. | https://medium.com/basic-robot-news/stroke-survivors-to-use-robotics-exo-suit-c875f321c386 | ['Neil Martin'] | 2020-12-22 20:53:27.390000+00:00 | ['Robots', 'Exoskeleton Market', 'Robotics', 'Robotics Technology', 'Exoskeleton'] |
A Crash Course in Sequential Data Prediction using RNN and LSTM | A Crash Course in Sequential Data Prediction using RNN and LSTM
Learn data skills and how to apply them in the competitive finance industry to boost your portfolio with hands-on experience.
Statistics, machine learning, and deep learning skills have been growing in demand in the finance field over the past decade — ever since the global financial crisis of 2008. Firms actively seek employees with high mathematical and computing ability to model market risk, predict financial asset prices, and therefore mitigate their exposure to an economic downturn. Some well-known applications of data science in the finance industry include fraud detection, risk management, price prediction, and algorithmic trading.
Two tools that are imperative to these data science applications are recurrent neural networks (RNNs) and long short-term memory models (LSTMs), which are used to predict sequential data. The finance industry is going through a major revolution with the advent of deep learning and artificial intelligence — with competition getting tougher and companies scrambling to generate larger profits, the industry is shifting to using the latest technologies in AI to predict asset prices and manage the risk of their investment portfolios.
One way for you to try out RNNs and LSTMs and add them to your resume is by participating in bitgrit’s latest AI competition. bitgrit competitions are great to hone your skills in data prediction, and for this competition, the top three winners will be awarded cash prizes totaling $10,000. The competition draws data from the foreign exchange market, providing participants with economic index data and news data, which are prime candidates to practice using RNNs and LSTMs. For more information, you can sign up and check out the forex competition here.
Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs)
In a neural network, information passes through different layers where each layer contains nodes that process the data in different ways. This information eventually reaches the last layer to create a final output value. The number of layers in a neural network can vary the final output, and there is no heuristic as to what the optimum number of layers should be. These networks are quite adaptive and tend to learn and perform better than most machine learning algorithms.
Recurrent neural networks are a special type of neural network in which the output of a layer is fed back to the input layer multiple times in order to learn from the past data. Basically, the neural network is trying to learn data that follows a sequence. The three best examples for this would be:
Text-to-speech recognition
Predicting the next word in a sentence
Time series prediction
Basically, RNNs are great for natural language processing and time series tasks.
Currency price prediction naturally follows a time dimension. Financial time series show us patterns in the past that may help us to predict a future state, the same way that bitgrit’s latest AI competition asks its participants to predict the foreign exchange rate a month in the future. Instead of using machine learning, data scientists have used econometrics and time series analysis for predicting prices of financial products. While these techniques have been useful, modern computing power and the ability to gather high volumes of data have enabled the use of deep learning techniques for predicting prices.
RNN Function
Output of RNN at time t as a function of the state of the hidden layer (h) at time t given the weights and biases (theta)
h at time t is equal to a function of h at the previous time, the input at time t (x) given theta
There are many notations out there on how to mathematically represent the above, so do be aware without getting confused.
Recurrent neural networks remember what happened in the past, which influences what it will predict for the future. RNNs run in a loop when reaching the hidden layer until they learn the underlying relationship of the data.
What to watch out for in an RNN
The part of an RNN that may frustrate even the most savvy data scientist is the vanishing/exploding gradient problem. Simply put, an RNN faces this problem when given a long input-output sequence. Although powerful and accurate, recurrent neural networks have a problem of identifying the relationship between inputs in a sequence that are separated by a large space. In time series applications, RNNs may have a hard time modeling the relationship of two points in time that are far apart from each other.
This phenomenon is due to the chain rule of the backpropagation algorithm. Unless the partial derivatives of when computing backpropagation are all close to 1, their product will be either very small (i.e. vanishing) when partial derivatives are less than 1, or very large (i.e. exploding) when partial derivatives are more than 1.
To account for this phenomenon, long short-term memory models have risen in popularity.
Long Short Term Memory Models (LSTMs)
Unlike RNNs, LSTMs can remember longer periods of time. They are one of many variants of RNNs, but LSTMs have caught mainstream attention.
LSTMs allow the neural network to selectively remember and forget information and introduces gates that regulate the flow of information (namely, adding and removing information).
The resources below will help you implement and understand RNNs and LSTMs more in depth.
Also, both RNNs and LSTMs are computationally expensive and require more power than the standard user possesses. The following platforms may assist in analysis:
The finance industry is one of the pioneers in statistics, machine learning, and deep learning. Artificial intelligence will bring about new avenues for firms to increase their profitability and provide improved user experience. Within the realm of AI, RNNs and LSTMs are the de-facto algorithms for using deep learning to predict asset prices. As such, they are essential skills for any data scientist looking to work in the competitive finance field.
To learn more about bitgrit and their latest forex AI competition (ending soon on December 31), click here. | https://medium.com/bitgrit-data-science-publication/a-crash-course-in-sequential-data-prediction-using-rnn-and-lstm-c1a1eaf03463 | ['Asel Mendis'] | 2019-12-20 03:57:18.720000+00:00 | ['Deep Learning', 'Machine Learning', 'Predictive Analytics', 'Bitgrit', 'Statistics'] |
Spheroid Universe joins the VR/AR Association (VRARA) | Dear Community!
We are pleased to announce that Spheroid Universe has joined the VR/AR Association.
The VR/AR Association (VRARA) is an international organization designed to foster collaboration between innovative companies and brands, creating new contacts in the VR/AR ecosystem, that accelerates the growth and development of its members, conducts research and raises the level of education, helps develop industry standards, connects organizations and promote their services.
Membership in the organization will allow Spheroid Universe to start introducing a wide range of professional AR/VR/XR market participants to the platform’s project and its tools, to begin expert and practical interaction with industry professionals and brands, including ecosystem leaders. | https://medium.com/@spheroiduniverse/spheroid-universe-joins-the-vr-ar-association-vrara-db905eaa7a76 | ['Spheroid Universe'] | 2020-12-08 20:19:55.306000+00:00 | ['Vrara', 'VR', 'AR', 'Association', 'Partnerships'] |
Everything you have ever wanted to know about Marketing and Branding | Everything you have ever wanted to know about Marketing and Branding Subhamkumar Kapupara Jun 28·7 min read
In this article, I am going to talk about what is marketing and branding. This article will be useful for Entrepreneurs, Marketers, Freelancers, Mentors who want to know about marketing and branding in simple ways.
So let’s start….
Fundamentals of Marketing
Marketing is all about helping people in solving their problems by providing a solution at the right place at a right time.
Most people think that marketing depends on creativity but it is not true marketing is purely based on science.
Marketing is what you tell and how you tell it when you want to explain how amazing your product is and why people should buy it.
At a fundamental level, marketing is the process of understanding your customers, and building and maintaining great relationships with them.
Marketing is not about who can talk faster, or close better. It is about a deep psychological understanding of customer needs.
Marketing does not help only in selling products or services but it helps in creating a product or service which fits with the needs of the customers.
One should not fully focus on just marketing because if the product or service is not good then even if your marketing effort is good your product will sell for sometime but not after that.
A great product sells itself. It needs marketing initially but after that it can sell itself through word of mouth. Marketing just helps people to discover the product. For example: OnePlus, OYO, etc.
Marketing helps your business in Raising brand awareness, Generating traffic, Building trust and credibility in your brand, Increasing revenue, Tracking your progress, etc.
Now the most common and important types of marketing are traditional and digital marketing. So let’s see which type of marketing is better.
Digital Marketing or Traditional Marketing which is better?
Marketing can be in the form of T.V. ads, In the form of a brochure, A press release is mostly called a traditional form of marketing. And more recently, in the form of Facebook ads, Google ads, Youtube ads, Blogs, SEO, etc. mostly called as digital form of marketing (Digital marketing).
Now you might be thinking which type of marketing is better but the answer is both are good, both have some pros and cons.
In traditional marketing your T.V. ad can reach more no. of people as compared to Digital ads such as Facebook ads or Google ads.
But in digital marketing your ads can be shown only to specific target audiences who will become interested in your products or services but this doesn’t apply in traditional one because the T.V. ads can be seen by everyone even by those who’re not interested in what you offer.
Of course traditional marketing doesn’t mean it’s old fashioned. Traditional marketing still plays an important role in people’s lives with the ever growing need to step out of the digital world.
In the same way, digital marketing is just as important as traditional if not even more so. Digital marketing uses every touch point of your daily use of the internet to reach out to you.
Traditional marketing is impactful, memorable but hard to measure, expensive and there is no direct interaction.
Digital marketing is engaging, measurable, highly targeted but less permanent, potentially annoying and constantly evolving.
One of the examples of digital marketing you can see is of Mercedes-benz which is one of the top producing luxury vehicles and commercial vehicles. The company might have plenty of money, but it also leverages free digital marketing platforms like Instagram.
It has 32.8 million followers and an awesome engagement level.
In traditional marketing you may have seen the marketing campaigns of McDonald’s called “Pakka Indian”.
McDonald’s had launched a new flavor of masala grill burger and captioned it as “Pakka Indian.” To market this new variant to the target audience, a OOH (Out of Home) marketing campaign was used including different OOH media formats, like billboards, wall wraps, bus shelters, etc. Through this campaign, the brand was able to execute a message of “Masaledar” through different innovations at targeted audience center points.
So it truly depends on you where you want to spend money for marketing your products or services because both the types of marketing are good at their place.
Now that you know the fundamentals and types of marketing medium let us know how to convert a stranger into a customer by understanding CATT funnels.
Understanding CATT funnel
Before getting into the CATT funnel first let us know what basically a funnel is?
A funnel is the process of converting prospects into your customers.
It is a visual representation of the steps a visitor takes from first finding out about you until they convert. The marketing funnel is of four steps:
Content: You create useful content which provides valuable information that attracts people from your niche. Content can be in the form of Videos, Blogs, Webinars etc. You basically educate people by providing free valuable information. Attention: Prospect will see your blog, ads, videos, social media post or hear about you through referrals. Trust: Prospect will trust you as they see your content on a regular basis and also through nurturing him/her via email marketing, retargeting ads etc. They will think you can solve their problem. Transaction: Prospect will convert into customer by buying your product or service which will solve their problems.
One thing I forgot to mention is that you should first select a niche before proceeding with creating a CATT funnel. Because being in a specific niche will make people consider you as an expert in that field.
Now I am considering that you’ll choose digital marketing for your business as you’re just entering into marketing as a newbie. It is budget friendly as compared to traditional marketing.
You may run just a Facebook ads campaign or Google ads or just do SEO to generate leads and sales but doing it alone will not be that much effective in a long term approach.
So it is important to execute digital marketing in an integrated way rather than running different marketing campaigns alone. So here comes the topic called Integrated digital marketing.
Integrated Digital Marketing
Integrated digital marketing is, as it sounds, the integration of multiple marketing strategies to form a united online approach for your business.
The idea behind integrated digital marketing is that, while each individual strategy doesn’t have a huge impact on its own, when used in conjunction, you can create a more influential online presence.
It also saves a lot of time since you’re integrating different platforms at one place your time to make different campaigns reduces.
Now we should know why personal branding is as important as marketing.
Personal Branding
Personal branding refers to the process of establishing your public persona for your target audience. It involves communicating your values, beliefs, goals, and purpose.
Personal branding is important because it helps you to stand out from the crowd.
Also it leads to many opportunities such as getting your dream job, getting clients for your service, speaking assignments, paid promotions etc.
People will trust you more because of your personal brand.
If you want to be an entrepreneur or want to get a job, having a personal brand is very important.
Personal branding will help your audience to know what you do, what kind of person you are.
So to grow your personal brand you’ll need to create content to influence your audience.
What content should I create? This will be the question which will come to your mind.
So here I am sharing with you the blueprint called MassTrust for personal branding.
Here’s what you’ll need to do to create a strong personal brand.
Start learning new skills and practice it. Work for someone because with this you’ll implement things in the real world which you’ve learned. Write a blog of what you’ve learned and experienced through your work. By writing a blog you’ll start creating a personal brand. Now that you have experience and a brand, start consulting people in their business. Mentor people who want to be like you. By mentoring your understanding level will reach a whole new level. Start your own product or service based business with the experience and skills you have of the market.
In this way you can create a better personal brand.
So I hope you got a better understanding of marketing fundamentals, It’s main types, Which type of marketing would be better for you, CATT funnel, Integrated digital marketing and Personal branding.
So let me know in the comments how you’ll take action towards becoming a successful entrepreneur? Which niche you’ll choose for branding and which marketing channel do you prefer?
The above article is part of the Digital Deepak internship program. | https://medium.com/@subhamkapupara/everything-youve-ever-wanted-to-know-about-marketing-and-branding-65c4801e5fc0 | ['Subhamkumar Kapupara'] | 2021-06-29 14:04:06.956000+00:00 | ['Branding', 'Marketing', 'Traditional Marketing', 'Digital Marketing', 'Personal Branding'] |
What is technology? | Some standard definitions found –
- tech·nol·o·gy
1. The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, esp. in industry: “computertechnology”; “recycling technologies”.
Wikipedia — Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function
Look squirrel note — Somewhat cool look at future laptop technology
Technology is derived from the Greek words, techne and logos .
Techne meaning art or craft
Logos signifies discourse or organized words
The practice of technology is frequently that of an art or craft, as distinguished from science, which is precise and is based upon established theoretical considerations and formal processes.
Let us all state that again the word technology means to craft a manner to organize words.
Replace craft with create and words with data.
So, while there are a google of definitions on Google, for me — technology is creating a manner to organize data to provide knowledge.
Examples are –
Your mobile device connects you via text, voice and/or video DATA
Your business application systems (ERP, CRM, BI, etc…) combines text and other file data (soon it should have voice and video) and should be organizing that data to answer questions providing knowledge on business decisions
Your Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and now Google+ accounts collects or receives input DATA from and about you and your connections, then provides you and your connections that knowledge of your (and mine surely) mundane activities, likes/dislikes, and so on.
All the latest web/mobile based apps are about DATA, with the push for geographic information systems to check-in, show coupons and so on to give you knowledge of what is in your surroundings.
Thus, I contend that technology is now is creating a manner to organize data to provide knowledge.
Now, for you business people let me make a point beyond just my pontificating about my thoughts on the definition of technology.
You NEED a data focused person. Call them a database developer/analyst/programmer/engineer, BUT NOT DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR.
The DBA provides operational service and support for the server, but the developer role is focused on the data and how best to move that data around to provide the knowledge to the business.
Whether that be in a business intelligence tool
Or integrating with your customers or suppliers systems
Or most importantly measuring the quality of that data.
Yes, I said it — you need to care and focus your attention with a full-time role to track, measure and report to the executive level the QUALITY of your data.
Data — meaning the knowledge you make ALL your business decisions on, after your gut of course.
Why would you not be able to justify in your mind and budget that role?
Now a tip on hiring this role, creating requires a type of personality and mindset that is open to non-linear thought processes and limited in how much they judge things or people.
A linear thinking person who is strong in judgment or thing and people should go into accounting, engineering or politics.
The low judgment factor has them very accepting that there are different approaches to solving a single problem.
So improve your knowledge by using technology by hiring a crafty creative database developer. | https://medium.com/convergence-business-technology-and-the-people-who/what-is-technology-b395f58560d6 | ['Paul Oliver'] | 2017-01-07 00:37:47.082000+00:00 | ['Facebook', 'Database', 'Business Tech', 'Business Intelligence', 'Developer'] |
Sensibo Air review: Make your air conditioner smarter and more efficient | The new Sensibo Air smart air-conditioner controller is a major advance over Sensibo’s earlier and very good Sensibo Sky product. The improvement is achieved in large measure by including a secondary sensor (called the Room Sensor) that augments the temperature and humidity sensors in the main unit.
The Room Sensor, however, can also detect motion (more on that later). In addition to targeting the specific space you’re occupying in the room, the combination of the Sensibo Air and the Sensibo Room Sensor will save energy by turning your self-contained air conditioner off when you’re not in the room.
This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best smart thermostats, where you’ll find reviews of competing products, plus a buyer’s guide to the features you should consider when shopping.What using the Sensibo Air is likeAfter using the new product for several weeks, I can see that Sensibo has learned a great deal following the release of the Sensibo Sky. Refinements are apparent in both the app and in the hardware. The Sensibo Air is also compatible with a wider variety of window-mounted, portable, and ductless/mini-split air conditioners than the earlier product.
Mentioned in this article Cielo Breez Plus Read TechHive's reviewproduct-id="1444506" data-bkc="HomeTech" data-bkmfr="CieloWiGleInc" data-vars-bkmfr="CieloWiGleInc" data-bkvndr="" data-vars-bkvndr="" data-amazon-ajax-link="true" data-amazon-ajax-link-loaded="false" data-amazon-ajax-link-asin="B07MPG1Y23" data-amazon-ajax-link-subtag="US-003-3573071-005-1444506-web-20">See it If your unit has a remote control, the Sensibo Air should be able to control it (the earlier Sensibo Sky required the air-conditioner’s existing remote to have a display). To be sure the Air will work with your unit, you can type in its make and model on Sensibo’s website.
The Sensibo Air is smaller than the Sensibo Sky, and like that unit, it can be mounted on the wall or set on a shelf within sight of your air conditioner. It depends on a USB power adapter, however, so the primary unit must be located within reach of an outlet. The Sensibo Room Sensor is slightly smaller and can likewise be wall mounted or set on any horizontal surface, but it runs on a pair of AAA batteries and communicates with the Air via Bluetooth LE. While the Air has an attractive industrial design, the Room Sensor looks a bit cheap—Sensibo would do well to take a page out of Ecobee’s design book on that score.
Jason D’Aprile / IDG This Room Sensor is easily the Sensibo Air’s best feature.
The Sensibo Air is efficientHumidity levels play a big role in personal comfort, and the ability of both sensors to measure humidity allows you to control the level of moisture in your interior climate, not just its ambient temperature. Only the Room Sensor has a motion detector, though.
Jason D’Aprile / IDG The Sensibo Air app can control just about every aspect of your stand-alone air conditioner.
Setting the system up was a relatively quick process. The system connects to your Wi-Fi network and it has a single-band (2.4GHz) Wi-Fi adapter, which can be a problem if that spectrum is super crowded in your environment.
The trouble I had, however, was getting the Air to pair with my air-conditioner’s remote. I had to go through that part of the setup several times before the two would sync. You’ll need to download Sensibo’s app, create an account, and then link the Air and the secondary sensor to the app. The next step is the one I had trouble with: getting the Air to pair with my air-conditioner’s remote.
Once everything is installed, you can set up an impressive array of operational scenarios, from establishing a detailed schedule that keeps the room at specific temperatures at various times of the day and night, to simply having the AC kick on when you enter the room.
Geofencing is also supported, so that you can set your air conditioner to turn off when you leave home (with your cellphone) and turn on when you return. Sensibo also supports Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can monitor and control things with voice commands. The Sensibo Air itself does not have a user interface or any physical controls.
The Sensibo Air is a good investmentThe Sensibo Air certainly isn’t the least expensive air conditioner controller on the market. Its $199 asking price is a full $50 higher than the Sensibo Sky; it also costs more than the Cielo Breez Plus that I reviewed in July. All that said, the Sensibo Air justifies is price tag with its build quality, feature set, and that very slick Room Sensor.
Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details. | https://medium.com/@Jack76354173/sensibo-air-review-make-your-air-conditioner-smarter-and-more-efficient-6e234080e3b | [] | 2020-09-18 11:38:52.100000+00:00 | ['Services', 'Connected Home', 'Mobile', 'Chromecast'] |
Naviatx doesn’t need Pfizer! | How does a startup beat the odds…. and the Rona?
The quickest answer is it builds an A-team!
Let us share with you our latest updates and how Naviatx is building the next success story and case study for business schools in the region.
In order for Naviatx to scale and capture market share rapidly, our CEO identified that we must start by securing a world-class advisory board and establish access to top-tier and timely support. This is why Naviatx:
Won a $5k pitching competition provided by Al-Quds Business Center.
Has made great progress in developing our Minimum Viable Product, a downloadable version of our mobile application.
Is in discussion with legal partners that will support us beyond the initial establishment of the legal documents.
Is finalizing a sponsorship agreement with Finbloom. A leading Palestinian financial management solutions company that will offer us full access to their team of experts to ensure the most optimal use of funds and financial compliance for future fundraising rounds.
Is negotiating with Lok Incubator, a Kansas-City-based incubator, that offers support in tech development and access to European Union grants as well as connections with UAE high-executives in Dubai Media City for future sponsorship.
What’s coming up for Naviatx?
Finalize agreement and negotiations with Lok Incubator and set up a development plan.
Sign a letter of engagement with a legal partner.
Incorporating the company as a Delaware C Corp. Read more on why Delaware C.
Identify the first 2 insurance companies to be targeted for a pilot program to ensure proof of concept and create traction.
Start implementing our hiring plan which introduces a balance between headhunting, fresh grads and interns.
Our hearts go to those affected and damaged by the Coronavirus. We do not aim to underestimate the effects of the pandemic we are going through but the contrary. We hope this newsletter gives us all hope that we can still create, build, and overcome in hopes that we can all get to roam freely again soon.
Best regards,
Naviatx team | https://medium.com/@hamzeh-ghosheh/naviatx-doesnt-need-pfizer-fe1d0ba09717 | ['Hamzeh Ghosheh'] | 2020-12-27 21:34:33.016000+00:00 | ['Startup', 'Newsletter', 'Investing', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Machine Learning'] |
Muthuswami Dikshithar | Virtual Music Club | Nadhajyothi Muthuswami Dikshithar was a South Indian Poet , Singer and Veena Player and a legendary composer of Indian Classical Music , who is considered one of the Musical Trinity of Carnatic Music.
Nadhajyothi Muthuswami Dikshithar was a South Indian Poet , Singer and Veena Player and a legendary composer of Indian Classical Music , who is considered one of the Musical Trinity of Carnatic Music.
Muthuswami Dikshithar was born in Tiruvarur near Thanjavur .He was the eldest son of the composer Ramaswami Dikshitar.He learnt the Vedas, Poetry , Music and Astrology from his father.
He had two brothers Chinnaswamy and Balaswamy and a sister Balamba.
Muthuswami Dikshithar moved to Manali near Chennai with Venkatakrishna Mudaliar , a local Zamindar. The Dikshitar brothers went to Fort St.George where they were introduced to Western Orchestral Music and the Violin .
An Ascetic named Chidambara Natha Yogi took Muthuswami with him to Varanasi. There he was instructed in Music Esoterics , Philosophy and Yoga. He was also exposed to Hindustani Classical Music, particularly the Dhrupad Style , which according to some scholars influenced his later compositions.
After the death of his Guru Chidambara Natha Yogi , he returned to Tirutani as per his Guru’s instruction . It is believed that Lord Murugan placed a piece of sugar candy in his mouth and commanded him to sing. From then onwards he started adopting the Mudra GURU GUHA one of the many names of Murugan.
His first composition was “ Sree Nathadi Guru Guho Jayathi Jayathi “ in the raga Mayamalava Gaula set to Adi Tala
Watch Now: https://youtu.be/Qrq4Tu40bx4
https://youtu.be/VjJ7fPKL_Sk | https://medium.com/@techsarigaclub/muthuswami-dikshithar-e7be0c9019b | ['Techsariga Club- Make Music Online'] | 2019-09-24 10:13:39.148000+00:00 | ['Online Music', 'Technology', 'Songs', 'Music', 'Online Music Club'] |
you were away | it’s impossible not to fall in love with you
but i though you didn’t like me
you didn’t like girls
and i was scared
of what you would think of me
all I wanted was to be your friend
i didn’t want to ruin anything
i was scared it would
so i ignored it until I thought it went
away
but it didn’t
and i still love you
and i don’t know what to do about it
though i’ve only ever hidden my feelings
i want to be near you
all the time
but you were
away | https://medium.com/@emufriend/away-505770cdc673 | [] | 2020-12-21 14:41:28.471000+00:00 | ['Sad Poetry', 'Poem A Day', 'Poetry', 'LGBT'] |
Goals to Accomplish! #JustStart | Yes, you might be thinking right, poverty!. Unfortunately, we live in a country where poverty is continuously rising with the passage of time. The government has tried much to control it much but they usually fail. There are many people that have started their own organizations/NGOs to help fight poverty and other problems of the needy people ones.
Every single human being who has humanity left in his heart and soul feels for others when he sees someone else in a tough or bad situation. I also wanted to change the situation we are living in right now. People are being hopeless, demotivated and most of them quit at times. I want to be their hope and their motivation that there’s still life left and there are many people left who help others.
The situation of giving your valuable/precious thing to others is something great, people might think they are welfare worker but at the time of giving, they usually become selfish and sometimes mean.
I have been taking an active part in doing welfare work. Sometimes we collect money and give food to poor people. At times we go to a shelter home. This time since the temperature of Karachi is dropping down, our team initiated a winter cloth drive. Where I donated many clothes while taking out some of my personal there was a point “No! I wear this, I will wear it”, but I left this behind and donated them. | https://medium.com/@muhammad-qasim175/goals-to-accomplish-juststart-8ec03952cae7 | ['Muhammad Qasim'] | 2020-12-18 14:31:31.778000+00:00 | ['Poverty', 'Just Start'] |
Protsahan Covid-19 Emergency Relief | On January 21, Riya Bhatia, founder of Virya Foundation, led a Dance Movement Therapy Workshop at the Fremont Senior Center. The workshop, started with a short meditation to center the room and bring participants minds to the present moment. She then explained the benefits of DMT and how she uses Kathak to help individuals improve physical and emotional wellbeing. She also performed a dance sequence to showcase Kathak Yoga, demonstrating the therapeutic elements of Kathak.
The seniors at the center were mesmerized by Bhatia’s elegant performance. Smiles and applause filled the room. Afterwards, many seniors donated to Virya Foundation which raised more than $250. This money was sent to Protsahan Indian Foundation’s Emergency Relief for daily wagers to deliver dry ration relief packs directly to families drastically affected by Covid-19. Each relief package contains 10 kg wheat flour, 10 kg rice, 1 liter cooking oil, salt, spices, sugar, soap, and detergent, and costs Rs. 1120 ($14.86) per pack. Virya Foundation was able to help about 18 families through the money they raised from the workshop at the Senior Center.
If you would like to donate to Protsahan Indian foundation, please visit http://covid19.viryafoundation.com/ to see how you can support families during these unprecedented times. Every donation helps! | https://medium.com/@viryafoundation/protsahan-covid-19-emergency-relief-87963bd63d80 | ['Virya Foundation'] | 2020-05-23 20:22:01.505000+00:00 | ['Covid 19', 'Support', 'Dance'] |
Buy Cheap Fish Tanks- A Better Reality | Fish tanks are a sure shot way to enhance the beauty of the room. There are different types of fish tanks in the market which might suit your room or design. One tank is not suitable for everyone as you can try more from Exotic Fish Shop. When going to choose a fish tank through Exotic Fish For Sale, you might find numerous retailers in the market. Many colorful shops are solely based on providing fish tanks; whereas some fish sellers also have the facility to Buy Exotic Fish on the spot. Many retailers would have told you that you should stay away from cheap fish tanks.
Many people would try to trick you into believing that these are cheaper because the glass or acrylic used is of low quality. Some might trap inexperienced fish owners by saying that the fish would service longer and better in an expensive aquarium. Even if you try to argue with them that the other retailer was selling the same item at a cheaper rate, they will dismiss you by saying that the quality would be different. If you are still not satisfy, you can Buy Live Fish Online.
The price of Exotic Aquarium Fish mainly depends on two things; one of them is its size. The size that you want depends upon your room and where you want to place it. You should choose Exotic Freshwater Fish according to your interior design. Just because you have spent a lot in that room does not mean that you have to do that with the fish tank. No need to spend a lot of money, since nobody will be able to tell the difference between an expensive and a cheap Live Fish For Sale Online. You should firstly consider the size you want and choose the aquarium on the basis of that. Ask for the opinion of the decorator and reference from him.
Also, the choice of the right Blue Arowana For Sale depends upon the location. You should decide what type of color and design would suit the surrounding environment. It is necessary that you choose the place which is commonly used. So, that it is properly maintained. Keeping it in the far corner of the house, might result in you forgetting to feed the Electric Blue Jack Dempsey. The place should have enough capacity to move and properly install the fish tanks.
The only other thing that can affect the price is the thickness of the glass. You can also choose an acrylic fish tank. This is just because the cost to acquire them is more. If you plan on buying a big sea animal then you need a thicker tank. Any excess amount charged is just profit and just goes into the pockets of the seller. That is why it is better to opt for Gulper Catfish.
Once you go to buy fish tanks, just keep these factors in mind. Make sure you understand the fact that a good fish tank is not judged by its price. It is decided on what you need and expect from it. So, do not get confused by the words of some crafty seller looking to make easy money.
Visit us https://exoticfishshop.net/ | https://medium.com/@exoticfishshop12/fish-tanks-are-a-sure-shot-way-to-enhance-the-beauty-of-the-room-c5deb8433483 | [] | 2019-04-01 07:58:35.732000+00:00 | ['Ocean'] |
Android Data-Binding Made Simple | Learning Android Development
Android Data-Binding Made Simple
Assigning Data and get UI Updated Automatically
Photo by Tamanna Rumee on Unsplash
Data Binding in Android has been introduced since 2015. However, due to it’s boilerplate, it is not as commonly used as one desired. Nonetheless, still good to know how it works.
To know how Data Binding is different from the conventional way, let’s look at the conventional way a little
Conventional View Update
We have an XML
<TextView
android:id="@+id/text_id"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent" />
And in the code, we’ll have to access to the text_id and update it.
val myTextModal = getTextFromLogic() val textView = findViewById(R.id.text_id)
textView.text = myTextModal
Note here, we have myTextModal is instantiated in the code instead of XML.
Data Binding View Update
To enable DataBinding, first, we’ll need to turn it on using the below in the app’s build.gradle file.
buildFeatures {
dataBinding = true
}
The XML side
Instead of instantiating the modal in the code, the modal is instantiated in the XML instead.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<layout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<data>
<variable
name="myTextModal"
type="String" />
</data>
<TextView
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:text="@{myTextModal}" />
</layout>
To do so, we’ll have to
Define an outer layer layout over the entire XML code. Then followed by data wrapping around the modal. Then update the TextView by referring to the modal using @{myTextModal}
The Code Side
Here, it is simplified without the need to access the View Item anymore.
But it will need to access the Modal in the XML, and also have a different way to inflate the layout.
private lateinit var binding: ActivityMainBinding override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
binding = DataBindingUtil.setContentView(
this, R.layout.activity_main)
binding.myTextModal = getTextFromLogic()
}
In short, it is moving the modal into the XML, which make the code doesn’t need to access the View Item anymore.
XML Communicate back to Code
Sometimes other than having assign variable from the code to the XML, we need the XML to respond back.
To demonstrate that, I’m getting the same design here to illustrate this. The design is to provide some image URL to be loaded into the ImageView.
In the XML
Here we define the usual Modal and the View
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<layout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<data>
<variable
name="imageUrl"
type="com.elyeproj.demoglide.ImageUrl" />
</data>
<ImageView
android:id="@+id/my_image_view"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:src="@{imageUrl}" />
</layout>
Notice we are sending the ImageUrl over to the ImageView .
So what is ImageUrl ? It is just
data class ImageUrl(
val fastLoadUrl: String,
val fullImageUrl: String,
val listener: MyImageRequestListener.Callback
)
So how could that be an image loaded?
In the code
Before we look into that, we look into how it is setup
class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity(),
MyImageRequestListener.Callback {
private lateinit var binding: ActivityMainBinding
override fun onFailure(message: String?) {
// Do something on failure
}
override fun onSuccess(dataSource: String) {
// Do something on success
}
override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
binding = DataBindingUtil.setContentView(
this, R.layout.activity_main)
binding.imageUrl = ImageUrl(
"https://theFastLoadUrl~",
"https://theFullImageUrl~",
this
)
}
}
That’s the part that send ImageUrl over to the XML.
Upon receiving the ImageURL , the XML will be able to connect back to load the image using the below code
@BindingAdapter("android:src")
fun setImageUrl(view: ImageView, imageUrl: ImageUrl?) {
imageUrl?.let {
val requestOption = RequestOptions()
.placeholder(R.drawable.placeholder).centerCrop()
Glide.with(view.context).load(it.fullImageUrl)
.transition(
DrawableTransitionOptions.withCrossFade())
.thumbnail(Glide.with(view.context)
.load(it.fastLoadUrl)
.apply(requestOption))
.apply(requestOption)
.listener(MyImageRequestListener(it.listener))
.into(view)
}
}
Notice that it @BindingAdaptor to android:src , so that when the ImageView get data within the android:src , it will call this function and provide the view for use.
Do note that the setImageUrl need to be a static function or a global function accessible by the XML directly.
You can get the code here. | https://medium.com/mobile-app-development-publication/android-data-binding-made-simple-e857ca70f92c | [] | 2020-12-19 06:22:19.782000+00:00 | ['Mobile App Development', 'App Development', 'Android', 'AndroidDev', 'Android App Development'] |
RiCI Honors Veterans | In recognition of the upcoming 242nd birthday of the United States Marines Corp and Veterans Day, a large group of RiCI offenders celebrated with a banquet, highlighting the five military branches. Offenders in attendance were educated on the history of the Veterans Day. A host of offenders were commended for their service to our country, as many attendees were US Veterans.
The ceremony was coordinated by the SMART program. The SMART program (Structured Military Advanced Readiness Training) was established at RiCI in 2015 as an extension of the IVA (Incarcerated Veterans of America). The group consists of men who’ve made a daily commitment towards living a disciplined, principled, structured lifestyle.
During the course of the festivities, the IVA conducted an impressive drill team routine. Four of the military branches of government were well represented by RiCI offenders attending the banquet.
Multiple speakers in attendance spoke during the banquet about taking pride in past service. Those speakers included Air National Guard Nick Alexander, Retired US Marine Ryan Legg, RiCI Captain Robert Benedict and RiCI Corrections Officer James Jamerson. Jamerson has retired from the US Army and has been awarded with two Purple heart awards during his service.
The veterans were all acknowledged by the keynote speakers and the reminded that being a Veteran can never be taken away from them. Former military service wasn’t required to attend the banquet, however those attending have dedicating themselves to live their lives according to a military based life-style and maintain a positive disciplinary record while incarcerated. | https://medium.com/drc-insider/rici-honors-veterans-f45c25e19513 | [] | 2017-11-13 16:04:24.864000+00:00 | ['Prison', 'Military', 'Veterans'] |
Boost Your Productivity As A Programmer With These Tools! | Programming is a job that requires you to be really productive. If you do not use the correct tools for productivity, there is a good chance that you will end up wasting a lot of time, which could have been spent on some other work. In this article, we will be discussing the top tools that you can use for increasing your productivity as a developer.
1. Trello
By far the best todo application yet created, Trello is an amazing tool for all programmers to organize their workflow. If you use it correctly, then Trello can actually boost your productivity a lot. Have you ever felt the need for a boost every morning so that you can keep yourself motivated? Well, I sure have. Trello has a good design and overall satisfies me with its amazing and intuitive UI. I not only organize my work and get a list of things to work with, but also, I get that extra motivation which I always like to have. I hope that you find this tool really useful. You can check it out here.
2. Firebase
If you have ever struggled with setting up the back-end of a website, because you are a front end developer, firebase is ideal for you. I have found myself using it all the time in my front end projects because it is so powerful!
Firebase offers several different features, some of them are:
Easy authentication
Deploying your website
Cloud functions
Machine learning
Database
To name a few.
And also, guess what? It is all for free! At least, to a certain limit. Although, their limit is quite generous, and you do not need to worry about it until you hit a very high benchmark.
Firebase is a boon to programmers, and I highly recommend checking out our clone blogs where we explain them in detail here, and if you are interested, then make sure to check out our authentication with firebase blog here.
3. VS Code and its extensions
One of the most popular and loved text editors, vs code is one of the best tools for programmers. I highly recommend any programmer to use vs code, regardless of whether they use java, c++, python, JavaScript, or any other language. It is so powerful and you seriously do not have to worry about anything else if you have some of its best extensions. From anything between creating the base layout of a react file to formatting your whole code, vs code and its extensions have got your back. I am pretty sure that most of the developers today are using either vs code, sublime text, or atom. In my opinion, vs code is the best text editors because of the amazing community that it has and because of the extensions. To learn more about these extensions, go check this “5 Visual Studio Code Extensions Developers Need in 2020” blog out here.
4. A good mouse and keyboard
As a developer, your keyboard and your mouse are the two things that you spend the most amount of time on. If you have a really bad keyboard, then it is a good idea to buy a new one as soon as you can. After all, it is the mode of communication for you and the computer. If you invest in a good keyboard, you do start to type faster and your fingers do not hurt as much as they used to. You can feel the difference and trust me, that will be worth it.
Regarding the mouse, well, most people do not even consider the mouse to be essential, but when you start to design things or work with huge pieces of code, then you start to see the use of one. I used to be the person who didn’t think that a mouse would be an essential asset for me until I bought one. It is much better to use a mouse than a touchpad while selecting things and surfing stack overflow. These are some assets that do pay off in time and will help you save up a lot of time. Do not be afraid to invest in a high-quality keyboard. You could get a wired mouse, but I have worked with a wired and a wireless mouse. The biggest benefit of a wireless mouse is avoiding the extra clutter of wires on your desk. This again is a personal preference, but you should consider a wireless mouse if you are like me, who likes to keep stuff clean.
5. An external monitor.
If you would have asked me a month ago about getting a better monitor, I would have cringed and said that I don’t need one. I think that this is the case with most developers. It does seem to be okay to work on a smaller screen, but once you work on a bigger screen, you start to see the difference.
There are numerous advantages of a big screen, and one of them is that you can have your code editor open on one side, a browser open on the other, a terminal that is lying in the corner, and also, your Spotify on one corner, and still have no problem at all. This is not possible on a small screen, and even if you do manage to get all this fit, you will most likely have a lot of problems dealing with the clutter. A large screen always improves your workflow as a programmer. If you can, then I would recommend going for a laptop with a big display. But say that you are a person who travels a lot. Personally, I do go to my friends’ place sometimes to code along with him, and a big laptop screen will not be handy in that case. Well, for you, I think that a decent-sized monitor and a 13-inch laptop would be perfect so that whenever you are at home, you can connect your laptop to a monitor, and if you wanna go out, then that laptop won’t bother you. An external monitor does boost your productivity and saves time because now, you no longer need to keep switching between your windows, and you can have everything in one place.
These were the five tools you can use to improve your workflow as a developer and save up a lot of time too. I hope that you found value in this article. Make sure to drop your suggestions and thoughts in the comment section!
Thank you
Priyanshu Saraf | https://medium.com/cleverprogrammer/boost-your-productivity-as-a-programmer-with-these-tools-3e38b718f7ac | ['Priyanshu Saraf'] | 2020-11-04 17:59:37.424000+00:00 | ['Work', 'Productivity', 'Clever Programmer', 'Programming'] |
My Autistic Experience with Nagata Kabi | Nagata Kabi is a very atypical manga artist. For one thing, she publishes her work on Pixiv and other social media platforms, outside of the world of demographic-oriented anthology magazines that spawn most of the manga which makes it over to the West. Nagata’s work is also unusual in that it’s autobiographical, a genre experimented with by some of manga’s pioneers (such as Shigeru Mizuki’s war memoirs) but mostly pushed out of the commercial space. While most manga is published in black and white, she includes splashes of colour, mostly pink.
But even without these commercial caveats, Nagata’s work would still be distinctive. She writes from a brutally honest, marginal perspective. She’s a young, socially-maladjusted woman who struggles to adapt to the world of work and social relations. Nagata is frank about her mental illness as well as her homosexuality, two subjects which are still taboo in Japan. Instead of discussing these issues issues moralistically, Nagata delves deep into her own psyche and thought process.
Autobiographical comics are, however, a long tradition in North American alternative comics, going back to the pioneering work of Justin Green and continued into the 1980s and 90s by people like Harvey Pekar, Art Spiegelman, Joe Matt and Julie Doucet. There are still people doing autobiographical comics in North America, and good ones, but I think of Nagata as the unlikely heir to this tradition: creating unvarnished tell-all stories that express the secret, unflattering desires and feelings that readers might relate to but not want to admit to.
Much of the Western reception for Nagata’s first memoir, My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, focused on its depiction of Nagata’s lesbianism. It was often paired with the first volume of My Brother’s Husband, the manga which confirmed that Anderson Cooper loves musclebound Canadian men. But whereas My Brother’s Husband is largely about the question of tolerance for homosexuality, Nagata’s real concern is on the other two nouns: experience and loneliness.
Nagata’s follow-up work, thus far released in two volumes in English, continues this focus, as signaled by the title My Solo Exchange Diary. In essence, she revives a childhood tradition of writing pen-pal letters to herself: an expression of fundamental loneliness, of crafting an ersatz version of the relationships you wish you had. We return briefly to the lesbian escort agency from the previous volume, but the story deals chiefly with Nagata’s strained relationship with her family, who she moves in and out with.
I’m not someone who generally reads books to relate to them — I prefer a kind of baroque formal remove. But these books strike me to the core. Like Nagata, I’ve spent my adult life shuttling between tiny one-occupant apartments and parents’ spare bedrooms. I’ve always found human interaction somewhat baffling. As a teenager, I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, which is now just called being on the autism spectrum — although I don’t like to think of myself as autistic or disabled. I’ve also had my own struggles with depression since adolescence.
I spend a lot of time by myself, and a lot of time in my own head. Like Nagata, I’m well aware of the toxicity of my own thought processes, but find myself helplessly beholden to them. I share this disconnect she feels with other people, and the way she finds others’ thoughts and feelings utterly opaque — even friends and family.
The push-pull relationship Nagata has with her parents was also familiar to me. Her in-text persona moves in and out with her parents, torn between the desire for independence and the longing for their approval and affection. This is also a struggle I’ve had, although financial and cultural differences change the character of it somewhat. Maybe being autistic, or being depressed, or both, is constantly feeling uncomfortable with the social categories and requirements of being either a child or adult.
A casual reading of My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness could lead one to think that Nagata’s coming to grips with her own sexuality resolved her issues with anxiety and depression. What’s so valuable about My Solo Exchange Diary is that it shows how mental health is an ongoing, perhaps unending struggle. Nagata experiences some of her worst problems, including a bout of depressive alcoholism that leads to her hospitalization, after she “comes out” and has some romantic success.
The kind of celebrity confessionals we see around World Mental Health Day and similar awareness-based holidays always ring hollow to me. What do I care if Howie Mandel has depression? The rich and famous telling me it gets better doesn’t help people like me for whom it empathetically isn’t. If anything, it makes my own struggles feel alien to me, like they too have been taken over by the media like so much else. The cutesy mental health stuff you see on Twitter doesn’t appeal to me either — a cartoon character saying “you’re great and you’re going to be okay” just makes me think “if they knew me, they’d never say that.” But somehow, when Nagata Kabi shows how she struggles despite having success as a manga artist, it feels real and convincing to me.
But then again, what is the use of identification? Nagata’s work doesn’t offer me a solution to my problems — she doesn’t even have a solution to hers. Even if we’re of similar age, the gap between a white straight Canadian guy who charitably calls himself a freelance writer and a Japanese lesbian manga artist means I can’t exactly retrace her steps. (Somehow I think that visiting an escort agency wouldn’t be seen as positive a solution for me, although Chester Brown might disagree.) So what good does reading these comics and going “I feel that” do?
