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Becoming the First Ever Audio Metaverse Artist: Daichi Hayakawa at Sky Stage | Becoming the First Ever Audio Metaverse Artist: Daichi Hayakawa at Sky Stage Charlotte Blondeel Follow Sep 9 · 2 min read
Daichi Hayakawa, music producer and music AI engineer
On August 8, 2021, Doki Doki launched the Sky Stage music festival series in an augmented audio space created in the virtual sky of Tokyo.
One of the performing artists that night was musician and producer Daichi Hayakawa, an engineer who has also been a music producer for over 15 years, writing songs for numerous musicians, including Every Little Thing and Nakajima Ai. Now, Hayakawa is focusing on creating an AI that can write music on its own, utlizing deep learning.
The Doki Doki team sat down with him to talk about his first experience with the audio metaverse.
“There are still endless undiscovered possibilities in the scape of sound without having to rely on visual information and I think Audio Metaverse opens the door to that world.”
What did you think when you first heard of “Audio Metaverse”?
“I heard of Metaverse before and thought of it as a very timely thing, but since the word ‘audio’ was involved, I felt that there was a connection to me and my work. So I thought I should give it a try.”
You were one of the first artists to perform at the first edition of Sky Stage. What was your impression performing in an augmented audio space?
“Sky Stage was my first attempt at performing in the Audio Metaverse, so I mostly experimented with different sounds and compositions. It definitely was an exciting experience and I’m already thinking about what I can try out next time.”
What are your expectations for the future of Audio Metaverse?
“There are still endless undiscovered possibilities in the scape of sound without having to rely on visual information and I think Audio Metaverse opens the door to that world.”
“We’re all so used to consuming music and oftentimes see it as something that is connected to a certain space. I hope with this product that music can become something purely emotional for every listener.” | https://medium.com/audiometaverse/becoming-the-first-ever-audio-metaverse-artist-daichi-hayakawa-at-sky-stage-9f23dae3657a | ['Charlotte Blondeel'] | 2021-09-13 23:52:07.798000+00:00 | ['Metaverse', 'Music Business', 'Socialaudio', 'Audio'] |
Cryptocurrency in Russian | A little bit about cryptocurrencies!
We have already talked about bitcoins, dogecoins, and other crypto coins. We have also examined crypto industry trends in Europe and the USA, but we have missed the most important thing: what about Russia’s digital money world and does it actually exist?
Cryptocurrencies are developing in an uneven manner. Some countries have given the green light for blockchain-based money, and they are outcompeting conventional payment methods at some point. In other countries, on the contrary, cryptocurrencies are strongly forbidden. One can even land up in jail for their usage.
Russia’s cryptocurrency situation is not quite simple. Let’s figure out what it means.
Attitude of the authorities
Cryptocurrencies are permitted in Russia, or rather not prohibited, as well as mining and ICOs… That’s all )
Put simply, there is no regulation yet. This is the official attitude of the authorities, specifically, its absence.
On September 19, 2018, it has transpired that a recent version of the bill “On Digital Financial Assets” does not contain a term ‘cryptocurrency’, while mining is defined as token emission for fund raising.
The bill does not prescribe cryptocurrency transactions. Now, only token operations are regulated. They can either confirm property rights and participation or fulfil the technical role during the purchase and turnover of digital assets.
The latest revision of the document does not reveal when cryptocurrencies will be legalized in Russia.
Well, following the old tradition, all is freely permitted except what is specifically prohibited…
How do miners feel in Russia and is crypto mining profitable there?
Mining of bitcoins or other tokens is legal, more accurately, not forbidden. According to statesmen, mining means profit that should be taxed, while the cryptocurrency obtaining behind the scenes is liable to punishment.
Miners have another attitude: they are not interested in legal mining because the purchase of expensive equipment is personal expenditures, and obtained cryptocurrency, in accordance with the legislation, becomes a common property of miners and the state. Thus, mining is not quite transparent in Russia. In other words, it stays in the sidelines, carefully monitoring the latest trends )
Miners’ taxation is not a single challenge in Russia, preventing mining in the country. Even now, it is legislatively prohibited to pay for goods and services in any currency save for rubles. The Ministry of Finance is offering to make this a criminal offence.
It turns out that the obtaining of cryptocurrencies is only half the work, and the question is how to obtain cash…
However, that all is not so bad. We have good news as well.
The advantages include a reasonable initiative of the authorities: they offer to establish electricity quotas in order to attract people to legal bitcoin mining. If you mine in a transparent way, you will receive electricity at the special price. Nevertheless, this way to bring miners out of the shadows has not yet shown the desired results.
At the same time, crypto ruble shrouded in mystery remains under wraps for all miners and crypto investors. Its launch will greatly change the Russian cryptocurrency market, as it will be likely supported by the government.
Prospects
It is quite difficult to predict with any certainty the development of Russia’s crypto industry. Government actions are similar to the wait-and-see concept rather than a clear solution: to ban or permit and release the crypto industry from pressure.
Why is it so? On the one hand, cryptocurrencies are profitable for the government during sanctions, because foreign investors are able to enter the Russian market anonymously using digital gold. On the other hand, assets can leave the country in the same way, transforming into luxury property in Malta or Gibraltar.
As to the blockchain technology, everything is clear: Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved it, stating that the country requires professionals in this area.
If the country, especially its President, says, “It has to be done”, specialists answer, “It will be done!”
A lot of government institutions and private organizations have been already integrating blockchain for several years, showing worthy results. We can mention here such a major project called ‘Smart city’ and Ethereum designed by Vitalik Buterin.
Summing up, Russia is a very promising country for the development of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology in general: a huge amount of world-renowned specialists, an educated population, and resources. The only reason for the slow growth is an ambiguous attitude of the authorities, demotivating investors to put money into projects that can become illegal the next day. | https://medium.com/smile-expo/cryptocurrency-in-russian-7a089d52440c | [] | 2018-09-27 09:38:46.805000+00:00 | ['Mining', 'Crypto', 'Bitcoin', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Blockchain'] |
Lobbyist Wars and BIM Development. Part 1: Format STEP-IFC and how Revit conquered the CAD world. | In the 17th century, every advanced Dutch farmer wanted to get hold of a tulip; in 2017, an advanced internet user wanted to buy Bitcoin. Nowadays, every advanced construction company dreams of using 3D-7D BIM in their planning and the competitive advantages that this technology will bring them.
This series of articles focuses on the uneven development of BIM across countries. This topic cannot be started without a short excursion into the history of the emergence of BIM programs or, more precisely, the data formats that have now led to a lobbying struggle for the possibility of planning $10 trillion of new construction contracts each year and, as a result, to a very uneven development of BIM in different countries.
In this article we will answer the question: where did STEP, IFC and buildingSMART come from, how a Soviet mathematician helped AutoCAD to conquer the world market for СAD and why Autodesk rarely mentions Revit in its financial statements.
The main events tree will help you follow the information presented in this article. To add a comment to this diagram or to consider in more detail individual fragments of the map, follow the link: BIM development map from 1980 to the present
Creation of IFC and buildingSMART
How did the active introduction of BIM begin, without which it will be impossible to imagine the construction of any facility in any country in the world already in 2030?
Like much in this world, BIM began with a conflict -> an arms race and -> military technology, or rather, with the STEP format (Standard for the Exchange of Product model data). This format was created at the end of the Cold War between the USSR and the United States by companies involved in the design of complex military equipment in the first 3D modeling programs. After the military firms only oil and gas firms were the first to use these technologies where large profit margins allowed oil corporations to use these new “very expensive” technologies, which were still in their infancy.
The conflict between two giants ended with the defeat and collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The level of orders for military equipment and missiles declined, and the military bureaus repurposed their work for the civilian sector.
The margins in the production of “pots and buildings” are less than in the production of tanks and aircraft, so interest in the further development of the 3D STEP format began to wane, and the creators of CAD (computer-aided design) for the military industry reoriented to the less profitable civil engineering industry.
At the same time, by the end of the 80s, the new AutoCAD program, as the flagship product of the young Autodesk company, just 4 years after its creation, became the most widely used 2D CAD software in the world.
Along with the success of the DWG format for 2D modeling, Autodesk began to look towards a new promising direction — 3D design, while the question arose of creating a new format that will replace DWG and STEP.
By this time, the peak of popularity of the military STEP format had already passed, but at the same time it remained the leader of the still little-known 3D design. Since a rich infrastructure has already been created around the STEP format in the form of a mass of specifications in the status of ISO standards, this format attracted the attention of Autodesk, which, after the success of its first AutoCAD program, was engaged in the development of new products for various industries, including architecture, civil engineering and mechanical engineering.
Developers of the new format from Autodesk did not have a rich imagination, and they did not have the opportunity to apply it — they were given very modest deadlines, and the task looked very global. Therefore, they took as a basis the old military STEP format, or rather Application Protocol 225. More on this in the third part:
To take control of the creation of a new format, standards and their further development, Autodesk, together with a cartel of consulting and telecommunications firms, creates a new format IFC to replace the outdated STEP.
So in 1994 the “new” IFC format was born, which in the future will successfully replace the STEP format. It can be assumed that the format itself was fully developed by Autodesk, and its further development should have taken place under his strict guidance, and the standards and rules for use for this new format were written by the rest of the parties to the transaction, who established the rules according to their needs. | https://medium.com/@boikoartem/lobbyist-wars-and-bim-development-part-1-format-step-ifc-and-how-revit-conquered-the-cad-world-917ddfa039a6 | ['Artem Boiko'] | 2021-02-07 19:33:50.580000+00:00 | ['Bim', 'Revit', 'Autodesk', 'Ifc', 'Construction'] |
Decoding the input shapes and output shapes of Multi Layered Perceptron model. | Decoding the input shapes and output shapes of Multi Layered Perceptron model. Chamanth mvs Follow Feb 29 · 7 min read
I assume that, people who are reading this blog already have some idea about deep learning concepts and Multi Layered Perceptrons. If you are completely new to these concepts, you may not understand this blog. kindly, revisit after you learn basics of deep learning.
In very simple terms, important task in training a neural network model is to find best weights (weight matrix), which helps in reducing the error and minimizing the loss to achieve the objective of the given problem (classification or regression).