In the end, it does make me happier — or at least less lonely. I feel less alien, less like my thought processes are fundamentally wrong. I gain a bit of a vocabulary for talking about that strange inner circuitry. And maybe that’s all art can aspire to. | https://projectrob.medium.com/my-autistic-experience-with-nagata-kabi-7ce20ec59e97 | ['Rob Hutton'] | 2019-11-15 12:39:34.198000+00:00 | ['Comics', 'Manga', 'Mental Health', 'Autism'] |
OpenAQ Impact Story | FILLING IN KEY DATA GAPS: PLATFORM CONTRIBUTIONS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE
By Chisato Calvert, Deputy Director of OpenAQ
This is the first story within a broader contributors series featuring OpenAQ Community members and their impact.
Just as the world’s tallest skyscrapers require strong foundations from which to be built, the most effective solutions to combat air pollution require access to data. While the data-sharing infrastructure is invisible, we believe that it is foundational for solving one of the biggest environmental health threats of our time.
There is a common misconception that you need to be an “air quality expert” to fight air inequality. OpenAQ firmly believes that it takes a variety of expertise to more effectively create change in communities across the globe. This contributors series highlights impact profiles of key contributors that have played an integral role in ensuring that air quality data is made openly available to the public in the collective fight against air inequality.
Impact Profile: Andrew Harvey
The devastating 2019–2020 Australian bushfire season destroyed over 25 million acres of land and destroyed over 3,000 homes. The fires also prompted the worst air quality in the country’s history, with PM2.5 levels reaching nearly 200µg/m3 in parts of Sydney and Canberra. Eager to better understand the correlation between bushfire smoke and its health effects, Andrew Harvey, a computer scientist based in Sydney began looking into the air quality data that was available in New South Wales.
PM2.5 levels in Canberra reach over 200 µg/m3. New York Times. Source: Berkeley Earth.
“Prior to the fires, I didn’t really know what PM2.5 was. There was a lot of smoke throughout the city, but it seemed like many people didn’t know that they could be directly impacted by this transboundary smoke. I started looking into it and did some research on what kind of data is available and found that it was affecting the New South Wales community at-large,” Harvey explained.
Unlike in the U.S., where the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversees a ground monitoring air quality network across the country on a national scale, in Australia, air quality monitoring is conducted by each state. According to Harvey, the lack of a centralized data infrastructure makes it difficult to access and utilize the data to examine the transboundary nature of air pollution as the winds carried the smoke across state borders.
“The trick is, you can find air quality sources from each government site, but it can be time intensive to compare data from across the different sites. Each set of air quality data is located in a different place and available in a different format — it’s really challenging to work with such disaggregated data,” Harvey explained.
As Harvey continued to explore different global air quality data platforms, he discovered OpenAQ, a platform that he saw as a streamlined infrastructure that made global air quality data easily accessible to the broader public.
“The OpenAQ platform is so much easier to work with because all of the data is in one place in one standardized format, all available open-source. The fact that OpenAQ makes this data open is great,” Harvey remarked.
When Harvey noticed that most of the data from Australia was missing on the OpenAQ platform, and he reached out to the OpenAQ community on Slack and Github and began adding government-grade data onto the platform. Having learned that the air quality data in Australia was governed under an open license under the Creative Commons attribution, Harvey saw this as an opportunity to make Australia’s air quality data available to the broader public, so that people around the globe could utilize the data to better understand air quality and raise public awareness, particularly in preparation for climate disasters including bushfires to come in the future. Harvey added the data from 50 air quality monitoring stations in Australia onto the OpenAQ platform.
Air quality data stations in Australia that have been added to the OpenAQ Platform by Andrew Harvey. Source: OpenAQ
For Harvey, this was an important opportunity to pave the way toward data transparency in the collective fight against air inequality.
“I wanted to contribute by adding air quality data from Australia, so hopefully that data lives on, and other people can find utility in it to create effective solutions,” Harvey concluded. | https://medium.com/@openaq/openaq-impact-story-58321c525a2d | [] | 2020-10-27 19:37:56.933000+00:00 | ['Air Quality', 'Bushfires In Australia', 'Open Data'] |
Heart and Love | Airofeast | His chances of survival were good, but…
Dr. Aditi was unable to sleep that night, from morning she was feeling as if she needed to know something.
Dr. Aditi received a call, she rushed to save her patient, a doctor by profession, Aditi is a 60-year-old lady.
She needs to save this 25-year-old Arnav, a soldier in Indian Army, he has got a bullet hit into his heart.
Dr.Aditi started rushing towards the hospital in her car, it was raining heavily.
She was driving the car furiously, and her heart was skipping the beats. The windscreen wiper was swiping water on her car’s screen rapidly.
‘Don’t go, please don’t go Arnav.’
Heart and Love | Airofeast
She was profusely sweating, and removing hair locks from her face which were falling on her cheeks as she was moving them behind her left ear with her fingers.
Water logged in the entire area, and she started slowing down, as her memories shuffled forty years back.
Dr. Aditi had just joined the Army Hospital. And she was asked to closely work with Dr. Akhil, who was a heart specialist. Akhil was a very jovial doctor. He never let Aditi feel, that she was a junior to him.
Dr. Akhil, being a heart specialist, always said- ‘Keep your heart big, and you can gift it to someone, someday.’…
To Read Full Article, Please click on the link given below:
Keep Supporting People. | https://medium.com/@airofeast/heart-and-love-airofeast-9f94d47efba3 | ['Tuli Das'] | 2021-03-18 12:19:56.559000+00:00 | ['Heart And Love', 'Heart', 'Lovestory', 'Love', 'Doctors'] |
Image Edge Detection — A Simple Approach | Hey.. meaning to create a story here for while. This is a program created as part of Georgia Tech MS program to perform simple image detection. Posting the code below.
clear all;
clc;
%Input image
img = imread (‘horse1.jpg’);
%Show input image
figure, imshow(img),title(‘horse1.jpg’);
img = rgb2gray(img);
img = double (img);
%Value for Thresholding
T_Low = 0.075;
T_High = 0.099;
%Gaussian Filter Coefficient
B = [1, 4, 7, 10, 7, 4, 1; 4, 12, 26, 33, 26, 12, 4;7, 26, 55, 71, 55, 26, 7;10, 33, 71, 91, 71, 33, 10;7, 26, 55, 71, 55, 26, 7;4, 12, 26, 33, 26, 12, 4;1, 4, 7, 10, 7, 4, 1 ];
B = 1/1115.* B;
%Convolution of image by Gaussian Coefficient
A=conv2(img, B, ‘same’);
xgrad=img;
ygrad=img;
[rows,cols] = size(img);
%calculating gradient image in X-direction
for i=1:rows-1
for j=1:cols-1
xgrad(i,j) = abs(img(i+1,j)-img(i,j)+img(i+1,j+1)-img(i,j+1));
ygrad(i,j) = abs(img(i,j+1)-img(i,j)+img(i+1,j+1)-img(i+1,j));
end
end
xgrad=0.5 * xgrad;
ygrad=0.5 * ygrad;
figure, imshow(uint8(img)),title(‘gray image’);
figure, imshow(uint8(xgrad)), title(‘X-gradient image’);
figure, imshow(uint8(ygrad)), title(‘Y-gradient image’);
gtheta = atan2 (xgrad, ygrad);
xphi=zeros (rows, cols);
yphi=zeros (rows, cols);
gtheta2=zeros (rows, cols);
xphi2=zeros (rows, cols);
yphi2=zeros (rows, cols);
for i=2:rows-1
for j=2:cols-1
if (xgrad(i,j) > xgrad(i-1,j) && xgrad(i,j) > xgrad(i+1,j))
xphi(i,j)=xgrad(i,j);
end;
if (ygrad(i,j) > ygrad(i,j-1) && ygrad(i,j) > ygrad(i,j+1))
yphi(i,j)=ygrad(i,j);
end;
end;
end;
figure, imshow(xphi), title(‘xphi1 nonmaximal suppression.’);
figure, imshow(yphi), title(‘yphi1 nonmaximal suppression.’);
figure, imshow(gtheta), title(‘gtheta1 nonmaximal suppression.’);
for i=2:rows-1
for j = 2:cols-1
if(gtheta(i,j) > — pi/8 && gtheta(i,j) <= pi/8)
gtheta2(i,j)=0;
if (xgrad(i,j) > xgrad(i,j-1) && xgrad(i,j) > xgrad(i,j+1))
xphi2(i,j)=xgrad(i,j);
end;
if (ygrad(i,j) > ygrad(i,j-1) && ygrad(i,j) > ygrad(i,j+1))
yphi2(i,j)=ygrad(i,j);
end;
elseif(gtheta(i,j) > pi/8 && gtheta(i,j) <= (3/8) * pi)
gtheta2(i,j)=pi/4;
if (xgrad(i,j) > xgrad(i+1,j-1) && xgrad(i,j) > xgrad(i-1,j+1))
xphi2(i,j)=xgrad(i,j);
end;
if (ygrad(i,j) > ygrad(i+1,j-1) && ygrad(i,j) > ygrad(i-1,j+1))
yphi2(i,j)=ygrad(i,j);
end;
elseif(gtheta(i,j) > — (3/8) * pi && gtheta(i,j) <= — pi/8)
gtheta2(i,j) = -pi/4;
if (xgrad(i,j) > xgrad(i-1,j-1) && xgrad(i,j) > xgrad(i+1,j+1))
xphi2(i,j)=xgrad(i,j);
end;
if (ygrad(i,j) > ygrad(i-1,j-1) && ygrad(i,j) > ygrad(i+1,j+1))
yphi2(i,j)=ygrad(i,j);
end;
elseif((gtheta(i,j) > (3/8) * pi && gtheta(i,j) <= pi/2) || (gtheta(i,j) >= — pi/2 && gtheta(i,j) <= — (3/8) * pi))
gtheta2(i,j) =pi/2;
if (xgrad(i,j) > xgrad(i-1,j) && xgrad(i,j) > xgrad(i+1,j))
xphi2(i,j)=xgrad(i,j);
end;
if (ygrad(i,j) > ygrad(i-1,j) && ygrad(i,j) > ygrad(i+1,j))
yphi2(i,j)=ygrad(i,j);
end;
end;
end;
end;
figure, imshow(xphi2), title(‘xphi 2 nonmaximal suppression.’);
figure, imshow(yphi2), title(‘yphi 2 nonmaximal suppression.’);
figure, imshow(gtheta2),title(‘gtheta 2 nonmaximal suppression.’);
T_Low = T_Low * max(max(xphi2));
T_High = T_High * max(max(xphi2));
xE = zeros (rows, cols);
yE = zeros (rows, cols);
E = zeros (rows, cols);
count1 = 1;
while count1 ~= 0
count1 = 0;
for i = 1 : rows
for j = 1 : cols
if (xphi2(i,j) >= T_High && xE(i,j) == 0)
xE(i,j) = 1;
count1=count1+1;
elseif (xphi2(i,j) >= T_Low && xE(i,j) ==0)
if(xE(i+1,j)==1 || xE(i-1,j)==1 || xE(i,j+1)==1 || xE(i,j-1)==1 || xE(i-1, j-1)==1 || xE(i-1, j+1)==1 || xE(i+1, j+1)==1 || xE(i+1, j-1)==1)
xE(i,j) = 1;
count1=count1+1;
end;
end;
end;
end;
end;
count1 = 1;
while count1 ~= 0
count1 = 0;
for i = 1 : rows
for j = 1 : cols
if (yphi2(i,j) >= T_High && yE(i,j) == 0)
yE(i,j) = 1;
count1=count1+1;
elseif (yphi2(i,j) >= T_Low && yE(i,j) ==0)
if(yE(i+1,j)==1 || yE(i-1,j)==1 || yE(i,j+1)==1 || yE(i,j-1)==1 || yE(i-1, j-1)==1 || yE(i-1, j+1)==1 || yE(i+1, j+1)==1 || yE(i+1, j-1)==1)
yE(i,j) = 1;
count1=count1+1;
end;
end;
end;
end;
end;
E = (xE.²) + (yE.²);
E = sqrt(E);
figure, imshow(xE),title(‘x of final image’);
figure, imshow(yE),title(‘y of final image’);
figure, imshow(E),title(‘E final image’); | https://medium.com/@pravishkviswan/image-edge-detection-a-simple-approach-3f265deba22a | ['Pravish K Viswan'] | 2020-11-25 16:41:29.063000+00:00 | ['R Programming', 'Edge Detection', 'Image Processing'] |
Why we should be thinking with the Physical Distancing lense…not social distancing in sponsorship | Why we should be thinking with the Physical Distancing lense…not social distancing in sponsorship Nick Lawson Follow May 24 · 4 min read
How do you get fans to interact with sponsors in an age where 6ft distance is the new norm?
Our concourses were once a bustling place of excitement with fans interacting and enjoying the sport & team they love. It is hard to imagine that this will be the case moving forward. With regulations coming down of masks, distancing, and limits to fans in the stadium we will have to massively change the assets we sell to our sponsors.
But…this doesn’t mean we get rid of those assets altogether. We just have to re-create them with the current situation in mind. In order to do that, we have to look through a different lens, one that focuses on keeping our fans socially connected with sponsors while physically distant from them.
This week on The Inches podcast Rich and I dive into how you should be changing your mindset and lense from social distancing to physical distancing and how you can create new assets from this thinking.
You can listen to the whole episode HERE. But as always I’ve broken down the key points below.
Step one: Think through a lense of physical distancing…not social distancing
On a presentation with the league Rich was given a great insight that he shared on the podcast…and I think it is fantastic for really changing how we think about our packages and assets.
The presenter brought up the point that we should not be calling it social distancing, rather we refer to it as physical distancing.
The reason this is so important is it allows us to reshape the problem and look through a new lens for a solution. How can we bring our fans together socially with our sponsors while keeping physical distance?
We still need to connect our fans socially with our sponsors on game day. They pay us to connect with our fans. With this…social distancing is out of the question.
But, if we think of it through the lens of physical distancing there opens another opportunity. The new question is how to keep them connected if we can’t have them within 6ft of each other.
This allows our creativity to come out to solve the problem and evaluate solutions to offer as replacements.
The first step of this is vital. Shift your mind from social distancing to physical distancing.
Step two: Once we have that lense, do a walkthrough of your concourse
I’m an extremely visual person. Sometimes in meetings, I will bring out a big sketch pad and literally draw out the problems.
With this, if I were looking to find physical distancing solutions, I would walk through my stadium concourse as it is empty and try and visualize where my booths are and how I can find a solution for keeping fans 6 feet away while still connecting them with the sponsor.
If you have access to your concourse I would do this ASAP to get a head start. We will have fans back in our stadium soon and even if we don’t know when that is we have to close sponsors who will be wary of buying a concourse activation that doesn’t allow fans to get close.
When you do this walkthrough you will start to see the problem. One is for our insurance, car dealership, and vacation booth-ers who use games to win prizes for interaction…how do I replace that experience if fans have to stay 6ft away?
Once you visualize the problem, you can visualize solutions. One solution that comes to mind is putting up a rope barrier around the booth(6ft away) and having your sponsors print a giant QR code behind them on a backdrop. When fans scan, they can play a digital game or be connected with the human at the booth.
Maybe it is a facetime setup. Maybe a messaging program. Maybe it is a 10% off offer.
This reaches the same goals but it is physically distant…not socially.
As we look for solutions, I would walk through your space and start working out solutions & replacements. It will pay off 10 fold when it comes time to explain to your sponsors why they should continue to booth.
Step three: rebuild your experiences to make them even better than before
Nothing like bringing up an age-old Haiku to get your message across.
Rich brought up a haiku that really fits right now. It is from a 17th-century Japanese poet and samurai Mizuta Masahide.
The haiku goes:
Barn’s burnt down — now I can see the moon.
Beautifully put, sometimes destruction allows us to see things in a new light and make them better.
Ok, so what does this have to do with sponsorship?
In sports, our barn has burned down. But this grants us the opportunity to rethink, re-evaluate, and rebuild to gain a better outcome.
As we look with a new lens, change the things you hated before about your physical assets. We for the first time in a long time have a blank canvas. We got the reset button.
Notice this blessing and rebuild your barn so you still have a view of the moon.
Overall, this is where we get creative in the sponsorship industry
I’m not going to say everything has changed because…well…it has been said a bit too much.
What I will say is now is the time in sponsorship to let our creativity flow. Allow the crazy ideas to come to the top as you look at physical distancing and the solutions they can bring.
We have been hit with an unforeseen and disastrous problem in our industry. How we creatively bring ourselves out of the ashes will define how good we are as an industry.
I’m excited to see the new barns built with a better view of the moon than before. | https://medium.com/sqwadblog/why-we-should-be-thinking-with-the-physical-distancing-lense-not-social-distancing-in-sponsorship-d88353e3ea75 | ['Nick Lawson'] | 2020-05-24 17:06:02.327000+00:00 | ['Sports Sponsorship', 'Sports Business', 'Sponsorship Activation', 'Sponsorship'] |
The Art and Science of Leadership Development — Lifestyle Integrity | Can We Become Indigenous?
I coach leaders for a living. Almost all of them have spent more time in school than me. As a proud college dropout I took my education into my own hands decades ago. I took ownership of the information that enters my mind and the values that I assign to it. This has made me a bit of a weirdo; a necessity when people come to you for a new perspective.
I struggle in classrooms. I zone out. I read the texts before the class gets to them. I prefer to think orthogonally. I take carefully selected tangents and then trace them back as a source of illumination. I go down rabbit holes. I find the source material the authors studied and use it to dissect the thinking that the teacher is presenting. I learned to bite my tongue in classrooms. I learned to sleep.
Being out of sync with the status quo can be a super power. I do most of my learning alone, with a stack of books, via Google, and then with hundreds of clients who help me test ideas in the real world. Every coaching session leads me down new avenues of exploration. What I learn I bring back to my clients to test in the real world. What is WISDOM, but knowledge applied?
Last week I was on Zoom with 20+ coaches and two outstanding teachers getting certified in The Leadership Circle Profile (LCP). For the past decade I have looked down my nose at assessments. Most seem more capable of illuminating the past and reifying existing patterns than pointing out developmental paths tailored to the individual. This is the best tool I have seen. It is data driven, deeply rooted in developmental psychology, capable of illuminating shadow, and points towards nuanced growth areas as well as problem ones. The worldwide data base is rigorous and well tested. Most of all, it is deeply contextual. The test does not provide facts, but potential inquiries to be explored with a leader and their team.
Because I am me, I did not learn most of how I will apply the LCP while in class. I spent a full day with one of the creators, Bob Anderson, a couple of months ago. In anticipation of that, I bought his book. Once I read that, I bought a half dozen books from the primary thinkers who inspired his model. Many of the others I knew fairly well. I then heard a second hour long presentation by Bob. All of that was a deep dive prior to the class. The real fun comes from the orthogonal exploration and the practical application. Let’s start orthogonally.
The week of the program I was reading Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta. It’s amazing. Tyson “is an academic, an arts critic, and a researcher who belongs to the Apalech clan in far north Queensland, Australia.” This book is not a window into Aboriginal culture. It is a window into western culture through an Indigenous lens. His logic is not static, but deeply embedded in living systems. It warps and weaves and seems to get lost only to draw disparate elements back together into more integral wholes. It asks great questions that undermine our assumptions. It refuses to dislocate data from story. He speaks about sustainability and groups and culture and health. The following passage gives a taste of indigenous knowledge.
In the land of Yunkaporta “When the wattle tree flowers, the wild honey is ready to harvest as medicine-a native honey I know as may at, which can kill bacteria like streptococcus on contact. It boosts the immune system and gives you boundless energy. River fish are fat at that time as are the birds who dive for those fish and show us where to find them. The fruit bats are at peak fat in that season too, and the fat is good medicine for respiratory conditions that might be triggered by the wattle flowers. The leaves of the wattle can be burnt for ash to mix with the leaves of the native tobacco that grows nearby, releasing more of the alkaloids and saponins in the tobacco when chewed. Those compounds are more concentrated at that time than in any other season, making for a wonderful non addictive stimulant that enhances concentration and an alertness.”
This is, as David Whyte says, “The conversational nature of reality.” Meaning emerges through relationship. Functional effectiveness is equally relational. Ignore the facts and focus on the relationships, the embeddedness. In my house honey feels vaguely medicinal, but mostly like yet another source of sugar to be wary of. Even our attempts at integrated and holistic medicine tend to simply extract what is convenient from another culture and use it out of genetic, regional, seasonal and bacterial context.
This attempt to tame what is wild, to domesticate, or bring indoors that which we find in nature, has a parallel in the way that we educate our children, and therefore our leaders. The results of this show up in the LCP when it highlights the ways that leaders fail.
Yunkaporta contemplates the Western invention of adolescence, “a method of slowing the transition from childhood to adulthood, so that it would take years rather than, for example, the months it takes in Indigenous rites of passage.”
This lights a fire in me. I suffered immensely as a young man attempting to navigate my place in the world. I nearly killed myself multiple times before I dropped out of college while attempting to individuate and explore the limits of my power. One of my clients, a brilliant executive, has been consumed recently by his 13 year old sons rocky transition into adulthood. Our conversations explore the parallels between son and father; the demons he faced, those he turned away from, and the lack of rights of passage in our culture. We don’t just talk business, but culture, philosophy, spirituality, and the impacts of the way that we raise and educate our children. We help them to become productive, but what of the development of their souls? What happens to their creativity? Are they in sync with their environment? If so, why so much destruction of self and other? Who does it all serve?
Yunkaporta contemplates the Prussian creation of adolescence later adopted by Americans, “This delayed transition, intended to create a permanent state of childlike compliance in adults, was developed from farming techniques used to break horses and to domesticate animals. Bear in mind that the original domestication of animals involved the mutation of wild species into an infantilized form with a smaller brain and an inability to adapt or solve problems. To domesticate an animal in this way you must:
1. Separate the young from their parents in the daylight hours.
2. Confine them in an enclosed space with limited stimulation or access to natural habitat.
3. Use rewards and punishments to force them to comply with purposeless tasks.”
I have a flashback to sitting in a tiny deskchair, taking a multiple choice test, hoping to get a gold star.
My kids are being educated outdoors this year; a silver covid lining. But will we send them back to public school next year with a heavy heart? And how will all of this show up coaching leaders?
One big challenge in leadership development, one which the LCP highlights brilliantly, is moving people from socialized mind, also referred to as reactive mind, where more than 80% of the population tends to lead, to self-authoring mind or creative mind, where less than 15% of the population operates. This is a developmental leap akin to the one we are attempting to make around puberty, in adolescence. As a child we attempt to individuate from, and see beyond, our family so we can find our place in society. As adults we attempt to step outside of the rules that society has handed us, to individuate from culture, so we can co-create the adaptations needed to keep society and culture in sync with the planet.
The difference between the two stages is, statistically (across 200,000+ leaders scores), the difference between effective leadership and ineffective leadership (R = .93). Reactive solutions attempt to reinforce the system they are being handed. They might be expert problem solvers, but they need problems to give them purpose and their best efforts to solve them result in a return to stasis. In a VUCA environment, in a time of exponential growth, they flounder when it comes to helping their teams innovate. As a coach I notice that this type of leader also tends to be less fulfilled personally. They succeed, but are often addicted to work and lack hobbies, creativity, spirituality, and time spent with loved ones. They struggle to love themselves and therefore to relax. They get sick more often as well.
Creative leaders, on the other hand, nurture the evolution and transformation of the system, or business, they are operating. They do this by nurturing their own development as well. They don’t motivate people to solve problems. They inspire people to create based on a vision of what is possible. It is not coincidence to me that creative leaders also tend to lead more balanced lives. Visionary thinking does not emerge from busy work, but from the confluence of many disparate elements. Meditation, movement, cooking, sex, art, and music are cross training for the best business minds.
My favorite book from the deep dive was Neurosis and Human Growth by Karen Horney; a contemporary of Freud’s. The bottom half of the LCP, the Reactive half, is deeply rooted in her theories of personality development. Getting stuck in reactive mind is intimately entwined with wounds developed in childhood. We all build a persona, a way of impressing and pleasing others that masks our spontaneity and stifles our creativity. Our personality forms based on coping strategies developed to feel lovable in an environment that rejects our natural impulses. We reject what we want and cultivate a lot of should’s to win love, respect and feel safe.
I am the coach leaders come to when they have climbed the highest mountain only to realize that they prefer the beach, or that doing so came at too high of a cost. I will never forget a client telling me that the year his net worth reached 9 figures was the worst year of his life. He came to me to shut down one career and begin another. His new business is aligned with both the planet and his pain. Overcoming the drives that created his wounds allowed him to see a vision of what was possible and create an amazing business to capitalize upon it. You love his products because of his self proclaimed crazy, fanatical obsession with their quality. His net worth tripled.
How much shame is created at home due to our parents fear that our behaviors will not be accepted by society? How much brilliance is diminished in schools that turn childhood exuberance into attention deficit disorders and the creative impulse into an optional art class for the few who are unlikely to find success in the “real” world. Show me the child who learns best sitting in neat rows indoors and taking standardized tests. I haven’t met her yet.
How badly does our world need leaders who are focused on their inner work? Leaders committed to healing the wounds that knocked their natural curiosity and spontaneity off course? Leaders capable of becoming exquisitely embedded in and in tune with the world around them? This is one definition of indigenous, occurring naturally in a particular place. We deny our nature at great peril.
Coaching leaders who have found success, but struggle to find fulfillment, almost always involves helping them reclaim the parts of themselves that they have compartmentalized, judged, and shamed out of existence. It almost always looks like finding the place where their deepest want meets the worlds deepest need. Can we really be happy without being creative? Be healthy, without being integrated into our environment? Experience joy, without being silly, and unpredictable? Don’t leaders hire me because I refused to become domestic in the classroom? Don’t I need them because they did? Together we find balance.
Devin Martin
Bringing Wisdom to Power
LifeStyleIntegrity.com | https://medium.com/@bringing-wisdom-to-power/the-art-and-science-of-leadership-development-lifestyle-integrity-922433c5b4cd | ['Devin Martin'] | 2020-12-15 18:21:09.203000+00:00 | ['Developmental Psychology', 'Indigenous', 'Leadership', 'Leadership Development', 'Education Reform'] |
Revit Like It’s Sketchup | Paper Architecture Illustration
This is not a post telling you to throw out Sketchup and just use Revit. It is not even a post about the promising Autodesk FormIt, Dynamo, or Revit’s In-Place Mass tool — which is often the initial place people go if they are trying to do something conceptual in Revit. Even a Revit expert such as myself uses other software. There are just things different programs do better than others. So just as a graphic designer might use Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator for different purposes, so do I use Revit, Sketchup, Grasshopper via Rhino, and hand sketching. It is not a knock on any particular software, but rather an acknowledgement of how well each one does its primary task. Revit is a powerful tool for documentation. As such, there are elements of it that can be very helpful in exploring the spatial properties of a design using controlled views such as sections and plans. It may not be as intuitive as Sketchup or a powerful modeler like Rhino, but with an understanding of what tools to use, it can help play a useful role in design development.
Please note that all these suggestions are based on the idea of using Revit as a sketchpad. USE A NEW, EMPTY MODEL FOR ALL THE THINGS SUGGESTED HERE, NOT YOUR PROJECT FILE! Just as you use trace paper to come up with new designs, in Revit you can create throwaway models to do studies. Use a separate model that you would be fine throwing away to undertake the strategies explained here.
1. Designing in Section and Plan
Revit sees everything through the lens of controlled views. What I like to use Revit for conceptually is better understanding the spatial qualities of a design. For all of Sketchup and Rhino’s capabilities as modelers, they are lacking when it comes to drawing up a plan or a section. Yes they have section tools and workarounds for showing plans and sections, but in the same way Revit is not intuitive as a form modeler, these programs have a disconnect when it comes to controlled views. Everyone has their own preferred process, but what I do is unscaled hand sketches in plan and section, and when I have gotten to a point where I need to understand how they really work (perhaps my ceiling is too low because I drew a figure slightly smaller than they would appear in real life) I bring them into a fresh Revit model and draw a couple walls and roofs and then draw a section. Using the Entourage Families in Revit is a great way to understand the human scale in section. I will often go back and forth between Revit and hand sketches for a while, printing out the views and drawing over them on paper, then going back to Revit when there is something I need to understand intuitively.
Funny story: I once had a distinguished Professor who hated using computers for design. He had worked for Louis Kahn in the 1960s. One day he came over to me as I was setting up a perspective in Sketchup. “You know Lou Kahn used Sketchup,” the Professor said. I was confused. “Back then it was called Interns,” he said, the point being that even the great Louis Kahn would have many of his drawings set up by someone (or in our case something) else before beginning to work on them.
2. Leveraging Sub-Elements
Alright, you say, the first point about plans and sections works well if you have a boring flat roof, but what if I’m trying to make something more dynamic and want to actually get into 3-D modeling? While many people are frustrated with the roof elements in Revit, if you make a basic flat roof and modify it using sub-elements you can get into some nice variations of slope and do it in a way that I find to be as intuitive as Rhino and Sketchup. If you understand the way you can push and pull edges and corner points in Sketchup, this will feel very familiar to you. In Revit the process goes like this: sketch and create a flat roof, modify sub elements, add points and split lines. Now you’re ready to start pushing and pulling things. When using this strategy, I like to set up a 3D view side by side with a Section view and then push and pull in 3D. In this way you can manipulate the model as in Sketchup, but with a very clear understanding of the spatial implications.
Another thing to be aware of as you are conceptualizing your design in Revit is the Attach Top/Base command. Using the attach command for all your walls or columns, you can seamlessly change the form of the roof without having to go back and remodel your walls. I find this to be a great little trick, and it really leverages Revit’s abilities to solve the issue of constant revisions during concept design that I often encounter in Rhino and Sketchup.
3. Model in Place Components
If you are still seeking greater complexity I have one more thing to share. A lot of people default to In-Place Mass and think this is where you should go to do massing studies in Revit. Sure it’s useful, but unless you are a very advanced user it is lacking in comparison to Sketchup. In another post we will go in-depth into advanced use of the In-Place Mass but if you are trying to keep it simple and fast I would suggest instead focus your conceptual studies on using Model In-Place Components, which you can specify to be masses or almost anything else. With Model In-Place Components you can leverage some really nice advanced modeling tools such as Sweeps, Blends and Revolves that are not available for In-Place Mass. You can also use those same tools as Voids, to create complex shapes from cutting things. Revit can actually create some pretty crazy geometry if you utilize Voids and understand their potential. When people model in Sketchup and Rhino, the emphasis is often on additive modeling, such as with a ball of clay where you add on to it to make a form. In Revit conceptual modeling is subtractive, like chiseling from stone; Solid forms are your stone, Void forms your chisel.
The best part about In-Place Components modeling in Revit is after you are done, you can pick faces from geometry just like with In-Place Massing and reference that geometry to make functioning Revit walls, roofs and floors. Once again, a big benefit of doing this in Revit versus Sketchup or Rhino is the ease in understanding your concept through controlled views. Let’s say you have a hallway you have sketched by hand that conceptually goes in a curve in plan, and the ceiling slowly ascends from 8' to 12' at the end. You can probably figure out how to quickly model it in Rhino and Sketchup, but what you really want to do is study how that feels every five feet using a section. This is a great use of the Revit environment to understand your design better and allows you to do so quickly in a way Sketchup and Rhino can’t easily do. | https://medium.com/paper-architecture/revit-like-its-sketchup-40621b9be66c | ['Dan Edleson'] | 2019-05-23 06:28:38.087000+00:00 | ['Sketchup', 'Architecture', 'Bim', 'Design', 'Revit'] |
Sacrificing For the Sake of Elevation | God has been working in so many ways! First I want to say thank you and give a shoutout to all my new listeners and supporters . We are going to end this year 2020 by removing the old and receiving the new. How many of yall know that sometimes we have to make sacrifices for our better gain?
AMEN. So we are going to get right into the topic
Sacrifice is something that I feel like I never really understood or I just really didn’t like. You know sometimes its hard to give up things that you have grown attached to, change can be sometimes hard.
I had to sacrifice a lot in my life but it was only recently that I relized sacrifice is good. Sometimes we have to get rid of distractions that are in our way so that we can receive Gods’ plan for our lives. How many of you had to give up something that you didn’t want to , how many of you have to give something you loved away for the greater good?
God did this mighty sacrifice for us in (John 3:16) “ For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
God sacrificed Jesus who he loved In order to save all of us . in order to save the world from sin. So that we may have a second chance! That’s a mighty sacrifice right there!
That is the number one scripture I think about whenever I get that gut feeling that I have to let something go . That I have to change my surroundings. That I have to do what I have to do in order to elevate.
Something I started to realize, is that elevation always comes at a price. It seems like whenever elevation is there to take place some detatchment also comes along with it. Now I know sometimes it can be challenging to let go or know what to let go of but here is a clip I want to share with you all. It is from pastor Kenneth Sullivan and this is a great clip to go along with what what im saying about detatchment and elevation so here it is…
I find this to be so motivating because you know im actually going through certain things in my life right now where I have to let go in order to receive from God the greater good and his greater plan that He has for me. The more I have to sacrifice the more I realize that theres no need to be worried or sad when things detatch from my life. I want to encourage you all to let go and focus on the higher level that God is trying to bring to you.
One of my favorite verses in the bible is (Ecclesiastes 3:11–13) this verse goes hand and hand with this topic, “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12) So i concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13) And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.”
It is important that we rejoice and find happiness throughout this time because God is not a God of confusion and we should have joy because He is doing a good work in us .
Sometimes we might not understand why we have to let things or people go but Gods understanding is way bigger than our understanding. That’s why it is important that we focus on God and lean not into our own understanding. In fact (Proverbs 3:5–6) says “ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding. 6) Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”
Also, who knows, maybe that thing or person you had to detach from may not be detached from you forever. maybe it was just not the right timing , maybe there was things that had to take place in your life first, or maybe God had to teach you somethings first before he allowed that person, situation, or thing , to be in your life. Sometimes we have to understand and learn first before we can receive so we can be able to handle it. God will never give us something that we cannot handle. Theres plenty of bible verses that encourages us to give all our desires to Him. Here are a couple verses (Psalms 37:4) says “ Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” ( Matthew 7:7–8) says “ Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8) For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
But hold on brothers and sisters, before you just start asking God for things you must first seek the kingdom of heaven and be RIGHTEOUS. for (Matthew 6:33) says “ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need”
Even though it is good to have hope in our lives about some of the things we had to detach from, let’s talk about things that God purposely moves away permanently for our elevation and strengthening of faith.
I can not tell you whats good and bad for your life. I cant tell you what God wants to come back into your life and what He removed permanently because of His better plan. It is always good to go to God yourself in prayer and relay what is on your heart to tell him and have a conversation with Him about your situation.
But some key things to keep in mind ,
is when God takes something away, most of the time it was not good for us. Sometimes we can be so blinded by love or so comfortable with whats in front of us. And you know sometimes God doesn’t want us to be comfortable. Sometimes we have to step into a place of unfamiliarly to achieve success. Usually with elevation comes unfamiliartity. And when I say elevation I don’t mean just elevation in your career, or love life. But spiritually . God wants you to seek after him, God is a jealous God and sometimes he removes things out of our life so that we can focus more on him.
Sometimes God removes something our of our lives so that we can strengthen our faith in Him. Sometimes God has to strenghthen your faith in order for you to receive the good that he is trying to give you. Sometimes we may not believe or understand this, but the saying walk by faith and not by sight is really important in showing God that we trust and believe Him.In (Hebrews 11:6) it says “ And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seeks Him.”
Sometimes with faith it takes patients to see what God is trying to do in our lives. God has not ran out of power or forgot about you , but sometimes people run out of faith. The only two things that limit God are sin and unbelief. Sin in your life will hinder Gods moving and working in your situation. Your faith shapes the world you live in. that’s what jesus ment when he talked about removing mountains by faith . (Mark 11:23) says “ I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea, and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.”
When God takes something away , he replaces It with something better . God replaces good things in our lives with the BEST and also in ways that we do not expect. Sometimes we may not physically see the things that God does for us , but He is always working behind the scenes.Sometimes you have to stop and look back at what God has done for you before in the past, and think of the ways he has replaced things that was not good for you, for things that were better for you. Trust, If He did it then , He can do it again. In (Hebrews 11:40) it says “ For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.”
Im going to close us out with a prayer,
Heavenly Father, I come to you pray to you for those who are going through the process of elevation for your sake Father, I Pray that you may help the understanding of those who may be confused, because you are not a God of confusion, I pray Lord that those who seek answers from you , that you may provide, Lord some of us are grieving and broken hearted from the sacrifices we had to make and God your word says that you are near to the broken hearted, I pray that you may fill them with your comfort, and that you fill them with your joy and peace and remind them that you are doing a good work in them.Help us holy Father to draw near unto you. We need you in everyway Lord, and we call on you to be in the midst. Help us on our journey of elevation, and provide to us the things that you promise. In your name Jesus I pray , Amen
Follow me/ Dm me on instagram: @Faith_fullygrowing
Listen to my podcast: https://anchor.fm/sacora-george | https://medium.com/@faith-fullygrowing/sacrificing-for-the-sake-of-elevation-812350ea285d | ['Sacora George'] | 2020-12-24 07:29:56.710000+00:00 | ['Bible', 'Christianity', 'Mental Health', 'Sacrifice', 'Self Improvement'] |
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Why Do You Need Machine Learning? | Why Do You Need Machine Learning?
Where does machine learning merit?
Python calculator?
He recommended me to learn Python when he knew I am interested in mathematics and stuff. Back then, I was clueless why he would say that; I was loving my own PHP and HTML/CSS/JavaScript world so didn’t bother to check even what Python does. Once, I had seen one friend play with Python shell, doing mathematical operations, that’s it. I can just do them in my calculator, why need Python, I had wondered.
Photo by Amol Tyagi on Unsplash
Hello Python
The next time I went to him asking for professional advice — he was already a software engineering professional — he recommended me to learn Python, again. Now, having been graduated and unemployed, I didn’t have much room to wander here and there, so I took his advice seriously, just as how he said. Thanks to his advice and guidance all over the years, I was able to switch completely to Python doing web development in Django, machine learning in Sklearn, data preprocessing in Pandas, deep learning in TensorFlow, and GUI programming in tkinter. He was an invaluable mentor to me who made a difference in my life.
I was doing the tasks he assigned me to do — like resizing images using PIL, using file operations, understanding the MVT concept of Django, scraping the websites with Scrapy, and so on. It was not an easy ride for me, everything was new, and it took me months to understand what is Python, what is going on with libraries, and other nitty-gritty.
Eureka Moment
One day, he was sharing with me about the work he was doing. He told me how he used naive bayes classifier to classify names into gender. I found it interesting and inquired more about that. That was when I got exposed to machine learning and realized my interest. I had a question on why machine learning was absolutely necessary for gender classification and he answered computers are a lot better than humans in finding the patterns. That was a eureka moment for me.
Why Machine Learning?
Machine learning is not the panacea. It can not solve all the problems. One machine learning model may not generalize well if the training data distribution is different from the testing data distribution. Let’s see where machine learning merits.
Finding patterns
I find Nepali names quite distinguishable as male or female. I found most of the names ending with “i” or “a” as female. Similarly, male names seem to end with a consonant letter. This is the pattern I have found based on my experience with Nepali names data. At first, it is a pain to find all the patterns myself. Secondly, the data might have a richer experience than me. So, rather than trying to investigate all the patterns and spending too much time coding the patterns, it is way better to have a machine learn the patterns. It saves time, the code is better to maintain and there is a high chance it finds more patterns than a human. Adjusting to new patterns
The distribution of data is subject to change. The names my parents and grandparents would give to their children might be different from the names I or my contemporaries would give. It is not possible for me to check the new patterns continuously, so, I make use of machine learning in this scenario. The training is done on some time interval which takes care of new patterns. A new paradigm of solving problems
I am Nepali, familiar with Nepali names, so I know where to look for the patterns. The domain knowledge of Nepali names to me makes pattern-finding easier. But, the names in other languages/cultures might be different and I might not have a single clue for where to look to find the patterns. The pattern finding in such names which otherwise would seem impossible for me can be done with machine learning. It is more so the case when the data is complex, for example, image data. The task of image classification, where images can be widely varied, is impossible without using machine learning techniques. Discovering hidden, new patterns
We, humans, can learn from what the machine learning model learned. This way, we discover new patterns that were not known to us. For example, in spam filtering, a machine learning model can help us know what words/phrases make an email spam/non-spam. Similarly, clustering algorithms help us know which features make data/clusters disparate. Another example in computer vision would be the class activation map. Class activation maps can help us know what region the machine learning model thinks important for classification. Such insights can be helpful for humans to learn if any new hidden patterns.
These are the capabilities of machine learning if provided with enough and quality data. Machine learning is the most powerful technique to exploit pattern finding. Each merit of machine learning is immensely important. Many problems which were thought unsolvable are starting to find solutions, thanks to machine learning. Traditional techniques are being outperformed in each and every metric, all credit to machine learning. My mentor shed some light on why machine learning is the right technique to do gender classification from the names. Hopefully, this article gave you some ideas about the capabilities of machine learning. | https://towardsdatascience.com/why-do-you-need-machine-learning-af7461db6909 | ['Suraj Regmi'] | 2020-10-19 12:51:42.070000+00:00 | ['Mentorship', 'Deep Learning', 'Machine Learning', 'Python', 'Data Science'] |
It’s time for a bespoke PC controller for PC gaming | Razer Tartarus. Photo courtesy of Razer, Inc.
If you’re reading this on a computer, put your hand on the keyboard in the FPS position. If you’re like most people, you have your middle finger on W, ring and index on A and D, and pinky on shift. To hit left control, you need to either shift your pinky (measurably the weakest and slowest finger) or push down with the underside of your left pinky knuckle (arguably an imprecise solution). This is a solution that has lasted for years, but using a mouse and keyboard (MKB) for control in shooters and mobas is a scotch tape and chewing gum solution. For the esports industry, worth over a billion dollars globally and growing at a rate of 15% year over year, continuing to use MKB for million dollar tournaments would be like using hockey sticks at the PGA tournament. You can see the limits of this setup at CS:GO tournaments, where players have a habit of turning their keyboards nearly perpendicular (or in some cases, fully perpendicular) to their bodies to avoid overly straining their wrist and to scrape together much needed mousepad space for their low mouse DPI.
If you talk to most PC gamers, even professionals, about the need for a bespoke pc controller, they’ll ask why. “Mouse and keyboard is fine.” I’ve heard this more times than I can count. But with PC gaming bolstering an exploding professional scene in esports, like all sports, it’s time for precisely designed pc game controllers. The mouse and keyboard was never designed to support the controls of a game, especially ones where at any given tournament millions of dollars might be on the line. Just look at the position of W versus ASD on the keyboard. There’s less distance between the ring finger and middle than the middle and index finger. Just this offset could cause carpal tunnel, cramping, wrist strain, or a host of knock-on problems. You might laugh, but pro esports players famously suffer from a multitude of wrist and shoulder problems. Part of this is repetitive strain injury, but a great deal of it comes down to the lack of ergonomic support in the MKB. Even professional film editors or wall street traders have specialized keyboard setups, and while those are arguably larger industries than esports, they won’t always be.
There are many who believe that MKB is fine. But in professional sports, good enough isn’t good enough. In 2019, Nike spent an estimated $6 billion on R&D for their products, many of which serve professional sports. New innovations in golf, hockey, tennis, football, and soccer are released yearly, but gaming keyboard innovations have so far been limited to new optical switches. New gaming keyboards haven’t even taken the relatively minor step of eliminating key offset. Some specialized gaming tools exist, like the Razer Tartarus. While useful, it’s obvious they’re niche at best and haven’t been fully researched or iterated on to the degree other gaming tools have been. While it’s clearly superior in some respects compared to the traditional mouse and keyboard setup, its adoption has been slow at best, reluctant in general, and outright hostile in some instances. When looking at gaming keypads, it’s easy to see the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. They resemble the western half of a keyboard, sometimes with a palm rest, without any other significant changes. This is serviceable, but the lack of innovation makes consumers reluctant to pick up what is essentially half a keyboard they can’t type on.
Photo by Peter Drew on Unsplash
The industry where technological research and innovation can be most clearly seen in golf. In 1983, Hal Sutton won a PGA title with the Titleist Tour 384, a ball so advanced that the PGA promptly banned it from play for flying too straight, staying airborne too long, and in general representing an unfair material advantage over other golfers. As golf balls look virtually undiscernible to the naked eye, it immediately became a favorite of fairway hustlers looking to game business outings in the afternoon. Similarly, the ERC driver from Callaway created a trampoline effect that could ping a ball farther than other drivers, faster, farther, and more accurately than any other driver on the market, and was banned in 1990. This sort of technological innovation could be applied to the esports market, where ergonomics hasn’t improved much in the past 25 years. Keyboards are still nearly the same as the one that sat in front of the family computer, just clickier and with more colored lights. Mice have had more innovation applied, but in general still have the business style mouse shape they were born with in the 1980s.
Photo by Andreas Haslinger on Unsplash
What will convince gamers to change? Well, like golf, it will take either of two events. One, a large esports body can ban a peripheral from pro play for creating too distinct of an advantage. A clever company could pay a mid-sized esport to ban their peripheral for the marketing clout. The second possible outcome is that a company creates a gaming peripheral designed to replace the keyboard for movement and action, and creates a tool that raises the general skill level of the average player, the way Callaway’s Big Bertha driver made it easier for average golfers to hit the ball like Arnold Palmer (the golfer, not the beverage).
What would be the requirements of a gaming peripheral to replace MKB? The mouse’s accuracy is unparalleled, so the innovations that could be made in the mouse world would be, in my estimation, limited to ergonomic improvements. Professional FPS players should be enlisted with a wish-list of dream features. A few that come to mind might be a way to keep the forearm from excessively dragging on the mousepad, a faster slide across a mouspad, a taller, angled grip to keep the hand from creating friction and ease tension on the wrist over long gaming sessions. For a keyboard replacement, companies should look to replace WASD’s 8 direction binary control with something more nuanced. A joystick with full/none acceleration and 32 directions would be a solid start for FPS, with an easier jump/crouch/sprint/reload setup that doesn’t gnarl the hand and bend the wrist like a Virginia backroad.
An R&D expert I am not. The problem is not one that is easy, fast, or cheap to fix. Worse yet, the entire time a company is fixing this problem, the potential customer base will be listing reasons why a fix is ridiculous, unworkable, unnecessary, or unusable. However, the first company to create and patent a peripheral that creates a distinct advantage for players will not only be first to market, but be first to market for years to come. Some products, like the Razer Tartarus or Orbweaver, Redragon K585, or Logitech G13 are a step in the right direction, but fall short of the ultimate goal of providing a clear physical advantage. The truth is out there, and the first company to create the holy grail of gaming will find themselves cashing in a quest reward of epic proportions. | https://medium.com/the-esports-journal/its-time-for-a-bespoke-pc-controller-for-pc-gaming-a19f9283064f | ['Lowell Stevens'] | 2020-11-18 05:41:11.347000+00:00 | ['Research And Development', 'Golf', 'Esports', 'Keyboard', 'Mechanical Keyboards'] |
ActiveCampaign for New Users only | This Chicago-based automation tool is helping their 90,000 customers send fewer emails while, at the same time, achieving better results. Boasting many features and integrations, as well as quick and friendly support, they do sound like a powerhouse newsletter marketing tool. We’ll put ActiveCampaign under the microscope to see if they measure up to their bold claims.
One of their most important features is automations. Not only does it allow autoresponders, based on myriad conditions, but it also allows automation of your contacts and list management, as well as automations within its CRM system (known as ‘Deals’). This ‘Deals’ system is also worth noting and allows you to add notes to contacts, set up appointments or simply send direct messages to them.
In addition to that, they have the customer messages feature. Using it you can send targeted messages straight to your website visitors, therefore optimizing the overall customer experience. ActiveCampaign pride themselves on their approach to helping you build meaningful connections with your customers through their software.
And, while at first glance pages such as the Dashboard can seem a little busy and overly complicated, it’s not hard to understand how useful it is to have all your information in one place.
ActiveCampaign Summary
ActiveCampaign offer almost everything you need within a newsletter marketing tool, plus their advanced automations are hard to beat. The entry-level plan starts at $15 per month (for up to 500 subscribers, paid monthly), or, if you want to access pro features such as the in-built CRM and lead scoring, the Plus plan starts at $70 per month.
Let’s dive in and take a closer look at ActiveCampaign:
ActiveCampaign Pricing
2,500SUBSCRIBERS-$55/MO 5,000SUBSCRIBERS -$99/MO 10,000SUBSCRIBERS-$155/MO 50,000SUBSCRIBERS-$345/MO 500SUBSCRIBERS-$15/MO 1,000SUBSCRIBERS-$29/MO 2,500SUBSCRIBERS-$55/MO 5,000SUBSCRIBERS-$99/MO 10,000SUBSCRIBERS-$155/MO 50,000SUBSCRIBERS-$345/MO
Pros and Cons
PROS & CONS
Features can be overwhelming:
This might only be considered a con if you’re after a quick and simple email solution. There are simpler newsletter services out there, so you may want to look elsewhere if this is all you need.
Extremely powerful automation:
One of the best marketing automations out there. Not only extremely powerful but also easy to use.
Thorough reporting:
Offers reporting on all areas such as click-maps, geo-tracking and page visits. Purchase tracking is available on higher plans for Shopify, BigCommerce and WooCommerce.
Great deliverability:
In our deliverability tests, ActiveCampaign proved to be one of the best tools in getting emails delivered.
Free migrations:
If you are coming from a different email marketing software, ActiveCampaign offers to do the account migration for free.
Features can be overwhelming:
This might only be considered a con if you’re after a quick and simple email solution. There are simpler newsletter services out there, so you may want to look elsewhere if this is all you need.
Extremely powerful automation:
One of the best marketing automations out there. Not only extremely powerful but also easy to use.
Thorough reporting:
Offers reporting on all areas such as click-maps, geo-tracking and page visits. Purchase tracking is available on higher plans for Shopify, BigCommerce and WooCommerce.
Great deliverability:
In our deliverability tests, ActiveCampaign proved to be one of the best tools in getting emails delivered.
Free migrations:
If you are coming from a different email marketing software, ActiveCampaign offers to do the account migration for free.
Is ActiveCampaign the right newsletter service for you?
Recommended if:
You’re serious about marketing automation:
ActiveCampaign is hands-down the most powerful automation tool we’ve tested, allowing you to set up virtually any automation you can think of — triggered campaigns, sales follow-ups, automated segmentation, dynamic email content and so on.
You need an integrated sales and marketing platform for your business:
ActiveCampaign’s inbuilt CRM seamlessly links up to all your email marketing data, allowing sales teams to act quickly. Features like lead scoring and social data can also help to streamline your sales follow-up processes.
You need a tool that performs multi-channel marketing:
Apart from sending emails, ActiveCampaign also allows you to set up landing pages, send SMS and personalized ‘Conversations’ to website visitors, and even manage how Facebook ads are displayed to contacts. It’s a great solution if you’d like to be able to centralize a good chunk of your marketing and give your customers a better all-round experience.
Not recommended if:
You need a low-maintenance, beginner-friendly tool:
ActiveCampaign is an advanced tool, and getting familiarized with it takes a lot more work than other tools. Not to mention the regular maintenance you’ll need to set up, monitor and optimize campaigns.
You only need simple automations:
If you only want to set up basic email sequences (for example, a welcome campaign), we’d recommend more budget-friendly options like MailerLite or Benchmark, which are far easier to use. Otherwise, you’ll be paying for a tonne of extras (and complexity) that you simply won’t need.
You’re not sure:
Unfortunately, there’s no free plan, and with a trial period of just 14 days, they don’t give you much time to assess whether it’s right for you.
Products and services
Marketing Automation
The ActiveCampaign automation workflow builder works with drag-and-drop blocks. You can easily create advanced follow up sequences and triggered emails.
These smart follow ups has proven to be more effective, and will keep your customer engagement high because you’re sending relevant, personalized messages.
Sales Automation and CRM
With a sales automation and CRM integrated with your marketing automation, you can bring leads back and forth between your marketing and sales.
Having your sales CRM and marketing automation under the same roof means that sales can use the same automation features as the marketers.
Email Marketing
ActiveCampaign is not only email but combined with email and marketing automation software for creating, managing, and extending your email marketing & autoresponder campaigns.
ActiveCampaign designed templates are fully mobile responsive. You can use tools like content blocks to save and reuse piece of content across campaigns.
Conditional content allows you to change the content of an email based on who a contact is and what they’ve done.
With message variables you can change content once, and it will update across all your campaigns.
Measurement and cross channel activation
With ActiveCampaign you’ll collect more insight about the customer at each stage of the buying process.
With Attribution, you’ll know the source of a visitor and what marketing and advertising they’ve interacted with.
With Goals, you’ll be able to define important events and then response to conversions.
With Site Messaging, email marketing, and SMS you’ll be able to reach your contacts on their preferred channel.
Key features
Marketing automation
Email marketing
Smart auto responders
A/B Testing
Mobile CRM App
SMS Marketing
Site Messages
ActiveCampaign Landing Pages
Facebook custom audiences
Automation Goals
Automation Map
Lead Scoring
Sales CRM
Customer Surveys
Drip Campaigns
Dynamic Content
Event Triggered Email
Mailing List Management
Reporting/Analytics
Subscriber Management
Template Management
Drag and Drop Email Editor
Sales Intelligence
Segmentation
Website Visitor Tracking
ActiveCampaign has 4 paid plans. Here’s a break-up their pricing for 1000 subscriber’s list:
Lite (from $25/month — billed yearly)
Plus (from $49/month — billed yearly)
Professional (from $129/month — billed yearly)
Enterprise (from $229/month — billed yearly)
Lite Plan
1000 subscribers
Monthly Payments: $29/mo
Annual Payment: $25/mo, billed annually
Even the most basic plan from ActiveCampaign has powerful email automation, design options, and social media integration. You can even track the actions of your website visitors.
This plan is great if you have a newsletter and you are building your audience as you go, as it provides basic things to get you started — subscription form, email marketing, sending newsletters and unlimited emails.
Here are exact functionalities you will get with this plan:
3 user accounts
Send Newsletters
Email Marketing
Marketing Automation
Subscription forms — basic/ inline only
In-Depth Reporting
GEO Tracking
Unlimited Sending
Auto Import From Other Services
Site & Event Tracking
Social Media Tools & Integrations
API & WebHooks
Live Chat & Email Based Support
Managed Email Delivery
This plan is good for small teams or independent businesses that don’t require rigorous sales processes.
But it won’t work if you are conscious about ActiveCampaign’s log showing at the bottom of emails. Any email you send or any subscription form that you build with the Lite tier of ActiveCampaign will come with the company’s branding attached.
Plus Plan
1000 subscribers
Monthly Payments: $70/mo
Annual Payment: $49/mo, billed annually
This plan includes everything in Lite plus unlocks the capability to have 25 users and features like built-in CRM, Sales Automation, lead scoring.
That’s not all.
You also get SMS subscription service, integration with Facebook and Shopify. Since you get some powerful automation features, they will also provide consultation on your automation strategy.
It also removes ActiveCampaign branding from your emails and forms. If you feel like you will need help making the most of all these features, you can benefit from the 1-month 1–1 training that they provide with this plan.
It’s good for any e-commerce, sales-focused company with a mid-size team of fewer than 25 users.
Professional Plan
1000 subscribers
Monthly Payments: $159/mo
Annual Payment: $129/mo, billed annually
This plan has everything from the first two plans and adds advanced marketing features like Predictive Sending, Site Messaging, and Attribution that help you create even more personalized experiences for your customers.
But yes, it doesn’t come cheap at $129/mo which is quite a jump from $70/mo from Plus plan.
With the increase in cost comes the ability to use machine learning features like predictive sending and split automation — The split automation action lets you test entire automation workflows against one another. Instead of a narrow point of view of “which email got the most clicks”, look at the bird’s eye view and ask “which funnel won the most customers.”
Enterprise Plan
1000 subscribers
Monthly Payments: $279/mo
Annual Payment: $229/mo, billed annually
Two words that define this plan are — sophisticated and custom.
Made for companies with heavy budget for email marketing, this plan provides custom email domain, customer SMS. You also get phone support, SMS guidance, and unlimited one-on-one training to ensure that you’re making the best use of all the features.
It is designed for companies that can afford to have custom features, need priority support and an ever-growing team that will need unlimited user accounts.
Try me, before you buy me
They don’t have a forever free plan but that shouldn’t stop you from checking it out. You can go for their 14-day free trial and even request a demo from their sales reps. And I have to tell you that their sign up process is as quick as posting an Instagram story.
Discounts are always delicious
If you commit for a year, you can get a 30–40% discount on any plan. That’s surprisingly bountiful!
For non-profits, offer a 20% discount, on top of the yearly plan discount. You can just contact them with proof of non-profit status.
What happens if you outgrow your Subscribers’ limit?
If you are close to approaching your contact limit, you will get an email notification once every 15 days until you upgrade your account. Your account will not be automatically upgraded.
You will not be able to create or send any campaigns and your contacts won’t be added to automation. This is a bummer but at least it informs you well before you expect a new, higher bill. So do let your finances know to keep some cash handy.
Does it play fair when you want to Upgrade or Downgrade?
Yes, the system automatically calculates and makes adjustments for you & makes the bill on a pro-rated basis.
For example, let’s say you are on a Lite plan and are paying $29 per month. In the middle of your billing cycle, you choose to upgrade to a Plus plan at $49 per month. We would then charge you a prorated fee of $24.5 to cover your upgrade for the rest of the half of your billing cycle. You will then be charged $49 when your new billing cycle begins.
I got 99 problems, and a fine print is also one
If you don’t love reading, you would never notice the tiny print under the pricing from ActiveCampaign & guess what’s there…
Should you read it?
No, something that you might want to read and decide if that is deal-breaking for you.
It says — Unlimited sending offered in paid plans up to 250,000 contacts. So when they say unlimited, it doesn’t truly mean unlimited to all 6B+people and their pets
Another one.
Did you buy your account for a huge discount from a reseller? Well, you don’t get one-on-one training then.
Thankfully, the fine print ends here. *phew*
Refund Policy
There are no full or partial refunds offered by ActiveCampaign. So before you make a commitment, try it out for free for 14-days.
Rating details:-
FAQs
1) Is there a forever free plan for ActiveCampaign?
No. But you can go for a free 14-day trial, and the sign up process is really easy.
2) We plan to have the same contact on multiple lists. Will we be charged multiple times for the same contacts in ActiveCampaign?
No. Unlike other ESPs like Mailchimp, in ActiveCampaign, you get charged only once per contact even if it is on multiple lists.
3) What is an Active contact according to ActiveCampaign?
An Active contact is someone that has confirmed their subscription to your list (if you are using opt-in confirmation) and has not unsubscribed or bounced. A contact will no longer be counted as “Active” if your campaigns bounce or they unsubscribe from your lists.
4) We are a non-profit organization. What is the discount we will get in ActiveCampaign? 30–40% only, or 20% extra as well?
You get 20% extra as well. If you commit for a year, you can get a 30–40% discount on any plan. For non-profits, they offer a 20% discount, on top of the yearly plan discount. You can just contact them with proof of non-profit status.
5) Suppose my contact count goes beyond my subscriber’s limit, will it auto-upgrade to the next most cost-effective plan in ActiveCampaign?
No. If you are close to approaching your contact limit, you will get an email notification once every 15 days until you upgrade your account. Your account will not be automatically upgraded.
6) How can I get a refund in ActiveCampaign if I have taken an annual plan and decide to end the subscription after just a few months?
There are no full or partial refunds offered by ActiveCampaign. So before you make a commitment, try it out for free for 14-days.
7) Do I have to pay to migrate from another tool to ActiveCampaign?
It is free, but it depends on the plan you choose. After you send in your request, they’ll send you an email with more information about their free migration options and instructions on what to do next.
8) Does ActiveCampaign have landing pages?
Using integrations with tools such as Lander with ActiveCampaign will allow you to send new submissions gained through form submissions directly to ActiveCampaign.
9) What is ActiveCampaign used for?
ActiveCampaign is a category-defining Customer Experience Automation Platform that helps businesses meaningfully connect and engage with their customers. It creates optimized customer experiences by automating many behind-the-scenes marketing, sales, and support processes.
Try ActiveCampaign now for free for 15 days.
COMMENTS
1.Ease of Use
ActiveCampaign have a very user-friendly design, with menus being easily navigable. The dashboard, which could feel crowded if not designed correctly, has a useful ‘Getting Started’ slider to help new users. And it has demo data to give you an idea of how best to use sections. It may be a little complicated for the absolute beginner though.
2.Newsletter Creation
The editor is fast, and has a couple of handy features. One is saving custom ‘blocks’ to reuse, and the other is allowing you to see changes other people have made, Google Docs-style. Although finding your last action to undo can be painstaking due to multiple auto-saves every minute! Another issue we had was in creating columns, this was needlessly finicky. Also, there is no quick way to preview your newsletter.
3.Choice and Flexibility of Template Designs
ActiveCampaign have around 40 modern, responsive templates to choose from. You can handily preview them in another window. Other tools offer more template options, and also slightly more features/content blocks within the editor.
4.Email Automation
Their marketing automation really is the one to beat for newsletter tools. It’s extremely powerful, and very user-friendly, allowing you to automate follow-up campaigns, edit multiple conditions and much more. This is all done via an easy-to-use flowchart-style system. There are also pre-made ‘recipes’ for you to use, or get ideas from. Otherwise, you can start your own automation from scratch. Learn more in these video tutorials.
5.List Management
Compared to some other tools, managing contacts and lists is made much easier, and automated, due to being able to use their automation functions to organize people into lists. Learn more here.
6.Registration Forms/ Opt-in & Opt-out- Process
Easy to use, lets you create your own fields. Next to the standard forms, which are fully responsive, it also allows you to create floating forms and modals. Simple but effective.
7.Deliverability
In our deliverability tests ActiveCampaign tends to score very highly, landing emails in the main inbox of the most popular providers like Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook and AOL. In recent rounds, they have seen quite a dip, so we’re keeping an eye on them.
Conclusion:-
It’s really tough to fault ActiveCampaign, not only do they offer almost everything you need within a newsletter marketing tool, but they do it very well. The reporting offers you insight into almost all facets, such as page visits, geo-tracking, openers, ecommerce and more. One area that is slightly lacking is the newsletter editor, not offering an experience as slick as other tools out there, with a few niggling features that could be done better (like the revision history).
The support is as advertised: friendly, helpful and fast. Email and chat support are great, with a personal feel to the communications. Their knowledge base is easily searchable and actually returns relevant results a high percentage of the time. With their ‘Plus’ plan you even get access to one-on-one training and helpful webinars, which is a nice addition.
ActiveCampaign really are one of the best choices you could make if you’re looking for an all-in-one newsletter marketing tool. Their automation is the real deal, and makes other tool’s versions of this pale in comparison. You’ll need to be prepared to put in a bit of time, and perhaps spend a little more money, but your business will reap the rewards. If, on the other hand, you’re just looking for a simple way to blast out newsletters, a solution like GetResponse or MailerLite might be a bit easier to get your head around.
ActiveCampaign Alternatives
MailerLite is one of the most affordable solutions, in fact, their free plan is very generous. Their approach to email marketing design is admirable, offering well modern-looking templates. It’s also one of the easiest tools we’ve ever used.
GetResponse is a powerful alternative to ActiveCampaign with loads of pro options (e.g. a webinar tool) and good automations. Unlike ActiveCampaign, they offer their platform in more than 20 languages, and their design and testing tools are excellent.
Sendinblue is one of the cheapest all-in-one email marketing tools on the market. It’s available in 6 languages and comes with advanced automation options and a built-in CRM.
Still not sure which is the right newsletter tool for you? Try our Smart Finder. | https://medium.com/@chandugowda2502/activecampaign-for-new-users-only-aa193c5a06d0 | [] | 2020-11-21 08:55:19.473000+00:00 | ['Activecampaign', 'Activecampaign Deals', 'Affiliate Marketing', 'Email Marketing', 'Email Marketing Tips'] |
Hybrid Revit Families: Complex Organic Objects with Correct Texture Mapping | By Ricardo Marmolejo for Autodesk University
Creating organic realistic families in Revit can be quite a challenging task since Revit families’ modeling options are limited to basically five tools: extrusions, revolves, blends, sweeps, and swept blends. Creatively using these five tools will certainly help you to model most types of objects, but when it comes to soft goods (pillows, cushions, curtains, clothing, bedding, etc.) these five tools can be quite limited, not only because of the shapes you can create with them, but also because of the way Revit maps the textures on to them. The lack of additional modeling techniques in Revit (like polygonal modeling or NURBS) available in other 3D programs like Maya, puts Revit at a disadvantage in terms of modeling complex objects, but luckily for us, we can combine the power of these other 3D programs with Revit to create hybrid families that are richer and more realistic looking (modeling-wise and texture-wise).
By understanding how Revit treats imported objects and learning how you can create the correct type of object to import into Revit, you will open the door to new possibilities and more creative projects that will potentialize your workflow while keeping it looking photorealistic. The purpose of this article is to understand the process of creating good hybrid organic families rather than outlining specific steps to follow or explaining how tools work (tutorial) to achieve a specific result.
Related: Revit Families: A Step-By-Step Introduction with Paul Aubin
Hybrid Revit Families and Their Benefits
A hybrid family combines native objects from Revit (like extrusions, blends, revolves, sweeps, and swept blends) with objects coming from other programs to achieve the best-looking family, both in terms of geometry and in terms of texture mappings. A hybrid Revit family can also be exclusively made out of best-looking imported objects (no native Revit objects at all).
Additionally, you can use advanced features from other programs, like cloth simulations in Maya (which we will outline in this article) to create folds, creases, and details in 3D models of soft goods that are difficult to model manually, and then import them into Revit to create more natural-looking families. These imported objects can be UV mapped in the other 3D program and brought into Revit as .sat files, preserving their shapes and UV texture coordinates perfectly.
Comforter modeled in Revit using extrusions and sweeps (left) compared with a comforter modeled in Maya using cloth simulation and inserted into Revit (right). The comforter on the left looks rigid and the textures do not map correctly between the sides and the top of the comforter.
Native Revit Geometry and Texture Mappings
Before talking about creating organic objects in other 3D packages, it is important to understand how Revit works. Revit works with solid objects that are typically UV mapped depending on the tools you use to model them. Note that there are three different kinds of 3D objects that can be created (regardless of the software): solids, meshes and surfaces. In some cases, these objects are even mapped from six different sides: front, back, right, left, top, and right. While this way of mapping textures is great for a lot of orthogonal objects, in the case of organic objects, this way of mapping textures distorts the textures and visually distracts the viewer from an otherwise perfectly photorealistic render.
Different native Revit objects with a checkerboard texture.
In the image to the left, you can see different objects created in Revit mapped with a rectangular checkerboard texture that shows how the texture gets distorted, especially in the curved objects (not to mention the lack of continuity in the texture between the side faces and the top). While the texture is relatively good in the box shown below, all the other objects present some sort of distortion in the texture.
The way Revit maps textures is extremely limited, since we cannot do much with the texture except to scale it, move it around, or tile it (or not tile it), and here is where imported objects can help us to get around this issue.
3D Objects and Mappings in Other Programs
Other 3D modeling programs including Maya, which will be the focus for this article, have more modeling techniques and tools that simplify the creation of organic 3D objects and allow the user to manipulate the way the texture is displayed (mapped) on the object. Maya offers mainly polygonal (meshes) and NURBS (surfaces) techniques, and while working with polygons is much better in terms of manipulating textures, there are some limitations when bringing polygonal objects into Revit that we will discuss later. NURBS on the other hand can be exported from Maya as .sat files that preserve UV coordinates perfectly; and even though they don’t offer too many options to manipulate their textures, they still offer a few basic ways to edit them, as opposed to Revit, where there are none.
Revit and Polygonal Objects
As discussed earlier, there are three types of 3D objects: solids, meshes, and surfaces. Solids and surfaces (exported the right way) are pretty well interpreted in Revit, but polygonal objects, or meshes are not. Polygonal meshes are the best way to model any object in any other program. Besides offering amazing tools that simplify the modeling process, they are also equipped with amazing features for adjusting the textures (UV mapping). Polygons are the preferred modeling method used in all animated features because of the flexibility and simplicity.
While Revit is able to import polygonal meshes, there are three main issues with these imported objects:
Smooth 3D model in Maya (left) compared with a faceted 3D model in Revit (right).
3D model by Mario Camarillo.
Polygons are not auto-smoothed in Revit like they are in other 3D applications, and this leads to faceted objects in the render. While this faceting issue doesn’t represent a problem with orthogonal objects, it does represent an issue with organic objects, especially if they are closer to the camera in the render.
Correct texture mapping in Maya (left) compared with texture mapping of the same object with the same texture in Revit (right).
2. UV mappings are not carried over into Revit and thus, Revit performs a completely different mapping on these polygonal objects as discussed before, which completely destroys the look of the object in the render.
Polygonal chair inserted in Revit with all edges visible, leading to a very visually cluttered object.
3. Polygonal objects’ edges are all displayed in all views in Revit, leading to very visually cluttered drawings. Depending on the colors used on the polygons, these colors are carried over to Revit and the meshes end up looking very colorful in some cases. This issue does have a solution (setting up layers/colors in 3ds Max or AutoCAD and turning all the edges off so that the objects display properly), but the other two issues don’t have a solution.
Revit and Solid Geometries from Other Programs
Solid models coming from other programs (Maya, AutoCAD, etc.) are objects that Revit can perfectly read, including their mapping coordinates. Maya is able to export NURBS as solid objects in .sat format. Maya’s NURBS offer a lot more modeling tools than Revit’s five modeling tools discussed earlier. Additionally, the texture placement of these NURBS objects in Maya can be modified to certain extents to adjust to the project’s needs.
Any NURBS surface in Maya (even trimmed surfaces) can be exported to .sat format and read into Revit, even if the object doesn’t have a volume. This way, we can use a simple NURBS plane (which has default mapping coordinates) to create objects like curtains, tablecloths, cushions, pillows, comforters, etc.
Using Maya’s Cloth Simulation to Create Hybrid Revit Families
Maya is a very powerful modeling / texturing / animation / dynamics software capable of creating very realistic 3D models with little effort. Using NURBS tools in Maya, you can create organic-looking objects like drawer handles, complex flower vases, or containers. Additionally, with Maya’s cloth simulation tools, you can create fabric-like objects (curtains, cushions, pillows, throws, etc.) that can even interact with other objects like tables, walls, mattresses, etc., to add an extra level of realism to them.
Cloth simulations in Maya work only with polygonal objects, and we’ve already discussed the issues of polygonal objects imported into Revit, so in order to export a solid object out of the polygonal object that results from the cloth simulation, you can follow this procedure:
First, create the polygonal object that you will use to run the cloth simulation and create a NURBS plane with the same shape and number of subdivisions as the polygonal object. Create it as close in position to the polygonal object as possible (if you need to trim the NURBS plane to match the shape of the polygonal object, you can go ahead and do so). Additionally, create any other objects required for the cloth simulation, for example, the mattress that the comforter will be covering, or the table that the table cloth will collide with. For the purposes of this article, we will create a tablecloth for a round table. Table (passive collider object) and tablecloth (polygonal plane) to use in the cloth simulation. The NURBS plane is also included above the polygonal plane.
Convert the polygonal object into a cloth object and run the cloth simulation making sure you set the table as a passive collider object. Don’t worry about the NURBS object just yet. Cloth simulation of polygonal object. NURBS plane can now be seen at the top.
Once you are satisfied with the result of the cloth simulation of the polygonal object, rewind the timeline to reset the polygonal object to its original shape (a plane) and use the Wrap Deformer (Deform-Wrap) in Maya to “connect” the NURBS object to the polygonal object so that next time you run the simulation, the NURBS object follows it and conforms to the shape of the cloth-simulated polygonal object.
With the NURBS already “connected” to the polygonal object, run the cloth simulation again. This time, the NURBS plane will follow and conform to the polygonal object’s shape. NURBS object conformed to the polygonal object.
When the simulation finishes and the NURBS object has the right shape, make a copy of it. Creating a copy of the NURBS plane disconnects it from the polygonal object and from the simulation (wrap), creating an object that is completely static and ready to export to Revit. NURBS object duplicated. In this image, the duplicated NURBS object was moved to the right to see it on its own but it is not necessary to move it.
Select the duplicated NURBS object and export it as an .sat file.
Importing the .sat NURBS Object into Revit
Inside of a Revit family, go to Insert-Import CAD, and find the .sat file you just exported from Maya. Revit will insert the tablecloth into the scene and it will read its original mapping coordinates. This will give you an organic family in Revit that not only looks good, but also has the right texture mapping and the right representation in all views.
Tablecloth imported in Revit in perspective view (left); in top view (center); and with a checkers texture (right), which shows a perfect mapping of the texture with no distortions.
Tablecloth in Revit with a plaid texture.
Conclusion
Creating organic-looking photorealistic hybrid families in Revit is definitely possible by combining the power of different Autodesk products. Understanding how Revit works and how objects created in other programs can be correctly imported into Revit will open the door to new possibilities and to new family creation adventures. Additionally, by using cloth simulations in Maya, you can achieve impressive 3D objects that you can easily translate into a Revit hybrid family that will make your renders pop out, so explore all these options and enjoy creating organic hybrid families.
Learn more on the AU website.
Ricky is an architect, a master in Project Management, and a master in Fine Arts with specialization in VFX with 20+ years experience in the computer graphics, architecture, and visual effects fields. He is an Autodesk Certified Professional and he has taught Revit, AutoCAD, 3ds Max, Maya, and Photoshop for undergrad and grad for the past 15 years in the United States and Mexico. He currently lives in Vancouver, Canada, where besides teaching online and still working on occasional architectural projects he does visual effects for Hollywood movies and TV series like Ad Astra, Stranger Things, and The Irishman. His visual effects work on The Irishman got him a nomination for an Oscar in the 2020 Academy Awards Ceremony. In 2019, he founded Blackbee3D, a website specializing in high quality parametric Revit families and 3D models that are built to the highest standards. He is fluent in English, Spanish, and French, and his hobbies include photorealistic oil painting, traveling, and reading books. | https://medium.com/autodesk-university/hybrid-revit-families-complex-organic-objects-with-correct-texture-mapping-ec8a11fe9a98 | ['Autodesk University'] | 2020-12-18 18:54:39.854000+00:00 | ['3d Design', 'Filmmaking', 'Architecture', 'Design', 'Visualization'] |
AMAL Tips for Growth MindSet | There are two types of mindsets that shape our lives, Fixed vs the Growth mindset.
People with a fixed mindset believe that their abilities and qualities are fixed traits and are constant and consider talent alone leads to success where else efforts remain insignificant. However, a Growth mindset drives motivation and achievement.
Fixed mindset vs Growth Mindset
It was wonderful to go through the AMAL tips for having a growth mindset which could be summarised as follows;
Having positive thoughts, “Yes I can”. Testing the limits leaving the comfort zone Learning new each day and tracing achievements Growing together and tacking feedback Pretend to be a winner and there you actually win.
This has made me believe that nothing is impossible but in return, it requires effort, dedication, and commitment.
The tip which got my attention the most was the power of leaving behind the confront zone, this may be the hardest one for me but this is what promises growth and change for the positive.
We all can have a growth mindset if we commit our self to these easy to implement yet very effective AMAL tips for having a growth mindset.
The whole journey from a fixed state to growth one would be full of challenges but what does matter more is the change we get.
Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’! — Audrey Hepburn | https://medium.com/@muhammad-uzair176/amal-tips-for-growth-mindset-6ab6b46402de | ['Muhammad Uzair'] | 2020-12-25 14:01:27.431000+00:00 | ['Growth Mindset', 'Learning And Development', 'Amal Academy', 'Power Of Mind'] |
3 Reasons Why you should drink tea in a Kulhad (Clay Cup) | Tea served in Kulhad (Clay Cup)
Most tea stalls serve in plastic or paper cups which not only is harmful to your health and the environment but also degrades the taste and aroma of chai. The elaborated points slated below strongly advocate the benefits of using kulhads for the consumption of India’s favourite drink, ‘chai’.
1. ECO-FRIENDLY
Kulhad is made of clay. On disposal of the kulhad after use, the clay will dissolve in the very soil from where it was shaped and formed. Plastic cups when thrown away exist in the environment for millions of years as waste material and thus contribute to pilling up heaps of garbage.
2. ENHANCES ‘CHAI EXPERIENCE’
Chai is a precious beverage in the heart of every Indian. Almost all of us are always in search of a quality cup of chai that satisfies our senses with its taste and aroma. If you are one of those looking for the same thing, kulhad is the thing you are looking for to enhance the experience of your favourite drink. The clay gives a unique earthly aroma to your cup of Chai and enhances your ‘chai experience’.
3. DO NOT BURN YOUR FINGERS!
Is drinking chai at your favourite roadside tea stall a hassle courtesy of your heat-sensitive fingers? Now, you don’t need to worry about it and ask for 2–3 additional cups just to be able to hold the cup of chai with your index and thumb!
Clay is an excellent heat-resistant material. Hence, Kulhad (Clay Cups) can keep its surface cooler even while holding tea at 100°C so that you can enjoy your favourite cup of chai without burning your fingers!
CONCLUSION
These argumentative facts strongly prove the preferential advantage of choosing kulhads over plastic or paper cups.
If you have read this till here go out and spread the word about kulhad while sipping tea at your favourite chai place! | https://medium.com/@imonbaruah/3-reasons-why-you-should-drink-tea-in-a-kulhad-clay-cup-bfc2b417bb92 | ['Imon Baruah'] | 2021-04-01 15:08:32.859000+00:00 | ['Médium', 'Lifestyle', 'Tea', 'Blog'] |
WeTokenise. Say hello to tokenisation. | No doubt to survive in rapidly changing market conditions, face challenges and thrive even in uncertain time companies are constantly looking for new opportunities. This is where WeTokenise could be a deus ex machina for those who brave enough to act as blockchain technology adoption pioneer. With WeTokenise you can source your capital from numerous smaller investors through an online platform or directly through your own website with the WeTokenise tools integrated.
Investment funds gets simplified.
Talking about such a huge and profitable market as real estate opportunities could be tremendously expanded when it meets new technology. Imagine your new investment project will gain funds 10x faster and with almost no effort, which means no complex portfolio management, no investors checks, no administering many fragmented systems and siloed networks.
The extraordinary (at first glance) ambition of replacing the current infrastructure with blockchain technology will accelerate the real estate industry into the digital era by bringing forth a global network that allows issuers to target investors globally.
New investor onboarding: AML/KYC checks
Is this kinda crowdfunding?
On the investor’s side, it is. However, unlike other real estate crowdfunding platform WeTokenise is a white label solution, means investor’s engagement starting from your company’s website or/and from the WeTokenise exchange platform. Which makes it a game-changing solution for specific investment projects where time and cost-effectiveness are key to success.
Blockchain technology on which WeTokenise based allows companies to issue tokens, self-executing smart contracts that handle all corporate actions. A complete and immutable transaction history holds in the blockchain throughout the lifecycle of the token.
Where we are now and what are our today’s challenges?
Since the middle of 2020 when we came to the idea, we spend time to figure out this idea on the technology level. Today, we are confident to wrap all bits and pieces into the MVP.
We offer a partnership to business owners who will act as early adopters and/or become angel investors.
We also building networking, with tech thinking companies and individuals who are interested in tokenisation or just would like to learn further, if you are one of those guys you’re more than welcome to contact us directly.
Thanks for your interest in WeTokenise, ✌️. | https://medium.com/@max-dmitriev/wetokenise-say-hello-to-tokenisation-ad5c9b1f08c8 | ['Max Dmitriev'] | 2021-08-08 13:05:42.145000+00:00 | ['Real Estate Investments', 'Real Estate', 'Tokenization', 'Blockchain', 'Tokenisation'] |
BPO Industry Briefing: Manila Ranks 2nd in Top 100 Super Cities by Dennis Pabelico | Photo credit: Patrick Dayao FB
The John Clements Industry Briefing on the BPO sector, held last January 30, was accompanied with BBQ, noodles and Dan Reyes, our “last resort” speaker and a very good friend of John Clements, as he was a JCCI client as far back as his early Genpact days.
Our original speaker, Pushkar Misra of SPI Global, had to beg off because of an emergency family matter back in India. Dan graciously accepted our spur-of-the-moment invitation. However, having already retired from Genpact, he pointed out that he scrambled for something to wear ASAP, and in the end, he relied on his respectable barong tagalog.
Photo credit: Patrick Dayao FB
Here are some updates on the BPO industry:
The Philippines remains the number 1 provider of voice BPO services worldwide.
The BPO industry in the Philippines consists of 1.3M direct employees, 4.1M indirect employees, and 300k direct employees in 23 provinces.
We have a 13% global market share with $25B in revenues.
The Philippines made it to the Top 5 Digital Nations, where Manila placed second in the Top 100 Super Cities, while Cebu placed 12th and Davao 95th.
The Philippine advantages: robust and diverse talent, cost competitiveness, expanding infrastructure, strong linkages with the government, an academe industry, a leader in voice capabilities, and growing in IT & non-voice business processing.
Photo credit: Patrick Dayao FB
The headwinds that put our growth targets at risk:
Cost competitiveness and uncertainty over incentives
AI (Artificial Intelligence) and IA (Intelligent Automation)
Talent supply and quality
According to Dan Reyes, “Growth in the Philippine IT-BPM industry is dependent upon a number of factors and its corresponding programs. While the industry is already implementing multiple programs, it needs to accelerate progress in order to achieve the growth potential.”
Photo credit: Patrick Dayao FB
In the end, everyone was enlightened on how our country fared compared to our global competitors. Surely, 2020 will be an exciting year for the BPO industry. | https://medium.com/the-looking-glass/bpo-industry-briefing-manila-ranks-2nd-in-top-100-super-cities-by-dennis-pabelico-8e9db9e238a1 | ['Marge Friginal-Sanchez'] | 2020-02-21 11:46:44.529000+00:00 | ['Bpo', 'Industry Briefing', 'Philippines', 'Jcci Edi Events'] |
Your experience is filled with such detail. I appreciate you taking us along your journey. | Your experience is filled with such detail. I appreciate you taking us along your journey.
I’m having knee ligament surgery next week. At 29 years, it feels as though I’ll be starting from scratch when I return.
Again, thanks for sharing! | https://medium.com/@nickmarmolejo/your-experience-is-filled-with-such-detail-i-appreciate-you-taking-us-along-your-journey-bdbd7f5f4bf | ['Rice'] | 2020-12-18 05:40:15.111000+00:00 | ['Marathon', 'Running', 'Marathon Training'] |
Human-Centric Conversation Design: Designing Unbiased Chatbots | According to a study by Twilio, an average person has 3 messaging apps on their smartphone home screen and uses 3 different messaging apps per week. The number is increasing. Messaging, though completely technology-enabled has become a fundamental part of human experience. Within this context understanding conversational experience and interface design is of utmost relevance. Chatbots are an example of conversational interfaces that are becoming more and more used in multiple contexts.
Understanding Chatbots
Chatbots are computer programs that conduct conversations via audio or text methods. They can be used for various purposes — from customer support to mental wellbeing assistance.
Two interesting examples of chatbots are the Facebook Messenger bot Walk with Yeshi and mental wellbeing bot Woebot.
Walk with Yeshi is designed to bring awareness to Ethiopia’s water crisis. The chatbot takes individuals on a 2.5 hour journey, matching the length of the average walk for water in Ethiopia
Woebot was created by leading clinical psychology experts. It helps reduce depression symptoms through active listening. The bot guides people through brief daily conversations, and sends videos and other useful tools depending on the person’s mood and needs at a given moment.
Two types of chatbots exist: scripted chatbots and chatbots powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
Scripted Chatbots
In scripted chatbots, the conversation is mapped out in a tree-like diagram format and each conversation has a defined number of flows. These chatbots:
Ask pre-determined questions.
Accept responses with pre-determined buttons — every interaction is planned in advance.
Don’t accept typed input, thus, they don’t go ‘off-script’
Are simpler than AI chatbots and require less technical development
AI Chatbots
AI chatbots recognize keywords by using a form of AI, Natural Language Processing (NLP), which helps computers understand, process and communicate human language. They understand what the user asks and decide how to respond. These chatbots:
Accept typed user input.
Have a memory of the conversations and give a personalized experience.
Require in-depth technical development and are more complicated than scripted chatbots.
Understanding Conversation Design
Conversation design is fundamental to building chatbots. The conversation between the person and the chatbot is the primary way that lets a person evaluate the effectiveness of the chatbot. If people don’t enjoy the conversation, they won’t interact with the bot.
Conversation design is not a simple act of writing down texts in conversational formats. Conversational UI design is a combination of several disciplines including UX design, copywriting, interaction design, visual design, motion design and, in many cases, voice and audio design.
The typical process of chatbot design follows 5 steps:
Defining the audience
Defining the role and the chatbot type
Creating a chatbot persona
Outlining the conversational role
Writing the script
Three pillars upon which conversation designers often rely throughout the chatbot design process are cooperation (a.k.a identifying and responding to the real intention of the user by drawing upon the shared “world knowledge” that underlines all our conversations), turn-taking (a.k.a making transitional prompts, such as questions explicit yet natural) and context (a.k.a focusing on the user’s physical and emotional context).
Google describes the role of a conversation designer as like that of an architect.
“Mapping out what users can do in a space, while considering both the user’s needs and the technological constraints. They curate the conversation, defining the flow and its underlying logic in a detailed design specification that represents the complete user experience. They partner with stakeholders and developers to iterate on the designs and bring the experience to life.”
While going through this process, conversation designers play with multiple conversational user interface (UI) elements, such as discourse markers, errors, buttons, audio-visual elements, acknowledgements, commands, confirmations, suggestions, informational statements, apologies, questions, greetings and endings.
Well-thought conversational interface design can make human-computer interactions feel natural and engaging, as the interactions are delivered using the familiarity of human language in everyday speech. However, there are many challenges that designers have to deal with before diving into the interface design. One of these challenges is bias.
In chatbot design, a famous case study of failure caused by multiple biases is the case of Microsoft’s Tay bot.
One of Tay’s now deleted “repeat after me” tweets
Tay was an AI chatbot designed to learn from its interactions with Twitter users. The idea was that the more people interacted with Tay, the more it would learn about language, the smarter it would become, and the more realistic and human-like its personality would appear.
Tay became popular very quickly. It gained 50K followers and produced more than 93K tweets in a few hours. However, the problem was that not only it got ‘smarter’, it also got more racist, homophobic and politically extreme.
As the example of Tay perfectly illustrates, if designers fail to make conscious decisions during the experience design process of chatbot design, aspects of human identity, such as gender, race, social class, body size, religion, accent and height can all be impacted by bias.
Understanding Bias
In statistics, bias refers to the systematic error that can be present in processes of data collection. In law, bias refers to a predisposition that prevents a person from evaluating the facts impartially. It can also be understood as a mental and social system by which people make decisions. In common language, bias refers to being interested in one thing more than another (e.g. favoring people who look like you or share your values). Human bias is often unconscious, so combatting it requires conscious effort.