So, understanding the model summary in detail (output shapes, input shapes and number of parameters) is very important while training a neural network model, because these will help you to understand , what is happening within the model, which you defined.
This is very short blog and will try to explain these topics using example with help of (toy dataset).
Note : Everything discussed in this blog is only with respect to fully connected multi layered perceptron.
Dataset : Iris flower dataset
About dataset :
The Iris flower data set is a multivariate data set introduced by the British statistician and biologist Ronald Fisher in his 1936 paper . Iris is a type of flower plant.
The data set consists of 50 samples for each of three species of Iris (Iris Setosa, Iris virginica, and Iris versicolor). Altogether this dataset consists of 150 samples.
Fig-1 : iris_dataset
Four features were measured from each sample: the length and the width of the sepals and petals (Petal Length, Petal Width, Sepal Length, Sepal Width) in centimeters.
target column represents three values 0,1,2 , which represents ‘setosa’, ‘versicolor’, ‘virginica’ respectively.
Input shape, Output shape and Number of Parameters.
Fig-2 : Data (without target variable)
While training a neural network, we seperate target variable from the dataset and train the model with data and target variable separately. So,now our data appears as shown in Fig -2.
Before discussing about these topics, I wanted to make clear about architecture I am using to explain these parameters.
Model Architecture
MLP model without bias term
Fig-3 : MLP without bias term (only weight matrices)
The simplest function for such models, can be defined as f(x) = W^t * X, where W is Weight matrix and X is data.
MLP model with bias term
Fig-4 : MLP with bias term (Weight matrices as well as bias term)
The simplest function for such models, can be defined as f(x) = W^t * X + b , where W is Weight matrix and X is data and b is Bias term.
Model architecture is 4 -layered network with 2 hidden layers
Fig-5 : Model architecture
‘dense_input’ is the input layer .
‘dense’ , ‘dense_1’ are the hidden layers — with 5 and 4 neurons respectively.
dense_2 is the output layer (softmax layer)with 3 units, as we are solving multi class classification problem (3-classes).
Input shape and output shape
Fig-6 : How data is passed through network (feed forward)
Fig-7 : input and output shapes of MLP (as in Fig-6)
As said earlier, in training phase, data and target are passed separately, when data is passed through the network.
As, each datapoint has 4 features (refer Fig-2),
Input layer:
input shape and output shape of input layer will be same (you can think of it as identity). It is the first step, when you pass your data to the network. So, it will output (which has output shape).
As we are passing through the network with the data, which has 4 features (refer Fig-2). So, the output from input_layer would be (?,4).
“ ?” — specifies batch size.
batch size is nothing but, how many data points will be passed through the neural network (Fig-6) in one batch at a time.
So, if you define batch size as 16, the output shape will be (16,4), which specifies 16 data points each with 4 dimension (or 4 features).
Hidden layer-1 :
This layer is receiving input from Input_layer. So, output_shape of Input_layer becomes input_shape of hidden layer-1. As per our example, output_shape of input_layer is (?,4), which became input_shape to hidden layer-1.
So, intuitively speaking
“Output_shape of preceding layer becomes Input_shape of next layer in Multi Layered Perceptron networks”.
Hidden layer -1 has 5 neurons or units (Fig-6), which contains some activation functions to introduce non-linearity to the model, after the input is passed through these 5 neurons, all 5 neurons generates output. So, the output_shape of hidden layer -1 is (?,5) , where “?” specifies batch size.
Hidden layer-2 :
As said above, where the output_shape of hidden layer-1 becomes input_shape of hidden layer-2. So, the input_shape of hidden layer-2 is (?,5) , in other terms (hidden layer-2 is receiving input from 5 neuron units).
Hidden layer -2 has 4 neurons or units (Fig-6), which contains some activation functions to introduce non-linearity to the model, after the input is passed through these 4 neurons, all 4 neurons generates output. So, the output_shape of hidden layer -2 is (?,4) , where “?” specifies batch size.
Output layer :
As said above, where the output_shape of hidden layer-2 becomes input_shape of output layer. So, the input_shape of output layer is (?,4) , in other terms (output layer is receiving input from 4 neuron units (from hidden layer-2 )).
Output layer has 3 units (Fig-6), as we are dealing with 3-class classification problem (we need to predict whether the given data point belongs to any of these 3 types of flower classes). If we have 10 classes to classify (then output layer contains 10 units). It changes, according to the problem statement. So, in our example, the output_shape of output layer is (?,3) , where “?” specifies batch size.
Number of parameters in a MLP network | https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/decoding-the-input-shapes-and-output-shapes-of-multi-layered-perceptron-model-bf939b8579d8 | ['Chamanth Mvs'] | 2020-03-01 14:50:05.120000+00:00 | ['Deep Learning', 'Data Science', 'Neural Networks', 'Machine Learning'] |
It is Yellow Day. | Color Learning for kids.
Have a “Yellow Day”, where you child can wear yellow, eat yellow foods, do lots of things outside in the sun.
Exploring Yellow
🍌Peel yellow bananas.
🍋 Make lemonade.
🎨 Paint with yellow.
🌻 Look for yellow flower.
👂 Listen to yellow nursery rhyme: https://youtu.be/xY9XfmLqyrw
👩💻 Read out yellow words: https://learning.covoji.com/math-zone/the-colour-yellow/
⌛Sort out yellow Lego.
🌽 Make popcorn from yellow kernels: https://learning.covoji.com/curious-world/where-is-popcorn/
💊 Add drops of yellow food coloring to the water.
Yellow
By: Patricia Morrison See a yellow sign
Smell a yellow daffodil
Touch a yellow pencil
Hear a yellow canary
Taste a yellow candy — https://learning.covoji.com/english/delicious-sweet-treats/
Have fun! | https://medium.com/@covoji/it-is-yellow-day-1db3fc21e72e | ['Covoji Learning'] | 2020-12-03 04:49:46.622000+00:00 | ['Preschool', 'Family', 'Activity', 'Colors', 'Parents'] |
What to Stop and Start Doing in SEO in 2020 | Dead SEO Strategies
Putting your website in directories and stuffing your post with links
This was a good idea in the past. Where the off-page SEO efforts were just as basic as putting your website links into directories and in forums.
While for on-page SEO, you just stuffed in backlinks from various sites and wait.
There weren’t as many websites, and people were not trying to rank as much either. So, whoever knew these strategies sat comfortably at the top. There are still many people putting their websites in directories, but you have to be smart about it. Put your website links in niche-focused directories.
Keyword stuffing
Adding keywords is still a top SEO ranking strategy. But it is way different now. Google is like a delivery man that tries to deliver quality content to whoever makes an order for content via Google search.
So naturally, they would show the best article for the particular search term. When the Google crawlers check your page and see the keywords and what’s it’s about, you would rank, but if your article is not easily readable, Google will bury your article. Why? Because you didn’t produce quality. You should focus on putting out the best quality and relevant content rather than trying to rank.
Stuffing your post with keywords is dead. You should just use about two keywords and mention them not more than five times in the post. Google is more sophisticated, and they can tell if you stuffed in keywords. So, an article with stuffed keywords wouldn’t even be given a chance.
Paying for backlinks
This has more disadvantages than benefits. In an attempt to try to play on Google, people used to pay for backlinks so they could rank.
But when you do this, you put yourself at risk of getting blacklisted.
Blackhat SEO practices
People used to get away with Blackhat SEO practices in the past. Not anymore. Some of these practices include:
Cloaking involves showing one piece of content on the search engine while having another article on the page.
Comment spamming. This is one of the oldest tricks used by digital marketers. You know those links on your comment sections that look like if you click on them, you will get hacked? When you continuously do this on different sites, your page and website, in some cases, would be blacklisted.
Sneaky redirects. It is keeping links that redirect you to results other than what you wanted to get. Most websites that use these are download websites which have been paid for an ad or something.
Blackhat SEO practices automatically make your website blacklisted. So, you shouldn’t expect to rank doing them. | https://medium.com/better-marketing/what-to-stop-and-start-doing-in-seo-in-2020-dd68d6cf25d9 | ['Tochukwu Okoro E.'] | 2020-03-28 18:07:37.858000+00:00 | ['Marketing', 'Content Marketing', 'Writing', 'Copywriting', 'SEO'] |
Whatsapp Status for New Born Baby | Congrats your Friends family member for newborn baby whishes share our quotes,status on WhatsApp Facebook or anywhere you want we have collection for Whatsapp Status for New Born Baby,congratulations for baby boy and baby girl,baby born wishes to parents
A baby boy makes a mother out of his mom
and a father out of his dad.
Little fingers and cute toes
Sleepy eyes and a chubby nose
A serene and angelic face
I cannot shower enough praise
A radiant smile and a bubbly face
Your little boy sure works his charming ways
He can melt away even the toughest of hearts
Your life has got such a beautiful new start
Congratulations
fore more 80+ new born baby wishes visit us https://www.statuswithimages.com/2020/01/whatsapp-status-for-my-newborn-baby-boy.html
Your pair has always been perfect
but with the birth of your newborn,
your family has now become picture perfect.
Congratulations.
Whatsapp Status for New Born Baby
You both made a wonderful couple
Your life was nearly perfect
All that was left was a bundle of joy
Which you didn’t have until yet
But not that you have both become parents
Your lives have become the epitome
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Congratulations
Life comes a full circle when you see for yourself,
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Congratulations.
Life will keep changing
but there is one thing that will remain constant
till the day you die your love for your child.
Congratulations for finding something so magical.
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baby doll status | https://medium.com/@webprovidersindia/whatsapp-status-for-new-born-baby-667db6ff26fe | ['Status With Images'] | 2020-01-14 13:56:48.920000+00:00 | ['Wishing', 'Parenting', 'Parents', 'Baby', 'Newborn Baby'] |
How to earn money sitting at home top 5 earning apps | Ever since the internet has reached people fast, many people search on the internet about making money online. Are you also one of those who want to earn money through their smartphone from home, Friends today where many people In his spare time, he likes to watch videos, movies, TV Shows on mobile! So there are some people who want to earn some money through their smartphones in precious time! 5 Best Apps For Earning Some Extra Cash
Friends, nowadays people find some good earning apps on smartphones, but there are many mobile earning apps that claim to make money! But users do not get paid after working on them. Due to which many times those people get very frustrated and angry.