Two types of harms that researchers have shown to arise from AI bias are representational harms and allocation harms.
Allocation harms
This type of harm occurs when a system allocates opportunities or resources to certain groups, or withholds them. These harms can be, for example, economic, relating to things like mortgages, loans or insurance.
Representational harms
This type of harm occurs when systems reinforce discrimination against some groups because of identity markers such as gender, race, class, age, ability or belief. These harms might take place regardless of whether resources are being allocated.
Conversational interfaces, especially, AI-based ones are particularly vulnerable to representational harms caused by biases. Accent bias in Google Home is one example.
A Washington Post study tested thousands of voice commands dictated by 100+ people across around 20 cities in the US. The results showed that people with Southern accents were 3% less likely to get accurate responses from a Google Home device than those with Western accents. Moreover, things were worse for people with non-native accents. One of the tests revealed 30% more inaccuracies for this group.
This happened because the data sets used to train device were missing poor, uneducated, rural, non-white, non-native English voices. As a result, devices did not recognize these kinds of voices.
De-biasing Chatbots: The Feminist Chatbot Design Tool
One of the existing tools/frameworks to help designers minimize the destructive impact of biases is The Feminist Chatbot Design Tool developed by Josie Young, AI researcher and The Feminist Internet.
It’s important to understand that the approach should not necessarily be applied solely to the cases, where gender bias is involved. It is an approach that guides the designers through a process of inquiry that can help them carefully analyze the entire context of the design and minimize many of the biases that can potentially be embedded in chatbots.
“A feminist approach to conversation design means using empathic, inclusive, accessible language, and providing opportunities for the user to specify how they would like to be addressed.”
The Feminist Design Tool has eight sections. Each section includes questions to help designers consider the values they are embedding in their products or services.
1. Stakeholders
Rather than design for a ‘universal user’, can you identify a stakeholder who is not currently well served, and who could benefit from your design?
What might be some of the specific needs, barriers and problems that they face?
What are their strengths and viewpoints?
What different participatory methods do you have available so that your stakeholder can co-create or have direct input into the development of your design?
2. Purpose
Does your design meet a meaningful human need or address an injustice?
How will your design address the problem/s experienced by your stakeholder?
You may want to think about your stakeholder in more detail to help you:
What is the problem they’re trying to overcome?
What obstacles prevent them overcoming the problem?
3. Context
Do you have a good understanding of the context your design will be part of and the power dynamics at play within it?
Do you understand the opportunities and challenges for different stakeholders within this context?
Who is not well served in this context and why?
Does your design exacerbate problems that others are currently trying to solve in this context?
4. Team Bias
What are your values and position in society, individually and collectively?
How your values and position might lead you to choose one option over another or hold a specific perspective on the world?
How your values and position in society relate to the stakeholders your design seeks to engage?
Are there additional perspectives you need to bring into the process? How might you do this?
5. Design & Representation
What type of character will you give your design?
How might your character choice reinforce any stereotypes?
How will your character remind the stakeholder it’s a robot?
Will you assign a gender to your character? Why? In what ways might this reinforce or challenge gender stereotypes? Have you considered a genderless design? What possibilities might this open up?
In what ways might your choices prompt people to behave unethically or in a prejudiced way?
6. Conversation Design
What’s the tone of voice (physically and metaphorically)?
What words should the design avoid (what could trigger or be upsetting?)
Are there words specific to your stakeholder you need to ensure your design can understand?
If it receives abuse, how will the design respond?
What will your design say when it doesn’t understand?
How will you get feedback about whether the conversation is appropriate for your stakeholders?
Have you asked how the stakeholder would like to be addressed?
7. Data
How will you collect and treat data through the development of your design?
Are you aware of how bias might manifest itself in your training data?
Are you aware of how bias might manifest itself in the AI techniques that power your design (like machine learning)?
How could stakeholder-generated data and feedback be used to improve the design?
Will the design learn from the stakeholder’s behaviour, and if so, are you assuming that the design will get it right?
What mechanisms or features could make these assumptions visible to the stakeholder and empower them to change the assumptions if they want to?
How will you protect stakeholder data?
8. Architecture
What type of technical architecture and capabilities you will use?
How will you minimize the carbon and climate footprint of your design?
Where might unpaid or exploited labour exist in the production/supply chain of the technology you’re using?
Will the impact of AI and automation on the service your design aims to provide make some jobs redundant or lower status?
By going through these questions, designers minimize the chances of knowingly or unknowingly perpetuating gender biases or inequalities in the things they make.
The first chatbot that the Feminist Internet built using the Feminist Chatbot Design Tool is the F’xa bot, a guide to AI bias.
As chatbots are becoming more and more popular and as AI is becoming the inseparable part of our everyday life, it’s important that designers understand their roles in anticipating and curating conversation interfaces that do not discriminate and do not proliferate the social biases that have been the enemies of the humanity for millennia. | https://uxplanet.org/human-centric-conversation-design-designing-unbiased-chatbots-c10fe3368229 | ['Nare K.'] | 2020-05-22 21:07:09.552000+00:00 | ['Chatbots', 'Bias', 'Conversational UI', 'Human Centered Design', 'Interaction Design'] |
Exactly How Bad Would a No-Deal Brexit Be? | Very, is the short answer.
Unsplash | Kristina G
They say the only things certain in life are death, taxes, and a never-ending Brexit.
The negotiations, re-negotiations, and repeated postponements of Brexit are reaching Bleak House levels of drawn-out bureaucracy. Charles Dickens would be rolling in his grave.
Since January 2020 when the UK put Brexit into motion, there’s been numerous delays to the whole process. I think everyone lost track of how many times the actual leaving date was postponed.
The end of Britain’s post-Brexit transition period is set for the 1st of January, 2021. The outcome of deal-or-no-deal is supposed to be decided this coming Sunday, although there remains possibility for reaching an agreement up until midnight on the 31st of December.
Downing Street recently stated that ‘very large gaps remain’ between the UK and the EU, looking like neither side is willing to settle over disputed issues despite discussions occurring for the past year. Three major factors currently disrupting possibility for a deal are fishing rights, government aid for businesses, and settlement strategies for potential disputes.
Boris Johnson’s insistence on avoiding any clauses tying Britain to the EU makes reaching a mutual agreement near-on impossible. If neither party is willing to compromise it’s possible there will be a no-deal Brexit. This will disrupt trade deals between the UK and the EU, causing economic damage on both sides.
The GBP will take a hit, and is currently forecast to drop in value by 2%. Exports coming in from the EU will be more expensive, and exports out will also be subject to tariffs.
It Will Result in the Loss of Over 300,000 Jobs
Departing the European Union with no trade deal means Britain will have to do business based on World Trade Organisation terms, meaning the shipment of goods and services will be subjected to tariffs and other such barriers. As Europe is Britain’s largest export market, this will have far-reaching effects across many industries.
UK businesses have already suffered economic damage this year from the COVID-19 pandemic. A UK with no trade deal established with the EU means they will lose tariff-free and quota-free access to a market that purchases over half of Britain’s exports. This will also affect the European Union, but to a much lesser degree as the UK is a smaller market.
According to the UK Office for Budget Responsibility, no deal will put more than 300,000 people out of a job. The UK is already in the midst of a jobs crisis resultant of COVID-19 related lockdowns; no deal could be disastrous for its workforce.
Groceries Will Become More Expensive
Supermarket shelves are set to be drastically altered by a no-deal Brexit. Around 30% of Britain’s food supplies currently come from the EU. Fresh fruit and vegetables not able to be grown in the United Kingdom will likely become scarcer, and more expensive.
Supermarkets have attempted to stockpile some non-perishables to prepare for the event of a no-deal. Most supermarkets currently have limited capacity for stockpiling in their warehouses, however, due to a build-up of Christmas stock.
Electricity and Gas Prices May Increase
While supplies of electricity and gas shouldn’t be affected, utility prices for both businesses and households are likely to increase.
This is due in part to an expected fall in value of the British pound, weakening against the euro in the event of a no-deal Brexit. There could also be disruption if European electrical companies choose to cut ties with the British market in the absence of a trade deal.
It Will Become More Difficult to Travel Europe
Deal-or-no-deal, Brexit is set to obstruct travel between the UK and the EU. British travellers will no longer automatically be entitled to health care in European nations, and will likely need to purchase travel health insurance.
International driving permits and insurance documents may be required. A lot more paperwork will be involved, causing hold-ups at customs. Border logistics for freight and transport companies will likely be thrown into chaos.
UK and EU Citizens Living Abroad May Begin to Lose Certain Rights and Services
Freedom of movement for both British and European citizens ends with Brexit. The UK currently has an agreement with the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland which protects the rights of European citizens living in the UK since before Brexit. However, they will now need to apply for the right to remain or risk deportation.
There is a reciprocal agreement for British citizens living in the EU, who will now also have to apply for the right to remain. In theory, even if there was no deal they should be able to continue to access employment, healthcare, education, and other rights of European citizens. However, the EU has warned that loss of EU citizenships will begin to affect access to such rights and services. In the event of resulting tensions if no deal is able to be reached, the future for those living abroad may be uncertain.
If There’s No Deal, the UK Has a Lot More to Lose Than the EU
The economic repercussions are going to hit the UK a lot harder than the EU if no deal is reached. They’ll be losing free trade access to their biggest global marketplace, at a time when the UK is headed into its worst recession in over 300 years.
With the nation plunged once again into COVID-19 lockdowns and London moving to Tier 3 level restrictions, such a loss couldn’t come at a worse time. The Bank of England’s governor recently warned that a no-deal could do even greater damage to Britain’s economy than the COVID-19 pandemic has so far. The chance to strike a deal is slipping away; let’s hope it’s good news come Sunday. | https://medium.com/political-sense/exactly-how-bad-would-a-no-deal-brexit-be-32c56af49d83 | ['Jamie Bean'] | 2020-12-16 10:18:13.593000+00:00 | ['UK', 'Brexit', 'Politics', 'UK Politics', 'No Deal Brexit'] |
Why You Can't Afford To Delay | Why You Can't Afford To Delay
Socrates, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Jobs, Alexandre The Great, Sigmund Freud, Bruce Lee, Frida Kahalo, Marcus Aurelius, etc.
All of the above, for how different from one another, all have one thing in common.
It’s not how much money, success, fame, or recognition they were able to attain during their lives, not at all.
What they all share is a fate destined for you and me soon enough.
One shared between everyone that has and will ever live.
Death.
This end of life as we know it, is, to say the least, an overwhelming idea to come to acceptance to, after all, life is all we know.
But death? Oh, death brings with it a full suitcase of terrifying unanswered questions, the ones a 4-year-old sometimes throws out, leaving you grasping for words:
“What happens after we die?” — Being the one my sister dropped the other day
To top it off, it symbolizes the end of our journey as we know it. All the resources we gathered, the people we met and loved, the skills we developed, and the memories we cherish will soon come to an end.
We will have to let go of them, regardless of whether or not we are ready… And that is terrifying.
A deeply scary feeling and idea which, quite often, leads us to push it away from our minds, after all, that day is still a long time from now…
Right?
We Think We Have Tomorrow
While we wouldn’t be able to live properly if we were in a constant state of fearing death, to live as if it will never happen can be equally as harmful.
Not in the short-term sense of fear and anxiety, there we are fine, but in the long-term one of regret and unfulfilled potential.
A sharp pain, to come in the future, that keeps building up as we delay the pursuits we, deep down in our core, know to be the ones we can’t afford to delay.
The book left unwritten, the painting abandoned, the business which never became more than an idea.
All pursuits which are convenient to delay in the present, after all, with tiring work and time for your partner and then some to relax, it seems near impossible to find a block where you can sit down, without distractions, and get to attack these ventures as well as you know you can.
It seems as if it just isn’t meant for you.
Others who did it must have some mystical ability you just weren’t lucky enough to possess since birth.
A convenient excuse, one that makes us feel good, but nonetheless, one that couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, as far as I’ve been able to tell, we are all very similar, especially, in the way we react to certain impulses and thoughts and emotions.
When confronted with an inconvenient task, no matter if it is one we know to be essential to us or one like washing the dishes, the initial impulse is widely common: delaying.
An impulse based on the perception that we still have a lot of time left, that tomorrow will come for many years ahead, and as such, a small delay today won’t be that harmful.
The first big problem with this line of thought is that, for how safe and organized our society seems, we are never, ever, granted tomorrow.
Ever.
Despite the high-likelihood of living until around 80 years old, that being the average, of course, there is plenty of us who will fall short of that. I could be one of those and so could you.
Unfortunately, statistically speaking, one of you reading this article will die before 30 years old. Around 1 in 1900 people will pass before they can even have a mid-life crisis.
Hopefully, it isn’t you… But it could be.
Because of this exact reason, as I see it, we have no business delaying the pursuits that matter to us, regardless if they seem like a waste of time for those surrounding us.
Painting marvel heroes onto classic paintings? Go for it. Writing short comedy sketches and uploading them on youtube? Please do. Streaming yourself carving wooden sculptures? “brox_” has 1.3 MILION followers on Twitch doing exactly that. Insert idea you are thinking about but are not sure about? YES.
Regardless of what it is, if it calls for you, if it gives some higher meaning to your life, then don’t do yourself the disservice of wasting the time you have for yourself not pursuing them.
As Jordan B. Peterson said:
It’s a luxury to pursue what makes you happy; it’s a moral obligation to pursue what you find meaningful.
Now, is it overwhelming to get started? Of course!
It's scary to confront the idea we have in our minds of what we can be, with the reality of where we are right now. We don’t want to disappoint ourselves, to kill the image of perfection held so dearly in between our ears.
It’s easier to delay for tomorrow, hoping that, with time, the solution to our procrastination will arrive.
That it will be easier.
I’m sorry to be the one breaking the news for you, but that moment will not arrive by simply waiting, it never has, for anyone. Instead, what works much better, after understanding we can’t afford to delay, is to start as small and easy as possible, develop consistency with this seemingly insignificant step, and then, only after consistency is developed, start increasing the pace.
It may seem like the progress is too slow, but better slow and forward than standing in the same place.
Your Last Day
“Death smiles at every man, and all a man can do is smile back.”
Not the one at work or school, not even the one with your current partner.
The last day I'm referring to is the one when you get to blink your eyes for the last time.
We don’t want to imagine it — “I still have 50 years left to live” — is the initial thought that pops into my mind even writing about it here, but for how much pains me to think about it, one day that counter will reach zero.
Either in 100 years or tomorrow, but it will arrive. For everyone.
Not only that but, for 99% of us, everything we are and do will be forgotten about, and for the remaining 1%, in 1000 years likely they will be forgotten too.
With seeming insignificance when put in the higher perspective of time, why then do we need to worry about these pursuits, after all, if no one will remember, why should we care?
Because in this life, the one we currently live, each one of us only gets 1 chance at it.
As I see it, due to it-s fleeting nature, we must live it as best as we can, with meaning and integrity, delaying short-term gratification for what gives true meaning to our lives, knowing that this way we can sleep well at night knowing we are doing what we were put here to do.
Not only fulfilled but also proud of ourselves, fully aware that on the opposite side lies a life of regret and wasted potential, a life that, as a lot of us would perceive it, not worth living.
Finally, the “no one will remember” argument, in my opinion, is a lie.
Obviously, 99% of people don’t know who created the first car, fridge, vaccine, or other crucial discoveries to our long-term survival. However, even if they don’t know the name, they benefit from their work.
People who pursued their “art”, giving it their all, fulfilling all the potential they could, people who made life exponentially better for the rest of us. These are remembered through their work.
Through what they did and who they had to become to deliver it, and even if your ambitions seem much smaller, for example, creating a successful youtube channel, know that the right video at the right time can save someone’s life.
The right song, right poem, even the right quote.
By not using your one life as best as you can you are doing a disservice to not only yourself, but to every generation to come.
Make you and them proud.
Thank you for reading.
Before You Go…
What if I told you there was advice written and published thousands of years ago, that presents us with the source of what we actually need?
Not only procrastination wise but for pretty much everything we struggle with.
As a blank statement, I’d imagine you would find it hard to believe, after all, hasn’t there been any progress since the thousands of years that passed?
My answer to that would be: Absolutely!
Every area that we can think of, from sports to science to technology, is MILES ahead of what it was when this advice was written…
However, the foundation that allowed so much of this fast progress has, in my opinion, been anchored on the foundations that were left for us.
As Isaac Newton said:
“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”
The core of what it takes for humanity to keep striving and achieving bigger and bigger goals, the 6 core elements, have been written down as far back as 2500 years ago.
Unfortunately, it seems that more of us are trading these proven fundamentals, that if given enough time and effort, will truly propel us forward, for promises of quick and fast results.
Honestly, I understand.
With a lot of the older advice, it is complicated and dense to go through, the language is ancient, and quite honestly, it tends to get boring sometimes.
It is much more appealing to go to some random youtube video and get watered down information, that won’t really help, but that will keep us entertained.
Now, if you are tired of being entertained, tired of lackluster results, and above all, tired of not following through with what you truly desire, then what follows is exactly for you.
To help you, first of all with the focus part, and then with all the other steps, I have created “Paths of Progress”.
This is, to my knowledge, the first platform ever, to teach you this advice that seems to have been lost/watered down, in a way that is simple to understand…
And above all, simple to apply, giving you the step-by-step guidelines to go from consuming information, all the way to reaping its rewards.
So, if you’re ready to finally commit to long-term improvement, standing on the shoulders of giants to guide you forward…
Click here to learn more about “Paths of Progress” and start your journey.
See you inside.
Learn More About Paths of Progress Here → www.pathsofmeaning.com | https://medium.com/@goncalohoshi/why-you-cant-afford-to-delay-8555e23a0a5d | ['Goncalo Hoshi'] | 2020-12-08 17:04:54.772000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement', 'Stoicism', 'Life', 'Life Lessons', 'Death'] |
Two boys donate money from Christmas invention to animal shelters | “Like most 12-year-olds, Ayaan and Mickey Naqvi love their family Christmas traditions, like making cookies and wrapping gifts. But most of all, they love decorating the Christmas tree with their family’s heirloom ornaments.
One day, as the Connecticut-based brothers were hanging their decorations, one of their favorite ornaments slipped off a branch and broke.
It was then that the light bulb went off and the Ornament Anchor was born.
A more secure way to hang your decorations, the Anchor features a toggle device that fastens your ornaments safely against the branch instead of hooking them over like the conventional product, CNN reports.
Ayaan tested the Anchor for a school project last year and when parents and teachers swarmed his booth with interest, he knew he and his brother were on to something.
The pair didn’t waste any time turning their invention into a business.
‘My brother and I worked together to design the product, patent it, create an awesome website, calculate profit margins and did our own market analysis,’ Ayaan told CNN. ‘We did everything to the point where every month was Christmas.’”
View the whole story here: https://nbc-2.com/news/2020/12/19/two-boys-donate-over-250000-from-christmas-invention-to-animal-shelters/ | https://medium.com/@tonycowger/two-boys-donate-money-from-christmas-invention-to-animal-shelters-d268a5502707 | ['Tony Cowger'] | 2020-12-24 12:36:57.294000+00:00 | ['Animals', 'Christmas', 'News', 'Donations', 'Inventions'] |
Counterfactual Regret Minimization | “We should regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us.” Lucy Maud Montgomery
Learning from regrets is what Counter Factual Minimization is all about.
The notion of “regret” is introduced in the article “Introduction to Regret in Reinforcement Learning”. However, it considers scenarios or games composed of a single step or action. Certainly, this is not realistic enough, because most scenarios, in reality, are composed of multiple steps.
It is clear that in every aspect of life, each decision might have a long term impact, and its effect might not be apparent on the spot, but later on.
Counter Factual Regret Minimisation, is a method that deals with scenarios composed of multiple steps, and how to detect errors (thus estimating regret) at every step.
This article provides a general overview of the CFR algorithm and a working example of a tic-tac-toe game.
How to assess regret every step of the way
As we said, most of the time games or scenarios are multi-step.
So it is important to be able to know what is the regret of not taking a certain action at each step.
After each turn, each player assesses the situation and the value of the state she is in. The assessment takes into consideration whether there is a possibility of winning, losing, etc…
Simple Value Case
Similarly to Value State in MDP, each node of the game in CFR has a value, called counterfactual. The bottom line is the average of future rewards weighed by their probabilities of really occurring.
Image by the author
The image above shows a node directly leading to three other nodes, each one with a different probability (.3, .2, .5). Each of the destination nodes has a value (3, 5, 2). The value of the parent node will be equal to the sum of each of the child node multiplied by its probability of happening:
3*.3 + 5*.2 + 2*.5 = 2.9
Recursively the parent node communicates its value to its parent multiplied by the probability of happening.
Simple Regret Case
Since we have computed the value of each node, let’s compute the regret of not taking each action. We define regret by the value of the child minus the value of the parent. A quick computation will give us these results:
3 - 2.9 = .1
5 - 2.9 = 2.1
2 - 2.9 = -.9
As seen the action that is regretted the most is the second one (that leads to 5)
In other words, this action should be more probable than the others. So the probabilities will be recomputed to reflect this fact.
The probabilities (also called strategies) will be computed as follows:
Strategy(i) = Regret(i)/sum of positive regrets
Sum of positive regrets is 2.1 + .1 = 2.2
The strategy of negative regrets is given a value of zero.
Strategy1 = .1 / 2.2 = .05
Strategy2 = 2.1 / 2.2 = .95
Strategy3 = 0
With these new strategies, we compute the new value of the parent node as seen in the image below.
Image by the author
Adding Some Complexity
So far we have established the value and the regret for each node, however, there is a catch!
The value of each node will be used by its parent combined with the probability that that node will be reached.
But this is not the case for the regret. Considering that the regret (in our example) of the middle action is 5–2.9 = 2.1, we still don’t know that this node will be reached and this regret will be computed?!
So the regret should also be multiplied by the probability of reaching its appropriate node.
Assuming that the probability of reaching the node in our example is .2, then the regret of that node will be 2.1 * .2 = 0.42
Important. This will not change the values of the computed strategies because we are multiplying all its components by the same (reaching) probability, on the current iteration (more on that below).
Cumulative Computations
As you most probably already know, all AI/Machine Learning algorithms are based on iterative computations. Thousands or even millions of iterations are done to reach acceptable results of behavior.
CFR is no exception! The CFR tree is computed many times, and on each iteration, the regret and the strategies are updated.
The regret is computed cumulatively for each node and each action, then the strategy is derived from these regret values.
Suppose for node n, there are 2 actions a1, a2. Since the tree will be iterated N times, on each iteration, on node n, we have a new value for regret and the reaching probability.
Regret[n, a1] = Regret[n, a1, 1] * P[1] + Regret[n, a1, 2] * P[2] +…+Regret[n, a1, N] * P[N]
Same for Regret a2:
Regret[n, a2] = Regret[n, a2, 1] * P[1] + Regret[n, a2, 2] * P[2] +…+Regret[n, a2, N] * P[N]
Sum of regrets:
Regret[n] = Regret[n, a1] + Regret[n, a2]
The strategies are computed as usual:
Strategy[n, a1] = Regret[n, a1] / Regret[n]
Strategy[n, a2] = Regret[n, a2] / Regret[n]
The implication of Two Players
When computing CFR for a two-player zero-sum game, there are some important details to be aware of.
The game tree is organized by layers, alternating between player 1 and 2
Image by the author
What is positive for one, is negative for the other and vice-versa. As each node reports its value to the parent, the sign flips to reflect that what is beneficial for one player is a loss for the other.
Image by the author
The reaching probability directly before a node depends on the action of the player in the layer above the node.
The Code
The code shared in Google Colab is an implementation of CFR of the Tic-Tac-Toe game.
To use it, you should first create a copy of your own, set the iterations that you want, train it by running the first cell, then start playing by running the second cell.
Important! the training time is exponentially proportional to the number of iterations.
1 iteration takes approx 30sec
10 iterations take approx 5min
100 iterations take approx 30min
1000 iterations take approx 4h30min
It is advisable to train with 1 iteration first then play against the algorithm, then train it with 10 or 100 iterations then play and see the difference.
Related Articles
Introduction to Regret in Reinforcement Learning
Introduction to Fictitious Play
Fictitious Self Play
Neural Fictitious Self-Play
Neural Fictitious Self-Play in Practice | https://towardsdatascience.com/counterfactual-regret-minimization-ff4204bf4205 | ['Ziad Salloum'] | 2020-12-28 18:01:51.472000+00:00 | ['Machine Intelligence', 'Counterfactual', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Reinforcement Learning', 'Regret Minimisation'] |
How to Make Disney’s Vegan Dole Whip at Home | How to Make Disney’s Vegan Dole Whip at Home
Disney released the cult-favorite recipe so you can transport yourself to the parks anytime
I grew up in a house that had rules — and they were reasonable ones. No sugary cereal, no staying up past 10:00 PM, no computer time until after homework was done.
But on vacation, there were no rules.
I remember standing outside the gates for the Tomorrowland Speedway in Magic Kingdom, watching kids crammed into brightly-colored cars bump along the track. The Florida sun made the day muggy already as I bit into the Mickey-shaped bar, chocolate and ice cream dripping down my hand faster than I could slurp it.
It was 9:30 AM.
That was only the first ice cream stop. As we worked our way around Magic Kingdom, we finished up the afternoon in Adventureland. Still singing “Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!” we waited in line at the colorful stand at Aloha Aisle for another round.
What emerged from the dispensers wasn’t ice cream, but a deliciously creamy pineapple treat. Disney has been serving Dole Whip at Walt Disney World since 1986, but on the day I discovered it, it was like what Aladdin sings to Jasmine on a magic carpet ride: a whole new world.
Dole Whip is a cult-favorite snack at Disney, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s the best snack the parks have to offer. You can only find it in a few places at the parks — so I always make time to wait in line for a chance to cool down.
I’m holding out that I’ll still be able to return to Disney later this year, but until it reopens, I’m whipping up my own Dole Whip at home, thanks to Disney releasing the recipe on the My Disney Experience app. | https://medium.com/tenderlymag/how-to-make-disneys-vegan-dole-whip-at-home-70aee84e0125 | ['Kayla Voigt'] | 2020-05-14 15:01:01.494000+00:00 | ['Dupes', 'Food', 'Food Hacks', 'Vegan', 'Disney'] |
Why Some Christians Need To Go Greenpreneur. | A reflection of a Catholic worker.
Self Hurting Church
Our Catholic communities have been repeating a cycle in the last few decades. Pride, Procrastinate, Self-Justify, Ignored, Left Behind, Angry, Condemn, Often Bringing No Souls to Christ. Let’s looked at how many Catholics condemned TV, and now the Church is live streaming everything. I clearly remembered before 2010, I heard over and over again on Catholic radio, Catholic leaders were clueless and softly blaming technology for many things. The year 2016 came when some Catholics who seek religious community first filter their eyes using the website of the order.
The free sex has been around forever, but the condemnation of those in an educated nation has not been widely common until the last century. While the Church acts as a teacher, Her members often condemn our own people without showing love, care, companionship.
The result has been the rise of the opposition who are trying to care for those whom the faithful proudly condemn, but without a God.
Resulting in the current misleading women right that focuses too much on protecting the women.
Many issues we have today could be a result of us failing to act with love and focus too much on righteousness.
Now that most devoted American Catholics are positioning themselves to be aligned to a polarized party, most believe without learning whatever is presented by their political party. I think this hurts everyone. It hurts Jesus, for using unhealthy politics as the trusted source of information that leads to a Catholic agenda, is not right.
Expecting everyone to have an equal power of analysis is simply a dream. I believe St. Paul had a relevant point when saying each body part has its role. As a Church, the Body is no longer behaving like different organs. Our Church is now structured with a few influencers (organs) on top with everyone below it like water, expected to go everywhere and understand everything. While it is good to educate Christ to everyone, I do not think we should throw an opinion to the public to make a fuzz when they are not well informed in detail, just like how we treat the faith. Therefore, I view this attempt of Church influencers as immature, seeing humanity as a superhuman-brain when one fulfills what they ought to know in the faith.
Global Warming
As scientists studied everything with trillions of data, there are among them who act as the face of all without proper data.
Although the community has moved away from the fight against the existence of global warming, they are now still fighting whether global warming is harmful or not.
If we are unsure and have not seen the data, why don’t we seek the presented data ourselves and dig them without the opinion of a popular face? Many in the society are too aggressive in being proud and acknowledging those with certificates, degrees, TV appearance, that we have not learned to find the root issue with all presented information. The proof? Fake news.
While I myself has no intention to proclaim I have done the best research I could do due to various limitation, but I found most oppositions claim
The earth will return to its normal just like as if a tsunami is not a big deal as the water will go back to the ocean.
Those scared and scarred will have no access to Catholics who cared for them and trying their best to love them. We focus too much on theology and ridiculing the other party while forgetting that the Lord asks us to love, not to understand theology as the end goal. Let us remember His word, “I don’t know you, evildoers.”. I would challenge everyone who has a stand, where there needs not be a stand, to humbly listen and learn yourself, not from those around you. I think the scientific community has been very good at laying out all the data online without bias.
No one will thank or feel attracted to those who simply told others are stupid, those who care and give their life for an important subject will be whom the next generation will listen to.
Would we repeat the same cycle? It seems like it unless one of us stop thinking about making money, a career, and anything else but love.
Raw Market
As a venture operator, we always get ourselves around a specific issue and understand what needs to be done. Unlike the arena of apps and other information technology that has saturated like sands, this arena is so raw but requires a highly innovative approach. I think this is the time for Christian scientists & technologists who often alienates themselves from the business and entrepreneurial arena to come and join the gang.
If you know or can find a better crystalline for solar cell, if you can find ways to reduce the price of electricity, if you can make a new trend around carbon so recaptured carbons can be sold to society, if you can find a new solution or chemical reaction that can extract hydrogen with a lower cost, or many other fields,
You might be called to risk yourself to love others, to risk your security to bring goodness to the entire humanity.
I think society should go away from the pile of people obsessed with the digital industry, as the world needs help elsewhere. | https://medium.com/@catholicer/why-some-christians-need-to-go-greenpreneur-fbb164a70fb | [] | 2020-12-24 19:10:08.643000+00:00 | ['Enterpreneurship', 'Global Warming', 'Economy', 'Catholic'] |
The Chinese Cryptocurrency Ecosystem | The Chinese crypto ecosystem can appear confusing to people used to working with companies based in the West. A robust understanding of government regulations, crypto holder practices, and stakeholders in the space are necessary to move nimbly in this market. After various experiences with Chinese businesses, we gathered relevant information. This guide seeks to advise firms that want to venture into this fascinating, if chaotic, crypto space.
The article includes:
Source: Unsplash, Executium
Crypto Trading & Mining in China ― A History of Inhibitions
Chinese citizens embraced the concept of virtual value very quickly — earlier than many other populations. And, in spite of the love-hate relationship the Chinese government has with blockchain, Bitcoin immediately gained traction, boosting a thriving ecosystem of startups.
There is a high-propensity for speculation, which helped this rapid adoption. Young adults particularly (Millennials and part of Gen Z) believe crypto investments represent a gateway to higher social classes.
However, Chinese authorities, after a “wait-and-see” approach, started targeting the crypto industry to limit money laundering, fraud, and speculative trading. This turbulent history of bans and restrictions began in 2013, although it did not pick up until 2016. The fundraising event of One Foundation, the founding of the exchange Huobi, and mining hardware manufacturer Bitmain, are all linked to the start of government action. After these events, the government ‘prohibited banks and domestic exchanges from transactions involving [bitcoin]’.
Even as the price of bitcoin rose in 2016, the market was again hit the following year as initial coin offerings (ICOs) were banned ― a ‘ban [that] triggered an instant 6% decline in bitcoin prices’ and shut down many local exchanges. Finally, to fully clamp down on crypto trading, authorities forbid both crypto-to-fiat and crypto-to-crypto transactions. From then on, ‘all activity beyond interpersonal, over the counter transfers [became] illegal. Even writing about and promoting cryptocurrency isn’t allowed [anymore]’.
But, crypto holders’ hopes were not totally destroyed. In fact, as the Hong Kong based Bitcoin Association tweeted, ‘[f]or those new to bitcoin, it is customary for the People’s Bank of China to ban bitcoin at least once in a bull cycle’.
In 2021, the Chinese government’s hard-line policy was reinforced once more. Since May, it is illegal for any financial institution and payment company to take part in the crypto market, preventing them from any activity, including ‘registration, trading, clearing and settlement’. Conversion to and from cryptos is also banned. To complement these measures, an intense warning campaign was launched by the central bank, discouraging people from investing. This also went so far as to invite businesses to detect illegal crypto-related transactions. Even Alipay, the mobile payment giant run by Alibaba, attended the meeting.
The mining ecosystem was the second target of this “war”, despite being China’s most well-known link to the crypto space. China controlled 65% of Bitcoin’s hash power until 2020 — nine times that of the United States. Mining activities mainly arose in 2017, supported by the local, low-cost labour force and inexpensive electricity sources, making China the largest mining hub in the world. However, after recent crackdowns on cryptos and energy consumption, many mining farms are reconsidering their strategy.
This year, China’s Vice Premier, Liu He, announced the intention to close mining activities as part of sustainability solutions to meet 2060 carbon neutrality goals. This decision led to frantic “fire-sales” of equipment and a depreciation of mining facility value. According to various sources, these are down around 20, 30, or even 40%. Wired reports that miners are considering alternatives to contain losses.
For those with hosting contracts, it is likely more convenient to sell their rigs instead of renewing the contracts, as the future is very uncertain.
Other miners are planning to take the business elsewhere. Chinese and other Asian miners are mainly considering Kazakhstan, as it is a neighbouring, relatively-cold country, and already home to 6% of the world’s mining, with convenient coal energy.
Due to economic or cultural reasons, some are planning to ‘wind down their large mining farms and continue their mining [in the country] in a more decentralized, inconspicuous fashion’, rather than large farms.
These recent measures appear to be the first step to closing the Chinese mining era. In fact, He’s promises have already been enforced by Inner Mongolia and Sichuan through bans. Discussion in Xinjiang and Yunnan do not bode well for the future of mining there, either.
Combined with the stringent bans outlined earlier, this does not paint a picture of a favourable and stable cryptocurrency ecosystem. Yet, only a few sources are confident that this fully spells the end of the Chinese crypto market. While the decentralised nature of the market makes it hard to understand where transactions happen, activity on platforms suggest that East Asia is still one of the most active markets. It ‘[accounted] for 31% of all cryptocurrency transacted’ between July 2019 and June 2020, ‘which is 77% more than Northern & Western Europe (NWE)’. Specifically, liquidity and the large trading population make the East-Asian region a key player in the crypto space.
Mining Farms and Pools in China
The Xinjiang region was the hottest area for mining, followed by Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, Yunnan, and Beijing. But, with the new government direction and crackdowns on mining in some of these regions, the ecosystem is, and will continue to, change.
Keeping track of major miners’ moves is the most promising way to understand what will come next. However, understanding who the largest China-based mining firms are is slightly tricky, as many companies do not publicise their mining activities. The web provides somewhat conflicting information on this subject. While the areas the farms are located is common knowledge, most papers do not mention them by name.
Bitmain, HashCow, BTC.TOP, and BIT Mining (BTCM) ― which just delivered part of its mining machines to Kazakhstan due to the suspension of its mining operations in Sichuan ― are the best known firms.
Other entities associated with crypto mining are Ebang and China Telecom. In fact, the communication giant was among the 21 mining farms of Inner Mongolia that is believed to be affected by these restrictions.
Farm facilities are also usually connected to mining pools to allow miners to share computational resources and make mining more efficient. The recent ban affected mining pools as well. Global Times affirms that pools like Huobi.pool, F2Pool, Poolin, Binance, and AntPool (Bitmain) have ‘experienced a 20 percent to 40 percent plunge in their real-time hash rates’ in the last weeks.
Source: Unsplash, Berenice Melis
Trends in Chinese VCs — Looking for Disruption
Globally, the United States leads blockchain and crypto financing, but China and nearby countries are narrowing the gap. While the Chinese government has tight control over the crypto market, it is very optimistic about the role of blockchain for the digital future of the country.
Today, capital earned by early crypto investors is being reinvested in smaller, local blockchain projects. The Chinese government is also an active investor in blockchain-based solutions, stressing interest in this technology several times. These moves gesture towards a goal to profit off this wave of innovation. In addition, major corporations like Alibaba, JD.com, and Tencent heavily invested in blockchain solutions.
However, before the Bitcoin crash of 2018, the Chinese financing environment was quite different. The country had a great number of blockchain and crypto investment funds, of both medium and small sizes, mainly investing in early-stage startups. But, as attested by 01Caijing, after the crash, the government embarked on a more standardised development path, in line with the increased regulatory stance that began to emerge post-2013. This lent to the total amount of financing dropping by more than 70% at the beginning of 2019. Almost 90% of local VCs fled the scene, due in large part to the crash, but also driven by uncertainty in the face of the revised government stance. Many established by crypto veterans shifted back to mining and trading, while other VCs opted to decrease investments or stand aside, storing value in cryptos instead.
Investments started up again from the second half of 2019, mainly thanks to Bitfinex’s funding, as the first major funding event after the crash. After this, Chinese VCs generally pursued more sustainable and diversified investment paths, which led to the more mature system we see today. Apart from equity, investment funds started looking at bitcoin mining and secondary trading, including swap or futures of the most used cryptos.
Nationwide, the Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong provinces stand out as the most active areas in terms of blockchain startups. Thanks to supportive local policies and early interest in the sector, as well as developed industrial networks and large talent pools, these areas continue to lead the industry. Recently, names such as Bitmain, Hyperchain, and Jixin Blockchain rose to the forefront, due to considerable investments in their funding rounds — $450M, $249M, and $100M, respectively.
Beijing and Shanghai are the most prolific headquarters. The following are the top Chinese VCs with a hub in the country:
The restrictions imposed by central authorities pushed many investment funds and accelerators outside Chinese borders, though — specifically to Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Macau. But, some maintained part of their businesses in mainland China. Kenetic Capital is likely the best known of the bunch, and just led a Series A round (raising $30M) for the startup behind China’s Blockchain Service Network (BSN). It is now based in Hong Kong, a flourishing ecosystem for crypto- and blockchain-related VCs, although there is also consideration for some restrictions: limiting crypto trading to professional investors.
Despite the emerging difficulties incentivising many to move abroad, many others remained in the country — millionaire investors, HODLers, and gamblers included.
Source: Unsplash, Maxim Hopman
How Crypto Exchanges Operate in China
Some exchanges fall into the group of crypto businesses that moved overseas, especially after the 2016 high-profile shutdown of BTCC, China’s first crypto exchange. However, a number of them maintained activities in mainland China.
Currently, the Chinese Great Firewall prevents popular crypto exchanges from popping up in internet searches, but there are loopholes to curb the censorship. VPNs enable people in China to access crypto exchanges, as well as over-the-counter (OTC) or peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms, which make up a sort of grey market.
Wealthy (due to high criteria required for users) crypto holders switched to OTC platforms, which offer options to buy and sell more privately. In fact, Chinese authorities have no means to match transactions on local payment platforms to transactions on crypto exchanges.
This is how OTC platforms allow users to bypass regulations. Crypto exchanges that run OTC platforms enable traders to post offers, ‘with the counterparty being the exchange themselves’. Once the price has been agreed upon, the value in Yuan is sent to a different payment platform and ‘locked up in an “escrow” account until cleared’. The buyer then receives the crypto, and the exchange is done.
Although suspicious transactions can be checked by banks and payment providers, for the most part, these sort of direct trades work. It is also still possible to buy stablecoins. This is confirmed by a rising exchange rate between Yuan and Tether stablecoin (USDT), as noted by CNBC. The former CEO of BTCC further explains that USDT is used by Chinese holders to move ‘into and out [of] Bitcoin’, making it ‘an underground currency’.
Huobi, OKEx, and Binance are likely the most popular exchanges in China, as well as all being developed in the country. However, Huobi recently announced an increase in derivatives restrictions due to government crackdowns — a decision that will have significant consequences. As Coindesk notes, ‘derivatives are among the key products defining the competition between the three exchanges in the Chinese market’. This might favour Binance, which, according to CCTV, will still provide users with the possibility to trade cryptos. Although the P2P platform is not downloadable in China, it is still the most used method to trade, relying on VPNs. OKEx falls after Binance for popularity, as the exchange is deemed unreliable by long-time crypto traders due to the unannounced suspension last year that lasted five weeks.
Despite some very conflicting opinions, Decentralised Exchanges (DEXs) are also attracting some attention in the light of these strict rules. We will probably not see a sudden shift to these solutions, but they are certainly worth keeping an eye on.
Source: Unsplash, Viktor Forgacs
Key Communication Channels
As time zones, culture, language, and relationships change between East-Asian and Western countries, the same happens in crypto communications and behaviours. Different trust concepts, user preferences, and business strategies made protocols and related products very “local”, while decentralised.
Chinese crypto holders prefer pragmatic, mobile-apps that enable interpersonal trust. In fact, trust is a key element in both Chinese culture and businesses, making investors prefer deals with known people or ‘someone they can interact with’. This is why the ‘senior officials from Asia-based exchanges like Binance, Huobi, and OKEx make themselves available in WeChat groups to answer customers’ questions’. Further, most Chinese ‘whales’ — people with large crypto holdings — manage their holding by themselves as to not rely on (and trust) third-parties.
Chinese user preferences for smartphones also spurred the development of ‘Superapps’. These apps provide all services via a mobile interface, despite the high-density of functions. This fostered an ecosystem that prioritised tech companies that capitalised on the ‘leap-frog’ effect. In the Chinese crypto space, Binance is a great example of this. The exchange blitzscaled — expanding its services to ‘more sophisticated options trading, to new staking services, mining pools and fiat over-the-counter applications’.
With regard to information flows and communication, WeChat is a clear winner, but after the latest bans, Telegram became very popular as well. Weibo is also a common social media platform used in the crypto niche. However, the recent position of Weibo against specific crypto-related accounts — and their subsequent suspension — encouraged many crypto enthusiasts to explore other options.
WeChat is the central hub of close-ended, trustable relationships that enable the interchange of information and crypto trading. Every connection within the WeChat microworld starts and ends in groups, moments, and embedded hyperlinks. These types of connections are viewed as somewhat binding, and might also be very exclusive, as crypto influencers have a habit of charging an entrance fee for their private groups. Therefore, leaving a WeChat group is generally seen as an uncomfortable process. However, this system can also be fairer than the Western playing field, as whales, professional institutions, and individual crypto enthusiasts generally all end up in the same WeChat groups.
On the other hand, to escape the pressing control of the central government, crypto holders in China started migrating to Telegram for its encrypted services, although it is officially banned in the country. Therefore, to access Telegram groups, users need VPNs, and thus extra-effort. This move places Chinese crypto actors in the epicentre of Western crypto-communication. According to rumours, the Chinese government is trying to further censor Telegram, looking for a solution to ‘ban the banned’, but how is still unclear.
While Westerners are used to seeing interactions and information sharing take place mainly on Twitter, Telegram, Medium, and Discord, in China, Weibo (Chinese Twitter) and Bihu (a crypto discussion forum similar to Medium) are more used. They have a decent number of interactions, but far less if compared to their Western counterparts.
Outside of community-driven and interactive sources, there are also several websites and newspapers that share updates and useful news about the sector, including Chinese government’s decisions.
In addition to the above sources, the English-language newsletter China Crypto News — of Colin Wu, XinHua Finance (新华财经), NBD (每经网), and Blockchain.News — is also notable.
WeChat, though, continues to have a monopoly on communications in general, and remains among the most popular information sharing platform. But, the government crackdowns on activities related to crypto are encouraging people to look elsewhere. All of this demonstrates a market split that persists between the Chinese and Western crypto communities. Some cultural bridges might emerge in the near future, though, as it appears Telegram’s time in China has come.
Influential Figures in the Chinese Crypto Space
Although tough to identify due to the “sensitive” topic and stance of the government, regional crypto influencers educate and advise their followers. In China, influencers are more commonly known as Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), and mainly operate via WeChat and Weibo (now, also Telegram), but more influential individuals, with larger audiences, often have Twitter accounts as well.
1.Internationally followed KOLs
Justin Sun (Sun Yuchen), Changpeng Zhao, and He Yi are internationally followed influencers, active on both Western and Asian social media channels. Justin Sun, with almost 3M followers on Twitter, is the Co-Founder of TRON and CEO of BitTorrent. He is based in Singapore, and this year was declared second most influential person globally in the market by Crypto Head. On the other hand, Changpeng Zhao, the CEO, and He Yi, the CMO of Binance, are clearly largely followed in China, with almost 3M and 26K Twitter followers, respectively. However, the official Weibo account of Binance was among the suspended accounts in March of this year, citing local and community law violations.
Li Xiaolai, the Founder of the Beijing-based venture fund, BitFund, and LaoMao, considered the Top Chinese EOS influencer, are also among notable KOLs.
2. WeChat ICO Accounts
For updates and news about cryptos, Chinese investors often turn to WeChat ICO official accounts. Statistics show that “team accounts” are more common, and the information they provide is usually high-quality articles and analysis. They cover both the general ecosystem and specific cryptocurrencies.
Digital Currency Trend Maniac (数字货币趋势狂人) — this account has around 1.2M followers — a large proportion of which are very active — and provides crypto and market trends analyses and operation strategies for projects.
Mr. Yuan (币姥爷) — according to rumours, this account is run by very early-investors in the crypto space, and provides an overview of their success stories, as well as their future investments.
Mr.Wang’s Diary of the Blockchain (王团长区块链日记) — a famous Chinese KOL account that records ‘Mr. Wang’s moves’ when investing.
3. Chinese KOLs
Earlier in 2021, several blockchain-related Weibo accounts were suspended. No official statements have been given on the specific reasons why Weibo targeted only 25 accounts (so far). Blockbeats, SuperBTC, and 8BTC are among the most popular accounts to be suspended. Although not confirmed, the measure seems to have affected many profiles with “Bitcoin” (比特币) in the username.
The journalist Colin Wu tweeted that this was ‘the harshest suspension of crypto in history. […]It includes China’s most famous DeFi leaders 超级君 [Super King] and many famous traders such as 小侠 [Xiao Xia].’ However, in a later tweet, he continues ‘[b]ut at present, it seems that accounts not involved in ads of exchanges have not been blocked’. Although not proper KOLs, Colin Wu, likely the most active Chinese journalist in the sector, and an industry insider who goes by just Molly, are both well-known and widely followed Chinese crypto reporters — definitely names to keep an eye on to keep up to date with the Chinese market.
Dovey Wan, Chinese crypto KOL and Founder of Primitive Crypto, argued that this ‘attack’ had deeper motives to limit the industry, as it hit not only crypto influencers, but also other industry stakeholders, such as internet celebrities, media, and meme accounts.
Some influencers decided to shift to more crypto-friendly platforms, like SuperBTC, which moved to Twitter. As a well-known feature in the crypto community, this decision might inspire others to follow.
And, as mentioned above, Telegram is also gaining popularity, and followed by more and more Chinese crypto enthusiasts. The shift to “Western” channels is proved by a spate of relatively new accounts on these platforms. To name a few, accounts like 土狗101 Shitcoin101, 8848 社区, Mao 小毛哥, and RealSatoshi, though not boasting the same amount of followers seen on other channels, are still quite active on a daily basis.
The Blockchain Service Network (BSN)
Blockchain is one of the priorities of the Chinese government, and in Q1 of 2020, the country launched the Blockchain Service Network (BSN) in collaboration with the Chinese state-owned telecom giant, China Mobile, UnionPay, and IT startup, Red Date.
The goal of this infrastructure is a platform that ‘enables enterprises to access, build and adopt blockchain technology into their commerce, be they domestic or international’. It offers several, convenient networking infrastructures for developers and entrepreneurs and has more than 120 public city nodes across China. Internationally, BSN has partnerships with lead protocols and consulting firms.
The first supported blockchains were FISCO-BCOS, XuperChain, and CITA, but now, it also integrates many other partners, including Solana, Polkadot, Oasis, Bityaun, Ethereum, NEO, Tezos, and ConsenSys. Further, an integration with Casper Network — a layer one PoS blockchain — was recently announced, enforcing BSN’s vision to build a “Digital Silk Road”.
The BSN offers two sets of blockchain services, one for developers within China and one for users outside the country, that are ‘physically separated’ from each other. ‘The global service is run from Amazon Web Services data centers in Hong Kong, California and Paris, while the national one only runs in data centers inside China’. The BSN offers cost benefits, as it is less expensive than accessing cloud services via traditional providers. But, to avoid the exchange of information that might upset the Chinese government, the system in China is managed through an Open Permissioned service. This is a ‘hybrid of permissioned and permissionless approaches’ that use a KYC (know your customer) process, which makes customer’s identities visible to BSN operators. The BSN’s highly controlled system allows Red Date to censor specific smart contracts or delete an entire blockchain — on the Chinese version — and obviously, cryptos are not allowed to keep it compliant with Chinese rules.
Deployed also in the light of the Chinese CBDC launch, the BSN infrastructure might establish China as a leading jurisdiction for blockchain. However, this will likely look different from blockchain development in other regions, given the lack of much of the speculative aspect of crypto.
Source: Unsplash, Patrick Sun
Chinese Enthusiasm is Shifting
Despite crypto activities being highly limited in China, blockchain remains a priority for the country. According to China’s National People’s Congress plan for the next five years, the country is committed to fostering the emerging tech sector, especially blockchain-based initiatives. The plan highlights areas supported by the Guidance Funds, which raised 5.65 trillion Yuan in 2020, and focuses on sustainable solutions to meet the carbon neutrality goal set for 2060. This goal is supported by the academic sector as well. Many universities in China provide blockchain-related courses to train the developers and entrepreneurs of tomorrow and opened blockchain research centers to drive China’s innovation forward.
Further, the contradiction between what Chinese citizens want and what they are allowed to do is fostering the growth of alternative ecosystems. As happened with cryptocurrencies, Decentralised Finance (DeFi) and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have attracted the attention of many, leading to interesting, if uncertain, developments.
Blockchain in Academia
The first university in China to introduce a course about blockchain (Blockchain and Digital Currency) was Zhejiang University (Hangzhou) in 2018. It is a leading university in Asia that offers courses related to Fintech through its School of Software Technology and International Business School. Its blockchain research centre also collaborates with ministerial and provincial institutions to support building blockchain development plans.
Over the years, several other Chinese universities followed the same path, acting as bridges between the international and Chinese FinTech markets. Those courses include both basic topics and advanced specialisations. The following are likely the best known academic institutions in China that provide and run blockchain-related courses and research.
DeFi Ecosystem
While technologies are revolutionising the economic and financial sector globally, China is a step ahead in terms of digital payment infrastructure, due to the launch of its CBDC. Therefore, as part of their progress, enabling some technical aspects of DeFi appears to be the next natural step for the country. However, given the central role of the government in crypto markets, the future of DeFi will likely look very different in China than other countries. But, as the crypto reporter, Molly, tweeted in September 2020, DeFi enthusiasm in general is rising in China.
The famous exchange, Huobi, took part in the development of the DeFi Chinese network, in collaboration with the Shanghai College, enabling the first step into the space. According to the cryptos exchange, many Western DeFi projects are popular in the country, such as Uniswap, Compound, and MarkerDAO. However, a new landscape of applications is emerging, one that is 100% Made in China. Last year, the investment arm of Huobi participated in the funding round of dForce, one of the largest Chinese DeFi platforms. The same year, MCDEX — a DeFi project that aims to ‘provide financial services for Chinese customers who, until now, have had little access to global yield’ — launched its decentralised ETH perpetual contract. As ‘gateways to Web3.0 and dApps’, Hongbo Tang founded the aggregated layer DeBank that supports users in managing their portfolios. Embedded in ImToken — China’s largest crypto wallet — is Tokenlon, a decentralised exchange and payment settlement protocol built on 0X. The Loopring protocol was also built by Chinese developers and is emerging as a key player in solving Ethereum scaling problems.
A bridge between East and West is also being built by the Open DeFi initiative of Conflux Network. With the objective of increasing international cooperation and closing the gap between the Asian and Western markets, the consortium of DeFi protocols was approved and sustained by the Chinese government via the Shanghai Science and Technology Committee. The parties have ‘three major vectors like risk management, new liquidity strategies, and incubation and innovation’, and this year launched the Open DeFi DAO.
Although in its infancy, the DeFi ecosystem in China is evolving rapidly. James Gillingham, Co-Founder and CEO of the Singapore-based Finxflo, supports this view, especially in the light of the BSN (Blockchain Service Network). He added that the goal of China might be to create its own DeFi network and ecosystem, as Thailand did, absorbing the Western trends but maintaining capital control. As the nature of DeFi is against traditional, more controlled financial approaches, this will encourage the Chinese government to find methods to track and trace the amount of capital leaving the country, to try to centralise the industry. Further, Gillingham believes it is possible that China, through a more academic approach, will look for partnerships with DeFi stakeholders to implement an adoption strategy that will enable the government to influence advancements in space. Finally, despite Ethereum’s dominance, his predictions see Chinese protocols reaching the top 10 soon, as knowledge and enthusiasm are growing fast.
NFT Ecosystem
Chinese artists are interested in the potential of NFTs, despite uncertainty about whether they are in a different class than cryptos, or if the restrictions on cryptos will be applied to NFTs as well. Therefore, it is not fully understood if Chinese government will allow an art market built on permissionless blockchains, as NFT trading does bear some similarities to crypto trading. But, some Chinese stakeholders have tried to reassure people of the legality of NFTs. AntChain, the blockchain division of China’s fintech Ant Group, recently stressed that NFTs and cryptos are two distinct products. These statements were released after the company’s sale of NFTs on the Alipay platform caused confusion among customers and questions about the group’s activities. According to an AntChain spokesperson, ‘NFTs are not interchangeable, nor divisible, making them fundamentally different from cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin’. They also reiterated that the value of NFTs lies in the possibility to create unique signatures for digital assets.
Obviously, this uncertainty makes the NFT artists’ path harder in China. However, this market is gaining momentum in the country, with Beijing appearing to be the leader. In fact, this year, the capital hosted the first, in-person NFT gallery — ‘Virtual Niche, Have you ever seen memes in the mirror?’.
The exhibition took place between March 26 and April 4, 2021 at the UCCA Center of Contemporary Art, showing pieces by crypto artists such as Beeple and Rober Alice, as well as some famous Chinese names. Artists ranged from art academy professors to techno-art lovers, showing pieces such as ‘Matrix’ by Ellwood (a Chinese crypto artist).
NFTs started emerging in China already in 2018, around the hype of CryptoKitties. Chinese netizens were active creators of the blockchain-based felines, but the community’s interest in NFT art was dampened by central authority decisions.
According to Beijing-based attorney Shen Wenhao, NFTs have not been tested in Chinese courts yet, and impending laws or rulings might slow the fever in the near future. Further, a Decrypt article argues that the Chinese community is more interested in the speculative aspect of this market, making some digital artists dubious about the future development of this hype — as crypto artist Ting Song affirmed in the same interview. However, this trend has already flooded WeChat and Weibo groups.
Despite uncertainties, the Chinese art market is the third largest in the world, bolstering hopes for this industry. A new generation of digital creators are trying to emerge despite the blurred conditions. Fenbushi Capital recently led the angel round of financing for the decentralised crypto art platform BCA (BlockCreateArt), raising a total of $2 million. According to their blog, BCA groups together ‘creation, trading, collection, and culture & education outputs of crypto art’ trying to create ‘a complete, efficient and standardized cryptoArt NFT closed-loop ecosystem’. The CEO of BCA, Sun Bohan (孙博涵) was also the curator of ‘Virtual Niche’, running the exhibition in collaboration with Kusama Network (Polkadot’s ‘wild cousin’).
Although most of the arts hosted in the gallery are encrypted on Ethereum, Binance has an NFT project on BSC (Binance Smart Chain), as well. The news of Binance’s music-NFT project ‘Musical Beats’ resulted in a fierce dispute with Ethereum, as it was alleged to be a copycat of Ethereum’s EulerBeats (allegedly, like other projects the Decrypt’s article reports). The Chinese-developed company started its NFTs activity in 2019, gifting them on special occasions. Currently, some NFT arts are valued over $200M, according to Binance. A vast list of Chinese artists and arts can be found also on HECO chain and the NFTChina platform (Chinese version: NFT中国).
Overall, NFTs have an uncertain path in front of them. This digital art also has political implications in China, as many crypto artists see this as a means to exercise their freedom of expression. Moreover, the music industry can also gain from this technological development, as many Chinese artists do not profit from their music. This May, Fu Ying aka A Duo (阿朵), sold her single ‘Water Know’ as a NFT (for $47,000), as she posted on her Weibo account.
The uncertainty might mean the NFT industry will develop slower and have a different direction compared to other ecosystems. But, regulations will probably not be able to stop the market altogether. The goal of many hoping to drive the space forward now is to educate the public, as the second part of the Shanghai-based NFT exhibit demonstrated. In fact, the second exhibition in mid-April, hosted a forum — CRYPTOULTRA — during which current hot topics, markets, and trends were explained and discussed.
Source: Unsplace, William Olivieri
What’s on the Horizon?
It is deemed that the new directions for the country’s digital economy do not involve the crypto market, but only blockchain technology for other applications.
Yet, digital currencies appear to be on the Chinese agenda and in focus. The country started to test the digital Yuan in April 2021. And, while ironic considering the stringent controls, the government keeps an eye on the development of the crypto market too, through the release of monthly rankings for DLT initiatives.
Even while the Chinese government is fiercely trying to cut off cryptos, moves in the Chinese ecosystem continue to have a strong impact on the volatility of the digital coins, as demonstrated by the fall Bitcoin had after the latest ban was reinforced — a fall of around 30%. The focus now should be on the next moves of Chinese crypto stakeholders. What will become of the Chinese crypto era? How will restrictions change in the near future, and will they influence other countries’ positions? Only time will tell. | https://medium.com/beyondhype/the-chinese-cryptocurrency-ecosystem-cd8d6f107aaf | ['Evelyne Buzziol'] | 2021-07-22 09:32:40.148000+00:00 | ['Defi', 'Nft', 'Cryptocurrency', 'VC', 'Crypto'] |
From human dissection to product marketing | From human dissection to product marketing
Photo by Joyce McCown on Unsplash
As a teen who loved health and fitness, sports psychology and physiology was an obvious career choice. Straight out of university, I landed a ‘dream’ contract with New Zealand Rugby and launched my sports massage practice. It was what I’d always wanted, but for some reason I didn’t feel challenged. I hated the admin and felt really isolated.
At the time, lots of my friends worked in tech startups and I was obsessed with finding out everything I could about what they did. I even volunteered to help them solve problems and generate ideas. Each conversation left me buzzing, and it wasn’t long before I realised that my heart belonged in tech. My ‘lightbulb’ moment at 26 years old led me to wind down my business and start fresh.
Eventually, I landed a marketing executive role at Trade Me and then moved to product marketing at Xero. As I progressed in my new career, I realised just how transferable the skills I gained in my sports career were to my role as a product marketer (except human dissection — I’m yet to find a use for that). Here are four things I carried with me into my new career, and why they’ve stuck with me.
Don’t leave anything to chance
When I was contemplating a career switch, I felt completely out of my depth. But having a clear vision really helped. I sought the advice of countless mentors, created a checklist and set incremental goals towards my bigger ones. Being prepared for every outcome gave me the confidence to push forward when I doubted myself. Looking back, I’ve realised this was the best possible training for a career in product marketing.
In product, you should leave as little as possible to chance. It’s the only way to feel comfortable with change. My first go-to-market checklist was created after I inadvertently brought down an entire website. Now, it’s the first thing I do to make sure everything is considered before, during and after launch. Uncertainty will always be part of the job, but good planning and early feedback makes it easier. For me, it’s about comprehensive research, a clear strategy, measurable goals and an extensive checklist. These mitigate risk and help everyone sleep at night.
Challenge your assumptions
Ever felt frustrated by a doctor who rushed to a diagnosis you’d already Googled? When I worked in sports massage and exercise programming, I saw so many clients with similar symptoms. It would have been easy to make assumptions based on what I’d seen before. But by asking questions and listening to what was being said, and just as importantly, what wasn’t, I could identify the root cause, ease their pain and help prevent it happening again. Digging deeper and building a complete picture of what’s going on was essential for solving the problem.
This was a great skill to take with me into product marketing. Product people are naturally curious and try to remove bias and preconceived ideas. But it’s not always easy. Sometimes people develop a solution to a problem, but they may just be fixing a symptom of a much deeper issue. Unless we listen, challenge our assumptions and dig deep to find a root cause, we won’t find true solutions that deliver impactful results.
For example, I once worked on a product that enabled anyone who sold something on Trade Me to have it fetched from their door and delivered to the buyer. We assumed that negotiating rates with couriers would be the real value. But after testing the messaging with customers, we discovered that not having to drive to a post office or organise packaging was far more valuable than price. In fact, many would pay a premium for the convenience! Had we gone with our assumption, ‘book a courier’ wouldn’t be the success it is today.
Focus on the thing that matters
The ability to focus through pressure and manage stress is crucial in competition, and I witnessed first-hand just how much athletes practice beyond the field. Like the rugby player who’d spend hours with his eyes closed, visualising himself kicking goals over and over, mentally honing his technique and blocking out a roaring crowd. He felt completely ready on game day, because he was focused on the one thing that mattered in that moment.
In product, there’s always too much to do, but the techniques I learned from high-performing athletes apply just the same. Learning to focus on the important stuff amongst the deafening screams of feature requests, dependencies and business pivots takes incredible discipline. But it’s better to execute a few things well than dilute your efforts and end up getting nothing done. I have a to-do list as long as my arm, but I ruthlessly prioritise one thing each day. Close those tabs, turn off notifications and make space. Nothing else matters today!
Put your own oxygen mask on first
As a masseuse, I saw loads of tech folk with migraines and pain, most of which were resolved by creating a safe space to talk, strength training and diet. We’re not machines — we need time away to nourish and inspire the body and mind, to create longevity for ourselves, our relationships and our careers. Self care trumps everything, and it’s important to remember that you won’t always find the answer staring at a screen.
I’ve experienced incredible self doubt and burnout, but over time, I’ve learned to take care of myself despite a high volume of work and responsibility. I’ve learned to be open about my fears and share the load. I’ve also discovered that I think better away from my desk. I need exercise to relieve stress and percolate on the big stuff, so I’ll head out for a run with a problem in mind, and return feeling energised and full of ideas.
Regular, short breaks keep me fresh, so I’ll often book a long weekend after a period of intensity or before a busy time. I also make sure I stay mindful of what others are going through. Safe spaces foster vulnerability, and vulnerability builds strong relationships and trust, which creates better work, stronger teams and happier humans.
How did you get where you are?
These days, I’m living my dream in Xero’s ecosystem team, driving strategy and go-to-market for our public API and developer tools. I love enabling developers around the world to build clever things, grow their business and improve the experience for our shared customers. It’s a beautiful storm of ideas, action and super smart humans who bring banter, passion and an incredible work ethic to every project.
I used to feel embarrassed about ‘not using my degree’ but I’ve come to realise that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the lessons I’ve learned along the way. Leaving nothing to chance, challenging my assumptions, staying focused and taking care of myself were the skills I needed to leap into a new career, and find my new home among product people at Xero.
I’ll always advocate for reading and structured learning, but nothing beats practical experience. And nothing beats the life skills you pick up along the way, no matter what career pathway you’re on. | https://medium.com/humans-of-xero/from-human-dissection-to-product-marketing-774eaa9e0549 | ['Aqua Delaney'] | 2020-12-07 07:59:56.467000+00:00 | ['Developer Ecosystem', 'Product Marketing', 'Career Advice', 'Product', 'Career Change'] |
Career Vs Job. Although work and career are often used… | Although work and career are often used to mean the same thing, they often have different meanings. Career generally refers to an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life and with opportunities for progress. Conversely, employment refers to a regular paid position of employment. The main difference between work and career is that career is a long term search while a job is a long term search.
Career is an occupation that needs special training or education and is followed like a person’s job. It is a long-term pursuit of a lifelong ambition. Career is undertaken for an important period of a person’s life and offers opportunities for progress.
Career can also refer to a series of related job opportunities, where you can move on to higher-paying and more prestigious job opportunities through the development of skills and the acquisition of experience. For example, medical students look into a career in medicine. They receive training and special education at medical universities. So they work as residents or house officers in a hospital or clinic. All of these steps are required to progress in their career.
Work, unlike career, is short-term research. It is an activity through which a person earns money. He’s filling a role in exchange for money. Special training or formal education is not usually required to perform a job. For example, students, retirees take part-time jobs to earn money. None of them considers these jobs as their careers. They may not enjoy their work or have no real interest in the field, but they would still do so because the main purpose of a job is to earn money. Convenient clerks, gas station attendants, dog walkers, newspaper delivery, etc. They are all jobs. Individuals do these jobs to earn money; they usually have no intention of pursuing a career without these jobs.
What to do?
Do you aim to have a career? You must work toward meeting that long-term goal.
· Continue learning and developing
It is important to Improve your skills and knowledge. Look after several qualifications while practising in your current job. Focus on professionals in your area of interest and ask yourself what their strengths, talents or accomplishments are, you could ask for their advice.
· Mentorship
Search for a mentor with an upper-level position or experience in your desired field. In this way you can improve your skills or simply ask specific questions.
· Expand your network
Workshops, conferences, seminars and social events can be great places to meet professionals in your field. expand your network means to have more resources for sharing experiences, learning, gaining advice and even job recommendations.
· Apply for an internship
It is necessary to build your own experience in your career field, so an internship can help you advance or break into that sector. You could search for certification opportunities and for internships that can help you gain proper and specific experience. | https://medium.com/@enrconsultancyservices/job-vs-career-c9c3e29e308b | ['Enr Consultancy Services'] | 2020-12-22 15:52:43.686000+00:00 | ['Startup', 'Consulting', 'Jobs', 'Enr', 'Careers'] |
Hello World | This short post is a resolution. I really hope I can write regularly in English. | https://medium.com/@benjaminwen/hello-world-136b85b3912 | ['Benjamin Wen'] | 2020-12-19 06:29:33.490000+00:00 | ['Resolutions'] |
Light | Photo by Inga Gezalian on Unsplash
If the mirror reflects the body,
what does the body reflect?
The soul, hidden beneath, a
rash on the skin, knuckles
that crack — a body broken
to reveal. | https://medium.com/new-body/light-c273435046a7 | ['Presley Thomas'] | 2020-08-26 00:55:28.844000+00:00 | ['Spirit', 'Poetry', 'Soul'] |
Liked YouTube Videos Catalog | Liked YouTube Videos Catalog
YouTube has largely become a part of everyone’s life during the COVID 19 pandemic. ‘Liking’ these videos not only provides a means of giving our feedback but also provides us a means to create our own personalized curated playlist. Although this list can be accessed through the website and the app, there is not really a friendly way to fetch older liked videos — not without painful scrolling especially when the list gets too large.
…I was compelled to stay up all night to complete a script that would fetch me my liked YouTube videos.
One fine night I thought that me being a programmer, why don’t I put my skills at work to fetch a detailed list of the same. Although I identify myself as a night person, pulling all nighters usually isn’t my thing. This was one of those occasions, however, where I was compelled to stay up all night to complete a script that would fetch me my liked YouTube videos.
Without wasting much time I looked up Google’s documentation for YouTube’s API, which would enable me to programmatically pull the data from their servers. I would be using their Data API v3. I then created a small .NET Core console app and tried out a simple query; and realized that I had to use OAuth to fetch my personal data as opposed to using an API key, which would only have fetched publicly available data.
Now that OAuth credentials were set up, I had to store the results somewhere. For that I decided to use an Excel spreadsheet, since text file would be too rudimentary and relatively clunky to navigate. So I created a small data model and implemented an abstraction using the EPPlus library, to fetch the last populated entry in the Excel file and append results from the API query response, thus creating a continuous list.
This is where the problems started. The people at Google had imposed some funny restrictions over the YouTube Data API. No query can fetch more than 50 results. To top that, there was a daily quota of 10,000 units for a project. That would seem huge, but a single upload request would cost 1,600 quota units. Fortunately for me, the APIs I was using surprisingly consumed just 1 unit per request. So that was not the main problem.
…managed to get my entire list of 2.5k videos
The API’s video endpoint that I was using only allowed for 1000 cumulative rows for paged requests; whereas my likes comprised of around 2.5k videos. A web search on the same led me to a solution where one suggested to use the playlist items endpoint instead; and sure enough, I managed to get my entire list of 2.5k videos, with a minor shortcoming — it didn’t fetch other useful details such as channel info, category ID and tags.
So I went through the documentation again and found one plausible solution — fetch video list based on their IDs. Thus, a few Excel gymnastics later with SheetKraft’s spreadsheet automation, I was able to construct an array of the remaining comma separated video IDs obtained via the playlist items endpoint. Needless to say, I did integrate the same in my code later, so one does not have to dabble with Excel, and the whole thing gets done in a single click.
Now all that was left was fetching the video categories, which was a one-time task — basically to fetch a list of categories mapped to their respective IDs — which I lazily scrapped off within the debugger itself! Here’s an interesting code snippet for the programming geeks :) | https://medium.com/@swanandnirgudkar/liked-youtube-videos-catalog-b4a3f12425a2 | ['Swanand Nirgudkar'] | 2021-01-20 01:53:42.330000+00:00 | ['API', 'YouTube', 'Excel', 'Dotnet Core', 'Programming'] |
35TH BIRTHDAY BLUES | 35TH BIRTHDAY BLUES
I don't usually do this but I decided a few weeks ago to start to write my life experiences and thoughts on life for no other purpose than self development.
And as I turn 35 today I can't help but look back on my very crazy but mostly pleasant life and be greatful to God that I am of sound mind (mostly sha) and body.
Over the past two months or so I've been through personal experiences that I can only in my limited vocabulary describe as traumatising.
While these experiences threatened to make me view the world and people in a negative manner I decided that it's important that I keep trying to give out the very best of myself to every human I meet till they don't deserve it.
I've met some exceptional human beings some are still in my life and others aren't and I'm super greatful for each and everyone of them and the experiences we shared. To be honest some of the kindness I've received I didn't deserve.
A few life lessons I've learned over the past few years are:
1. Treat people the way you'd like to be treated.
2. You don't have to be a super fucking activist on Instagram just simply stand up for yourself in your daily life and in doing so you may just be standing up for someone else.
3. As hard as it is try not to be a hypocrite.
4. Don't be a sheep, use your head and think. I say this mainly to people who have had spells cast on them by the witchcraft called religion.
5. Money is nothing and at the same time it's everything.
6. Eat fucking well.
7. Be self aware. Ask/get help if you need it
8. Read a little more, so you can educate your kids.
9. Have as much sex as you can.
10. Humble yourself, before life humbles you.
With all that said, I vow to continue working on myself and keep my mind in a positive place always. To not be changed by the cares of this world that want to do nothing but snuff a bitch.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me birthday wishes so far.... I'm off partake in some of the legal pleasures of life which include stuffing my face with cake and drinking myself into a wonderful stupor. | https://medium.com/@toyinjawando/35th-birthday-blues-ec9bc50f8f34 | ['Oluwatoyin Jawando'] | 2020-07-01 11:49:25.354000+00:00 | ['Life Lessons', 'Lifelong Learning', 'Birthday', 'Humanity', 'Mental Health'] |
LGBT Britain: Trans Report | Stonewall have conducted new research with 871 trans and non-binary people, highlighting the issues they face in Britain today. From their website:
One in eight trans employees (12 per cent) have been physically attacked by a colleague or customer in the last year.
Half of trans people (51 per cent) have hidden their identity at work for fear of discrimination.
A quarter of trans people (25 per cent) have experienced homelessness.
You can download the full report here: | https://medium.com/jsim/lgbt-britain-trans-report-1c388ae417f0 | ['Josh Simpson'] | 2018-01-19 11:25:23.222000+00:00 | ['Stonewall', 'Transgender', 'Britain', 'Lgbts'] |
My New Massage Therapist | Ever since hurting myself playing girl’s volleyball my senior year in high school, I’ve been getting massages. I don’t need them, per say, anymore, but I love them. That was three years ago. I have a membership at a massage place and I go at least once a month. The good thing about massage is obvious, they feel so good. The bad thing, for me, is every time I find the perfect massage therapist, without fail, they leave not long after. And then the search begins again.
Such was the case on this day, when I wandered into my regular place of heavenly bliss, Hydrastone. They specialize in hot stone massage and a new water massage technique that I still haven’t tried. I work out three days a week and my muscles are sometimes a bit broken. I am by no means a body builder, but I like to keep a slim and tone physique. I like to take care of my body, after all, I’m stuck with it forever.
Rachel was gone. She was my regular masseuse up until a month ago. I miss her. She knew just where to hit my shoulders, my back, and my thighs. And at the end the way she rubbed my face and head would nearly send me into a coma. I’ve had two massages since she left. One by a guy whose hands were far too rough, and another by a chick who, quite frankly, just wasn’t very good.
Today I was greeted by Samantha. I was shocked to say the least. She is my step mom. I knew she was in the process of getting her license, but had no idea she would be working at my spot! It’s no big deal, we’ve gotten along quite well over the years. My dad married her when I was 15. It was an amicable divorce between he and my mom. Both were happier, and that was fine with me. Samantha was younger than my mom, but not by much, a paltry four years. She looked different in our massage scrubs, more relaxed. I had only really seen her at fancy occasions. Dinners out, holidays, a vacation in Europe once. She dresses really nice, and always looks fabulous. I see why my dad picked her. She certainly isn’t bad to look at.
We both had a good laugh when the receptionist introduced her. We filled the teenage girl working the counter in on why we were laughing and she seemed to not know what to do. I told her that I could come back another time, or wait on a difference therapist, it really wasn’t a big deal. Sam insisted that if I was okay with her massaging me, that she was okay with it to. Fine, whatever. My muscles needed some TLC. Yesterday was a rough workout and I could definitely use a soothing touch.
Sam led me into an empty room, a typical massage room. Table in the center with fresh white linens, a pillow at the foot and hole in the center at the top. The lighting was dim, romantic even. Soft music played and the temperature was perfect. She told me to undress to my comfort level and she would return.
I undressed all the way, I always do. My yoga pants, panties, sports bra and top folded neatly onto the chair. I got onto the bed, face down, and pulled the sheet so that it covered just above my ass. A few seconds later, my stepmom was back.
She didn’t say a word, she just began. Her touch was incredible. The pressure was near perfect as she got to the knots on my back. She went a little harder in the trouble spots. I was enjoying it.
“You’re quite good,” I whispered. “I’ve been trying to find a regular since mine left over a month ago.”
“Thanks sweetie,” she replied, “Just relax, I’ll take care of you.”
Her voice was different here. Soft and soothing. Professional but almost sexy.
She worked over my back and shoulders and my legs. It all felt so good. She told me it was time to flip and she held the sheet up, separating us. I flipped over. Before she put the sheet back down she asked if I wanted my breasts covered or not. I told her no that it was fine. She draped a towel just above my nether regions, a few inches below my navel. The bottom feel high onto my thighs and she removed the sheet. She stood at the head of the table and massaged my chest. It felt so good. My nipples were getting erect, if she noticed, nothing was said, she remained professional. She worked her way around my sides and then to the foot of the table.
From their, she massaged my legs. She had already hit my calves when I was on my tummy. Her hands moved up to my thighs, kneading my muscles in her hands. Her touch was soft yet firm. So amazing. She went a little higher than usual, pressing deep into my muscles, as her hands slid along the crevice where my hips and legs meet. Still professional, but damn it was kind of turning me on. I spread my legs every so slightly, hoping she would notice but think it was involuntary. She worked her hands like magic, then she came back to the head of the bed. She replenished the oil on her hands and gently began to rub my stomach.
“Some clients like their tummy massaged, some don’t. What about you?”
“Yes please,” I said in a semi unconscious state.
She squirted a bit of oil on my tummy. Some seeped into my navel. She lightly began to touch me. Her hands were like feathers, tickling my tummy ever so slightly. Her hands went lower, to just above the towel. She rubbed me gently and then her hands slid under the towel, just a little. I moaned, I’m sure of it, and spread my legs a little more. Her hands went farther as she scooted closer to the head of the table. She bent over and moved her hands a little farther. Her fingers were again along the crevice of my hips and upper thighs. I let out a sigh.
“Is that okay?” she whispered.
“Yes, oh yes. It feels amazing,” I stammered back, barely able to get the words out.
“Just relax baby,” she said as her fingers pressed inward, pushing my pussy lips together. Her hands moved back and forth, just along the outside of my vagina. Oil seeped from her hands down my crack toward my ass. She rubbed a little harder. I was panting now, and so turned on. My stepmom was touching me in a very naughty place. Her hands went farther down still, teasing the region between my pussy and ass. I moaned a little more. Her fingers traced their way back up, right across the center of my pussy, teasing my clit as she went higher. She repeated this motion a few times.
“Fuck, Sam, that feels so good. Don’t stop.” I shouted in a whisper.
She moved her hands a little faster. She bent down farther still, straddling my face with her scrubs still on. She moved her hands out of the way and gave my clit a light flick with her tongue. Holy fuck! I was beyond turned on. I had never fooled around with a therapist and never had naughty lesbian thoughts of my step mom. I had never even fooled around with a girl before. All that changed in a matter of seconds. I reached behind my head with my hands and grabbed her ass. I tried to tug at her scrubs, but she backed away.
“No dear, this is just for you. Relax.” And with that she removed the towel and walked to the foot of the bed. She removed the top to her scrubs revealing a sexy rose colored bra that barely contained her D size tits. She unhooked it and let it fall to floor. She climbed on top of the bed, and began kissing my inner thigh. Higher and higher until she got to my pussy. I was already soaking wet from her teasing me. She engulfed my clit and slid her tongue inside me. In less than two minutes I began to shake. It took all I had to let out a high pitched shrill as I came. She got up, retrieved a warm wash cloth and washed me in all the right places. She put her bra and top back on, smiled, and said, “Meet you outside, our time is up. Oh, and don’t tell your father.” She gave me a devilish smile and exited the room.
If you like my writing, PLEASE follow me! It helps you know when I am writing, and helps me want to keep writing for you! And definitely comment or message me, I love interacting with readers. | https://medium.com/sexual-compass/my-new-massage-therapist-8b461a0dc7e7 | ['Avery Montgomery'] | 2021-09-04 18:39:37.427000+00:00 | ['Lesbian', 'Erotica', 'Happy Ending Massage', 'Sexuality', 'Sex'] |
Eco-packaging: what are the options? | Eco-packaging: what are the options?
By Biyya Mansoer
Cover image credit: Left background image: Unsplash, Right background: The Happy Bag Co. Centre image: @aaltointernational
Nowadays, packaging from shopping does not only serve the purpose of protecting the products. Packaging can be aesthetically pleasing, fun, or luxurious and this brings us a joyful and unique unboxing experience. While we can get excited over the box, bag, or wrapper that our items come in, single-use packaging is a major contributor to the waste crisis today. In the EU alone, packaging waste represents approximately 87 million tonnes or about 170kg per person (according to Eurostat).
Why single-use packaging is unsustainable
Single-use packaging (plastics in particular) is often very difficult to recycle. According to U.N Environment, only 9% of the world’s nine billion tonnes of plastic has been recycled. Small items such as plastic bags or bubble wrap can get stuck into the crevices of recycling machines. Therefore, they are often rejected by recycling centres (Financial Times).
In addition, plastics are not compostable; instead, they break down into smaller pieces of plastic called microplastics. The inability to be recycled or composted results in them being discarded as waste and then dumped into landfills. Unrecycled plastic waste can also end up floating around in our oceans, harming marine animals that mistake them for food (National Geographic).
The fashion industry itself is no stranger to the current waste crisis. The drastic increase in online orders today suggests that there are more products delivered to consumers using single-use plastics. Luckily, there have been innovations of eco-friendly alternatives.
We have previously discussed the impact of online vs offline shopping and how you can minimise your environmental footprint when shopping online in this article. But now, we are discussing the types of eco packaging and plastic alternatives that you can look out for to reduce your waste from online orders.
But first, what exactly is eco-packaging?
While ‘unsustainable’ packaging is single-use, you can probably guess that eco-packaging is the opposite. Eco-packaging is developed with the purpose of reducing waste and the environmental footprint in the life cycle of packaging. The concept of eco-packaging packaging may not be as straightforward as you may think; it can be a little complex. It is much more than just prioritising paper packaging or cardboard boxes.
Why is that? There are so many types of packaging used in different stages of the supply chain. This can be from shipping boxes to plastic bags that protect clothing from moisture during shipping. And of course, the final packaging that holds the final product. Due to the complex nature of the supply chain, many companies have put minimal packaging as a common goal in their sustainability initiatives. This is a step in the right direction.
The growing consumer pressure for sustainability and the rise of environmental activist groups in recent years have made a significant contribution to such efforts. We, as consumers, have become increasingly aware of the negative impacts that excessive waste can have on our planet. We can now assess a brand’s commitment to sustainability by looking at the type of packaging that they use. While not every stage of the supply chain uses sustainable packaging, you can look for better alternatives for the material that your shopping is packed in.
So, what are the alternatives?
Recyclable and recycled packaging
Recyclable packaging is probably one of the most commonly used alternatives by many brands. Packaging that can be recycled is made from materials that can be transformed into something new after it has been used. Cardboard and paper packaging can often be recycled so make sure that you dispose of them in the recycling bins accordingly. Recycling is extremely important because it helps to divert waste from landfills.
Image credit : Dawn Printing
Many brands today are pushing to become more sustainable and this often means that they begin to disclose the type of packaging they use. Whether the brand is sustainable or not, they may use cardboard/paper packaging or wrappers that are recycled.
To ensure that the packaging comes from responsibly sourced forests you can look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. The FSC is an international non-profit organisation that is committed to promoting the responsible management of forests worldwide. Another certification you may look out for is the Global Recycled Standard (GRS). The GRS verifies the recycled content of products as well as environmental and social responsibility practices. Certifications can ensure that you will not be greenwashed!
Here are some brands on Renoon that incorporate recyclable and/or recycled packaging:
# Eticlò and Reformation currently use plastic-free and 100% recycled paper products incorporated into their packaging that is also FSC certified.
# Underprotection: all of their cardboard boxes, gift boxes, and wrapping paper is made from recycled material. Their gift boxes and bags are FSC certified. Postal bags are made from recycled plastics that are GRS certified.
# Girlfriend Collective uses packaging that is 100% recycled and recyclable.
# TALA currently utilises packaging that is recycled and recyclable as well as tags that are made from 100% plantable paper.
# Woodstrk: packaging & hang tags are eco-friendly, plastic-free, and made from 100% recycled cardboard.
Compostable packaging
By definition, compostable material is biodegradable but with an added benefit: they decompose and become food for new plants (Bio plastics News). Packaging that is compostable is made from plant-based materials that can break down. Although, keep in mind that just because your packaging is compostable does not mean that you should dispose of it right away! While compostable packaging can be biodegradable, it may not always be the case, according to WRAP. Therefore, it is useful to read the labels in your compostable package to know how you can discard it correctly because sometimes they specifically suggest that you place them in the compost bin.
In the fashion industry, compostable packaging is still not widely accessible because producing and sourcing them can be expensive and time-consuming. Not to mention that it is still a fairly recent invention and therefore there is no existing system in place to enforce this as a standard.
Fortunately, there are fashion brands on Renoon that have begun to use compostable packaging:
# Pangaia and Gabriella Hearst use TIPA packaging — a part bio-based plastic alternative that can fully disappear within 24 weeks in a compost facility. TIPA packaging can be put in a home compost or industrial compost systems along with food waste.
# Reformation has incorporated some compostable packaging made from biomaterials.
# September The Line has begun to use postage bags that are 100% compostable and are made from sustainably-sourced plants
# Santicler commits to a zero-waste business model and uses fully compostable packaging crafted from bio-plastics. In fact, their bags are made just like an orange peel- they are fully compostable in less than 30 days with no toxic residue!
Image credit: Reformation (left), SupplyCompass (Right)
Reusable packaging
Although is it not widely accessible just yet, reusable packaging has been on the rise recently as an alternative to reduce waste. RePack is a reusable and returnable packaging service that has been collaborating with fashion retailers. On Renoon, brands such as Ganni and Mud Jeans have partnered with RePack as a solution to provide free reusable and returnable packaging for their online orders in the future.
Would you like to see more brands on Renoon that are utilising reusable packaging? Or, would you like to be notified when your favorite brands on Renoon will start using reusable packaging? Let us know!
Image credit: Aalto (left), Pack-pedia (right)
What you can do to reduce your packaging waste
Image credit: Pinterest (original source unknown)
As eco-packaging is being used more and more, we can now choose to shop from brands that utilise eco-friendly alternatives. However, some types of eco-packaging such as the compostable or reusable types are not widely accessible just yet. Not to worry! You can try to shop less or buy multiple items in one single order to minimise the use of single-use packaging. It is all about doing the best you can to reduce your waste footprint.
Is sustainable packaging a priority for you? Let us know!
In the meantime, start your search for fashion that is good for our planet. | https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/eco-packaging-what-are-the-options-ee527478b41a | [] | 2020-08-24 15:33:46.075000+00:00 | ['Packaging', 'Innovation', 'Sustainable Development', 'Sustainability', 'Fashion'] |
How To Overcome Failure Of Potty Training | When your baby hits the toddler stage which is from one (or 18 months old) to three years of age, this is a transitional time as the infant makes the transition to a school-aged child (you can see it as a parallel for the teenager stage being a transitional time for a school-aged child to an adult) That means a lot of changes are happening during these times.
Toddlers begin transitioning from a crib to a bed, and another big change that happens during this time is that toddlers transition from being in diapers to going into underwear. In order for this to happen, potty training has to happen which is a time that parents of toddlers absolutely dread. That is because they are terrified they will fail and that their toddlers will never get out of diapers.
Buy Potty Chart from Putska
It is a time that causes many parents to become anxiety-ridden. However, the good news is that there are tips and tricks that can result in potty training success. These tips and tricks are derived from Parents.com, American Academy of Pediatrics, and The Nemours Foundation.
Potty Training Success Tips
The one thing that parents need to remember before applying any of these tips that will be discussed below is to stay calm during the process no matter what. Infants, toddlers, and young children pick up on parents’ stress. Nothing will be accomplished if the parents are stressed when training their toddlers. Let’s go over the 3 main tips now:
Look for cues that your toddler is ready — If the child appears to be uncomfortable or unhappy while wearing soiled diapers, this is a major sign that he or she is ready to start training. Remember that not all toddlers at 18 months old or two years old are ready to get out of diapers. Some children that are not developmentally delayed may not be ready to start training until they are closer to four years old! If you attempt to train a child that is not ready to get out of diapers, you are going to fail! The child will most definitely resist. Readiness makes or breaks success with potty training. Never scold a toddler that is being potty trained for having accidents — Accidents are going to happen and that is an expected part of potty training. Gently make the child aware that he or she made the accident and send a calm reminder that the toilet is for that. Yelling and scolding will only cause your child to resist and will result in potty training failure. Always praise your toddler for being successful with doing #1 or #2 in the toilet — As it is critical not to scold your child for having an accident, it is also very important to praise your toddler after going in the potty successfully. Remember that kids love praise and will be more willing to repeat the same behavior to get praise again. You will want to make sure that you have plenty of rewards available as well such as special toys, and even some treats (but you will want to go easy with this as you don’t want to associate sugar with a reward too much).