So that’s why in this article I am going to tell you about the best apps to earn money from mobile! With which you can easily earn a lot of money through a little smart work on your smartphone!
Top 5 Earn Money Apps For Android
1. Taskbucks
Friends, this application is becoming very popular for some time now! It gives the users a chance to really earn money through the app! If you share the link of the Taskbucks app, you get $ 25 if someone downloads that application through that Referral link.
The special thing is that here you can do the Earning done by you to recharge your mobile or Paytm. Friends, I personally used this app 2 years ago and at that time I had earned well, so you can also use this app!
2. Google Pay
Online payment apps have been very popular in India for some time now! Such as Paytm, Phonepe and more recently this payment app of Google called Google Pay! Through Google Pay, you can transfer online payment, friends, relatives to any grocery store in their bank account, because it is Google’s App, so Google has full responsibility for security here!
And if we talk about earning money, when you send a friend or relative to the Google Pay app’s Referral link for the first time, they download it from your link and register it in Google Pay, then in exchange of ₹ 51 Get a bonus. Before receiving the money, the person whom you have referred has to make a small transaction. Can also make $ 1
Let me tell you here that if you also use Google Pay for the first time! So you will also get a bonus of ₹ 51!
3. Mcent Browser
Friends if you use a Uc browser, Chrome browser! So you don’t get any benefit in return! But when you use the Mcent browser! So here you get Points, and by using these Points you can recharge your own or friend, relative’s mobile.
Friends Mcent Browser is a Genuine application, from where you can get free mobile recharge from Points that you can use daily by using Mcent Browser and Refer this App to your friends. If you get 1 month or 3 months of mobile recharge for free, then some of your money will be saved.
4. Meesho
Friends, if you want to sell a T-Shirt, Jeans, Shoes, etc. without opening your shop! So this will prove to be the best platform for you, this is your online business, for which you do not need to invest any money.
Friends, if I talk, this is one of the best ways described so far! If you have art to sell then you can make very good money Genuinely! When you open the Misho app! So here you will see all the products somewhere! And you can do any of these products whatever you like! That product should be shared with friends, relatives or anyone who needs that product! You have to share that product with him on Whatsapp or Facebook! And if a person likes that product! And they ask you to buy this product! So you order them! And now the person of Meesho Company will deliver that product to their address! And thus you do not have to take any stress of Delivery
Friends, in this way you can do Earning online at home just like a shopkeeper! If you want more information about Meesho! So you can tell us through the comments, we will bring a new article for you.
5. Dream11
Friends, here we are telling you only the best application! So Dream11 is also one of them, here you have to invest your money and there is also a risk because there is no win fix but Dream11 is a great way to earn money in the present time, due to which many people are earning money today.
You have to choose the best player of the 2 Teams that match 2 team’s in Dream11.
If your teamie 11 players selected performs better than those chosen by the rest of the others! So you get a big Reward instead.
Please visit the Site and more information on technology
Technology Nouman | https://medium.com/@technologynouman/how-to-earn-money-sitting-at-home-top-5-earning-apps-c09eb9082812 | ['Technology Nouman'] | 2020-04-23 10:29:40.159000+00:00 | ['Earn Money Online', 'Technology', 'Online', 'Internet', 'Apps'] |
10 SHOWS I RECOMMEND FROM THE 2nd LOCKDOWN DAYS OF BINGEWATCHING | 10 SHOWS I RECOMMEND FROM THE 2nd LOCKDOWN DAYS OF BINGEWATCHING Belladonnaoflavender Jun 24·2 min read
I must have watched a lot of movies and shows as I do in every lockdown (there have been so many, that once they declared a lockdown extended, it feels like an infinite loop)
I got two new subscriptions of two different OTT’s and I was booked for most days at end of this harrowing May month. You can comment below or mail me to ask me more about these shows/movies and I’ll happily engage you enough to make you watch it. Trigger: Rape, Assault, Murder. I am a basic crime bitch
WHY WOMEN KILL (BEST)
The Twilight Zone (A series of sci fi stories with a mind out their own!)
Liar (The end disappointed not because of the twist but I lost so much interest as it went on.. But what a good job with the plot)
The Comey Rule (Smart af)
Sons Of Sam (All that we know about SOS gets questioned here)
Ajeeb Dastaans (Am sorry but the only hindi movie and the only movie I really liked!)
Married to medicine (I have talked about this on my IG)
Big Little Liars (Twists and turns, lives upto the thrilling book)
Body Cam (Real af)
Mare Of Easttown (slow but second best)
Read more such lists & knacks on here:
https://belladonnaoflavender.substack.com/p/kelp-snakes-in-like-a-shed-black
Belladonnaoflavender | https://medium.com/@belladonnaoflavender/10-shows-i-recommend-from-the-2nd-lockdown-days-of-bingewatching-eb1809d9599 | [] | 2021-06-24 06:42:28.574000+00:00 | ['Binge Watching', 'TV Series', 'Lists', 'Shows To Watch', 'Netflix'] |
My Take on The Divisive “Saved by the Bell” Sequel | The Origin
Although it may have seemed wildly out-of-left-field and woefully unnecessary to some, there are actually three reasons that reviving Saved by the Bell in 2020 actually makes a lot of sense.
Reviving sitcoms from the 1980s and 1990s has been a major trend over the past few years. Roseanne (subsequently The Conners after the star’s firing), Will & Grace, Fuller House, and Murphy Brown are just some of the examples. It was only a matter of time before Saved by the Bell was considered for revival. This past summer, NBC/Universal entered the very crowded streaming market with their new service entitled Peacock. Although we are still learning about what factors lead to the thriving or withering of new streaming services, we know that new content that builds on pre-existing brands and content that appeals to multiple age groups are helpful for success. A revival of Saved by the Bell ticks both boxes. The show has endured in popular culture. A pop-up restaurant dedicated to the show called Saved by the Max has been a hit in both Chicago and Los Angeles. Debates about the series’ merits and values continue to proliferate on social media (for example, see the popularity of the satirical web series Zack Morris is Trash). And, importantly, much of the cast has shown a willingness to revisit the series as evidenced by their reunions in in recent years for events like a People Magazine cover shoot and skits on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
With this context considered, it is not particularly surprising that Saved by the Bell was revived this year. What was surprising to many, is how it was revived.
The Setup
The new version of Saved by the Bell is not a simple revival, in which we check in on the same characters many years later. Nor is it a reboot where the same premise and setting is preserved but the focus shifts to mostly new characters. It is officially called a sequel and is in essence a hybrid of revival and reboot in which some original cast members return but are secondary to the new batch of students.
Image copyright: NBC/Universal/Peacock
But the introduction of numerous new characters is not the only way the new series differs from the original. There is also a major shift in style and tone. This is not surprising given that it was developed by Tracey Wigfield, an Emmy-winning writer of 30 Rock, Tina Fey’s fast-paced, zany, audacious, and highly satirical NBC sitcom that wrapped in 2013. Wigfield brings the same approach to the Saved by the Bell revival. As opposed to focusing on gentle humor aimed at pre-teens and using familiar tropes and set-ups, it features rapidly paced, sharply observant, and occasionally aggressive humor that makes pointed social commentary and frequently mocks the original series.
To illustrate the differences, let’s compare the setups of the two series. The original Saved by the Bell was about an unlikely sextet of high school friends dealing with a variety of academic, family, and social stressors. They were overseen by a kindly but flustered principal and some occasionally present parents. The new Saved by the Bell has a much more complex and edgy plot. Zack Morris, now the right wing-leaning governor of California, has controversially cut the education budget leading to many underfunded schools being closed. This results in a number of marginalized students (mostly those who are poor and racial/ethnic minorities) being forced to endure long bus rides to ritzy (mostly white) Bayside High where the integration proves challenging. Sure there is still a sextet of high school friends dealing with a variety of academic, family, and social stressors. But they are doing so in a much more complex and controversial context.
I believe firmly that whether people enjoy the new series (spoiler alert: I did enjoy it immensely) will largely be determined by the following three issues:
The nature of their nostalgia for the original series. Many people have deep affection for the original series. After all, that’s why it’s being revived. But most people realize that it is hugely dated and has highly problematic themes, an over-reliance on juvenile humor, and illogical plot progression. Those who were fine with this and want to see more of the same will be disappointed. Those who feel that in order to exist in 2020, the show needs a huge makeover, will be more open to it. Their preferred style of humor. The rapid pace, zaniness, pop culture references, visual gags, and elaborate satire that marked 30 Rock and mark the new Saved by the Bell are certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. There’s a reason why the shows that have heavily relied on that style (Arrested Development is another example), were awards magnets and cult favorites, but never gigantic hits in the ratings. Their comfort with putting diversity front and center. The fact that the U.S. public education system remains economically and racially segregated is a touchy subject. And based on the number of people who turned out to vote for the Trump/Pence ticket, many don’t believe that it exists or see it as a problem. Putting these issues front and center is a bold move and will certainly turn off many.
The New Class
As mentioned, although the show does feature many familiar faces the focus is largely on seven fresh faces. Although all seven characters are very well cast and performed, there are some problems with the way they are conceptualized and written. Let’s go from weakest to strongest.
The most problematic are rich kids and Bayside veterans Jamie Spano (Belmont Cameli) and Mac Morris (Mitchel Hoog). The writers heavily over-rely on one-note characterizations of them as beautiful but dumb and spoiled and schemingly, respectively, with minimal character development. At best, they come off as amusing but hard to root for. At worst, they are genuinely unlikeable. Both characters get some nice moments toward the end of the season, but it’s a struggle.
Then there are the ones that generally work quite well, but still have room for considerable improvement. These include the main character, overachiever Daisy Jimenez (Haskiri Velazquez); her best friend, female football star Aisha Garcia (Alycia Pasqual-Pena); and hapless but well-meaning Principal Ronald Toddman (John Michael Higgins). All three have a unique comic persona, come off as fairly likable, and get moments of texture and depth.