Parents also need to make sure that they have plenty of underwear on hand while potty training their toddlers. Those 3 main tips will most definitely make or break potty training success. And patience is also a must-have trait during this time!
Buy other Baby Products and Baby Essentials : Putska Baby Essentials | Must Have Baby Products | https://medium.com/@putska/how-to-overcome-failure-of-potty-training-3a0bfe943584 | ['Lily Nathan'] | 2020-12-21 13:38:35.047000+00:00 | ['Potty Training', 'Toddlers', 'Baby Products', 'Baby', 'Motherhood'] |
Little-Known Facts About Exports and module.exports in Node.js | Why they are confusing?
Suppose we’re exporting several things from inside a module, one of which is a function: myFunction() .
Now you can require it inside another module, like this:
require(‘./file.js’).myFunction();
If you want to export it using module.exports you can do it like this:
module.exports.myFunction=function(){
console.log(“Its myFunction()”);
}
This code works fine.
You can also do the same thing with the exports global variables:
exports.myFunction() = function(){
console.log(“its myFunction()”);
}
This it also works well. So there’s no problem with either of the above codes.
So where’s the problem? Where we are getting confused?
Say I’m trying to exports just one function out of the module which we will use inside other modules using this code:
require(‘./file.js’)();
We assign module.exports to that function like this:
module.exports=function myFunction(){
console.log(“Hello World”);
}
This works fine. But we get an error when we try to do this with the exports variable like this:
exports= function(){
console.log(“Hello World”);
}
What went wrong here?
Whenever we use any module from inside any other, we get a reference to the exports property on the module object that node made available inside that module.
By default, the only thing that any other module can access from this module is whatever module.exports is pointing to, which is an empty JavaScript object.
module={
exports:{}
}
Let’s take a look at this code:
module.exports.key1=10
Or here:
module.exports.key2 = {
key3:10
}
We’re just adding keys to the module.exports objects:
module.exports={
key1:10,
key2:{
key3:10
}
}
Those keys ( key1 , key2 , key3 ) will be exported when the module.exports object is exposed with the other file, and if we assign the reference of module.exports to a function, like this:
module.exports=function(){
console.log(“”Hello World);
}
That reference should also be exposed when node shares the module.exports with the required file.
The exports.global variable is a reference to the module.exports object, which will be exported.
So, if we add properties to the exports we’re actually adding properties to the module.exports object like this:
exports.key1=10;
exports.key2={key3:10};
Which are the same as this:
module.exports={
key1:10,
key2:{key3:10}
}
These will be exported as expected.
However, what about when we want to export a function and assign the export variable to that function, like this?:
exports= function myOtherFunction(){
console.log(“Hello , I am lost”);
}
export a function and assign export variable
In the above code, we just lost the reference to module.exports object and now our exports is pointing to a function as:
IMG: lost the reference to module.exports
lost the reference to module.exports | https://medium.com/better-programming/unknown-facts-about-exports-and-module-exports-in-node-js-d06b65a8057d | ['Shubham Verma'] | 2019-10-24 05:49:20.001000+00:00 | ['Exports Vs Module Exports', 'Module Exports In Nodejs', 'JavaScript', 'Exports In Nodejs'] |
THE SHIPWRECK OF THE POOR | The Caribbean Sea has turned into the graveyard of the poorest Venezuelans, those that try to desperately flee the tragedy going on in the Homeland. Gone are the days of the heroic people that crossed the sea, over 200 years ago, between Haiti, the Keys, Cartagena, Jamaica, Chacachacare, and the coasts of the Homeland in their fight for independence. Those days are over. Now, it is the poorest, those that have no other option than throw themselves to the Caribbean Sea to reach safe, friendly lands that allows them to live and, above all, safeguard their families and children from the disaster caused by the madurismo.
They are part of those 4 million Venezuelans that, according to the most recent joint report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), have fled the country since the end of 2015; those that government insist on denying, even announcing that two of its most eminent representatives will go to the United Nations to “refute” the most serious and renowned organization in the world in this matter, perhaps considering that they will be able to “stir” or patotear, using the words of President Néstor Kirchner, the rest of the countries, or that they will go to an interview of VTV or Globovisión where they can say whatever they want without any sort of opposition.
The Venezuelan diaspora, a phenomenon that we have warned (“do not go”) and denounced (“the passage of the Andes”), is a sad reality that tears apart and divides families, emptying our homeland from the joy and strength of the youth; millions of sorrowful stories and deplorable situations that, in many cases, happen in silence, as part of the anonymity of the tragedy of the poor, neglected by the elites and the government.
One of those tragedies, of the most gruesome and ignored out there, is that of the Venezuelans, men, women, and children, that drown in the waters of the Caribbean Sea in their attempt to flee the country. Venezuelans, especially young people, often with their children, that drown in their attempt to cross the Caribbean Sea, mainly to Aruba, Curaçao, Trinidad and Tobago, among other destinations.
Very few of these stories are known; sometimes, the information given by a survivor or the unfortunate bodies found ashore, or even the remains of the wrecked ship that has been dragged to the beach by the water, are clear evidence of the tragedy. Some others are known as a result of the desperate search of the families: mothers, husbands, wives, all those who bid farewells or were waiting for their loved ones after a journey which they did not survive. There are many cases in which entire groups of Venezuelans have lost their lives, their bodies lost in the depths of our Caribbean Sea, graveyard of the shipwrecked dreams and lives of the poorest.
The case of the young mother Maroly Bastardo Gil, eight months pregnant, who, last August left her hometown of El Tigre and embarked with her two sons the boat “Ana María”, along with 31 other people from Güiria to Trinidad, where her husband Kennier Berra was waiting for her, a destination they never reached, probably shipwrecking in the strait “Boca de Dragón” located between both coastal lines. The captain of the boat was rescued from the sea the next day and taken to the island of Grenada but nobody knows the whereabouts of the unfortunate passengers.
Another example is the case of 32 Venezuelans, most of them women, aboard the vessel “Jhonnaly José”, also leaving from Güiria to Trinidad, which capsized on the way, as reported by the UNHCR itself from Geneva. Fishermen in the area only managed to rescue nine men, the rest of them are still missing in the Caribbean Sea.
Moreover, the cases of boats that shipwrecked on their way to Aruba and Curaçao have plunged the populations of La Vela and other towns of the Falcon state into mourning, like many other incidents of young people who board boats, braving the turbulent waters of our Sea, to reach the islands. There have been serious and sad incidents in which groups of about 20 and 32 passengers capsize and die, and even cases of young Venezuelans whose bodies are washed ashore to the beaches of the islands, their dreams drowned, their lives cut short, a disheartening testimony of this tragedy.
Of course, no government authority informs, reports or investigates what is happening with these human beings, how many are they? Why do they die? How does it happen? Why do they throw themselves to the Sea to leave the country? How to help them? The government does not do so because it has the cruel policy of denying this reality and, also, because of their indolence regarding the terrible social consequences of the crisis they themselves have created with the imposition of their economic package. What it is rather shocking is that the left, and what is left of the PSUV, remain silent.
What is happening in the Caribbean Sea resembles the situation in the Mediterranean Sea where thousands of sons and daughters of Africa die and disappear, desperate fleeing the dramatic living conditions of those countries ravaged by hunger, poverty, and war. The Caribbean and the Mediterranean have thus become the shame of the absolutely unfair and violent political and economic governments and systems. The situation is a slap in the face of the conscience of the world.
Although the government insists on denying the humanitarian and migrating crisis that is currently affecting the country, one of the most serious in the world, the United Nations system is compelled to take action so that the Venezuelan government respects the international law and acts accordingly to protect and guarantee the human rights of all citizens.
As was my tenet during my work at the United Nations, human rights are comprehensive; these comprise the economic, social, cultural, political, and legal factors of the people. Our position in the discussions held at the Security Council concerning the issue of the African migrants that desperately crossed the Mediterranean Sea was that, instead of addressing the issue from a military perspective, it was necessary to acknowledge the responsibility of nations and governments that caused the situations of instability and misery in the countries of origin, so in this way address the underlying causes or “root causes”, as they are known in the diplomatic jargon, of the diaspora.
Our position cannot be any different in this case, more so when it comes to our fellow nationals. Maduro’s government is responsible for the gruesome economic and social situation that affects our people, and, consequently, is the only one to answer about the fleeing of about 4,000,000 Venezuelans, including the fate of those that die in a journey by foot or those who disappear and drown trying to cross the Caribbean Sea.
This is a government that not only systematically violates the human rights of its citizens through repression, persecution, and imprisonment-kidnapping for political reasons, but it also violates the fundamental rights of the entire population, including those economic and social; therefore, the people are willing to take all sorts of risks and suffer every kind of deprivations and mistreatments to find outside the country what the State has failed to guarantee them.
The upcoming visit of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, former president Michelle Bachelet, constitutes an excellent opportunity for her to verify the state of permanent violation of Human Rights in the country.
This opportunity can also serve her to corroborate the continuous violation of the Rule of Law in the country carried out by maduro and the different bodies of the government, as well as by the general prosecutor’s office and the judicial power. All of this combined with the total absence of separation of powers and due process, the “judicialization of politics” as a systematic practice of government and the intolerant and violent behavior of both political groups that vie for power over the interests of the country.
I hope that the High Commissioner, with her experience as Head of State, her political acumen and profound humanity, can see beyond the walls built up by the government, the “embellishment” of reality, the “false positives”, and the hasty transfers of prisoners to hide their situation.
I hope she has the opportunity to listen and interview the families and the victims of human rights violations carried out by the government and that she is able to overcome the intolerance of the extreme right and recognize that the Chavistas that oppose maduro also have human rights. I hope she enforces the universally accepted criterion that human rights must be practiced with impartiality, non-selectivity, and without politicizing them.
I hope she is able to receive and listen to the wives of the more than one hundred kidnapped PDVSA workers and Chavista military officers, get to know the cases of former ministers Nelson Martínez, Major General Rodríguez Torres and General Raúl Baduel, as well as the cases of yet so many prisoners-kidnapped by direct orders of maduro, or anyone from his power circle, who violated their rights, mistreating them and taking them to the brink of death.
I hope the High Commissioner has the possibility to access La Tumba, the Helicoide, the SEBIN, DIGECIM, and other detention centers, and talk with those kidnapped, many of whom, such as the cases of Gladys Parada and Diagnaly Muñoz, have been there for over five years, without knowing what they are accused of, without ever having had the possibility of attending a single judicial hearing. This, in addition to the occupation, or better said, confiscation of their homes.
I hope the High Commissioner can ask the attorney general for the violation of due process, the right to defense and the presumption of innocence of the hundreds of persecuted, exiled, and imprisoned by direct instructions of maduro, or his inner circle, and their own unbridled action, in which he has used the Public Prosecutor’s Office to satisfy his own interests, grudges, revenges and persecute those who face this disastrous government.
I hope she asks the Prosecutor General about the assassination of Óscar Pérez and his companions, the death in custody of former minister Nelson Martínez, and how councilman Albán was thrown out the tenth floor of SEBIN.
I hope she can determine the state of permanent terror of the population, whose phones and emails are tapped, who live in insecurity over the peaceful enjoyment of their goods, with their reservations in work meetings and even between relatives and friends, at work, on the roads and highways of the country, as well as the dismissals and persecution of workers of the public administration that express their dissent, claims or simply refuse to support the government’s outrages.
I hope she becomes aware of the ongoing violence that reigns throughout the entire country, particularly in the working-class areas, of how people take refuge at early times in their houses, leaving the city silent and empty, for fear of insecurity. I hope that she learns about the raids and killings of FAES and other paramilitary groups in the working-class neighborhoods.
Hopefully, the High Commissioner has the chance to investigate and learn about the infrahuman conditions in which thousands of ordinary prisoners live, buried in the penitentiary hell where they die in the hands of the pranes (gangsters), masters and lords of those prisons; or burned alive, such as the case of the 70 prisoners who were scorched to dead in the prison of Puerto Cabello, for having kept the doors closed during a fire.
Certainly, the High Commissioner and her team, representatives of the United Nations, the most serious and professional institution in matters of human rights, will overcome the attacks of the intolerance and the pressure of the government, to realize that Caracas is a mirage, that the rest of the country is subject to a permanent shortage of food, medicine, jobs, electricity, transportation, gasoline; that Venezuela today is a country in ruins, ruled by injustices of all kind, a poor country out of which young people flee as they can, crossing the moorlands by foot, towards Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, even to Argentina and Chile, or crossing the jungle to get to Brazil and die in the Caribbean Sea trying to reach a place to live.
President Bachelet, High Commissioner, welcome to our battered homeland, the homeland of Bolívar, Andrés Bello, Chávez, where so many Latin Americans got refuge from the violence of dictatorships or economic horrors, where solidarity and prosperity, the good living, used to reign. Today our people need your voice, your courage. The hearts of our noble and just people are filled with hope, and thus we need to urgently stop the shipwreck of the poor of my land. | https://medium.com/@rafaelramirezc/the-shipwreck-of-the-poor-595f9c7c67 | ['Rafael Ramírez Carreño'] | 2019-06-17 03:55:49.914000+00:00 | ['Government', 'Venezuelan Politics', 'Venezuela', 'Shipwrecks', 'Crisis'] |
The power of 256 in Blockchain | How to pronounce 2²⁵⁶?
2²⁵⁶ is pronounced “two to the power of two hundred and fifty six”.
What does it represent?
Computers represent numbers in binary. Below is an example where we have 2 bits, and each bit can represent a ‘1’ or a ‘0’ allowing us to produce 4 possible combinations:
00 = 0
01 = 1
10 = 2
11 = 3
The formula “2 to the power of the number of bits” gives us the range of numbers that we can represent. So 2² equals 4, which is true from the table above where we have 4 possible values. (In computing, we start counting from ‘0’)
If we have 3 “bits” then we have 9 possible combinations (ie 2³=9):
000 = 0
001 = 1
010 = 2
011 = 3
100 = 4
101 = 5
110 = 6
101 = 7
111 = 8
If we have 256 ‘bits’, then we have 2²⁵⁶ possible combinations which allows us to represent a really large number!
What does 2²⁵⁶ look like in decimal?
115,792,089,237,316,195,423,570,985,008,687,907,853,269,984,665,640,564,039,457,584,007,913,129,639,936
OR
1.158 x 10⁷⁷ (this is 1.1 with 77 zeros after it).
Source: https://defuse.ca/big-number-calculator.htm
How do you pronounce 2²⁵⁶?
115 quattuorvigintillion 792 trevigintillion 89 duovigintillion 237 unvigintillion 316 vigintillion 195 novemdecillion 423 octodecillion 570 septendecillion 985 sexdecillion 8 quindecillion 687 quattuordecillion 907 tredecillion 853 duodecillion 269 undecillion 984 decillion 665 nonillion 640 octillion 564 septillion 39 sextillion 457 quintillion 584 quadrillion 7 trillion 913 billion 129 million 639 thousand 936
Source: https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2%5E256
What can I compare 2²⁵⁶ with?
2²⁵⁶ = 1.158 x 10⁷⁷
So 2²⁵⁶ is between 3.5 times the stars in the universe or a few zeros less than the number of atoms in the observable universe.
Here is an interesting video on 2²⁵⁶ that a friend of mine brought to my attention (Thank Barry!)
Why is 2²⁵⁶ important?
2²⁵⁶ is important is because this is the ‘perceived’ range of all possible private keys values cryptography uses in blockchains
Does that mean there are 2²⁵⁶ possible private keys?
Not quite. Not all numbers in the 2²⁵⁶ range are on the mathematical curve used for finding a matching public key. Bitcoin and Ethereum (and many others) use the secp256k1 elliptic curve which defines the range slightly less than 2²⁵⁶. 432420386565659656852420866394968145599 less to be exact.
The range, ’n’ is actually from 0 to 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFEBAAEDCE6AF48A03BBFD25E8CD0364141 (as defined in the SEC2 standard).
2²⁵⁶ = 115792089237316195423570985008687907853269984665640564039457584007913129639936
n = 115792089237316195423570985008687907852837564279074904382605163141518161494336
2²⁵⁶ — n = 432420386565659656852420866394968145599
but this is a minor point. This is like computing 1,000,000 minus 10 which can be still considered as one million.
Side note: The name secp256k1 can be broken down to SEC which is the Standards for Efficient Cryptography SEC2. p means that the curve coordinates are a prime field, 256 means the prime is 256 bits long, k means it is a variant on a so-called Koblitz curve, and 1 means it is the first (and only) curve of that type in the standard. (Source: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2699.0)
But wait, there’s more!
A Bitcoin address is a RIPEMD160 of the public address. This means that the length of the address is 160 bits meaning the possible keyspace, or possible range of values, is now reduced to 2¹⁶⁰ which is still a very big number. Ethereum also reduces the key length to 160 bits. Represented in decimal it is: 2¹⁶⁰ = 1.46 x 10⁴⁸ or 1461501637330902918203684832716283019655932542976.
How big is this? The width of the observable universe is 8.8 x 10²⁶ meters or 8.8 x 10²⁹ millimetre. If a Bitcoin or Ethereum address represented a length of 1mm, it would span slightly under twice the length of the observable universe!
1.46 x 10⁴⁸ is actually the total amount of unique wallet addresses possible. Now here is the tricky part. We have 2²⁵⁶ possible private keys that maps to 2¹⁶⁰ possible public keys. Logic tells us that there will be more than 1 private key for every public key. In fact, all you have to do is find any one of the roughly 2⁹⁶ private keys whose corresponding public key hashes to that address. In other words, 2⁹⁶ represented how many potential PRIVATE keys would work for a single PUBLIC key. Good luck finding that though!
Summary
In summary, the range of possible values of private keys are very, very large. Although the possible range of private keys is slightly under 2²⁵⁶ as defined in the SEC2 standard. The private key is then hashed to 160 bits, so the possible range becomes 2¹⁶⁰ which is still a very large number, almost twice the length of the observable universe in fact! The point being that the possibility of two private keys being the same is super duper duper low.
Ref: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/279l5v/an_exhaustive_look_at_private_keys_for_the/ | https://medium.com/decentralize-today/the-power-of-256-in-blockchain-468aa3f395bc | [] | 2019-04-10 00:01:11.684000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Decentralization', 'Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Bitcoin'] |
How Exercise Helps with Diabetes | Exercise is something that many people don’t want to do, but it’s essential for their health. Exercise helps with diabetes in various ways, including improving insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake by the muscles while also reducing the risk of heart disease. This article explores how exercise can help people manage diabetes better.
Exercise helps with glucose uptake by the muscles
Muscles need more than just energy to do their jobs. They also require oxygen and a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is like a “battery” of energy in the cell. When it’s broken down, some of this energy can be used to help glucose enter the muscle cells for use as fuel or stored away as glycogen. This is part of insulin signaling and why people who exercise regularly have better blood glucose control and lower HbA1C levels (an essential type of hemoglobin that indicates blood sugar levels over time) than those who don’t get enough physical activity.
Exercise improves how the body responds to insulin, lowering blood sugar levels
One of the benefits of exercise is that it helps the body respond better to insulin. Insulin moves glucose out of the bloodstream and into cells. This is important because if someone has diabetes, their body may not produce enough insulin, or their cells may not respond well. When this happens, blood sugar levels can become too high. Exercise can help improve how the body responds to insulin, helping lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
Exercise can help reduce the risk of heart disease in people with diabetes
Heart disease is a significant complication of diabetes and is the leading cause of death in people with diabetes. Exercise can help to reduce this risk in people with diabetes by improving cholesterol levels, lowering blood pressure, and helping to control weight. When people with diabetes exercise regularly, they have a lower risk of heart disease than those who don’t exercise.
Exercise helps with weight management
Weight management is essential for everyone, but it’s imperative in diabetes because obesity makes managing blood glucose levels harder. Exercise plays a significant role in weight management and might be just as important as food choices when it comes to weight management. Combining healthy eating habits with physical activity can help people control their weight better than just changing their diet or exercise habits alone. Exercise also helps muscles use glucose more efficiently. Experts recommend that people with diabetes get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week and some resistance training two or more days a week.
Exercise helps manage depression symptoms in some people with diabetes
Aerobic exercise can play a role in managing depression symptoms for some people with diabetes, but the link isn’t as strong as it is for those without diabetes. Even though there aren’t conclusive studies on the connection between exercise and depression in people with diabetes, there’s enough evidence to suggest that exercise may help some people feel better emotionally.
Article originally published on KeinoRutherford.org | https://medium.com/@keinorutherford/how-exercise-helps-with-diabetes-ffb02659a30e | ['Keino Rutherford'] | 2021-12-15 16:14:43.469000+00:00 | ['Exercise', 'Workout', 'Fitness', 'Diabetes', 'Keino Rutherford'] |
Evrimleş veya müzede sergilenen bir parça haline gel! | Restartlab is a cross-industry think tank organization that uses co-creation for solving real world business problems and redefining the “work” concept. | https://medium.com/@restartlab/evrimle%C5%9F-veya-m%C3%BCzede-sergilenen-bir-par%C3%A7a-haline-gel-16e3de03ae99 | [] | 2020-12-07 15:19:01.463000+00:00 | ['Change', 'Organizational Change', 'Evolution', 'Rendanheyi'] |
Content Services: Strategies for 2021 | It’s no secret that the global pandemic has accelerated digital transformation and the race to the cloud. Not only that, but as workers moved their desks from their offices to kitchen tables, and other flat surfaces in their homes, access to content in the cloud has become more and more of a given. So it’s no surprise that analyst Gartner, in its Magic Quadrant for Content Services 2020, writes that they have “seen increased demand from clients to provide cloud-based solutions that integrate into other ‘New Work Nucleus’” technologies.
“New Work Nucleus,” for anyone who hasn’t heard the term before, is a label coined by Gartner which they define as “a collection of ever-changing, multivendor, SaaS-based personal and team productivity applications that replace decades-old on-premises applications centered around Microsoft Office.” Gartner now argues that the former Microsoft Office is replaced by Microsoft 365, including Teams, and G Suite to focus on employee enablement, collaboration, mobility, analytics, agility and more.
Gartner analysts Lane Severson, Marko Sillanpaa,and Michael Woodbridge believe that Content Services Platforms need to “integrate line-of-business applications and coexist as foundation platforms.”
OpenText’s digital strategy for enterprises
Stephen Ludlow, senior vice president of product management, parroted their their conclusion. “That includes integration with applications such as Microsoft’s productivity suite, Microsoft Teams (which now has 115 million active users), as well as with Docusign, Oracle, Salesforce, SAP, SAP Concur, SAP Success Factors, ServiceNow, and Workday, among others.”
John Newton, co-founder of Documentum and the company formerly known as Alfresco, argues that organizations need to “build a digital business, not digital change.”
What exactly does that mean? Embracing the “New Work Nucleus,” for sure. But not just that, they need to work with line of business applications, cloud-based or not, as well.
The Gartner analysts further believe that “content intelligence and AI will become prominent.” Content intelligence includes “the classification of content,” security intelligence where content is protected as a given; and productivity intelligence where frequently used and potentially relevant content is surfaced automatically.
That said, we asked select content services vendors how they plan to differentiate strategies going in 2021.
Fred Sass Senior Director of Product Marketing, OpenText
“Digital business processes have moved outside the office– but work still needs to get done. OpenText is focused on connecting content to the digital business and eliminating silos. Increasingly, this involves content that is created collaboratively in Microsoft 365 and is needed in downstream processes involving ERP, CRM and HRM systems. With OpenText, organizations benefit from intelligent automation to identify, classify and report on the lifecycle of their information and boost user efficiency. The future of content services is in the cloud. OpenText will continue to deliver cloud-based, containerized and developer-friendly content services — simplifying deployments and upgrades, while improving organization agility. Organizations have long realized that seamlessly accessing and distributing siloed information is key to process efficiency and task productivity. The events of 2020 have only intensified these priorities.”
Stéphan Donzé, CEO at AODocs:
“If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that agility can make the difference between success and failure, even for very large organizations. We believe the new business world is agile and low code, and that business users should not have to depend on IT experts to create their business applications and should not have to split their time between information silos in the name of compliance. When business users can have all their mission critical content available in their favorite collaboration environment and can configure and deploy business-critical processes in weeks instead of months, company performance improves, compliance requirements become easier to meet, and information silos are eliminated. AODocs strives to be the most agile cloud-native content services platform, featuring a real time collaborative experience and low code capabilities and that also provides easy access to cloud AI modules. This will continue to be our clear differentiator in 2021.”
Jose María Estébanez, VP corporate marketing, Kyocera Document Solutions America
Since its founding in 1959, Kyocera has overcome the many complex challenges it has faced. These challenges have served as a platform for us to adapt and reinvent.
We have thrived and grown during periods of huge disruption by staying true to what drives us: our customers.
In 2021, Kyocera will launch the tools necessary for organizations to embrace and optimize hybrid working, intelligent hardware that anticipates and enhances employee productivity, while ensuring maximum data security.
By understanding the changing needs and behaviors of our customers, we will continue to be proactive, delivering solutions that help create more robust and mobile organizations.
We will continue to deliver unbeatable reliability while empowering Kyocera users to elevate their quality and efficiency to new heights.
During times of uncertainty, you need a partner you can trust.
Kyocera is once again ready to lead the way.
So, as we prepare to welcome 2021, it’s worth considering all of the aforementioned, what’s relevant to your organization and how you can gain competitive advantage in the digital world. | https://digitizingpolaris.com/content-services-strategies-for-2021-123a68fc8c5e | ['Virginia Backaitis'] | 2020-12-23 17:57:57.620000+00:00 | ['Digital Transformation', 'Ecm', 'Content Strategy', 'Information Management', 'Content Services Platform'] |
Stezy.io blockchain extends new features with Bring your own Cloud | Stezy.io blockchain extends new features with Bring your own Cloud Stezy Feb 16·1 min read
To bring in more seamless experience and after hearing the customer needs Stezy.io extend the blockchain hosting with “Bring your own cloud”. Stezy started the bring your own cloud journey with AWS and now extends to Azure and Google Cloud. This will help with more flexible managed blockchain services hosting offering in the market.
Bring your own cloud to Stezy
Over the course of our constant innovation and new feature release with customer surveys and understanding the requirements of the enterprises especially in Healthcare, BFSI and Government having the data localised and in control of the company is a new normal.
Potential benefits:
Adhere to compliance, data protection, and to address localisation issues
Organizations already have the cloud accounts and optimised their savings and extending the benefit will add value in terms of saving cost
More control and flexibility
Deployment location of their choice
Sync of applications with blockchain nodes to get the lowest latency possible.
Co-location of application and blockchain nodes
Health check of the complete blockchain infrastructure in real time.
All the regions and Instant types across AWS, Azure & GCP are supported in the 4.2 version.
To explore your blockchain journey with Stezy.io Book your appointment | https://medium.com/@stezy/stezy-io-blockchain-extends-new-features-with-bring-your-own-cloud-f59a26dcbe7c | [] | 2021-02-16 01:34:51.334000+00:00 | ['Ethereum Blockchain', 'Hyperledger', 'Blockchain Technology', 'Ethereum', 'Blockchain'] |
Live : 2021 Soul Train Music Awards | ❖ ALL CATEGORY WATCHTED ❖
An action story is similar to adventure, and the protagonist usually takes a risky turn, which leads to desperate scenarios (including explosions, fight scenes, daring escapes, etc.). Action and adventure usually are categorized together (sometimes even while “action-adventure”) because they have much in common, and many stories are categorized as both genres simultaneously (for instance, the James Bond series can be classified as both).
Continuing their survival through an age of a Zombie-apocalypse as a makeshift family, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abagail Breslin) have found their balance as a team, settling into the now vacant White House to spend some safe quality time with one another as they figure out their next move. However, spend time at the Presidential residents raise some uncertainty as Columbus proposes to Wichita, which freaks out the independent, lone warrior out, while Little Rock starts to feel the need to be on her own. The women suddenly decide to escape in the middle of the night, leaving the men concerned about Little Rock, who’s quickly joined by Berkley (Avan Jogia), a hitchhiking hippie on his way to place called Babylon, a fortified commune that’s supposed to be safe haven against the zombies of the land. Hitting the road to retrieved their loved one, Tallahassee and Columbus meet Madison (Zoey Deutch), a dim-witted survivor who takes an immediate liking to Columbus, complicating his relationship with Wichita.
✅ ANALYZER GOOD / BAD ✅
To be honest, I didn’t catch Zombieland when it first got released (in theaters) back in 2009. Of course, the movie pre-dated a lot of the pop culture phenomenon of the usage of zombies-esque as the main antagonist (i.e Game of Thrones, The Maze Runner trilogy, The Walking Dead, World War Z, The Last of Us, etc.), but I’ve never been keen on the whole “Zombie” craze as others are. So, despite the comedy talents on the project, I didn’t see Zombieland….until it came to TV a year or so later. Surprisingly, however, I did like it. Naturally, the zombie apocalypse thing was fine (just wasn’t my thing), but I really enjoyed the film’s humor-based comedy throughout much of the feature. With the exception of 2008’s Shaun of the Dead, majority of the past (and future) endeavors of this narrative have always been serious, so it was kind of refreshing to see comedic levity being brought into the mix. Plus, the film’s cast was great, with the four main leads being one of the film’s greatest assets. As mentioned above, Zombieland didn’t make much of a huge splash at the box office, but certainly gained a strong cult following, including myself, in the following years.
Flash forward a decade after its release and Zombieland finally got a sequel with Zombieland: Double Tap, the central focus of this review post. Given how the original film ended, it was clear that a sequel to the 2009 movie was indeed possible, but it seemed like it was in no rush as the years kept passing by. So, I was quite surprised to hear that Zombieland was getting a sequel, but also a bit not surprised as well as Hollywood’s recent endeavors have been of the “belated sequels” variety; finding mixed results on each of these projects. I did see the film’s movie trailer, which definitely was what I was looking for in this Zombieland 2 movie, with Eisenberg, Harrelson, Stone, Breslin returning to reprise their respective characters again. I knew I wasn’t expecting anything drastically different from the 2009 movie, so I entered Double Tap with good frame of my mind and somewhat eagerly expecting to catch up with this dysfunctional zombie killing family. Unfortunately, while I did see the movie a week after its release, my review for it fell to the wayside as my life in retail got a hold of me during the holidays as well as being sick for a good week and half after seeing the movie. So, with me still playing “catch up” I finally have the time to share my opinions on Zombieland: Double Tap. And what are they? Well, to be honest, my opinions on the film was good. Despite some problems here and there, Zombieland: Double Tap is definitely a fun sequel that’s worth the decade long wait. It doesn’t “redefine” the Zombie genre interest or outmatch its predecessor, but this next chapter of Zombieland still provides an entertaining entry….and that’s all that matters.
Returning to the director’s chair is director Ruben Fleischer, who helmed the first Zombieland movie as well as other film projects such as 30 Minutes or Less, Gangster Squad, and Venom. Thus, given his previous knowledge of shaping the first film, it seems quite suitable (and obvious) for Fleischer to direct this movie and (to that affect), Double Tap succeeds. Of course, with the first film being a “cult classic” of sorts, Fleischer probably knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to replicate the same formula in this sequel, especially since the 10-year gap between the films. Luckily, Fleischer certainly excels in bringing the same type of comedic nuances and cinematic aspects that made the first Zombieland enjoyable to Double Tap; creating a second installment that has plenty of fun and entertainment throughout. A lot of the familiar / likeable aspects of the first film, including the witty banter between four main lead characters, continues to be at the forefront of this sequel; touching upon each character in a amusing way, with plenty of nods and winks to the original 2009 film that’s done skillfully and not so much unnecessarily ham-fisted. Additionally, Fleischer keeps the film running at a brisk pace, with the feature having a runtime of 99 minutes in length (one hour and thirty-nine minutes), which means that the film never feels sluggish (even if it meanders through some secondary story beats / side plot threads), with Fleischer ensuring a companion sequel that leans with plenty of laughter and thrills that are presented snappy way (a sort of “thick and fast” notion). Speaking of which, the comedic aspect of the first Zombieland movie is well-represented in Double Tap, with Fleischer still utilizing its cast (more on that below) in a smart and hilarious by mixing comedic personalities / personas with something as serious / gravitas as fighting endless hordes of zombies every where they go. Basically, if you were a fan of the first Zombieland flick, you’ll definitely find Double Tap to your liking.
In terms of production quality, Double Tap is a good feature. Granted, much like the last film, I knew that the overall setting and background layouts weren’t going to be something elaborate and / or expansive. Thus, my opinion of this subject of the movie’s technical presentation isn’t that critical. Taking that into account, Double Tap does (at least) does have that standard “post-apocalyptic” setting of an abandoned building, cityscapes, and roads throughout the feature; littered with unmanned vehicles and rubbish. It certainly has that “look and feel” of the post-zombie world, so Double Tap’s visual aesthetics gets a solid industry standard in my book. Thus, a lot of the other areas that I usually mentioned (i.e set decorations, costumes, cinematography, etc.) fit into that same category as meeting the standards for a 202 movie. Thus, as a whole, the movie’s background nuances and presentation is good, but nothing grand as I didn’t expect to be “wowed” over it. So, it sort of breaks even. This also extends to the film’s score, which was done by David Sardy, which provides a good musical composition for the feature’s various scenes as well as a musical song selection thrown into the mix; interjecting the various zombie and humor bits equally well.
There are some problems that are bit glaring that Double Tap, while effectively fun and entertaining, can’t overcome, which hinders the film from overtaking its predecessor. Perhaps one of the most notable criticism that the movie can’t get right is the narrative being told. Of course, the narrative in the first Zombieland wasn’t exactly the best, but still combined zombie-killing action with its combination of group dynamics between its lead characters. Double Tap, however, is fun, but messy at the same time; creating a frustrating narrative that sounds good on paper, but thinly written when executed. Thus, problem lies within the movie’s script, which was penned by Dave Callaham, Rhett Reese, and Paul Wernick, which is a bit thinly sketched in certain areas of the story, including a side-story involving Tallahassee wanting to head to Graceland, which involves some of the movie’s new supporting characters. It’s fun sequence of events that follows, but adds little to the main narrative and ultimately could’ve been cut completely. Thus, I kind of wanted see Double Tap have more a substance within its narrative. Heck, they even had a decade long gap to come up with a new yarn to spin for this sequel…and it looks like they came up a bit shorter than expected.
Another point of criticism that I have about this is that there aren’t enough zombie action bits as there were in the first Zombieland movie. Much like the Walking Dead series as become, Double Tap seems more focused on its characters (and the dynamics that they share with each other) rather than the group facing the sparse groupings of mindless zombies. However, that was some of the fun of the first movie and Double Tap takes away that element. Yes, there are zombies in the movie and the gang is ready to take care of them (in gruesome fashion), but these mindless beings sort take a back seat for much of the film, with the script and Fleischer seemed more focused on showcasing witty banter between Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. Of course, the ending climatic piece in the third act gives us the best zombie action scenes of the feature, but it feels a bit “too little, too late” in my opinion. To be honest, this big sequence is a little manufactured and not as fun and unique as the final battle scene in the first film. I know that sounds a bit contrive and weird, but, while the third act big fight seems more polished and staged well, it sort of feels more restricted and doesn’t flow cohesively with the rest of the film’s flow (in matter of speaking).
What’s certainly elevates these points of criticism is the film’s cast, with the main quartet lead acting talents returning to reprise their roles in Double Tap, which is absolutely the “hands down” best part of this sequel. Naturally, I’m talking about the talents of Jessie Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin in their respective roles Zombieland character roles of Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. Of the four, Harrelson, known for his roles in Cheers, True Detective, and War for the Planet of the Apes, shines as the brightest in the movie, with dialogue lines of Tallahassee proving to be the most hilarious comedy stuff on the sequel. Harrelson certainly knows how to lay it on “thick and fast” with the character and the s**t he says in the movie is definitely funny (regardless if the joke is slightly or dated). Behind him, Eisenberg, known for his roles in The Art of Self-Defense, The Social Network, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, is somewhere in the middle of pack, but still continues to act as the somewhat main protagonist of the feature, including being a narrator for us (the viewers) in this post-zombie apocalypse world. Of course, Eisenberg’s nervous voice and twitchy body movements certainly help the character of Columbus to be likeable and does have a few comedic timing / bits with each of co-stars. Stone, known for her roles in The Help, Superbad, and La La Land, and Breslin, known for her roles in Signs, Little Miss Sunshine, and Definitely, Maybe, round out the quartet; providing some more grown-up / mature character of the group, with Wichita and Little Rock trying to find their place in the world and how they must deal with some of the party members on a personal level. Collectively, these four are what certainly the first movie fun and hilarious and their overall camaraderie / screen-presence with each other hasn’t diminished in the decade long absence. To be it simply, these four are simply riot in the Zombieland and are again in Double Tap.
With the movie keeping the focus on the main quartet of lead Zombieland characters, the one newcomer that certainly takes the spotlight is actress Zoey Deutch, who plays the character of Madison, a dim-witted blonde who joins the group and takes a liking to Columbus. Known for her roles in Before I Fall, The Politician, and Set It Up, Deutch is a somewhat “breath of fresh air” by acting as the tagalong team member to the quartet in a humorous way. Though there isn’t much insight or depth to the character of Madison, Deutch’s ditzy / air-head portrayal of her is quite hilarious and is fun when she’s making comments to Harrelson’s Tallahassee (again, he’s just a riot in the movie).
The rest of the cast, including actor Avan Jogia (Now Apocalypse and Shaft) as Berkeley, a pacifist hippie that quickly befriends Little Rock on her journey, actress Rosario Dawson (Rent and Sin City) as Nevada, the owner of a Elvis-themed motel who Tallahassee quickly takes a shine to, and actors Luke Wilson (Legally Blonde and Old School) and Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley and Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie) as Albuquerque and Flagstaff, two traveling zombie-killing partners that are mimic reflections of Tallahassee and Columbus, are in minor supporting roles in Double Tap. While all of these acting talents are good and definitely bring a certain humorous quality to their characters, the characters themselves could’ve been easily expanded upon, with many just being thinly written caricatures. Of course, the movie focuses heavily on the Zombieland quartet (and newcomer Madison), but I wished that these characters could’ve been fleshed out a bit.
Lastly, be sure to still around for the film’s ending credits, with Double Tap offering up two Easter Eggs scenes (one mid-credits and one post-credit scenes). While I won’t spoil them, I do have mention that they are pretty hilarious.
✅ FINAL THOUGHTS ✅
It’s been awhile, but the Zombieland gang is back and are ready to hit the road once again in the movie Zombieland: Double Tap. Director Reuben Fleischer’s latest film sees the return the dysfunctional zombie-killing makeshift family of survivors for another round of bickering, banting, and trying to find their way in a post-apocalyptic world. While the movie’s narrative is a bit messy and could’ve been refined in the storyboarding process as well as having a bit more zombie action, the rest of the feature provides to be a fun endeavor, especially with Fleischer returning to direct the project, the snappy / witty banter amongst its characters, a breezy runtime, and the four lead returning acting talents. Personally, I liked this movie. I definitely found it to my liking as I laugh many times throughout the movie, with the main principal cast lending their screen presence in this post-apocalyptic zombie movie. Thus, my recommendation for this movie is favorable “recommended” as I’m sure it will please many fans of the first movie as well as to the uninitiated (the film is quite easy to follow for newcomers). While the movie doesn’t redefine what was previous done back in 2009, Zombieland: Double Tap still provides a riot of laughs with this make-shift quartet of zombie survivors; giving us give us (the viewers) fun and entertaining companion sequel to the original feature. | https://medium.com/@2021_Soul-Train-Music-Awards/live-2021-soul-train-music-awards-full-show-2021-2bdd2ee646 | ['Soul Train Music Awards', 'Full Show'] | 2021-11-28 11:53:28.949000+00:00 | ['Awards', 'Technology', 'Festivals', 'Music', 'Bussiness'] |
2key Integrates Valid for Network Security | 2key Network’s referral campaigns are a hyper-scalable product. Despite operating through smart contracts, the user dashboard enables anyone, irrespective of technical know-how, to launch a campaign with rewards escrowed and distributed by smart contracts. The benefits of 2key’s referral campaigns and their superiority over alternative exposure methods are explained in this article.
As 2key Network aims to empower SMEs and SMBs by offering them a promotional tool that adjusts to their tight budgets, limited network, and limited capacity for economies of scale, it was imperative to make the utility of 2key accessible even among those with little to no grasp of blockchain technology. Once the main-net launches and campaigns begin to grow, smart contract security will be of imperative value.
To ensure that anyone can utilize Smart Links and/or 2key Network’s referral campaigns, 2key has integrated Valid Network’s security technology.
What is Valid Network?
Valid Network is a technology suite that offers security solutions to decentralized developments. Valid monitors transactions to check abnormalities and subsequently pinpoint potential security threats and it constantly monitors smart contracts and repos to check for vulnerabilities.
2key Network x Valid Network
2key Network will leverage Valid Network’s security benefits through a number of means. First and foremost, as contractor count grows, so will referral campaigns. Valid’s technology will be used to scan through the smart contracts being generated by contractors’ campaigns, and the transactions being conducted within and by 2key Network’s various smart contracts. This will generate a real-time analysis of the Network’s state of security.
Thus, contractors needn’t be knowledgeable about smart contract security as that is handled by 2key Network’s own integrations. Any potential threats that may arise will be detected by the real-time analysis and be subsequently neutralized, whether be in the form of transaction or smart contract irregularity or an attack.
Additionally, Valid can scan through private repos and this will enable real-time security proofing as 2key moves ahead with development. This technical integration plays an important role in enhancing 2key Network’s security without making any user experience barriers. Much of this incredible technology is in its early stage and 2key Network has partnered with Valid to utilize it in a live product. | https://medium.com/2key/2key-integrates-valids-technology-for-network-security-9cc15f7c0e46 | ['H. S.'] | 2019-10-09 12:23:58.252000+00:00 | ['Ethereum Blockchain', 'Blockchain', 'Bitcoin', 'Cybersecurity', 'Referral Marketing'] |
Pantos.io by Bitpanda: the first multi-blockchain token system | The team behind Bitpanda is happy to announce Pantos, an open-source, open-innovation driven research project, which aims to foster cooperations among blockchain projects and set new, innovative standards for decentralised cross-chain token transfers.
At Bitpanda, we have always believed in the potential of open source technologies and we made innovation a core value for our company. Following this philosophy, we are proud to announce our Technology ICO (Initial Coin Offering) called Pantos.
Pantos is a scientific research project conceived by the team behind Bitpanda, who joined forces with scientists from the Technical University of Vienna, the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Research Institute for Future Cryptoeconomics (RIAT).
Together we started an R&D project, which aims to provide a possible key open source technology called TAST, the Token Atomic Swap Technology. The objective of Pantos is to create an open-source system, which will bring blockchains closer together and prospectively provide one of the core technologies in a tokenised world.
To bring this vision to life, Pantos is seeking to allow blockchain projects to talk to one another in a standardised way and transfer value from one chain to another frictionless and with ease. Hence, this will speed up innovation, because it creates a link between separate blockchains so that they can scale and grow together.