Image copyright: NBC/Universal/Peacock
The two best — by far — are Lexi Haddad-DeFabrizio (Josie Totah, who co-produces the series) and Devante Young (Dexter Darden). Lexi identifies as transgender and recently transitioned, but even though that makes her a rarity in the television landscape, that’s one of the least interesting aspects of her character. She is a major influencer with big Hollywood connections who has exceptionally clever schemes and a cutting pop culture reference for every situation. The first season follows her evolving journey to be a better and more authentic person and Totah nails every single moment. Devante has the look of a linebacker, a beautiful singing voice, and a history as a troublemaker, but the first season follows his desire to break free from his self-protective isolation and learn the benefits of being vulnerable. Although he is way too old for the role (the actor is 29 playing a high school sophomore), he nails it.
The Alumni and the Throwbacks
Explaining who from the original series does and does not come back is a bit complicated. Let’s first start with those that return in a full-time capacity — Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano and Mario Lopez as A.C. Slater. Both integrate into the sequel in natural and interesting ways.
Image copyright: NBC/Universal/Peacock
Jessie went off to get her doctorate in education and has now returned to her alma mater to be the guidance counselor. Although she seems wildly overqualified for the role, it makes a bit more sense when you see how overly enmeshed she is with her son Jamie (who attends Bayside and is one of the main characters). She is in a rapidly disintegrating marriage with a self-centered writer (recurring guest Cheyenne Jackson) and remains close with high school sweetheart Slater. Although Berkley’s reputation took a nosedive with her Razzie-“winning” role in the notorious 1995 bomb Showgirls, a recent rewatch of the original series reminded me of how charismatic and talented she has the capacity to be. She is remarkably winning in her return to Bayside, appearing more relaxed and demonstrating sharp comic timing and well-calibrated dramatic instincts.
Slater doesn’t appear to have done much since his time at Bayside, where he is currently the football coach. Mario Lopez (who, it must be said, has aged spectacularly) does a strong job of playing a man at a crossroads. He is finally coming to the realization that his cocky, narrow-minded machismo and inability to move on from the “glory days” of high school are preventing him from moving forward in life. He is charming and surprisingly tender in his scenes and is chemistry with Berkley remains firmly intact.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen return in a trio of episodes as the iconic couple, Zack Morris and Kelly Kapowski. They don’t get nearly the screen time or character development that Jessie and Slater do, but they are integrated into the show in two important ways. As mentioned above, Zack is now governor and it is his policies that have led to the school integration that serves as the catalyst for the show’s drama. Furthermore, he and Kelly are the parents of Mac, one of the show’s main characters. The little character development Mac gets involves his desire to get attention from his father.
The characterization of Zack and Kelly in the sequel sparked anger in some. They are portrayed as out-of-touch elites, consumed by romantic passion and a desire for fame and power at the expense of their child, their former best friends, and the well-being of their constituents. Kelly, clearly having given up on her dream of going to medical school, is a self-help guru pushing pseudoscience (naturally enraging Jessie). When Zack and Kelly reunite with Jessie and Slater for the first time in years and come face-to-face with the heartbreak of their son in their final two appearances, they get some texture, but they are generally a bit vapid. Yes, it can be sad to see characters you loved go down a bad path. But, it is by far the most realistic outcome. Zack has always been an out-of-touch elite whose desire for power and money came at the cost of morality and ethics and Kelly has always been too willing to give up her dreams and follow him. As unsatisfying as it may be, it is definitely not some radical re-characterization.
Lark Voorhies FaceTimes in for a fun cameo in the eighth episode, briefly reprising her role as Lisa Turtle. Lisa appears to be living her best life as a prestigious (and polyamorous!) fashion designer in Paris. Screech and Mr. Belding are never seen, but are mentioned. We never find out where Mr. Belding is, but Slater notes that Screech and his robot Kevin are currently residing at the International Space Station. And then there are some bit characters from the original series that re-appear. Max, the magician who runs the ubiquitous local burger jointm and Mr. Dewey, the droll teacher, appear a couple of times. And Troy Formin, who recurred as dumb jock Ox toward the end of the series, has a cameo.
There are also some truly wonderful references to memorable moments from the original series. These include, but are certainly not limited to, Zack’s giant cell phone, Kelly’s fling with Jeff, Slater’s dancing, the times Casey Kasem showed up, the oil spill, Jessies addiction to caffeine pills, the gang’s trip to Hawaii, and Jessie’s activism. The sequel may not re-evoke all of the same emotions as the original, but the show has clearly been brought to life by people with a deep knowledge of (and appreciation for) the original.
My Take on the Show … and its Future
I have gone through a variety of stages regarding the idea of a Saved by the Bell revival. When I wrote my article about my visit to Saved by the Max, I explicitly said I had no interest in seeing the series revived. Admittedly, though, when they announced the revival and its exceedingly clever premise, I became intrigued. Well let’s say it was cautious optimism. When I read good buzz about the series shortly before it’s launch, I finally became excited.
Ultimately, I truly enjoyed the new Saved by the Bell. It is certainly not perfect. It took me a while to warm up to most of the characters and a few of them still need a lot of work. Admittedly, I was also disappointed that outside of Jessie and Slater, the original characters don’t get much screen time. There also isn’t a single episode that coheres perfectly; each is a bit uneven in its own way.
But there are pluses. A lot of them. The majority of the cast is quite strong, with Josie Totah, Elizabeth Berkley, and Dexter Darden giving truly inspired turns. The episodes are genuinely funny. Even when the shtick with the students veers too juvenile or broad, there are enough absurdly satirical moments and clever pop culture references to elicit laughs. And, as mentioned, the throwbacks to the original series can sometimes be subtle and brief, but they are there in abundance for die-hard fans of the original series.
Ultimately, I believe this is the best (and, frankly, the only) way that Saved by the Bell could have been brought back in 2020. The original was too much a product of its time and its fanbase has far outgrown its themes and humor. Tracey Wigfield and colleagues have kept the setup, the setting, and some of the characters while sending it tonally, thematically, and aesthetically straight into 2020. The show is an audacious experiment and the fact that it comes so close to working so well is an achievement in and of itself.
I am optimistic that the Saved by the Bell sequel will be given at least one more season. It looks like Peacock is successful enough to stick around but it hasn’t launched any major originals (Brave New World, the high profile show they launched with, is already canceled). Right now the Saved by the Bell sequel is the only original series with buzz on the streaming service, so it seems like they will give it another round.
Image copyright: NBC/Universal/Peacock
If there is a next season, I would like to see it develop the teen characters personalities, back stories, and inter-relationships more. At the end of the day, how appealing and invested viewers become in the new characters is what is going to determine the show’s success. I would also like to see them push the envelope even further with their subject matter, humor, and satire. They have already skillfully executed something quite risky, and they have little to lose and much to gain by pushing them further.
Regarding the original cast, I would love to see the hypothetical next season show Jessie and Slater fumbling toward reunion as Jessie navigates a comically messy divorce. I would love the show to explore the dynamics of the Zack and Kelly’s family with more nuance and show them getting closer to Jessie and Slater. An arc where Lisa returns to LA and interacts with the gang would be mighty welcome. Dennis Haskin’s Mr. Belding could come back for a one-off as he as honored as the school’s longtime former principal. And, Hell, I’d even take a return from Dustin Diamond’s Screech — maybe he could come back to Bayside to do a talk to the kids about his time in space.
But, honestly, what I really want to see is Leanna Creel’s Tori return in a satirical episode that delves into one of the original series’ greatest mysteries — the disappearance of Kelly and Jessie for ten episodes and their replacement by the school’s motorcycle riding newcomer. (Zack mentions her in one of the season’s final episodes and it is one of the cleverest moments of the sequel). I’m still not over that yet.
In sum, the new Saved by the Bell is certainly not for everyone. But is is audacious, clever, nostalgic, and edgy. And, for the most part, it works. | https://medium.com/rants-and-raves/my-take-on-the-divisive-saved-by-the-bell-sequel-2d4a1e0b1a06 | ['Richard Lebeau'] | 2020-12-14 20:18:20.838000+00:00 | ['Streaming', 'Culture', 'Diversity', 'Comedy', 'Television'] |
Depop Gentrification and the Middle-Class Superiority Complex | Depop Gentrification and the Middle-Class Superiority Complex
“Pause before you judge others for consuming fast fashion and recognize that this may come from necessity.” Kornelija Follow Dec 10, 2020 · 5 min read
Photo by allison christine on Unsplash
Fast fashion companies have come under scrutiny for their questionable sustainability and ethical practices. With Americans alone throwing away 14 million tonnes of clothes each year and the recent #PayUp campaign pressuring Fast Fashion giants to pay their workers, it’s no surprise that people have begun looking for alternative ways to source their clothing.
Thrift stores have often been presented as more sustainable alternatives to fast fashion — they don’t promote unethical labour and prevent more money from being poured into fast fashion brands. Second-hand shops also sell clothing at price points that are more accessible than sustainable brands for the average consumer.
Online market places, such as Depop and Vinted, also fall under the sustainable fashion umbrella. They are a godsend to anyone who doesn’t live in areas where thrift stores are readily available or who struggles to find clothing in their size in physical second-hand shops. But recently, these online stores that once served as places for people to resell unwanted clothing have morphed into something else — platforms that people can utilize for personal profit. With this rising trend of “ Depop gentrification”, questions about sustainability and class privilege have also come to light.
What is Gentrification?
Gentrification is defined as “the process whereby the character of a poor urban area is changed by wealthier people moving in, improving housing, and attracting new businesses, often displacing current inhabitants in the process.”
The term was originally used in the field of economics to describe the process of urban development where a neighbourhood develops rapidly over a period of time. Gentrification is shrouded in controversy, as it often comes with significant discrimination against minorities, women, children, and the poor.
While Depop and other market places are not physical neighbourhoods, their purpose has also been changed by gentrification. Originally founded to provide young people with a way to purchase cheap and sustainable fashion, Depop now has over 15 million users.