Why is digital currency fragmentation a problem?
Following on from Bitcoin, many digital currencies based on blockchain technology have been launched into the market, each with their own specifications and protocols.
Having so many blockchains on their own, starts to become a problem when you consider the inefficiencies introduced when they start competing for investment, development resource and market share. This competition could lead to problems, if research and development efforts are not shared and communicated effectively between them.
In a fragmented environment like this, projects risk ending up as separate islands which ultimately slows down the blockchain adoption.
We asked ourselves why there has to be a dominant blockchain in the first place. A future of multiple blockchain networks is very likely. There will be a world of diverse blockchains with each serving their specific use-case and specifications. A decentralised public blockchain is always a self-contained network and will remain isolated from other blockchains as its data and assets can only ever be sent on its own network.
Right now, they can not be transferred to another blockchain without the involvement of a counterparty. But what if you could shift your tokens from one chain to another without friction? Pantos aims to do just that by creating the first multi-blockchain token system.
What are the goals of Pantos and use-cases for the PAN token?
Pantos aims to end the fragmentation of digital currency markets. There is a noticable and commendable trend towards a global standard in building and sharing digital currency tokens. Pantos exists to serve as a lighthouse to bring these standardisation and interoperability development goals together.
By partnering with major blockchain platforms, Pantos will connect these blockchains and allow the seamless transfer of value between them. Our vision is to bring all major projects together, improve communication and set standards for cross-chain tokens and have the teams responsible for the major blockchain projects involved. Together we can work out all the details about the issuance of PAN tokens on every blockchain and determine best practice procedures.
Fostering Cooperation & Open Innovation.
Pantos will take advantage of Atomic Swap and Lightning Network technology and provide smooth, real-time cross-chain token transfers. This will greatly facilitate the mainstream market access to decentralization technology. By following an open and unifying approach, we aim to encourage cooperation between various projects in the crypto-economy. Only together we can determine best practices and set a new standard for cross-chain token transfers. We believe that as a collaborative community, synergies can be used more efficiently.
Close To Real-Time Arbitrage.
Pantos will enable near-real-time arbitrage trading, resulting in increased volumes across all decentralised marketplaces and an expected increase in demand for PAN tokens. Traders can exploit emerging price differences between digital currency pairs.
Pantos will act as the common denominator, providing flexibility, stability and liquidity. It enables a close to real time arbitrage which will increase the volume on all the decentralised markets and drive up the demand for Pantos. This was not possible previously between blockchains, due to missing a common denominator token.
Future-proofing Regardless Of Technological Changes.
Pantos will bring different blockchains, teams and researchers closer together and boost blockchain’s mass adoption. The whole community, developers and users alike, will benefit from Pantos’ open source technology.
Pantos can protect supported digital currencies from governance issues and instability as the possibility of transferring between blockchains offers to future-proof onboarded projects. Should, for any reason, a project no longer be actively maintained by developers, users can at least protect their token value by migrating to another stable blockchain. The risk of getting stuck on abandoned projects is eliminated.
New Metric: Blockchain Domination Index.
Measuring real-time PAN usage and distribution among blockchains. Pantos will lead to the creation of the first common denominator token and the introduction of a new crypto-economic index: the Blockchain Dominance Index. This index would show real-time token usage and distribution among blockchains and can measure each individual blockchain’s relative significance. This means, valuation based on actual utility, not future speculation.
Why is the project called Pantos?
Pantos is a newly coined word consisting of Pan (= everything) and Tos (= token system). The “everything token system”.
Support our efforts to bring the blockchain community closer together and participate in the Pantos Technology ICO. To do so visit the official Pantos website www.pantos.io.
For regular updates on Pantos you can also follow our official channels:
Facebook: facebook.com/PantosIO
Twitter twitter.com/PantosIO
Reddit: reddit.com/r/Pantos
Telegram https://t.me/PantosIO
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/Pantos_IO | https://medium.com/pantos/pantos-io-by-bitpanda-the-first-multi-blockchain-token-system-c064860a8cc8 | [] | 2018-03-13 10:41:13.279000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Token', 'Blockchain', 'ICO'] |
Why 3 foul mouthed Brazilians are Exosphere’s first incubated team | Why 3 foul mouthed Brazilians are Exosphere’s first incubated team
The first time you meet the Scribe team you might think you had run into the Brazilian version of “Jersey Shore”. The way they talk to each other might be strange for someone who is not aware of how these three co-founders came to be. Luckily, the Exosphere staff saw them sprout and as none of us speaks Portuguese we aren’t shocked by the profanity they are constantly spewing at each other in their native language.
As an organization we do not encourage this sort of behaviour at all. We entirely disapprove of it actually. Then why are they one of the first teams we have decided to incubate?
Well, you might think it must be their product…for sure they must be on to a killer product that will go viral in a couple of weeks and change the entire Internet as we know it, making millions for the founders and investors alike.
In reality their product is still pretty flawed. They added the ability to create hyperlinks only a few weeks ago…Pretty shocking considering they are an online writing and publishing platform isn’t it?
They are in beta after all. So, maybe it is because the buzz they have already generated with nothing more than their early-stage beta. People in Brazil and all over the world must already be talking about leaving Wordpress for a platform that really gives them what they want. This must be the reason.
No, it’s not the buzz either. Although they have been quite successful and already attracted an impressive number of users and generated content in less than 3 months, they are still relatively unknown and working on getting themselves in the mind of users as a writing platform worthy of consideration.
Then why did we choose them? Why did we decide to invite them to stay with us at our Viña del Mar campus in Chile, and support them in building Scribe?
In the ever-incisive wisdom of @FAKEGRIMLOCK:
RIGHT PEOPLE MOST IMPORTANT STEP FOR STARTUP. PEOPLE WHAT STARTUP MADE FROM!
BUILD STARTUP FROM RIGHT PEOPLE? THEM EVENTUALLY BUILD RIGHT THING.
Getting the right people to build the right thing is what we do at Exosphere, and is the mission of our boot camps to attract the right people and help them develop and reach their full potential, regardless if that is building a startup or taking life-changing decisions they would have never thought of in the confines of their everyday environment. We are not a startup incubator, we are a people incubator.
Attracting the right people is not an easy job, and it never follows a plan. But the good thing about it is that once you get the first one it creates a positive snowball effect that spreads really fast. Paulo Ribeiro, a friend of one of Exosphere’s founders, was attracted to our philosophy and started spreading the word about us in Brazil. Alberto Brandao found Exosphere because of Paulo, and attended the first boot camp, where he started blogging about his experience here. Eventually, three Brazilians from Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and São José dos Campos, read about Alberto’s experience and applied to the following boot camp. So this is how everything started: five Brazilians from five different cities who didn’t previously know each other.
Get the right people on board, because, sooner or later, they will build the right products.
Alex, Eduardo and Kelvin are young, they don’t have years of startup experience, and they have never lived in Silicon Valley.
But when you spend a couple of months with someone discussing Emerson’s Self-Reliance, Nassim Taleb’s Antifragile and Scott Peck’s The Road Less Travelled, you don’t need long CVs to know what they are capable of creating. You don’t need a pitch of their product to be convinced of their true value or several interviews to get to know them, because you know them as real people, not the persona portrayed in an accelerator application.
This is the reason why we don’t hold pitch events, or have open applications for our incubation programs. You can learn little of a team’s potential in a canned ten minute presentation.
But if you spend more than 200 hours with them discussing their path in life, their goals, their fears and motivations, their relationships in life and how they deal with everyday challenges, then you know their real Curriculum vitae, experience and qualifications not just from their businesses but from their lives. This is what we do in our Hydra boot camp in Chile.
Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.
Self-Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson
What is it to be an entrepreneur but to pursue and keep the integrity of one’s mind? To be a nonconformist and dare to want more? The only thing that empowers one to reach her potential is the strength of her mind.
We don’t want the next over-hyped app that Facebook will buy to defend its market territory against nascent competition. We want to incubate teams that are serious about solving a real problem for real people. Teams that are serious and committed to their own personal growth, not only as entrepreneurs, but as individuals. Teams that loudly embrace with their actions and aspirations our mantra Disturb the Universe.
This is what we found in the Scribe team.
This is where we stand—this is what we believe. It won’t be the so called “disruptive technologies” that will achieve real disruption. It won’t be the low-cost space industry, the 3D printing, the Internet of Things, or mind reading technology. It will be the people behind them. The people who dare not to conform, the people who dare to defend with vigour the sacred integrity of their mind, the people who dare disturb the Universe.
The world is full of small ideas and small-minded people behind them— just read the business tabloids like Business Insider, you’ll find a lot of stories about them. But for the story of people with big ideas, stay tuned to Exosphere. This is just the beginning. | https://medium.com/the-exofiles/why-3-foul-mouthed-brazilians-are-exospheres-first-incubated-team-f8cabccecbea | ['Ezequiel Djeredjian'] | 2015-09-19 15:20:01.277000+00:00 | ['Entrepreneurship', 'Startups', 'Brazil'] |
Songs Of The Sea | Songs Of The Sea
Image Source-Google Images
The sea sings me melodies,
While I sit and watch it churn,
Churning every thought and dream,
Of every dreamer on the shore!
It sang me a symphony of love,
While crashing waves against the rocks,
As love is like the waves which crash,
Not knowing if they’ll ever make it to the shore!
It sang to me in its loneliness,
Accompanied by the soothing sound of the waves,
As solitude is like a balm,
It keeps numbing away all the pain!
-Babar Mir | https://medium.com/poets-unlimited/songs-of-the-sea-bec3a60f49e4 | ['Babar Mir'] | 2017-04-02 19:03:45.596000+00:00 | ['Love', 'Writing', 'Feelings', 'Poetry', 'Emotions'] |
5 Reasons Black Mothers Support their LGBTQ Children | Although there are a million reasons why! In this post, I will highlight just 5 reasons Black mothers support their LGBTQ children. Despite the reality of living in a world that still sadly communicates all sorts of negative messaging about and towards LGBTQ people and those who support them. Let us as Black mothers be ever so mindful and unapologetically resolved to refute every one of them. Crumbling every negative message with the kryptonite of the power of our unconditional love for our children. Let us encourage one another (as well as others) to do the same until “LoveWins” is a reality and not just a hashtag!
L: for LOVE
Reason 1: BMIST mothers support their LGBTQ children because they unconditionally LOVE them! In the life of a BMIST mother “LoveWins” really is a life principle and not just a hashtag. The unconditional love we exert for our LGBTQ children is simply a matter of the heart. (Click here to read post)
G: for GIFT
Reason 2: BMIST mothers support their LGBTQ children because they understand that every little human that they are able to birth into the world is a GIFT. And we have resolved to embrace our gifts with open hearts and open arms. Even the ones that are uniquely different and are in a category all of their own.
B: for BLESSING
Reason 3: BMIST mothers support their LGBTQ children because regardless of how and what they believe. Ultimately they believe that birthing life into the world is a BLESSING of which all women have not been afforded. And we don’t take our blessings for granted. Not one of them.
T: for THANKFUL
Reason 4: BMIST mothers support their LGBTQ children because they are THANKFUL for the lives of ALL of the children they have been blessed to birth. Period. Because as previously stated. We don’t take our blessings for granted. We count all our blessings and we are thankful.
Q: for QUALIFIED
Reason 5: BMIST mothers support their LGBTQ children because they are naturally QUALIFIED to do so. “We got this” because:
1. This is an acceptable, normal, and natural role for a mother . Note: A mother rejecting her child is not normal or natural. (See my post on LGBTQ Children and Matters of a Mother’s Heart post).
. Note: A mother rejecting her child is not normal or natural. (See my post on LGBTQ Children and Matters of a Mother’s Heart post). 2. We are in fact the only ones who are qualified . Remember always. We are our children’s mothers. No one else. In other words. There is no one (I repeat absolutely no one) on the outside of us whose opinions, thoughts, directions, suggestions, insinuations, mandates, threats etc…should have more power over us than the greatest power of all. And that is. The powerful love that is within our very own hearts.
. Remember always. We are our children’s mothers. In other words. There is no one (I repeat absolutely no one) on the outside of us whose opinions, thoughts, directions, suggestions, insinuations, mandates, threats etc…should have more power over us than the greatest power of all. And that is. The powerful love that is within our very own hearts. 3. What we know for sure. We know that it is our decision to decide how we will relate to our LGBTQ children and ultimately that the choice is in our hands and always has been. We’ve learned to trust the strength, courage, and wisdom that resides in and through us more than anything that comes externally. Like I said, “We got this“!
What Say You?
In this post, I’ve shared 5 reasons Black mothers support their LGBTQ children. If you are reading this post. And you just happen to be a Black mother and your child is LGBTQ. Then I hope you will join me and other Black mothers in this BMIST Love Revolution. We are mothers who have made the choice that when it comes to supporting our LGBTQ children that doing so fearlessly and unapologetically is the rule and not the exception.
Let us all join together around this unique mothering experience and be sure to do our part in making a positive impact in the world for the greater good of ALL black children. LGBTQ and otherwise.
And so it is! And so be it! What say you?
Until the next time…
Much Love & Peace
CarlaDee, BMIST Founder (#NotAnLGBTQexpertJustAMother)
Click here to join the BMIST Private Support Group! | https://medium.com/an-idea/5-reasons-black-mothers-support-their-lgbtq-children-f8e653270a0c | ['Carla D. Wilson Laskey'] | 2020-11-10 18:06:34.572000+00:00 | ['Support', 'Reason', 'BlackLivesMatter', 'Children', 'LGBTQ'] |
There Was No Party This Year | I wanted to write a love letter to Halloween. This seemed on theme for the past couple of weeks. But I kept getting stuck. Maybe the nostalgia and sentimentality just became too much to bear. Maybe it was way too much to try to cover in a single essay and I got stuck with trying to parse out which parts I wanted to include. The truth is my love letter to Halloween could be split into several pieces — my childhood costumes, my growing love of horror films, and of course The Upper Glen Halloween parties.
Halloween this year was on a Saturday which would have perfectly aligned for the Glen’s annual Halloween party (although to be honest, I much prefer Friday parties, more time to recover.)
But there was no party this year.
We may have ushered in the darkest timeline, sorry.
It’s weird to feel sad over that because I kind of always knew that I wouldn’t be at this year’s party. I had intended to move this year and didn’t expect to even be in the Bay in October. But I wasn’t at this year’s party because I left Oakland (although I did do that.) I wasn’t at this year’s party because there was no party this year.
It’s both weird and entirely satisfying to have been the founder of an annual rager. We became THE go-to Halloween party and I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that. The party took on a life of its own and by the third or fourth year, there were people at the party who I didn’t even know. A few times people just wandered in off the street.
But there was no party this year.
By the third or fourth year, we figured out how to properly throw a rager — order a pizza before the party starts, order a keg from Bev Mo (but the one in Jack London Square, not the one in the hell hole that is Emeryville.)
Each year had a theme that was a weird blend of obscure references and overt pop culture (Stanley Kubrick meets Stranger Things.) Each year, Kathleen went overboard with the decorations (Papier-mâché pumpkin kings and life size Babadooks).
Each year, we let our downstairs neighbor know we’d be throwing a party and to tell us if it got too loud (we would undoubtedly get too loud but he always told us that we were young and should just have fun. He never once complained.)
Each year we took roommate shots — tequila with lime and salt — the group of past and present roommates ever expanding over the course of 7 years. And I participated in those shots, despite my assertions that I am too old to take a shot.
Each year, the party devolved into dancing in the living room at 3am and/or crying into Jack in the Box chicken strips.
Each year, we spent the next day recovering, sprawled out on the white leather couch we inherited from Tessa’s childhood.
Each year lingered into the next holiday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, as decorations stayed on the walls, making us a permanent Halloween house.
But there was no party this year.
I always think of the Upper Glen Halloween party an annual event. The truth is that this isn’t the first year that there was no party. We threw the first one in 2013, partly as a housewarming party. Fresh out of college in our “grown up” Oakland apartment. The theme day year was Day of the Dead (I think Friday landed on November 1.)
Tip jar from the first party.
That night we partied too hard. A few hours in, I fell asleep on the floor of my room and woke up after everyone else left. The party was too big. Someone actually took money OUT of the tip jars (wtf.) That party was big enough to last for 2 years.
There was no party in 2014.
But when we came back in 2015, we had a better game plan. We realized we should invest in a keg. Turns out people are way more willing to donate to beer money when a keg is involved. I’m pretty sure in 2015, we actually made money. So, in 2016 we started donating any money over the price of the alcohol to charity. While there was no party this year, there is still a fundraiser. And if you want to get a little glimpse into what The Upper Glen Halloween Party was like, just visit the fundraiser page.
There have been a lot of good parties at the Glen — surprise 23rd birthdays, Christmas open houses, Cold War Party — but no party is the Halloween party. Whenever, if ever, the next one is, I plan to be there.
I guess I did get a little gooey nostalgic after all. | https://medium.com/setting-the-tone/there-was-no-party-this-year-6274b287d62a | ['Adriana Vazquez'] | 2020-11-06 13:12:09.064000+00:00 | ['Halloween', 'Halloween Decorations', 'Party', 'Essay', 'Partying'] |
Kiko Matthews — Cycling 6,900km around the UK and Ireland’s coasts, beach cleaning and building a… | We first spoke with Kiko on the 1st May 2018, where she shared more about her solo and unsupported row, 3000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.
Kiko tells more about her life, the challenges she faced and overcame, from being diagnosed with Cushing’s Disease and having brain surgery only months before the Atlantic row.
Kiko achieved the impossible, she broke the women’s record by 5 days and crossed the ocean in 49 days, 10 hours and 13 seconds. Kiko had never rowed before deciding on this challenge!
In this Tough Girl Extra podcast episode, we catch up with Kiko to find out what’s she’s been up to since, how she decided on her next challenge — Kik Plastic, how she funds her life, what motivates her and what the future looks like.
Kiko does not hold back and shares all the details, she’s authentic and as real as they come! Enjoy this episode!
Listen to Kiko Now
Click here if you can’t see the link below
Listen to the first episode we did with Kiko — find out more about her World Record Atlantic Row!
Click here if you can’t see the link below.
Show notes | https://medium.com/@_TOUGH_GIRL/kiko-matthews-cycling-6-900km-around-the-uk-and-irelands-coasts-beach-cleaning-and-building-a-1998eababee6 | ['Sarah Williams'] | 2020-12-24 10:04:29.155000+00:00 | ['Motivation', 'Challenge', 'Adventure', 'Women', 'Travel'] |
Got Swill Milk? — Mistakes Were Made | I want to take you back to the United States in the 1850s. It was a time frame where the government didn’t regulate or provide standards for food quality. Vaccines and medical progress was nowhere near the levels we have today. Diseases, like Cholera and Typhoid, were a part of everyday life back then. When Infant mortality started raising in New York City during this time, no one thought it was tied to the milk supply.
New York City distilleries discovered a way to make extra cash besides selling alcohol in the 1850s. Distilleries had a lot of excess grains after the alcohol making process. One enterprising distiller discovered that after you extracted the alcohol from the grain, the left over mash contained nutrients. That same distiller attached cow stables near or on the distillery and fed the cows with the leftover grain swill. The economic advantage of this is they could sell the milk from the cows at a much lower price point than regular dairy farmers. Why just sell alcohol when you can sell milk too?
The Swill milk dairies were inhuman and disgusting. They were noted for their filthy conditions and nauseating stench. The close confinement of thousands of cows in narrow stalls caused a stench and filth to set in. Once the cow entered the stalls, they would remain there for the rest of their lives. The cows would stand in their own manure, covered with flies, sores and suffered from a range of diseases.
The left over grain swill had to be mixed with boiling water to make it edible. One of the numerous problems with this plan was there was no way to get all the alcohol out of the grain swill. The cows were basically being feed an alcohol filled mash. The mash was not nutritious food to feed cows. The swill dairy cows refused to eat the mash until they got hungry and had no choice to eat it. The Swill mash left the cows with rotting teeth, tails falling off, and they were covered with sores.
The Swill dairy cows produced more milk than the regular grass feed cows, but at a much lower quality. According to an editorial about swill milk by the New York Times it described swill milk as a “bluish, white compound of true milk, pus and dirty water, which, on standing, deposits a yellowish, brown sediment that is manufactured in the stables attached to large distilleries by running the refuse distillery slops through the udders of dying cows and over the unwashed hands of milkers…” The cows were passing on their diseases and impurities through the milk.
No one in their right mind would drink milk that looks like that, so the distillers had to “fix” it up. They whitened the milk with plaster of Paris, thickened it with rotten eggs, starch and flour and hued it with molasses and burnt sugar. The distillers then marketed the milk as “pure country milk” or “Orange County Milk”. It’s estimated that between 50% to 80% of milk consumed in northeastern cities in this time period was swill milk.
In May 1858, Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper did a land mark expose of the New York City distilleries-diaries. The expose caused wide spread public outrage and pressure was put on local politicians to punish and regulate the distillery/diaries.
One local Alderman, named Michael Tuomey, defended the distilleries even after the fallout about swill milk. Tuomey had so much sway and power that they put him in charge of the board of health investigation into swill milk! Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper caught Tuomey, making late night visits to distillery owners. Needless to say, the hearing was a charade. There was even testimony from the hearing that argued that swill milk was actually as good or better for children than regular milk! The board of health exonerated the distillers.
Public outcry about swill milk remained strong. In 1862, the first food safety laws were passed in the U.S. The laws dealt with milk regulations. Toumey tried hard to block the new laws but was unsuccessful. According to health authorities, 8,000 infants perished from drinking swill milk in 1857.
Mistakes were Made:
Today you can pick up a food item in the grocery store and see all the ingredients inside of it and where it was produced or made at. Whether we know what those ingredients are is another matter, but we have made progress in that arena. There is no way something like swill milk can happen today, right? Well, how do you explain the 2008 Chinese milk Scandal?
The scandal involved milk and infant formula along with other food materials and components being adulterated with melamine. The chemical was used to increase the nitrogen content of diluted milk, giving it the appearance of higher protein content in order to pass quality control testing. 6 babies died from kidney stones and other kidney damage and an estimated 54,000 babies were hospitalized because of the tainted milk. History has a way of repeating itself, because the mistakes weren’t heeded.
Mistake 1. C.R.E.A.M
It’s not like distillery owners were hurting for money in the 1850s, but one could always make more money. I applaud the ingenuity of the distillery owners, but the secondary effects of their actions caused horrendous turmoil. When you put money and profit over public health and wellbeing and add in the inhumane treatment of cows, it’s never going to end well. Another tragedy of this story was the distillery owners were never punished due to their political connections and lobbying. They money over everything else thinking has led to a lot of disaster and harm to society, but that thinking still prevails today.
Mistake 2. Aint no such thing as a half way crooked politician
Tuomey was like the band on the Titanic, he was going down with the ship till the bitter end. Crooked politicians are not an irregularity in our society, in fact they are the norm, but Tuomey took crookedness to a whole next level. Even after the public expose and public outcry, Tuomey set up a theatrical hearing on the matter than exonerated everyone. The smart play would have been to throw the distilleries under the bus and distance himself from them.
Among the many things Tuomey was, the guy was loyal. Even after his fellow politicians sided with the public and passed milk regulation laws, Tuomey still was trying to get the laws repealed. Tuomey is one of many politicians throughout history, who put his power and connections and position over the good of the public. I thought elected officials were supposed to help their constituents, but politicians like Tuomey are only out to help themselves. | https://medium.com/@marlon-mosley/got-swill-milk-mistakes-were-made-f4c25fa9024a | ['Marlon Mosley'] | 2020-12-02 08:07:27.186000+00:00 | ['New York City', 'Food And Drink', 'History', 'Milk', 'Public Health'] |
The Decade That Destroyed the Modern American Woman | ’90s Bitch: The Decade That Destroyed the Modern American Woman’ — Allison Yarrow
I recently read a book for a class.
It was actually a much more momentous moment than it sounds, as it was the first time in my first semester of grad school that I actually got to read something of interest to my future thesis… Whatever that may be.
I chose Allison Yarrow’s 90s Bitch: Media, Culture, and the Failed Promise of Gender Equality, a journalistic review of the crappy way high profile women were treated in the media during the 90s.
It wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be.
I picked up this book hoping for a 90s pop culture review of trends like the Spice Girls, Girl Power, and chick flicks — all of which were presented, but more as a way to set the stage for the main event.
What I wasn’t looking for, but still highly appreciated?
A refresher course on the stories of Anita Hill, Monica Lewinsky, Tonya Harding, Marcia Clark, and many more. The way these women’s stories are told with emphasis on how they were filed away into trendy female-specific troupes is very interesting to follow.
Would I recommend this book to everyone? To the right person — sure! The views Yarrow presents are a must read for any budding feminist, but heed this warning: they are strong.
Something I found interesting weeks after reading this book?
That it apparently has two titles. Or so the internet thinks. When searching online for quotes, Goodreads supplied me with this title: 90s Bitch: The Decade That Destroyed the Modern American Woman.
I wonder when it turned into the title printed on the cover now? I personally think ‘The Decade That Destroyed the Modern American Woman’ sounds like the journalistic, strong feminist approach that Allison Yarrow upheld throughout.
The eventually chosen title sounds like the type of scholarly thesis dissertation I apparently would choose to read for a school project. | https://medium.com/amateur-book-reviews/the-decade-that-destroyed-the-modern-american-woman-8c4436a294de | ['Adrienne Grimes'] | 2019-01-25 05:01:24.380000+00:00 | ['Reading', 'Book Review', 'Pop Culture', 'Feminism', 'Girl Power'] |
Scratch to SOTA: Build Famous Classification Nets 3 (Train/[Distributed] Data Parallelism) | Some Perspective on Training with Multiple GPUs
Training a neural network with PyTorch is really easy. In its core, there are just three steps — forward pass to compute loss, use loss.backward() to compute gradients of the parameters and then optimizer.step() to update the parameters. Of course, there are some details and tips to this process that we will go through later.
The slightly trickier problem we are trying to address in this article is on using multiple GPUs for training.
As the model we use gets larger, it incurs more memory footprint, limiting the number of images that we can feed to the model in a batch. The mini-batch’s statistics deviate away more from that of the whole dataset and stochastic gradient descent may be less effective. Smaller batch also affects the running mean and standard deviation for batch normalization. We need to use data parallelism by scattering data to different GPUs in order to feed larger batch (this does not solve the batch normalization issue though, stay tuned for why later).
If the model gets so large that we cannot even fit a single image on a GPU, we need to use model parallelism by putting different parts of the model on different GPUs. We will not go through model parallelism here, but you can check out this simple tutorial.
Suppose that we want to use GPUs from multiple nodes (a fancy name for servers or machines in this context) to feed an even larger batch, we need to use distributed data parallelism in PyTorch. It allows different nodes to communicate with each other and collectively train a model. In fact, it is the recommended method for data parallelism even for a single server, i.e. there is little reason to use the data parallelism mentioned two paragraphs ago…, except that data parallelism is just easier to implement…
We will go through using distributed data parallelism on a single node in this article. Using it across multiple nodes is a simple extension without needing to modify the code.
Training with Data Parallelism
For data parallelism, we will use PyTorch’s nn.DataParallel class. How it works is as follow.
The model is stored on the default GPU. On forward pass, the model is replicated and sent to other GPUs. The tensor inputs to the model will be split along the specified dimension (0th dimension by default, which is the default batch dimension). Inputs of other type will be shallow copied. We wiil only send labels to the default GPU. The split data and copied data will be sent to the respective GPU devices and fed to the model replicas. As the input data passes through the model/replicas, any in-place updates to the parameters or buffers are only recorded on the default GPU (for this reason, batchnorm’s running statistics are only derived from a portion of the input).
All the outputs are sent back to the default GPU and concatenated along the specified dimension (batch dimension by default). Loss is then computed. The diagram below illustrates the forward passing process.
For backward pass (when we run loss.backward() ), the loss is scattered back to the the respective GPUs and gradients are computed for each replica according to the respective input data they received. Then, all the gradients are summed on the default GPU and parameter update is conducted there. The diagram below demonstrates this process.
This whole flow may seem complex, but its implementation is quite trivial with PyTorch’s nn.DataParallel class. All we need to do is just wrap our model with this wrapper.
However, before we jump into coding the training script, there is an issue with this data parallelization. You may have noticed that the default GPU has taken up more work than other GPUs, especially when hosting the gathered output and compute the final loss. This extra memory and computational load is insignificant for image classification, but can post a memory issue for tasks like object detection or text generation whose outputs are much larger. You can check out the discussion about it in PyTorch forum.
To solve the memory imbalance problem, we can either parallelize the loss computation (like this GitHub Gist), or embed the loss computation in the model’s forward pass, so that the model replicas are only sending scalar loss back to the default GPU, instead of huge tensors. We can achieve this with a model wrapper like this one.
After we wrap our model with this class, our wrapped model will take both the input data and labels as inputs, and output predictions and loss. In this way, the loss is directly computed on the respective GPUs.
Note: this wrapper will still gather all the outputs ( preds ) back onto the default GPU, but they do not take up much space for our task. We can remove preds from the return statement, if memory is an issue.
Code
We will use a YAML file to record all the training arguments. It makes it easier to manage a project and track different training configurations. Below is the YAML configuration file we will use for the training script. Most of them are common hyper-parameters, we will apply them along the way. distributed controls whether we will use distributed data parallelism or just data parallelism. gpus_per_node and total_nodes are only used for the distributed training.
Accompanying this config file, we will create a utility class for easy access of the arguments.
After wrapping our YAML file with this class, we can access the arguments by using dot notation like params.gpus , params.lr etc. If the argument does not exist in our YAML file, the dot notation will return None .
To start our training script proper, let’s conduct the import routine. We have coded all the utility classes in previous articles, except add_weight_decay , we will explain a bit later.
We define a train function, whose argument, model , is an instance of ModelWithLoss class and params is an instance of YAML file wrapper we coded just now.
Then, there are some helper functions. print_log() will append the strings we print to train_log.txt for training progress recording. save_checkpoint() saves a generic checkpoint.
We also creates the work directory, store the configuration YAML file we use for this training for record keeping.
Then we can initiate our training dataset and validation dataset. We will use center crop to evaluate our model’s accuracy on the validation set.
Next, we will decide whether to move the model to GPU. If our params.gpus has length one, we will move our model to GPU with that id. If it has lenth more than one, meaning that we are using multiple GPU, we first move the model to params.gpus[0] (as the model’s parameters and buffers must be placed on the default GPU) and wrap the model with nn.DataParallel(model, params.gpus) .
We will then define an optimizer along with weight decay. Weight decay is effective in preventing overfiting as it reduces the norm of the weights. Though not entirely accurate, it intuitively means that a lot of the weights are near zero, it is sort of like using less parameters in a model. Though not entirely accurate, it can also mean that the optimizer will prefer the weights being more spread out instead of concentrating on a few terms (as the weight decay is usually implemented using l2 regularization, one large parameter will contribute to loss a lot more than several not so large parameters). This forces the model to make decision based on the aggregation of many features instead of memorizing just a few features.
However, if our model has batch normalization layers, we should exclude the parameters from these layers when applying weight decay. BN shifts the output’s statistics to be centered around beta with a standard deviation of gamma (where beta and gamma are learnt along with other parameters). It does not make sense to always reduce them towards zero. The same in fact should be applied to all the bias terms.
Therefore, we implement the add_weight_decay() function to separate these parameters from the rest.
We can then create the optimizer and learning rate scheduler. Also, we should write code catering to resuming training from a specific checkpoint.
Finally, the standard training loop is as following. I wrote quite detailed comments to discuss the rationale behind most lines. It helps clear up relevant concepts regarding both the theories and coding practice.
Sanity Check
It has been quite a long script so far. Luckily, because of the extra lines dedicated to ensure flexibility, our sanity check is pretty simple. Almost all the training regimes can be set up by altering the YAML configuration file.
At the bottom of the training scripts, append this portion.
As can be seen, we will try to train an AlexNet.
Running the training script only requires this line
python train.py ./train_configs/train_args.yaml
As mentioned above, I was able to train an AlexNet to a 56.67% top 1 accuracy with single center crop evaluation after 92 epochs of training. This is 0.1% higher than the official torchvision pretrained model.
As I try to explain the training script clearly, the train() function spans multiple code blocks. If you find it hard to merge them back into a complete function, feel free to look up the scripts in my GitHub Repo.
Training with Distributed Data Parallelism
According to PyTorch documentation, there is little reason not to use distributed data parallelism instead of data parallelism (except, of course, distributed training is a bit more troublesome to set up). We will in this section go through PyTorch’s distributed data parallelism mechanism.
For distributed data parallelism, there are three distinct stages to take care of — construction, forward pass and backward pass.
To initialize distributed training, we need to initiate a model on each GPU on every machine. Each GPU in this context has a rank from 0 to worldsize-1 . World size here is the total number of GPU we are using for distributed training. If each node (server) equally has num_gpus GPUs, then the world size is simply num_nodes * num_gpus .
We should take note of Node 0’s IP address and the port we are using for distributed training. We need to provide this information to other Nodes so that they know where to access the “master” Node via network connection.
As parameters are never sent between GPUs, we can use seed to ensure the models are initialized with the same weights ( torch.manual_seed(0) ).
For forward pass, the batch normalization parameters are first broadcast to all the GPUs. Each model then get a slice of input to compute their own loss. In contrast to the forward pass of data parallelism, we do not send the model and parameters from GPU with rank 0 to other GPUs, but only broadcast the batch normalization parameters. Also, on each server, there should be a copy of the data set as we do not send the input data across the network (instead, we justuse torch.utils.data.distributed.DistributedSampler to ensure each process works on different input data).
For backward pass, gradients are computed separately on each GPU. They are then broadcast across all Nodes and averaged across all GPUs for parameter update. As the training settings for all ranks should be identical, the model parameters for all ranks are also updated the same way, all processes should thus arrive at the same weights each step.
Despite putting gradient computation and broadcasting as two separate steps, they in fact happen concurrently. As gradients are being computed for layer K, the gradients for layer K + 1 are broadcast for parameter update. This reduces communication bottleneck.
Note: For distributed training, we should imagine that we are opening a console to run the training script for every GPU across a few servers (which is in fact the case as each GPU has its own process for loading data and running the model). However, instead of getting different gradients and updates, at each step, the gradients are communicated across all GPUs and averaged, so that all model get the same gradients and update the weights in the same fashion. After training, all models on all the GPUs should have the same weights.
code
Multi-processing and communication between nodes in the context of training a neural network may seem daunting in the beginning. However, PyTorch has well-developed modules to make it a lot simpler.
Firstly, we will do a bunch of imports in additional to the data parallelism’s imports.
We will define a distributed_train() function that takes in an initiated model, path to the YAML configuration file and nr that is the Node’s id (rank).
We should also record Node 0’s IP address ( os.environ[“MASTER_ADDR”] )and a free port that we are using on Node 0 ( os.environ[“MASTER_PORT”] ).
We will then use mp.spawn(process_fn, nprocs = how_many_process_to_run, args = (inputs for process_fn)) to start several processes to run the process_fn that we defined.
We will will initiate num_gpus_per_node processes each process running train_process(i, model, train_params_file, nr) . i here will be the process index. mp.spawn will prepend the args tuple with the process index and send it the function.
Here, I send an instance of the model to the train_process() will is sort of equivalent to broadcasting the model parameters across the GPUs, as the args will be deep copied. Most articles I browsed do not do this. Instead, the model initiation is done in the train_process() . If that is the case, then we need to use torch.manual_seed() to ensure that the models in different processes are initialized with the same weights.
As the train_process() function is similar to the train() we wrote in the last section, I will only elaborate on the parts that are relevant to distributed training in the code snippets below. The full script can be accessed here.
In the train_process() , we will first compute the world size and the GPU(process)’s rank. Then we will initialize the process group. Finally, we send the model to the GPU we have been referring to and wrap the model with DistributedDataParallel() wrapper.
We will create the work directory and construct a SummaryWriter only if we are in the first GPU of the node. This ensures that each server only has one work directory and event folder.
For dataset, validation dataset can remain the same as before. However, for training dataset, we need to apply DistributedSampler() to ensure that each process is getting different data for training. We should also turn off shuffle in the data loader.
Resuming from checkpoint is similar as before. However, we need to ensure that the checkpoint is mapped to the right GPU before loading.
The training loop is quite standard, but for logging and saving checkpoint, we need to be conscious of the process’ GPU id and rank to avoid repeated work.
Finally, we should clean up.
Sanity Check
The sanity check is the same as before, all we need to do is set distributed to True in our YAML configuration file. The configuration file was only for using distributed training with one Node. However, the training scripts are written with training across multiple Nodes in mind. By changing the total_nodes , we should get it work across multiple servers.
Conclusion
This article is quite long. However, training is a key process in deep learning, so it does deserve more pages.
In the next article, we will go through the implementation of GoogLeNet and ResNet. Unlike AlexNet and VGG family we implemented in the previous article, GoogLeNet and ResNet has fancier structures. It is going to be fun to write code for them.
The GitHub repo for this series is here.
References
To clear up my concepts about data parallelism and distributed training. I read through a few articles. The links below along with PyTorch’s official documentation should give a comprehensive idea of these two concepts. | https://medium.com/swlh/scratch-to-sota-build-famous-classification-nets-3-train-distributed-data-parallelism-1d0527f15df4 | [] | 2020-10-17 20:15:48.734000+00:00 | ['Pytorch', 'Computer Vision', 'Step By Step Guide', 'Image Classification', 'Machine Learning'] |
Password cracking | I will be explaining to you how passwords are cracked using various different methods. However, firstly we must understand how login forms use passwords.
When a user logs into a website or application, the password they enter is converted into a one-way hash and this is compared to the one matching the username that is stored in the database. This is instead of storing plain text passwords in databases. However, not all companies do this as we saw from facebooks 2019 leak, where it was found that hundreds of millions of passwords had been stored in plain text for years.
Data leaks:
When there are data leaks, millions of users sensitive information can be stolen, including their passwords. If they use the same password for various of their accounts, using their email and password combination, an attacker or cyber criminal can gain access to various accounts which may end up being sold.
It’s not all bad news, most big companies nowerdays use up-to-date hashing algorithms in case of one of these senarios. Users passwords should be stored as hashes so if an attacker does manage to get their password, they cannot use it as it is not in plain text.
However, there are ways that these password hashes can be cracked. One way in which these hashes are cracked is brute force. We could use a tool like John the Ripper to continously try different passwords from a wordlist to see if we get a match. This is not very efficient however, because if the plain text password is not in the wordlist then you have just wasted a lot of time and if the passwords are strong enough, this can take months and even years.
Another option we have are rainbow tables. These are huge sets of precomputed tables with hash values that are prematched to possible plain text passwords. This allows for the password to be cracked in a very short amount of time. However, this can use a lot of storage (sometimes terabytes in size).
How to protect yourself:
Advice for users of websites which use login forms, use extremely strong passwords and use different passwords for each account. I know it is very hard to remeber these passwords but there is an option to make this easier. Use a password manager, lastpass is a personal favorite. Password managers are a great way to save login information securely, you must however remember a “master password”. This will be used so you can verify your identity and view or add passwords to your password manager.
Advice for the creators of these websites. Don’t use MD5 or SHA1 in your password hashing functions. MD5 and SHA1 are outdated and most rainbow tables will be able to crack these hashed passwords. Consider more modern algorithms like SHA2. You can also use a cryptographic “salt” in your hashing function. This will help defend agains rainbow tables.
If you are worried about data leaks, there is a great website where you can enter your email and it will tell you of any known data leaks you may have been involved in. The website is here: https://haveibeenpwned.com/. | https://medium.com/@spencerroffey/password-cracking-1f71ba83427e | ['Spencer Roffey'] | 2020-12-24 01:57:45.791000+00:00 | ['It', 'Ethical Hacking', 'Hacking', 'Passwords', 'Safety'] |
The importance of listening to team members | Having a voice, being heard. That is one of the most important things for team members in companies today. However, companies often struggle to listen to and take actions on constructive criticisms and feedback. That’s why team members who provide feedback often get frustrated when nothing changes.
At Spark Digital, we recently conducted our second annual benefits survey, to understand team members’ perception of our benefits package. It was our focus to make sure that team members feel involved in important decisions and that their opinions and thoughts are important to us.
The overall score for our benefits package turned out to be worse than before: 4.1 instead of 4.7 (out of 5). Our detailed analysis of the results revealed three main causes for the dip:
Changes to our habits and interactions caused by the pandemic A cumbersome reimbursement process Insufficient support for growing families
We acted fast, because we understood this feedback.
Recreation. We learned about the new habits of our team members. So we rolled out changes to our coverages and reimbursements. Whatever people like doing in their free time, we can cover: from fishing and purchasing books, to registration for online courses and shows, subscription to platforms such as Netflix or Spotify, and the purchase of weights, mats and other equipment for exercising at home.
We learned about the new habits of our team members. So we rolled out changes to our coverages and reimbursements. Whatever people like doing in their free time, we can cover: from fishing and purchasing books, to registration for online courses and shows, subscription to platforms such as Netflix or Spotify, and the purchase of weights, mats and other equipment for exercising at home. Employee Experience. We simplified the reimbursement process to improve the experience.
We simplified the reimbursement process to improve the experience. Parents. We launched a new maternity and paternity plan that extends leaves, offers reimbursements for child care, and allows for a staggered re-entry for returning mothers.
With all changes in benefits, we sat down to think what were the keys to providing a better experience for all. Find them below.
AGILE RESPONSE TO OUR PEOPLE
Agility was shown in the speed, the collaboration, in the decision making. The Organizational Development team lead the process by putting focus on working collaboratively with other areas, in responding creatively to the feedback received, and in doing everything in less than two months.
Timing is key. You can take forever to process results, or to make decisions until you satisfy everyone. If your approach is not agile, you may lose credibility and harm your reputation as a company that actually takes care of the needs of their team.
MESSAGE THROUGH ACTIONS
We are convinced that by allowing our staff to take a critical role in making decisions, we are fostering the virtuous circle of two-way feedback.
Regular consultations like this demonstrate that we’re doing our best to be in tune with the needs of our team members. To encourage people to keep talking, offering their ideas and helping the company to move forward, our response sets the stage for long lasting working relationships with our team members.
FOCUS ON VISION AND MISSION
An employee-listening strategy is understanding the experience of team members through an integrated approach. Achieving this, plus maintaining the objectives and mission of the company, is the ultimate goal of an organizations’ improvements. Cultures in companies are built and maintained collectively. For that, you need to offer the means to involve and integrate everyone.
Providing a human experience to your team members is more than just sending out surveys. It involves a change to the culture of the company, by behaving in such a way that employees feel heard and valued. It’s all about taking action! | https://medium.com/spark-digital-community/the-importance-of-listening-to-team-members-b9a8660688fb | ['Spark Digital'] | 2021-06-17 20:39:32.669000+00:00 | ['Benefits', 'Feedback', 'Company Culture', 'Surveys'] |
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Frequently Asked Questions? | https://medium.com/@johnawotipe9/1k-daily-system-review-earlybird-discount-special-exclusive-bonuses-a0151483c555 | ['John A Potter'] | 2020-12-19 10:52:03.416000+00:00 | ['Commission', 'Money', 'Traffic', 'Online', 'Tools'] |
Where Your Birthday Marks Your Fate | Where Your Birthday Marks Your Fate
For centuries, an astrology has affected the lives of millions of Indian women. Explore the complicated idea of Mangal Dosha.