With this influx of users came a whole host of mostly middle-class people who saw Depop as a way to make a profit. These people can afford to bulk buy clothing items from thrift stores, which they then sell for a marked up price on these online stores. While this has significantly improved the Depop experience for people who can afford the more expensive items, it has pushed out those for whom Depop was one of the few ways to access affordable clothing, thus resulting in gentrification.
Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash
Gentrification and Lower-Income Communities
Originally, thrifting was something that was associated only with those who couldn’t afford branded clothing. People often had no other option than to buy secondhand and it’s only recently that purchasing used items has become a badge of honour amongst sustainability activists.
While thrifting definitely comes with a whole heap of benefits for the planet, the recent flooding of thrift stores with middle-income consumers harms communities who depended on them to sustain their clothing needs.
Your local thrift store once would have been a place where you could source an entire outfit for a tenner, but if you were to take a closer look at the selection of clothes nowadays, you’d notice that you are paying more for worse quality. Anything branded or desirable gets swept up by Depop resellers looking to restock their shops while significantly marking up the price.
This is a serious problem, as it leaves lower-income and working-class communities with few options to purchase clothes. This issue may be less severe in places such as the US, where charities such as Goodwill can rake in $5.3 billion in annual sales and are flooded with donations to replenish their stocks. But in the UK and other parts of the world, charity shops serve as places for underprivileged communities to meet their clothing needs. These charities mostly rely on local donations to replenish their stock and thus don’t have the large selection of items that thrift stores in the US may offer.
With any quality items being swept from thrift stores by online resellers and the spike in prices on once-affordable platforms like Depop, those with lower incomes are often forced to turn to fast fashion shops. Those who shop at fast fashion brands often face a lot of criticism from the sustainable community, especially from those who do shop second hand as an effort to be more environmentally friendly.
But we cannot simultaneously gentrify thrift stores and then shame those who are left with no other option than to turn to these unethical retailers. For higher-income earners, sourcing an outfit from a thrift store to add to an already established wardrobe is a privilege. For those who have to choose between purchasing a new sweater to keep them warm in the winter and being able to afford groceries next week, it’s a need.
Sustainability isn’t some new-age wave that is propelled forward by white girls on their coordinated Instagram feeds. It has been consistently practised by lower-income communities, who often have no other option. It’s important to recognize that any shaming for environmentally unsustainable behaviours is rooted in class privilege and to move towards a more intersectional form of environmental activism.
Photo by Prudence Earl on Unsplash
The Takeaway
Depop gentrification is a nuanced issue.
Working as a Depop resaler isn’t inherently immoral. It provides a source of income and employment to those who are unable to find employment, especially during a global pandemic. It allows young people to earn some additional cash to cover their daily expenses, and price mark ups can be justified by the hours spent sifting through racks of clothes, trying to scout pieces worth selling. Depop can provide those who want to be more sustainable but aren’t located near a thrift store with a way to purchase environmentally friendly pieces.
But it’s important to recognize that being able to walk into a thrift store and purchase an outfit you don’t truly need is a privilege. There isn’t a perfect solution to this problem, but next time, before buying something from a thrift store, ask yourself if you truly need it and avoid bulk buying in smaller shops or those that are located in lower-income communities. Pause before you judge others for consuming fast fashion and recognize that this may come from necessity.
And while buying second-hand clothes is better for the planet, there is nothing more sustainable than not buying anything at all.
*If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, I recommend watching Jordan Theresa’s video “ The Gentrification of Depop” on Youtube. | https://medium.com/climate-conscious/depop-gentrification-and-the-middle-class-superiority-complex-a3982c41140b | [] | 2020-12-10 12:02:44.763000+00:00 | ['Sustainable Fashion', 'Sustianability', 'Environment', 'Environmental Justice', 'Environmental Issues'] |
Senseless | — a poem of potpourris.
Senseless
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels
I no longer recall
how those feelings felt
even when they rushed their knocks,
or when they’re filling to the brim.
I no longer recall
how to carve a smile
or to shed a tear —
as much as I want to heal.
Months after months, we’ve been at it
and within those changing moons
I keep losing bits by pieces.
I no longer remember how to feel. | https://medium.com/a-cornered-gurl/senseless-7dfde39badd1 | ['Lita Tiara'] | 2020-10-16 10:33:03.324000+00:00 | ['Numbers', 'Life', 'This Happened To Me', 'A Cornered Gurl', 'Poetry'] |
How to explain the VALUE of your business and the Big Mamma Group example | While working as a consultant for entrepreneurs and companies in different development stages, one of the questions I get asked the most by my clients is “how do I get my customers to understand the real value of what I do?”. This sentence usually comes along with the following: “I do so many different things, that is so hard to explain!”. That’s why as a Marie Kondo disciple (for business, not for my house unfortunately) I really pay attention to the importance of organising the building blocks that structures the business concept as much as to developing it. A great idea has no power if you’re not able to get it across in a way people understand.
But first things first. What is a “business concept”? And what is “value”? I see a business concept as a short and clear statement that explains what the business does and what makes it unique. The value, in this context, would be the perceived quality that customers get when in contact with the business.
The Big Mamma Group is a great example because they explain their business concept in a seamlessly way. Victor lugger and Tigrane Seydoux met at HEC Business School and knew from the start they wanted to create something together. So, in 2014 they launched a business inspired by a shared passion they had for Italy and food: The Big Mamma Pizzeria. Not only it was a great success, as it also revolutionised the pizzeria scene in Paris, creating colossal queues every night with people craving they’re delicious food. The key to their success? A customer experience beautifully designed from beginning to end, an authentic concept supported by a young and friendly Italian staff and high quality products bought directly from certified producers in Italy. A lot to say in a statement, right? But that’s how the magic works. Tigrane and Victor are very consistent on how they explain what Big Mamma does and are pretty much aligned on how the business concept should be told in a simple way.
“If I am to define Big Mamma, I want to tell you about our mission. We tell ourselves that if we haven’t had created Big Mamma, the thousands of people that eat at our restaurants wouldn’t starve. Because of that, our work is to try and give our clients the best moment of their day. The best way to do that was to create a restaurant that when you open the door, you feel in Italy. Good food, at a reasonable price, served with a smile.” Victor Lugger
Victor Lugger & Tigrane Seydoux — Pink Mamma
Here are a couple of things to keep in mind if you also would like to explain your business concept in an effective way:
1. Use the building blocks
Think problem-solution. Who is your target and what is the problem or tension your business is solving? Be empathetic and put your customers at the center of the problem-solving equation, this is the foundation of design thinking. Your business purpose and mission are connected to this answer.
Mention your product/service. Might sound as the easiest one, but being straight to the point isn’t a piece of gateau. However, it helps people not only understand, but also remember what you actually do. Have priorities. It’s ok if you’re a restaurant with a delivery service, that doesn’t take reservations and an on-line platform that promotes new chefs in town. But what do you really want people to remember? What is your core product/service? The main one you want people to think of you as an expert at (this is how you build brand positioning).
Know your points of differentiation. What are the emotional and rational benefits of your business? Which emotions and feelings buying or experiencing your offer can spark in people’s minds? What is it that you do — and maybe only you do — that competitors don’t? Not sure? Ask your colleagues and past clients, feedback can be helpful.
Another example of the building blocks in action: “Hello, I am Marie Kondo. My mission is to spark joy in the world through tidying. I do that through the KonMari Method to organize by category rather than by location. We tide in five specific categories in a specific order: First is clothing, next is books, then paper, Komono and sentimental items. It’s easy, it’s a way of treasuring what you have and anyone can do it.”
2. Repeat Mode on
Write and practice and practice. After crafting you business concept pitch, train it with friends before having a go with potential customers, mentors and strategic partners. Make a list of people whose opinion you value and ask for their advice, see how they react to it.
3. Adapt your pitch
It’s good to adapt how you explain you business concept after sharing the story a few times and, of course, it’s also good to improvise and adjust the pitch according to who you’re talking to. Is this person familiar with the problem you’re trying to solve? Maybe you could bring a little more depth on this part. Do they look like they’re trying to understand complex quantum mechanics? Maybe an example could be helpful.
In the end, sharing your business concept is getting the world to understand your idea and its value. It puts you in the right direction because it unleashes your business potential. Once you have people assimilating what you do, they will be able to help you build, shape and develop the idea with you :) | https://medium.com/swlh/businessvalue-ce7bfb20ce06 | ['Fernanda Sigilião'] | 2019-06-26 08:55:44.332000+00:00 | ['Brand Strategy', 'Branding', 'Business Strategy', 'Konmari', 'Pitching'] |
The Graph Protocol. How to calculate your rewards for delegation? | The economic model of The Graph is complicated and has a lot of nuances. That’s why Ryabina published a series of “How it works” guides.
You might have missed our previous blog posts, “The Graph Network launch. How to delegate?” and “Graph Network. Fee Cut and Rewards Cut: How It Works.” In this article we describe the distribution of rewards to Delegators.
What you should know when delegate your GRT:
You pay a one-time fee equal 0,5% of all your stake for delegating and these tokens are burnt.
When delegating you get shares of Indexer’s pool. Quantity of shares received is determined by Delegation Exchange Rate, which is the ratio of the sum of total delegations and rewards to total delegations.
EXAMPLES. CASE 1. Ryabina was already delegated with 10 tokens and 0 reward is accumulated. Alice delegates 1 token. In this situation Delegation Exchange Rate = 1 and Alice gets 1 share. She has 1/11 of the Delegation pool. CASE 2. Ryabina was already delegated with 10 tokens and there is accumulated reward — 1 token. Alice delegates 1 token. In this situation Delegation Exchange Rate = 1.1 and Alice gets ~0.91 shares. She has 1/12 of the Delegation pool. Thus Alice can’t undelegate rewards share that was accumulated in the pool before she came.
Delegator can withdraw its shares from the pool by call Undelegate method any time, but all undelegated assets will be locked for 28 days. This period is equal to the max lifetime of allocation, because the delegator’s withdrawal decision must not have an impact on the indexing process.
How to calculate the amount you can withdraw from the pool:
Open the web-site https://graphiql-online.com/
enter the endpoint to get the data from The Graph Protocol https://gateway.network.thegraph.com/network
paste the following query:
{
delegator (id: “Your Delegator Address (Lock Contract Address) only in lower case”) {
id
stakes {
personalExchangeRate
shareAmount
indexer {
id
delegationExchangeRate
delegatorShares
delegatedTokens
delegatorParameterCooldown
lastDelegationParameterUpdate
}
}
}
}
As a result you get a list of all delegations of the account. Rewards are calculated separately for each stake based on a formula:
(delegatedTokens * shareAmount / delegatorShares) / 1000000000000000000
delegatedTokens — total quantity of tokens in the pool for the moment including all delegations and rewards
shareAmount — personal shares of Delegator
delegatorShares — total quantity of pool shares
The result should be the same as figures on https://network.thegraph.com/dashboard/ where you can compare it with the initial (previous) figure of your delegation. Remember that when delegating, you pay a one-time fee equal 0,5% of your stake.
There also can be find Indexer’s current exchange rate (delegationExchangeRate) and exchange rate of Delegator when entering the pool (personalExchangeRate.)
NB! Indexer can change its fee on delegator’s rewards (fee/rewards cut)!
Make sure that you delegate your assets to the reliable Indexer: it should be a well-known team that values its reputation and wouldn’t change fees unreasonably and unexpectedly or its Cooldown period is high and there is no technical way to change its parameters often.
Indexer’s Cooldown can be get from:
the query pointed above using the parameters delegatorParameterCooldown and lastDelegationParameterUpdate (both are measured in block quantity)
and (both are measured in block quantity) on the network.thegraph.com: remaining Cooldown is indicated in the delegation menu.
Ryabina indexer’s addresses:
1). graph-node-1-cp0x-hosted-by-ryabina.eth: 0xbb784d9b398271b7a64f975bebde869409691915
2). graph-node-1-cp0x-hosted-by-ryabina.eth: 0x8a1729fe84c53c231c7ae53a5bec3f6e9953cb4b
3). ryabina.eth: 0x9238584c74e5fa445a8f72a4d4ef4699dd783852
4). makingcash-hosted-by-ryabina.eth:
0x55f3dcdaf0b73f7f0c761a9070d8865f37986e2c
Sincerely yours, Ryabina🍒
If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact the Rybina team via Telegram or e-mail: [email protected] | https://medium.com/@ryabina/the-graph-protocol-how-to-calculate-your-rewards-for-delegation-654724936581 | [] | 2021-02-15 15:27:37.064000+00:00 | ['The Graph', 'Delegation', 'Guides And Tutorials', 'The Graph Protocol', 'Indexer'] |
Beneficial Advice on Bond Cleaning! | The most important chore at the end is bond cleaning. Although the tenant should contact experts to clean bond, if he’s confident and skilled enough, he can try his hand at bond cleaning. If the tenant isn’t satisfied with the cleaning, the landlord is not responsible for paying the bond money.
To protect your security, it is a good idea to hire Bond Cleaning Adelaide professionals.
We have some tips that we’ve tried and tested, even if the tenant is tight on cash. These are the best DIY bond cleaner tips according to professionals.
Bond cleaning is usually done at the end. However, flawless bond cleaning requires thorough cleaning. Too much cleaning too soon can lead to ineffective bond cleaning. Only the vacant house should be cleaned. A full house is not an ideal place for cleaning. It is best to start cleaning only after you have removed all your belongings. A cleaning checklist is a great way to reduce the chances of you missing any corner. You can also identify which areas need more attention and cleaning to ensure flawless cleaning. Once you have decided the time and prepared the checklist, it is time to get dirty and begin cleaning. Always start at the top, and be clear. You can clean up things such as ceiling dust, fan dirt, cobwebs and wall cleaning. Window cleaning should be done regularly. It is not easy, but it is very important. The landlord will always be more attentive to the cleaning of the bathrooms and kitchen. Professional carpet cleaners are recommended for DIY bond cleaning. Because they are experts in carpet cleaning and know which methods work best for dirty carpets.
Conclusion
Bond Cleaning Gold Coast can help you secure the bond amount as well as to prepare your house for inspection.
They are equipped with the most recent tools and equipment, and can provide desired results at a reasonable price. For any questions or queries regarding bond cleaning, contact the end-of-lease cleaning Gold Coast. | https://medium.com/@princegohil/beneficial-advice-on-bond-cleaning-f87c18b6505e | ['Prince Shrawan'] | 2021-11-26 08:20:27.660000+00:00 | ['Cleaning', 'End Of Lease Cleaning', 'Cleaners'] |
Rush Hour On the Avenue | Rush Hour On the Avenue
Photo by Matthew Fassnacht on Unsplash
Standing on the porch, across from the Blue Ribbon factory,
up on the Ave,
I am, free as a bird, watching the cars go by.
The rush hour crowd is put on pause, as it waits for the light at the corner to
change.
They seem so lonely,
But are trying to look unbothered.
One checks her make-up.
One is keeping his nose clean.
One turns, looks at me,
I look back, and wave.
Stanley, with the long blond hair,
from Jimmy’s hot dog stand down the block,
cruises up, he too is waiting for the light.
Car window open: “This is Wolfman Jack, and this is Hall and Oates,”
says the disc jockey on the radio.
Stan shifts gears,
and adds his vocals to “Sarah Smile,”
and heads off down the Ave.
I turn my head and look towards the Mountains
crowned in magenta, gold, and pale blue, sitting at the end of highway.
Then, a warm breeze caresses my cheek,
it’s a good day.
©Maryam Ismail | https://medium.com/illumination/rush-hour-on-the-avenue-61bd1efac8dd | ['Maryam Ismail'] | 2020-12-24 03:59:44.981000+00:00 | ['Humanity', 'Home', 'America', 'Stories And Culture', 'Poetry'] |
Don’t Pack the Supreme Court | The election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House has generated a vast enthusiasm among Democrats to “reform the system” with various proposals vying for attention of the incoming Administration. Tax reform, climate change, student debt, infrastructure, civil-police relations: there is a laundry list of progressive proposals that merit the limited scope for action[i] that Joe Biden will enjoy when he is inaugurated. There are few actions that provoke as much fervor as the suggestion that Biden expand the Supreme Court and add more progressive justices to the current bench.
Democrats were justifiably outraged by the unprecedented decision of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to ignore President Obama’s nomination of DC Appeal Judge Merrick Garland to replace Antonin Scalia in March 2016, as we saw in a previous article. Citing the fact that it was an election year, McConnell refused to schedule a hearing — something the Senate has never done in the history of the Senate. Not only did this leave Justice Scalia’s bench vacant for more than a year, until it was filled in April 2017 by Neil Gorsuch; it also prevented Ruth Bader Ginsberg from retiring during a Democratic Presidency. She was obliged to soldier on in the hopes of outlasting Donald Trump, which she ultimately proved unable to do.
When Justice Ginsberg died in October this year, Democrats appealed to Senator McConnell to apply “the same process, the same principle” he espoused during President Obama’s last year in office to wait until after the imminent election, less than a month away, before hearing any nomination to the vacant position. Appealing to Mitch McConnell’s principles is like the frog appealing to the scorpion. Not only did the Senate hold hearings on Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination, it approved her in near record time[ii].
Democrats thus feel that the Republicans are playing dirty pool and have swindled them out of not one but two Supreme Court seats; and the remediation they call for is an expanded Supreme Court. Republicans respond with outrage at the suggestion, though outrage comes cheap to the hypocritical McConnell and the Republican senators of the Judiciary Committee. Hence Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s comment of “nothing is off the table” regarding a possible expansion of the court[iii].
How reasonable is this suggestion to expand the court? Is it a threat to democracy and the Constitution, as Republicans are now claiming? Or is it a reasonable measure with historical precedent, as Democrats assert? In either case, it is likely to be politically toxic and ultimately self-defeating.
SCOTUS in 30 Seconds
The Supreme Court is established in article three of the US Constitution:
“The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services a Compensation which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.”
This article establishes the court but makes no mention of how many justices shall be appointed to it. Article I, Section 3, Clause 6 also mentions a “Chief Justice” presiding over the impeachment of the President, but nowhere else is the number of associated justices mentioned.
The number of justices on the Court has varied considerably over the years. The Judiciary Act of 1789 established a Chief Justice and five associate justices, who would also ride circuit to newly created federal courts in the different regions of the new nation. The number of justices was expanded to seven in 1807, nine in 1837, up to ten in 1863, back to seven in 1866, then back up to nine in 1869, where it has remained since. These early expansions of the court were largely tied to the expansions of the Federal circuit court system as the nation expanded westwards, though it would be wrong to think that there was ever some “mystical era” when politics did not play a predominant role in selecting who sat on the bench.
“Packing the court” is a derogatory term that was first applied to Franklin Roosevelt’s effort to increase the number of justices to overcome court opposition to elements of his New Deal. Roosevelt wasn’t the first President to try to circumvent the court by this tactic. In 1870, the Court heard a case[iv] that challenged the constitutionality of the Federal Government printing money as legal tender — a necessity to finance the recently ended Civil War. The Court found in favor of the plaintiff by 4–3, which is ironic considering that the Chief Justice — Samuel Chase — was the same man who as Treasury Secretary during the war had been the architect of the greenbacks plan. Hypocrisy is not a modern invention either. President Grant and the Republican Congress feared that this ruling would be very harmful to business and lead to a financial crash, so on the same day of the ruling, Congress expanded the number of Supreme Court seats by two and President Grant nominated two pro-greenback Republicans who were approved by acclamation. The Court heard two more paper money cases[v] and in 1871 found in favor of the government by a 5–4 margin.
Packing at its finest. But then again, Ulysses Grant is remembered as one of our worst Presidents.
Herein lies the danger of court packing proposals, they are such blatantly partisan maneuvers that even in an age of corruption and invective like the 1870’s, it seriously compromised the reputation of the Grant Administration. The modern Supreme Court, for all the claims of judicial overreach, has successfully positioned itself as the least partisan and most consistently popular of the three branches of government:
Americans of all political leanings are remarkably united in their respect for the court. Compare this with the approval ratings of the other two branches: the Executive oscillates between 45% and 55% while Congress rarely rises above an abysmal 25% approval. The thought that Congress is likely to come off well with the American public after picking a fight with the Supreme Court and packing is ludicrous; the party responsible for this action is likely committing political suicide in the next election.