Words by Eliot Stein
Portfolio by Julia Sellmann
ARTIST JULIA SELLMANN has always been fascinated by the fringes of spirituality and society. She’s ventured to Siberia to photograph a former policeman who claims to be the Messiah and traveled to South Korea to shoot a 6,000-person mass wedding. Last November, Sellmann visited Kolkata, India, to bring a complicated and controversial system of beliefs into focus.
Sellmann had been inspired by a documentary that followed a group of Indian couples as they prepared for their wedding day. To please their families, each pair had consulted an astrologer to confirm that their birth charts aligned and, above all, that the bride wasn’t “manglik.”
Indian astrologers determine a person’s birth chart by mapping the date, time, and location of one’s birth against the position of the planets and constellations. If Mars is in a particular position at birth, an astrological condition called Mangal Dosha, that person is considered manglik. These men and women are believed to share the fiery, aggressive traits of the planet’s namesake, the Roman god of war. But whereas for men this is considered a virtue, in women it is more akin to an affliction. Marrying a manglik woman is often believed to negatively impact a man’s career, happiness, even health.
In 2006, India’s tabloid press was transfixed when it was reported that Indian actress, model, and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai ritually married a tree in order to protect her fiancé, Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan, from her manglik status — an allegation his family has since denied.
“The idea of Mangal Dosha seemed dreamlike to me,” Sellmann says. “Had I not seen it myself, I wouldn’t have been sure if it was reality or fiction. I wanted to awaken the same thought in viewers’ minds when looking at my work.”
After a Kolkata colleague put Sellmann in touch with several local astrologers and manglik women, she embarked on solo trips to Jaipur, Tarapith, and the sprawling West Bengal capital to capture how this ancient belief mixes myth and reality in modern Indian society.
“I became interested in capturing this abstract idea in a photographic way,” Sellmann says. “I found that it’s not something you ever talk about in public, yet everyone has an opinion on it. It’s both everywhere and invisible.”
After meeting many manglik women and photographing ten, varying in age from a newborn to a 90-year-old, Sellmann realized that while the idea of Mangal Dosha is unique to Indian culture, the underlying impulse to make sense of our lives is universal.
1) Uma, a divorced manglik mother, poses in a field near Naihati. Sellmann asked a friend to cover one of her eyes, a reference to the way astronomers peer through telescopes. Though her marriage had problems, Uma believes she is solely responsible for her divorce.
2) Beside a Hindu temple, Sellmann met six women performing a prayer ritual around a bodhi tree. Since manglik women are often advised to ritually marry a bodhi tree before wedding their spouses (it is thought that the negative impact of being manglik affects only one’s first husband), Sellmann saw a parallel and asked if she could photograph them.
3) Sellmann photographed Chaitali in front of the Howrah Bridge as birds swarmed overhead. “She’s convinced that if she doesn’t do her prayers, the energy of Mars will affect her married life,” says Sellmann. Chaitali fasts every Tuesday and wears red coral to ward off Mars’s energy. “I found that women who really believe in Mangal Dosha will connect their problems to the fact that they’re manglik,” she says. “It is another way for human beings to explain bad luck. It’s a combination of science, belief, and love, and that makes it so very interesting.”
4) Sellmann met a boy, dressed as the god Shiva, begging on a train to the Tarapith Temple. Shiva is the Hindu god of creation and destruction, and manglik women are advised to pray to him to calm Mars’s energy. Shiva is typically depicted as tall and muscular. “Seeing this little boy reminded me of a child dressed as Superman,” says Sellmann.
5) A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s largest sundial, Jantar Mantar is a collection of 19 astronomical structures built in the 18th century to observe the stars and planets. Instead of photographing the real thing, Sellmann found this small model at the site more compelling. “Often, an abstract structure is more interesting than what you see in real life,” she says. “It gives a more mysterious layer to the story.”
6) “For believers, an astrologer is a combination of a doctor and a psychotherapist,” says Sellmann. Before telescopes, astrologers, such as Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, meditated for hours on end and performed hand movements called mudras, thought to encourage energy flow and to help them visualize the stars and planets.
7) In addition to Shiva, manglik women are advised to pray to Hanuman, the monkey god, to calm Mars’s aggressive energy. After observing that families throughout Kolkata lived with monkeys, Sellmann asked one if she could photograph theirs. “Their hut was too personal to include, so we found a photo studio and asked if we could bring the monkey. I was convinced the owner would say no, but I really like the simplicity of the backdrop.”
8) Sanjukta, a young manglik woman, gets made up on her wedding day. According to astrologers Sellmann interviewed, many young women no longer believe in Mangal Dosha but agree to consult with astrologers before their marriage to appease their families. “This is when many women discover that they’re manglik,” Sellmann says. “If it’s an arranged marriage, some families will call it off.”
9) When her husband lost his job because of health issues, Madhuchchanda was convinced it was her fault that he could no longer work. It struck Sellmann that her husband doesn’t believe in Mangal Dosha and in no way blames her for his health.
10) Sellmann sees a parallel between crows, a negative omen in her native Germany, and Mangal Dosha. While wandering through an area of Kolkata where effigies of deities are fashioned out of straw, she spotted this crow seated on the unfinished arm of a statue.
11) The more Sellmann spoke to astrologers and manglik women, the more she appreciated the complexity of Mangal Dosha. This photograph of friends playing cat’s cradle represents her view that manglik women are entangled in a web of astrology, religion, and modern society. “It remains held together by those who believe in it,” Sellmann says.
12) When Avishmita, here cradling her newborn, and her husband consulted an astrologer, he only gave them four out of ten compatibility points and advised them not to marry. “They had to perform a set of rituals,” Sellmann says. “They did it to please their families.” | https://medium.com/airbnbmag/where-your-birthday-marks-your-fate-f13dc5de2ddb | ['Eliot Stein'] | 2018-10-11 15:50:23.278000+00:00 | ['India', 'Culture', 'Photography', 'Photos'] |
The Myth of Individualism in American Society | The Myth of Individualism in American Society
by Prof. Emeka Aniagolu
One of the popular beliefs of American society, one that forms the crux of the myth of America’s “national character,” is the notion of a kind of glorious, uncompromising “rugged individualism.” This purported individualistic bent in American society has, consequently, been romanticized in American literature and mass media. It has even become formalized into a philosophical system of thought.
The fable of “Johnny Apple Seed,” the long-running and popular television series “the Lone-Ranger,” depictions of the frontier expansion of early America — so-called “Frontier Dynamics,” and its alleged quintessential spirit of “rugged individualism;” attest to the ubiquitous nature of this image and notion of individualism in the national mythology as well as psyche of American society. However, a critical revisiting of contemporary American society does not support the existence of much individualism as an American way of life. I will endeavor to make the case in the following pages for my counterfactual proposition.
To deny that individualism is not an American way of life is not, of course, the same thing as suggesting that there are no instances in which individual Americans have, against all odds, blazed new paths — ideologically, behaviorally or creatively. My bone of contention, however, is that the exact opposite of the myth of individualism as an American way of life is what obtains in American society; that such instances of individualism constitute the exception rather than the rule in American society. Conformity, therefore, in my personal experience and copious observation, rather than individualism more accurately describes the American way of life.
This statement might seem strange to people who normally think of America as a beacon as well as bastion of economic and political freedom, as well as a nation possessed of a constitutionally enshrined Bill of Rights, all of which are ostensibly directed at the preservation and promotion of the rights as well as autonomy of the individual. I think, however, that most people would agree that a society’s culture can often differ from its formal constitutional and legal infrastructure of laws, processes and institutions. For example, while the United States has one of the most highly developed criminal-justice systems in the world, it does not have a culture of low incidence of violence or crime as a consequence of that fact. In fact, the United States has a well documented culture of violence and high crime rate coexisting side by side with its highly elaborated formal criminal-justice system, if not because of it.
I cherish and admire the legal and constitutional “freedoms” Americans enjoy. Nobody who has lived under a dictatorship or witnessed the great dangers that scores of immigrants’ brave on land and sea in their desperate attempts to get to the United States, should take lightly those freedoms. In many ways, for many people and for many good reasons, America is a shinning symbol of individual freedom and socioeconomic prosperity.
But America, like everywhere else in the world, has her own peculiar problems — her own peculiar jumble of contradictions. One such jumbled contradiction, is the gap between the reality and myth of individualism in American society. To buttress my contention that American society is characterized more by conformity rather than individualism, I will discuss five aspects of the American socioeconomic and political system: (1) Racism; (2) Eurocentrism; (3) Corporatism; (4) Suburbia Syndrome; and (5) Nationalism.
If America were truly a society characterized by individualism, racism, as a social phenomenon would have long disappeared. Racism in America, which is directed at non-white peoples, depends to a large extent on the conformity of individuals to a particular belief system and behavior. “Group-Think” and “Group-Act,” to a significant degree, sustains racism both as a belief system and as individual and group behavior in American society. For example, the biggest complaint one hears from interracial couples in America, those individuals who have exercised individualism in their choice of partners is, the pressure they face from the society precisely because of their non-conformity.
The conformity expected of such couples is to “stick with their own kind,” not cross the so-called “color bar,” “maintain the racial gridlines,” “preserve the racial status quo.” That kind of societal pressure Americans exert on racially mixed couples to conform to age-old racial beliefs and gridlines is not an example of a system that inclines towards the promotion of individualism, but rather one that leans more towards conformity.
The second kind of cultural conformity in American society which directly contradicts the notion of individualism is the cultural Eurocentrism of American society. The tendency has not been for much of America’s history to create a multicultural quilt or even to “melt down” the hodge-podge of cultures from the various parts of the world into a “New World,” but rather to homogenize everyone into Anglo-Saxon (and then other European) culture. This second kind of cultural conformity ties in closely with the first kind, namely racism. The effort at Eurocentric homogenization of American society militates against the notion of individualism, for it demands conformity to a kind of “official Euro-American culture.”
For some time, there were mutterings about the problems presented by the accents of foreigners, especially as it pertains to foreigners teaching in educational settings in the United States. Without doing injury to the understandable expectation that a person teaching students in a given language of instruction should be intelligible in that language (in the case of the United States, English); it is nevertheless instructive to note that in the United States, while European accents are accepted, and often, romanticized, non-European accents are generally viewed as problematic.
It is alright for an Arnold Schwarzenegger to have a strong foreign accent and be an American action film hero, and later, become Governor of California; or a Henry Kissinger to have a distinctly lingering German accent and to have been America’s celebrity Secretary of State; but not for non-Europeans in America. For them, their accents supposedly constitute a barrier, a handicap to “integration,” “assimilation” and socioeconomic “upward mobility.” For non-Europeans in American society, they are expected to shed their “ethnic” identities in order to make socioeconomic progress in American society. But, of course, they cannot shed their skin color, assuming that were desirable, in order to become assimilated into white America’s racially defined “main-stream!”
The effect of this kind of conformity is legitimating things European and de-legitimating things that are not, thus, reinforcing the Eurocentrism of American society; hardly a recipe for individualism in a multiracial and multicultural country such as the United States of America.
A third kind of cultural conformity in American society that contradicts the notion of individualism is corporatism. Because of the central place occupied by the marketplace in America’s capitalist society, the modern corporation, which has emerged as the dominant organizing mechanism for the management of capital and labor in the production of goods and services; has given rise to a system of norms and values, which pose major challenges to individualism in American society.
The very structure of production within the traditional American corporation presumes and requires conformity rather than individualism. The repetitive, “chain-linked” formation of the “assembly-line” production system, is designed to provide efficient harmony, through the decomposition of routine tasks which only have meaning and purpose in the context of the whole: the finished product. Added to this, is the hierarchical structure of upper, middle and lower management and, of course, the traditional division between management and labor; all of which expresses itself in terms of income, power and status differentials. This kind of hierarchical regimentation, reminds one of an army, an organization though capable of a great deal of efficiency, is not exactly known for individualism.
In addition to the organizational structure of the American corporation is the phenomenon of so-called corporate culture. From the type(s) of dressing typically considered appropriate for the corporate image (which just happens to be Eurocentric), to the type(s) of hairstyles considered appropriate (anything “too ethnic” is considered problematic), to attending golf-tournaments, and so on and so forth; all attempt to homogenize the corporate workforce in American society into the cultural, recreational and idiomatic preferences of white America. Given the importance of getting and keeping a job, especially high paying and high-status jobs in the corporate world, most people conform. They subordinate their individual and “ethnic” cultural identities to that of the corporate culture.
The fourth kind of cultural tendency in American society that contradicts the notion of individualism, is what I call the suburbia syndrome. The suburbia syndrome is that complex of behavior that includes “white flight,” the “Docker Jeans” and “Bugle Boy,” sameness looks; the “yuppie” image, manner of speech and behavior. The suburbia syndrome also involves the “they” and “us” mindset; the assumption of the possession of moral superiority or higher values than “others,” who happen to reside on the “other side of the tracks.” That “suburbia syndrome” involves the attitude that being materially better off than others, automatically translates into you being better than them. To be part of the suburbia syndrome in addition to residing in one, you have to “walk-the-walk,” “talk-the-talk,” “think-the-think,” and “look-the-look.” Such a lifestyle makes for “cookie-cutter” “individualism” rather than the much-romanticized notion of “rugged individualism” in American society.
The fifth kind of cultural phenomenon in America that tends to contradict the notion of individualism in American society is that of nationalism. Although the phenomenon of nationalism is not unique to the United States, it takes on peculiar complexions in American society that does injury to the notion of individualism as an American way of life. There are four variants of nationalism operative in American society: (1) the “my country good or bad” nationalism; (2) the “if you don’t like it leave” nationalism; (3) “the good old USA” or “God’s own country” nationalism; and (4) the “un-American” nationalism.
The first and second variants are largely directed at foreigners, who level criticism of one sort or another against the American government and/or society. The third and fourth variants address Americans, either in the form of nostalgia or in the form of conformity to a set standard of behavior or ideological stance. None of those variants of American nationalism promote individualism. Instead, they promote, to a greater or lesser degree, conformity to “Group-Think” and “Group-Act.” When otherwise patriotic Americans find themselves constrained to criticize United States domestic or foreign policy, and are hounded by the CIA or the FBI; or find few channels for the expression of their contrarian view points in the mass media or in corporate circles; what is being promoted, however disguised, is conformity not individualism.
Many people in the United States may be able to discern that they have much greater formal legal freedoms than they have a palpable sense of personal freedom; that there is an ever present feeling of an unseen, unspoken, ubiquitous “hidden hand” (belonging either to “big brother” or “Uncle Sam”), that does not so much want to liberate the individual as to maintain a social, political and economic status quo. This is, of course, not all bad, for social order is necessary. However, recognition of this state of affairs helps to put in proper perspective the much-vaunted myth of “rugged individualism” in American society. | https://medium.com/@cganiagolu/the-myth-of-individualism-in-american-society-f8943ad73b2 | ['Emeka Aniagolu'] | 2021-09-01 14:16:34.832000+00:00 | ['American', 'Nationalism', 'Popular Culture', 'Sociology', 'American Dream'] |
Calling Out Bullies: Why You Need to Stand Up for Yourself | “Standing up for yourself doesn’t make you argumentative. Sharing your feelings doesn’t make you overly sensitive. And saying no doesn’t make you uncaring or selfish. If someone won’t respect your feelings, needs, and boundaries, the problem isn’t you; it’s them.” ~Lori Deschene
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the main character Atticus Finch says, “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”
What real courage is.
The message Atticus Finch provides is simple yet poignant and so often overlooked in our homes, communities, businesses, and society today.
A quick search on Merriam-Webster reveals their definition of courage to be “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.”
That definition fully supports the message Atticus Finch has been sharing with readers and viewers since the early 1960s.
However, what it doesn’t support is our society’s narrow-minded view that courage is about being tough, domineering, combative, uncompassionate, and even violent.
These stereotypes are continuously portrayed in movies and television shows, tolerated in our workplaces, prevalent in politics, and sadly, instilled in our children.
What real courage means to me is the ability to go against the grain — to stand up for what may not be popular, for what may even get you ostracized, for the betterment of others and yourself.
I would say a good representation of real courage are those who make the difficult decision to speak out against the bullies on the playground, who grow up and become bullies in the workplace. Something I sadly know a few things about.
I’ve spent much of my life battling personal insecurities. While professional help has certainly aided in my continual journey to lessen their presence, as anyone who’s struggled with insecurities very well knows, you’re never completely rid of them. You just find ways to manage through and around them.
My insecurities — like a loyal though unwelcome companion — rendered me timid, non-confrontational, unworthy, fearful, and quiet. When compounded with the reality that I was never athletic — a stereotypical and seemingly necessary characteristic when measuring manliness in society — I was often branded as an easy target for bullies.
My grandparents, who were always there to offer a compassionate ear without judgment, offered the following advice when I was being bullied at school: “Just walk away and they’ll leave you alone.”
While my grandparents undoubtedly meant well, their advice didn’t build my self-esteem as much as extinguish what little I had. While their advice did in fact pause the bullying for a short duration, the cycle would continue not long after.
As I got older, married, and matured naturally with age, my insecurities subsided in many areas, and my days of being bullied seemed like another place and time in an existence now void of such challenges.
But it wasn’t long before I started to realize that bullies don’t just exist on the playground.
Sadly, I’ve experienced workplace bullying throughout my career to varying degrees. Through it all, I continually adopted my grandparents’ advice to “just walk away.”
With workplace bullies often influential and powerful in organizations, it seemed like sound advice, especially given that the ultimate purpose for Human Resources is to protect the company, not its employees.
But all that changed recently when I volunteered to take some professional development courses on communication, in order to better interact with my peers, as I’m currently a remote employee.
While we’re taught reading, writing, and arithmetic during our undergraduate education, we’re rarely taught the skills to be an effective communicator.
Oftentimes what we learn comes from witnessing an exchange of dialogue between those around us — in our homes, our schools, our communities, on television and in the movies, and yes, at our places of employment.
However, not all the traits we absorb for being an effective communicator are rational or authentic. | https://medium.com/@anjydigitals/calling-out-bullies-why-you-need-to-stand-up-for-yourself-c7543562fd9 | ['Anjy Digitals'] | 2020-12-14 15:19:03.808000+00:00 | ['Advertising', 'Business', 'Buddhism', 'Technology', 'Marketing'] |
New Moon’s Night | New Moon’s Night
free verse for Mabon
Photo by Ryan Clark on Unsplash
New moon’s night:
Emptied mind
Even heart
Wordless
Peace in the dark.
May my mind wax
My words return
My heart enliven
As the moon grows again
Until Mabon erupts
In harvest
In celebration
In shapely wish,
Then dive again
Into deeper cold
Into meditation
Into wisdom of Winter.
Love the low cycle
As we do the high
Waiting for the spirit’s return
And the new season’s crops. | https://medium.com/the-pom/new-moons-night-fa243252e9f | ['Jane Woodman'] | 2020-09-28 19:19:54.438000+00:00 | ['Free Verse', 'Poetry', 'Moon', 'Night', 'Mabon'] |
Volume Five of The Best Illumination Writers Christmas Reads | Volume Five of The Best Illumination Writers Christmas Reads
Photograph by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
One of the joys of this time of year is the way in which a bleak winter can be transformed into a joyous occasion by the simple addition of vibrant colours. But I don't just mean the colours of the decorations, the gift wrapping and the gifts themselves. I mean the colours of our feelings and sense of well being.
For some people it is a time of feeling sad and blue, for others it is a time of great happiness, of sparkling reds and greens. This is the best of Christmas and here you will find it reflected in these five volumes of Christmas themed writings by our highly talented writers.
So, if you are feeling a little down in the dumps, shake off that drabness of winter blues by finding a few quiet moments to sit back and read and reflect on the good things in life. Be happy and have a very merry Christmas.
Ivette Cruz
Joe Luca
Tree Langdon
Stuart Englander
Aldric Chen
Lynette Clements
Thewriteyard
Dew Langrial
Timothy O'Neill
Liam Ireland | https://medium.com/illumination/volume-five-of-the-best-illumination-writers-christmas-reads-7f827d42ba79 | ['Liam Ireland'] | 2020-12-23 08:51:26.706000+00:00 | ['Lifestyle', 'Illumination', 'Christmas Gifts', 'Writing', 'Short Stories And Poems'] |
What tree should we choose? | It is almost the holidays, and many people are setting up trees inside of their homes, and decorating for the festive season. One of the questions that our team has come into contact with and would like your personal opinions on is which type of tree to get. Should one opt for an actual traditional tree that comes from the soil, but ahs to be transported and/or might be thrown away after the festivities, or should one buy a plastic tree, that can be stored and reused again.
Personally, I have a plastic tree. I did this not because I consciously made the decision instead because I found it in my parents’ attic and wanted to make sure that we reuse everything before buying something new. Therefore, for me, the choice was easily made. Now my tree stands happily in my living room each holiday season and then waits for me in the basement until it comes out again. It requires no travelling, minimal effort, and until it can’t be used again, I will not throw it away.
No, of course, everyone has their own opinions, and I defiantly see the other benefits. If you buy an actual tree, it would have taken up the CO2 in the years that it has been grown, and if you buy a potted one, then you can replant it and reuse it next year. A win-win situation. Sadly, this is not how this often goes. After the holiday season, many people can see that there is an overshot of trees in the dump and that they are even left out on the streets. A friend of mine even mentioned that someone she knows burns their tree, releasing all the Co2 that the tree would have taken up, back into our atmosphere.
Therefore, my question remains, what is the best solution for this dilemma? | https://medium.com/@igreenboxnl/what-tree-should-we-choose-4af87730553a | [] | 2020-12-07 13:45:57.927000+00:00 | ['Holidays', 'Sustainability', 'Trees', 'Eco Friendly'] |
Table of Contents | Short written components for Adrian Galvin’s thesis on the phenomenology of science
Follow | https://medium.com/thesis-modules/table-of-contents-4393f7ef48a9 | ['Adrian Galvin'] | 2019-04-29 23:48:21.115000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement'] |
The Risks Of Telling Our Authentic Trans Stories | Our detractors shape how we get to publicly tell our truths. This is a problem.
A s a transgender writer working in the age of the personal essay, some of what I write ends up being about my life.
Occasionally, I have an opportunity to work on pieces that are deeply meaningful to me, like when I told the story of my marriage to another transgender person who I had transitioned with for a radio podcast last year. It was a happy relationship until it wasn’t, when it began to show hallmarks of abuse. My ex-wife isolated me from all my friends who didn’t approve of her; made me believe I was personally responsible for her happiness and for fixing every problem and fulfilling her every whim; took paid jobs giving speeches on feminism and had me write them for her, then took all the money and the credit as a learned leftist; went into tantrums and broke my favorite things; and had a complete lack of respect for others’ boundaries whether they be interpersonal or sexual.
None of this made it into the final piece. I am shaking just writing these things now. Because I know, as a trans person, as someone writing about trans people, as an ally to trans women, that I am never ever supposed to publicly suggest something that could make any trans person look bad. I am never supposed to write that I was abused by a trans woman, because this is exactly what the people who want to see all trans people disappear off the face of the earth want everyone else to think is true of all trans women. I am never to suggest that a vulnerable population (which I am part of) could be anything less than perfect.
For the record, the idea that a relationship with one abusive trans woman validates all the horrible things trans exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) and others say about trans women is absurd. Were a cis person, male or female, to be abusive in a relationship, no one would ever take that to mean all cis people are abusive.
My ex-wife is one person out of the large community of trans people I know and love. The wonderful people I know among this community, most of them transgender women, have taken me into their homes when I was homeless, supported me mentally and emotionally when I was at my worst, helped me find jobs, and fed me when I was hungry and broke. They are people I turn to when I am unsure about my own often imperfect politics, or the many issues I myself have as a person. And yet the fear instilled by TERFs is so real that many trans writers, when telling their stories, feel we are not supposed to talk about anything that questions any trans person beyond the confines of our own community. Certainly not in venues for public or cis consumption.
And of course, despite my efforts to sanitize my work and make it more for public consumption, TERFs found my final piece on my ex-wife anyway, posting it on the “Gender Critical” subreddit and tearing it apart in the least compassionate way. In the instances I still see my often problematic ex-wife as someone who was struggling with transmisogyny, they saw me as making excuses for her “male” behavior. They saw me as brainwashed, and read away my own agency in transitioning, assuming I had done it because of her. Though it was a small, vocal population, I was so deeply shaken that I couldn’t even tell a version of my story that I found fair and balanced, including my own shortcomings, without it being run through the mill by people who felt that my very existence was questionable.
I couldn’t even tell a version of my story that I found fair and balanced.
Basil Vaughn Soper, a trans writer and the creator of the Transilient project, in which trans people tell their own stories, also feels that the limitation of trans narratives is a problem:
“I regularly hold back on what I want to say in my work so as not to offend other trans people or cis people. Cis editors have had a tendency to change my language in the past to make it more ‘clear’ when what they really mean is cis people won’t understand what you’re saying and cis people are the majority and what make us money. There’s a constant ask of us to dull our experiences so that cis people can ‘get it.’ This cycle isn’t helping anything though — it’s harming trans people and cis people because we aren’t teaching cis people about ourselves authentically. What they ‘get’ is a diluted-made-for-TV movie when what we all deserve is to be seen as powerful, smart humans by cis people.”
Though author April Daniels works in the medium of speculative fiction, she found in writing her first novel, Dreadnought, that there was a pressure to create trans characters who read only positively:
“There was a constant back and forth about how real was too real, how fluffy was too fluffy. And not just in the characterization of trans people, but their experiences, too. I didn’t want to whitewash the realities of being trans, but I didn’t want to fetishize the misery, either, and when you’re creating a media perception of a reality — which by its nature can only ever be a simulation, or an image — that’s a fine line to walk.”
Of course we all have detractors whenever we do anything public, but the limitations set on us to present our community in only positive ways is a problem. It’s a problem that our detractors shape how we get to publicly tell our truths. It’s a problem that we all have to be as beautiful and perfect as Laverne Cox, as politically accurate as Janet Mock, that our representation contains an air of respectability politics, and that the nuance of our lives is thereby erased. It’s a problem that we can’t be messy, imperfect, flawed. It’s a problem that we can never address the ways our lives previous to transition color our present lives, for fear of being told that we’re “always going to be a woman or man because of our socialization.” It’s a problem that we are forced to conform to outdated ideas of male and female behavior, rather than embracing who we feel we are. It’s a problem when detractors take one instance and make it a universal. TERFs end up doing all this — just about the opposite of my definition of feminism.
The limitations set on us to present our community in only positive ways is a problem.
In so many ways, trans stories are for cis consumption. Cis people outnumber us, they are the ones reading, and we have to tell our stories in ways they can relate to and understand. This leaves no room to tell our complete and nuanced truths.
The other prevalent idea, that we only tell stories for each other, doesn’t open up many more options for how we represent ourselves. If our trans stories are just for other trans people, we put forth the idea that there is such a thing as “the trans experience,” which we’re all destined to follow along with. While cis white male writers get to call themselves simply “writers,” we pigeonhole ourselves as “trans writers,” “women writers,” or “black writers.” And we miss out on the most noble pursuit of writing, which is making the personal vast and human for all of us.
As a writer, I want to tell about the breadth and depth of human experience, through my admittedly trans lens. As a trans person, I feel trapped between putting forth respectable versions of my stories, or not telling them at all. | https://medium.com/the-establishment/the-risks-of-telling-our-authentic-trans-stories-b66ab8ecb492 | ['Alex Difrancesco'] | 2017-10-27 15:31:49.770000+00:00 | ['Terfs', 'Transgender', 'Arts Creators', 'LGBTQ', 'Transrights'] |
Bajaj water heater Bajaj New Shakti Storage 15 Litre Vertical Water Heater, White, 4 Star About Bajaj Water Heaters 2 KW Heating Element Fire Retardant cable with 3 pin plug. Glasslined Coated Inner… | Bajaj water heater
Bajaj New Shakti Storage 15 Litre Vertical Water Heater, White, 4 Star
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learn more | https://medium.com/@rkgonlineshop/bajaj-water-heater-bajaj-new-shakti-storage-15-litre-vertical-water-heater-white-4-star-7cbb57d24d33 | ['Raj Ginoya'] | 2020-12-11 15:00:01.793000+00:00 | ['Winter Solstice', 'Most E Mailed Stories', 'Water', 'Seller', 'Winter'] |
Recession Of Creativity | My creativity exists
in the overflow [liquid paint]
which recedes when [cold air]
stress hits; when pressure
pops the bubbles of [rainbows]
effervescent thinking; feeling
and storms snap the branches
of my tree; mind / the winds
demand I go inside and
work on; survival. [Trucks].
Worry, fear= takes precedence,
leaches the warm air from
my lungs where I
want: to breathe
Create, [allow myself to sleep during a rainstorm]
~Make
: something for you.
*
Copyright Kristen v.H. Middleton 2020 | https://medium.com/scrittura/recession-of-creativity-83daadf48f3f | ['Kristen V.H. Middleton'] | 2020-04-03 20:28:01.786000+00:00 | ['Creativity', 'Poetry On Medium', 'Poetry', 'Art', 'Writing'] |
Republican Stalwart Recognizes Trump’s Emergency Wall Declaration For What It Is: An Attack On Congress And The Constitution | Sen. Thom Tillis (R) NC
Republican Stalwart Recognizes Trump’s Emergency Wall Declaration For What It Is: An Attack On Congress And The Constitution
But Will That Spur Other Republicans To Action?
Update: Senator Tillis, who — as we wrote about below — sparked the defiance among non-”usual suspect” Republicans, changed his mind at the last minute and voted to support Trump. Although he pledged flat out a couple of weeks ago that he would:
“Vote in favor of the resolution disapproving of the president’s national-emergency declaration, if and when it comes before the Senate.”
He didn’t. More than likely because he is up for reelection next year. And apparently decided public rejection of the President’s will is too politically risky. The Washington Post’s Robert Costa reported Republican operatives were indeed poised to draft primary challengers to Tillis, had he voted as he initially intended.
The House today is expected to vote on a “resolution of disapproval” for the President’s declaration of a national emergency to build his wall.
Here’s that resolution in its entirety:
In the House, the resolution has only one Republican co-sponsor, Michigan Rep. Justin Amash. Despite being quite Right-wing, he’s also reliably anti-Trump. He sums things up quite well in a Tweet:
The measure should pass easily in the Democrat-controlled House.
The Senate is another story altogether: but one where the storyline might be changing, or at least bending a little. That’s almost entirely because of North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis’ opinion piece in the Washington Post Monday. While Tillis spends a good chunk of space at the top of his piece trashing Democrats, and saying he supports the wall, he eventually comes to this:
“I am a member of the Senate, and I have grave concerns when our institution looks the other way at the expense of weakening Congress’s power. It is my responsibility…to preserve the separation of powers and to curb the kind of executive overreach that Congress has allowed to fester for the better part of the past century. I stood by that principle during the Obama administration, and I stand by it now.”
Exactly.
Before you start totally loving him, not so fast. He goes on to say:
“As a U.S. senator, I cannot justify providing the executive with more ways to bypass Congress. As a conservative, I cannot endorse a precedent that I know future left-wing presidents will exploit to advance radical policies that will erode economic and individual freedoms.”
Tillis ends by flatly saying he will:
“Vote in favor of the resolution disapproving of the president’s national-emergency declaration, if and when it comes before the Senate.”
Look, we can have differences of opinion on whether the wall is crucial and necessary, or an ego-driven monument to the vainest President in U.S. history. (You can probably tell from that sentence which side of the argument we’re on.)
Where there should be no dispute is in seeing Trump’s declaration as a completely subversive move, intended to cast Congress not as an equal branch of government, but subservient to the President.
Tillis does have a reputation for willingness to work on bipartisan projects: he even co-sponsored a bill with very liberal Democrat Elizabeth Warren, to protect veterans from predatory lenders. And he perhaps most-famously co-sponsored a bipartisan bill protecting Special Counsel Robert Mueller, which never made it to the Senate floor because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked it. At the same time, Tillis has strongly supported Trump on health care, taxes, and many other issues. So he’s decidedly not one of the “usual suspects” among Republicans in the Senate who oppose, or at least question Trump’s initiatives with some frequency (and they mostly seem to be on board with the resolution, but of course we won’t know until they actually vote).
And McConnell can’t block a vote on the “resolution of disapproval”, he can only delay it for a couple of weeks.
If it passes both the House and Senate, Trump says he’ll “100% veto” it, which would then mean Congress would have to find the votes for an override, which requires a 2/3rds majority in both the House and Senate, so it’d be much more difficult of an undertaking.
For that reason, many Senators who aren’t blind to the perils created by Trump with his “non-emergency emergency” declaration, still won’t endorse the “resolution of disapproval”, because they figure “why get on the President’s bad side for nothing?” Although Trump apparently sees the possibility they might as enough of a threat that he Tweeted what could be seen as a threat at Senate Republicans, just before departing for his Vietnam meeting with Kim Jong-un.
Still other Republicans say the real issue is the fact that Congress has given the President too much leeway regarding use of emergency powers over the years, and that’s where the legislative efforts should be addressed, not on a one-off resolution. Which is just fine. Except right now, they’re using that argument to hide behind, while doing nothing, and letting the President run roughshod over the separation of powers guaranteed by the Constitution.
We can see how the President’s move might be seen as tough, even heroic, by hardcore Trump supporters. But for Republicans in Congress to see it as anything other than an affront, if not an attack is astounding. Maybe that’ll change. Doubt it.
One final thing: Republicans we know continually like to remind us these days that Presidents have declared 59 national emergencies. Their point being it’s really nothing special. Except it is. Of those 59 emergency declarations, only two involved military construction: The first President Bush during the Gulf War, and the second President Bush after 9/11. Those were both done for expediency, not because the President was upset Congress didn’t give him what he wanted. And the number of times a President declared a national emergency to take money just because Congress wouldn’t give it? Until now, zero. | https://ericjscholl.medium.com/republican-stalwart-recognizes-trumps-emergency-wall-declaration-for-what-it-is-an-attack-on-4b521975b9f9 | ['Eric J Scholl'] | 2019-03-17 05:23:26.973000+00:00 | ['Government', 'Politics', 'Security', 'Congress', 'Donald Trump'] |
The Futility of Fish | I picked up a copy of Why Fish Don’t Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life (Simon & Schuster, April 2020) by Lulu Miller during one of my shifts at the bookstore. Something to keep me busy while I waited at the register for the few customers allowed inside the store to make their way over with their purchases. One of them, noticing the book, mentioned he was a fisherman.
“I’m pretty sure that fish exist,” he said, his eyes crinkling, clearly smiling behind his mask. “But I suppose I’ll have to give it a read.”
The weird title had drawn me in as well. Author Lulu Miller is on a quest to understand a man named David Starr Jordan, an ichthyologist born in 1851. In a world where Chaos reigns supreme, Jordan is the star taxonomist of his day, fighting to categorize species of fish as the universe seemingly conspires against him: He names them and categorizes them and tucks them neatly away inside formaldehyde-filled jars, carefully labeled and stacked on shelves. Then a fire consumes his lab. He starts again. Then the earthquake of 1906 hits. He begins once more, this time stitching name tags directly into the flesh of the preserved fish, desperate not to lose the order he’s brought to this world ruled by Chaos.
Chaos runs Miller’s world as well. In the pages of Jordan’s life’s work, she seeks answers with the desperation of someone hoping to find a reason to live. It was on page 38 that my eyes first fell on something that resonated deep within me, a quiet admittance by Miller in an almost offhand-remark: “I knew a sadness that powerful lurked inside me. I preferred to vent it by slicing little nicks into my skin, was all.”
As Miller describes an unfortunate experience with sleeping pills and a hospital trip during high school, my mind lingers over the idea of that powerful sadness. Because I know it, too. The dark, heavy thundercloud hanging just above my shoulders, raining down on me so hard I’m afraid I will drown.
In 2016, I almost did. The same year I decided I wanted to be a science writer was the year I dug a blade so deep into the skin of my wrist that a doctor later told my dad that my best chance of not having a prominent scar was to glue it closed, not stitch it, because surely no girl would want to be scarred. Today that patch of skin is painted with tattoo ink — an open book blooming with California poppies. Something beautiful to hide the horror.
Miller knew what that sadness, that shame, was like. And if she knew, then surely her efforts to try to understand David Starr Jordan’s confidence in his purpose and place in life mirrored my own quest. I had to know what she had learned — it kept my eyes glued to the book, turning page after page like a wounded animal seeking survival.
David Starr Jordan fought disaster with order, and I know that fight all too well. One of the symptoms of that powerful sadness I live with is an anxiety disorder that involves an obsession with neatness, with control. The worst manifestation of it is a focus on hair. It’s called trichotillomania, a nervous disorder involving hair pulling. But it’s more than that — it’s a pitiful attempt to bring order to Chaos.
I know this even as I stand in front of the bathroom mirror and pick, pick, pick the hairs that are out of place according to my brain chemistry. But instead of order, it brings regret, despair, shame. Our bodies are wild, like the earth they come from, and they will do as they please. So I pick and pluck until there is nothing left, as if it will bring me salvation from Chaos. Because order is control.
David Starr Jordan, with his formaldehyde fish, was trying to control a random universe by categorizing everything into his preferred order. Man deciding Fate. A feeble fight against futility. As Miller documents throughout the book, he made great progress by naming thousands of fish. You could even say he was successful in his war on entropy.
But here’s the problem: fish don’t really exist. | https://readmorescience.medium.com/the-futility-of-fish-81ed6589dc8a | ['Sarah Olson Michel'] | 2020-11-30 04:44:08.181000+00:00 | ['Books', 'Mental Health', 'Review', 'Science', 'Nature'] |
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy? | Subscribe to Sunday Wisdom — my weekly newsletter on the principles of life, strategy, and antifragility. Subscribe NOW.
A friend of mine was recently passed over for a promotion, and now he is sulking. “I took too long to answer some of the questions,” was his conclusion.
As Daniel Kahneman says, failures, losses and negative emotions affect us way more than positive emotions. We often tend to overthink, overanalyse, and overgeneralise things after a setback. We end up blaming ourselves more than we deserve.
Truth is, your brain is good at making you feel exactly what you’re thinking. We have automatic negative thoughts that lead us to get upset or frustrated over things that may not be true. The more our thoughts cause us distress, the more they are likely to be distorted and untrue. Seneca aptly says, “We suffer more in imagination than in reality.”
One distorted thought like, “I took too long to answer some of the questions” is harmless, but it could snowball into more upsetting and distorted thoughts:
“Because I took too long, I was passed over for promotion.” “Because I failed this time, I’ll probably be passed over in all future appraisals.” “Because I’ll be failing in all future appraisals, my career will never progress here, and soon I’ll be let go.”
This thought pattern is a type of Cognitive Distortion. A Cognitive Distortion is like a logical fallacy that’s often the root of your automatic negative thoughts. This particular distortion is known as Catastrophising or Catastrophic Thinking. It often leads to anxiety, phobia, panic, or depression.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that aims to fight the cognitive distortions, and improve mental health. It modifies dysfunctional emotions, behaviours, and thoughts by attacking and eliminating negative irrational thought patterns or beliefs.
CBT was originally designed to treat depression, but its uses have been expanded to help overcome general stress, fear, and sadness we all encounter in life. CBT is widely considered to be the most effective, evidence backed treatments for catastrophising and similar distortions. One doesn’t need to be diagnosed with anything to try CBT.
The underlying concept behind CBT is that our thoughts and feelings play an important role in developing our behaviour, and shaping our attitude.
If you are a person who fears public speaking, and if you spend a lot of time thinking that you might stutter, go blank, or trip over on stage, you are very likely to avoid being on stage as much as possible.
CBT helps you interpret these very thoughts, challenge them, and eventually change them so that you don’t overthink past events, or overimagine future events. By becoming aware of the negative and often unrealistic thoughts that dampen your feelings and moods, you are able to start engaging in healthier thinking patterns.
1. Challenge The Thought
Mental Distortions (like Mental Models) give you a framework to challenge the negative thoughts. Here are a list of distortions that ought to cover bulk of the negative thoughts you experience.
Catastrophising: “I took too long to answer some of the questions. Because I took so long, I bet they won’t promote me. Because I failed this one, I’ll probably fail in all future appraisals. Because I’ve no chance in future appraisals, I’m probably never going to get promoted, I’ll be stuck, and eventually asked to resign. Therefore I should give up now itself.” All or Nothing Thinking: “I failed this one, so I’ll fail in all future interviews.” Emotional Reasoning: “I feel that this one went very bad, therefore it must be true.” Fortune Telling: “I’ll fail this interview for sure.” Minimisation of the Positive or Magnification of the Negative: “Most of my answers were satisfactory, but I failed to articulate some of them. I suck!” Labelling: “I wasn’t promoted. I’m incompetent.” Mind Reading: “I stuttered a bit. I bet they think I’m dumb.” Overgeneralization: “I couldn’t bag this promotion. I’m not getting promoted ever again.” Self-Blaming: “My team wasn’t appreciated for the project. I must be the reason.” Should Statements: “I should be getting better at leadership.”
Once you identify the mental distortion, it’s time to challenge it. I asked my friend who missed the promotion to do the same. “Are you absolutely certain that failing to get promoted makes your incompetent, or are you labelling?” Also, “Is it true that failing one appraisal round will stagnate your career? Or are you overgeneralizing?” Digging deeper into your thoughts can help you find core beliefs that fuel the thoughts.
2. Change The Thought
Once you challenge it, you can change it. While you cannot control every aspect of the world, you can take control of how you interpret it, and deal with it.
If you let yourself sit and cycle through this types of negative thoughts, you’ll only be making yourself miserable. Instead, undistort your thoughts by writing down what a logical thought might be. For example, “I took too long to answer some of the questions,” can become, “It might not have been the best interview, but it wasn’t the worst as well. It was good practice. I know the mistakes I made. Next time I’ll make sure that I’m better prepared.”
For CBT to be effective, you have to be ready and willing to spend time and effort analysing your thoughts and feelings. Such self-analysis can be difficult, but it is a good way to learn more about how internal states impact your outward behaviour. One of the greatest benefits of CBT is that it helps you develop coping skills that can be useful both now and in the future.
If you are an entrepreneur, you are likely to face negative thoughts and emotions every now and then. It can often feel like nothing is going well. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can come very handy in times of trouble. | https://medium.com/@coffeeandjunk/what-is-cognitive-behavioural-therapy-9ee83d95ce75 | ['Abhishek Chakraborty'] | 2019-12-15 13:01:01.466000+00:00 | ['Mental Health', 'Psychoanalysis', 'Human Behavior', 'Psychology', 'Therapy'] |
Tutorial Docker— #4 Arsitektur Docker | Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more
Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore | https://medium.com/netshoot/tutorial-docker-bahasa-indonesia-4-arsitektur-docker-97e98b087370 | ['Ghifari Nur'] | 2021-02-22 01:15:55.969000+00:00 | ['Indonesia', 'Docker', 'Technology', 'DevOps'] |
What is Cloud Mining | content from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_mining for testing only
Cloud Mining
is the process of bitcoin mining utilizing a remote datacenter with shared processing power. This type of cloud mining enables users to mine bitcoins or alternative cryptocurrencies without managing the hardware. The mining rigs are housed and maintained in a facility owned by mining company and the customer simply needs to register and purchase mining contracts or shares. Since Cloud Mining is provided as a service there is generally some cost and this can result in lower returns for the miner.
Type of Hosting
Users of hosted Mining equipment can either lease a physical mining server or a Virtual private server and install mining software on the machine. Instead of leasing a dedicated server, some services offer hashing power hosted in data centers for sale denominated in Gigahash/seconds (GH/s); Users either select a desired amount of hashing power and a period for the contract or in some cases can trade their hashing power. | https://medium.com/tyromining/what-is-cloud-mining-909c98e5687e | ['Tyro Mining'] | 2018-05-13 14:37:07.409000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin'] |
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