Not even the GOP, for all its duplicity, suggested that it would pack the court when President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the high bench.
I am against the proposal to pack the courts. I believe that it will be damaging to the Democratic Party and the Biden Administration, guaranteeing them a significant loss in the mid-term elections of 2022. It would set a dangerous precedent and absolutely ensure that the Republicans would retaliate as soon as they won an election that gave them control of the Senate and White House. What do we do when we end up with 6,001 justices?
It would put us in the same ridiculous situation as the government of Hugo Chavez, who added 12 justices to the 20 already seated when Venezuela’s supreme court found against him once too often. He never lost a case thereafter. More recently, Poland’s Law and Order party attempted a “reverse packing” — instead of adding justices, it forced 27 out of the 120 justices into early retirement, replacing them with hand-picked cronies of the government[vi].
Alternatives to Packing
Although I’m not in favor of expanding the Supreme Court, I’m still convinced that critical reforms are needed to ensure that the Court continues to perform its function of an impartial body. Here are some of my preferred suggestions:
Pass a “qui tacit consentire[vii]” law. In the Merrick Garland case, the GOP hid behind some dodgy constitution logic to refuse to consider his nomination. Senator McConnell argued that Judge Garland could not take the bench without Senate approval, which is true; and that the Senate was under no obligation to consider his nomination, which is a great deal less clear. The Constitution states that “The President… shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint…Judges of the Supreme Court[viii]” which imposes a duty upon the Senate to consider the nominee and to either consent to the appoint or to reject it. Doing so in a timely manner is implicit in the intent of the Founders, to have an efficiently functioning executive.
A “consentire” law would oblige the Senate to consider any nominee — not just for the Court — within 90 days of their nomination and either approve or reject the nomination. Failure to act would imply tacit consent and allow the nominee to assume the office to which they had been nominated. Not only would this avoid a repetition of the Merrick Garland shenanigans with SCOTUS nominees, it would prevent the Senate from hindering the Executive by refusing to seat any Officers during a Presidency won by the other party. It would be very beneficial to the proper functioning of government far beyond the Supreme Court; Require nominees to fully answer questions relating to their Constitutional views. Recent years have seen the disturbing trend of nominees to the Supreme Court — and other high executive officials — refusing to answer questions posed to them by Congress acting in its legitimate, constitutional oversight and vetting role. While it is reasonable and proper that a nominee would refrain from commenting on how they would view any particular case, which could be later prejudicial to them hearing that case as a Justice, it should be obligatory for them to answer questions on their general interpretation and knowledge of the US Constitution, legal precedent and the role of the Supreme Court. Why else hold confirmation hearings at all? It becomes a purely partisan act if the Senate cannot judge whether the nominee is competent to sit on the court; Create a mechanism for automatic recusals. The Supreme Court is esteemed for providing a relatively neutral third branch to balance the partisan leanings of the other two, but this impartiality is dependent on the irreproachable ethics of the individual justices hearing cases. When those justices have, or appear to have, conflicts of interest they should be obligated to recuse themselves from the case. The potential for bias, conscious or unconscious, is much greater when there is a financial interest involved or when the justice has previously worked on a case that then lands in the Supreme Court. There have been numerous cases where potential conflicts were identified; in most of these the justice in question recused themselves, but not always[ix].
There should be a legal requirement for a Justice to recuse themselves on any case in which three or more of their colleagues cite a potential conflict of interest. There should be a procedure to temporarily assign another judge to fill the vacancy left by the recused judge — any sitting Federal judge or retired Supreme Court justice could be allowed to sit in on that case upon invitation of the President, but without Senate confirmation; Impose term limits. Supreme Court justices currently sit for life or until their retirement from the bench, though the Constitution does not outright state that this is a life-time appointment. “Shall hold their offices during Good Behaviour” has been inferred to mean that there is no other limitation except impeachable conduct on the term of a Justice, but it is fair to say that 20 or 30 years is a very long time to be at the pinnacle of any powerful position.
Numerous proposals exist to combine term limits with a regular rotation of justices that would take the variability out of the appointment process and — hopefully — allow for greater bipartisan cooperation on the sitting of judges. The proposal I like best would have a justice appointed for 18 years; with 9 serving justices, that implies that every 2 years one of them would retire. Even a one-term President would nominate two judges to the court and every session of Congress would approve one of those. This would tend to “reduce the cost” of each judicial appointment since the corresponding stakes would be lower: everyone would know that you’d have another shot at it within two years.
The scheme wouldn’t enter fully into operation for a generation if you grandfather in the currently serving justices: the last four appointed justices are all younger than 60. This fact might make it easier to gain the bipartisan support necessary to pass it. It would also provide these justices with a justification for retiring before failing health obliges them to, so that they don’t feel politically pressured to cling to the bench like barnacles.
The Supreme Court needs to be periodically updated to keep it relevant to an ever-changing society and responsive to the political demands of the times. Packing the court is still a terrible idea. It is not a reform, but a first step in making it irrelevant and despised, which would be harmful to our democracy and system of government. | https://medium.com/@fdbetancor/dont-pack-the-supreme-court-b0580bf76af5 | ['Fernando Betancor'] | 2020-11-19 17:55:27.068000+00:00 | ['Supreme Court', 'USA', 'SCOTUS'] |
My Beautiful Woman. Love Forever | credit artisticfilms on Pixabay
Love, tenderness, goodness of heart,
divine beauty, supreme beauty,
sweet thoughts of a better life,
my sweetheart, my beautiful love.
I dream so much, I love so much,
your sweet lips have landed,
kisses offered, kisses from hell,
have struck me with sincere love.
Your long hair delivered by the wind,
your azure eyes as charming,
your cries of love I can still hear,
pleasures sigh so overwhelmingly.
I love what you’ve done,
and I love what you do,
from this love, this paradise,
these few words reveal it more.
I dare not tell you, yet,
how this love has delighted me,
Sweetness so sweet, what sorrow me,
oh, my beautiful woman. | https://medium.com/poetry-under-cover/sincere-love-8824abbf61d5 | ['Ulrich Djowamon'] | 2019-07-01 13:27:57.629000+00:00 | ['Sex', 'Poetry', 'Relationships', 'Love', 'Passion'] |
How to Store and Fetch From DynamoDB With AWS Lambda | Create Handler Functions
In our handler.ts file, I’m going to create a function named respond that wraps the response that gets sent back to the client. This function takes two parameters:
The data we’re sending as a response. The HTTP response status code.
export const respond = (fulfillmentText: any, statusCode: number): any => {
return {
statusCode,
body: JSON.stringify(fulfillmentText),
headers: {
"Access-Control-Allow-Credentials": true,
"Access-Control-Allow-Origin": "*",
"Content-Type": "application/json"
}
};
};
Next, I’m going to create the two handlers that I defined as functions in the serverless.yml file.
These two functions call other functions that don’t exist yet, so let’s go ahead and create them. In your app directory, you can create another folder called dynamodb-actions , and in there create an index.ts file. In our index.ts file, we’re going to instantiate the DynamoDB DocumentClient object from the JavaScript AWS SDK.
const dynamoDB = new AWS.DynamoDB.DocumentClient();
There should be no need for you to install it on a project level since the Lambda environment ships with it. However, I would advise you to install the AWS SDK globally on your local machine for local development purposes.
The first function we will create is saveItemInDB , which will take the two relevant arguments required to create an item in our to-do-list table. We then create the parameters ( params ) for the DocumentClient’s put function by specifying the table name and the item we want to store in the table.
The second function we are going to create is getItemFromDB . We will use this function to retrieve an item from the to-do-list table by specifying the table name as well as the item ID as a key in the parameters ( params ) for the DocumentClient’s get function.
/** get a to-do item from the db table */
export function getItemFromDB(id: string) {
const params = {
TableName: "to-do-list",
Key: {
id
}
}; return dynamoDB
.get(params)
.promise()
.then(res => res.Item)
.catch(err => err);
} | https://medium.com/better-programming/store-fetch-from-dynamodb-with-aws-lambda-342d1785a5d0 | ['Lukonde Mwila'] | 2020-07-30 02:15:19.457000+00:00 | ['AWS', 'Programming', 'AWS Lambda', 'Dynamodb', 'Serverless'] |
DeSoto vs Spring | Texas High School Football Live Stream 12/26/2020 | DeSoto vs Spring | Texas High School Football Live Stream 12/26/2020
Watch Here Live: http://rizkihambali.sportfb.com/hsfootball.php
Eagles
9–1
Lions
9–0
The Spring (TX) varsity football team has a home playoff game vs. DeSoto (TX) on Saturday, December 26 @ 7p.
Game Details: McLane Stadium, Baylor University Waco, Texas
This game is a part of the “2020 Football State Championships — 2020 Football Conference 6A D1 “ tournament. | https://medium.com/@dewiadindafutri/desoto-vs-spring-texas-high-school-football-live-stream-12-26-2020-e5649ae354b5 | ['Dewi Adinda Futri'] | 2020-12-25 06:59:32.117000+00:00 | ['Spring Texas Real Estate', 'Texas', 'American Football', 'American History'] |
What is DevOps and how does Prism Digital implement DevOps into their work place and practices? | What is DevOps and how does Prism Digital implement DevOps into their work place and practices? Prism Digital Oct 22, 2020·6 min read
There are various camps in the industry, all with strong views on the topic. To weigh in on the debate we first need to explain what DevOps means.
History of DevOps
In the simplest of terms, DevOps brings together two formerly separate roles — Developers and Operations — i.e. those creating (or developing) the platform environments and those in charge of implementing its use. Evolving from the Agile methodology, which addressed the gaps in communication between end users and the software developers, DevOps is said to close that same gap between those developing software and the people who utilise it and implement it into real-world applications, to serve the end user.
Bringing together the two processes into one role and under one umbrella means reducing the timescale of projects, improving communication of need and process, and streamlining many of the processes in IT Development, and led to solutions such as Cloud, AWS, SaaS and IaaS becoming commonplace. The consistent theme for all of these acronyms is ‘service’ — and we know that DevOps specialists have great service in mind throughout the process of Development and creation of any new tech.
How do DevOps Leaders Describe DevOps?
DevOps pioneer, Patrick Debois refers to Dev and Ops in two ways:
1. DevOps: collaboration, optimization across the whole organisation. Even beyond IT (HR, Finance…) and company borders (Suppliers)
2. DevOps ‘lite’ : when people zoom in on ‘just’ dev and ops collaboration.
Debois states, “New names will survive only if they make sense. I have seen DevDesignOps, NoOps, FrontEndOps, and other variations. They are useful because it helps to create a new mindset or ideas. You must be aware that whenever a new idea or buzzword comes around, like DevSecOps or SRE, there’s value to it because it brings a new perspective to the table. It does not mean that DevOps as a term will exist forever. Some will say that what will survive is the delivery pipeline, and others will think broader. So, new terms will inspire new things to happen.”
Mandi Walls believes “DevOps is as much about culture as it is about tools”
Another legend Gene Kim states, “It’s really about enacting technology practices and architecture that help organizations create a very fast — or even continuous — product flow, from dev through testing through operations, all the way to deployment, while often increasing reliability, stability, and security.”
Jez Humble explains DevOps as “a cross-disciplinary community of practices dedicated to the study of building, evolving and operating rapidly-changing resilient systems at scale.”
John Willis, DevOps mastermind, puts it nicely: “…the establishment of this kind of culture within a company relies on five principles, based on the motto “Keep C.A.L.M.S. and carry on”. We agree and touch on this further on in the blog.
Our Brand New Commercial Products
In fact, our products are named after these DevOps legends above. You can take a look at our new products here.
Our product offerings are diverse and offer a wide range of services which cater to those clients who need a long-term all-encompassing service or for those who wish to have short term effective solutions.
Working with outstanding employers and the most skilled and experienced candidates, Prism Digital has always had a focus on implementing a DevOps culture throughout our client base, and we have the very latest DevOps candidates that are available. We are passionate about the ongoing and continuous improvements in technology, software, tools and processes which keep streamlining and improving the world of IT, both from the perspective of business and real-world interaction.
How We Can Help?
Positioning ourselves at the forefront of the implementation of DevOps culture means that we are always well positioned to pair the most experienced, skilled and passionate specialists into roles for our clients who will then benefit from a fast-moving, industry leading mentality and the latest developments in industry standards.
The CALMS Model is a conceptual framework used to assess a company’s readiness to adopt a DevOps process. CALMS stands for Culture, Automation, Lean, Measurement and Sharing. This is a good concept of the building blocks that facilitate organisations to embrace DevOps culture and practice and for DevOps Engineers to follow. We thought it would be a good idea to explore how Prism align to the CALMS model:
C — Culture: We are proud sponsors of two meet up groups (London DevOps & WinOps) and we organise WinOps Conf in collaboration with the DevOpsGroup — these all allow us to be constantly active in the community.
A — Automation: Using all the latest SaaS based tools such as Bullhorn CRM with its internal automation features and SourceBreaker AI
L — Lean: We pride ourselves on being a small boutique consultancy that can quickly adapt to our clients needs and the ever-changing market.
M — Measurement: Using Business Intelligence tools like Cube19 allows us to capture important data to ensure we are the best we can possibly be and this in turn helps us keep our clients up to date with progress.
S — Sharing: We share our own professional experiences via our corporate industry membership with the RDLC — which foundation is all about collaboration, tricks, preferred suppliers, open dialogue and knowledge sharing. Most recently we shared market insight on the hot topic of remote working and we’re looking forward to being able to socialise again with you like our End of Dry Jan party and Summer Parties.
Embracing DevOps — it's the way forward!
Though some in the industry are reluctant to embrace the DevOps methodologies, we recognise the importance and benefits of joined-up thinking and streamlining processes, which benefits the workers and the end users — and we implement this approach into our own delivery as well as the Consultancy support we offer to our Clients and Candidates.
DevOps engineers and specialist have a very strong understanding of the business, its goals and knowing where the pain points are. Knowledge of all these areas places them in the ideal position to make the teams work together effectively.
Like so many DevOps teams we also use the collaboration tool Trello. This tool allows us to manage projects but the main use is to keep track of the most up to date talented candidates.
Recruitment is far more than simply collecting CVs and booking interviews. Our process means truly understanding the goals, requirements and culture of our Client, and positioning the very best candidates into that environment, as well as consulting and offering development and growth opportunities to both sides. The success of recruitment depends on many factors, and we take great pride in maintaining a forward-thinking model with a big-picture mindset.
The culture of an organisation is a huge part of successful recruitment, and our own culture reflects the importance of this, with a caring, person-centric approach. We support our clients and the specialists we recruit, with ongoing development recommendations, conferences for our business community, and insight into the latest developments in IT, DevOps, Cloud and customer service across all departments. We are more than recruiters; we are Talent Partners.
Speak to our Talent Partner team today to learn more about the importance of DevOps in your organisation, how it could simplify and streamline your processes, save you time and money, and enable you to better meet your own client needs, as well as securing you the best, most skilled specialist to implement and complete that process.
Call me +44 203 800 1236 or email [email protected] now to find out more. | https://medium.com/@Prism_Digital/what-is-devops-and-how-does-prism-digital-implement-devops-into-their-work-place-and-practices-454e0dc7f231 | ['Prism Digital'] | 2020-10-27 11:32:08.404000+00:00 | ['Tech Recruiting', 'Best Practices', 'DevOps', 'Winops', 'Cloud Computing'] |
If Trump Costs the GOP the Senate. | If Trump Costs the GOP the Senate.
ERIN SCHAFF/THE NEW YORK TIMES/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES.
As I’ve discussed before, watching the way the Republican party changes after Donald Trump exits the White House will be interesting to say the least. With half of Republicans believing that Donald Trump will be inaugurated on January 20th, there’s no denying the impact Donald Trump had on the Republican party will continue to be a factor for a long time to come. The President’s hold on the party has become so intense, I would argue there’s at least a chance it could cost Republicans the looming Georgia Senate races, and thus control of the Senate.
At a recent rally in the State of Georgia, incumbent Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue were — unsurprisingly — met with cries of “fight for Trump”, and “stop the steal”. Naturally, that was just the tip of the iceberg, with Pro-Trump attorney L. Lin Wood going so far as to urge Georgia Republican voters to boycott the runoff election. Considering the fact that Donald Trump’s hold over the party only seems to intensify the closer we get to January 20th, I can’t help wondering how the party would respond if the President did in fact cost them control of the Senate.
At the end of the day, no matter how much Republican lawmakers might fear the wrath of the base, it is the donors and CEOs who have the final say. Should Donald Trump ultimately be responsible for costing the GOP their power in congress, it feels safe to assume that the Republican donor class would do everything in their power to ensure he does not run in 2024, and would be unsuccessful if he did. Not only that, every Republican lawmaker who was going along with and putting up with Trump’s antics will stop the moment they realize they have nothing left to gain from doing so. It would admittedly be surreal to watch people who stood back and allowed Trump to flourish toss him aside the moment they’ve decided he is no longer of use to them. Arguably even more interesting — I would argue — would be watching Trump’s response, and that of his base.
Having said all that, the most important figure in all of this would probably be Mitch McConnell.
At the end of the day, it will be Mitch McConnell who the donors rely on and trust to find an alternative to the monster they helped create and elevate. It will be McConnell who — the moment he hears Donald Trump plans on running again — will be calling Tom Cotton into his office, urging him to announce a run for the Presidency as well. McConnell will be the one responsible for orchestrating the party’s response to their most effective weapon that turned against them.
With signs of division between the donor class and the base only intensifying, the loss of these crucial senate seats could solidify that divide in the GOP for the foreseeable future. The thing is, how are we to know what’s going to emerge from that? Would it weaken the party forever, or allow the authoritarian nature to fester and emerge even stronger than before? Mitch McConnell is far too intelligent to outright reject the populist sentiment that Donald Trump fostered, and Trump would not dream of abandoning the donor class for his base. The Republican party undeniably knows how to achieve power and use it to their benefit, so it will be fascinating to say the least to see how these two factions within the party decide to deal with each other in the aftermath of this election. | https://medium.com/discourse/if-trump-costs-the-gop-the-senate-94c2e3bb679c | ['Lauren Elizabeth'] | 2020-12-08 04:22:55.289000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'Election 2020', 'Donald Trump', 'Government', 'Republican Party'] |
Here’s the One Tax Mistake You’re Probably Making (and How to Fix It) | Here’s the One Tax Mistake You’re Probably Making (and How to Fix It)
Do this and you’ll see more money in your next paycheck
(Image: Paramount Pictures)
Getting a huge tax refund check from the IRS feels good — real good. So good you might want to make like Chantalle here from “The Wolf of Wall Street” and just tape it all over yourself.
But if you’re expecting a big check this year, you’ve made a huge tax mistake. A big refund from the IRS in 2018 means your employer withheld way too much in income taxes from your paychecks in 2017.
Your paychecks could have been larger all year long. You could have put that money toward paying down high-interest credit card debt, or reducing your student loans. You could have even put a little bit extra in your 401(k) or Roth IRA.
But instead, you gave the federal government an interest-free loan. It’s a mistake most people make: The average tax refund in 2017 was nearly $2,800.
The good news is that even if you blew it last year, there’s plenty of time left to get your taxes straight for 2018. Here’s what you need to know to get your money right — and start seeing bigger paychecks.
The IRS can give you a quick (free!) tax checkup for 2018
The Internal Revenue Service has a great tool available on its website where, after answering a few questions about your taxes and job, you can find out your tax bill for 2018. It’s called the IRS Withholding Calculator, and it’s been recently updated to account for changes due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
You’ll want to have a recent pay stub handy so you can answer questions about how much you’re currently being paid, how much you put in your 401(k), and how much in tax is being withheld from each check. If you expect to file jointly or have a second job, you’ll need that extra pay stub as well.
You’ll also be asked questions about major tax credits you expect to claim (such as the Earned Income Tax Credit), and any other sources of income you may have (such as bank interest). A completed copy of your 2017 federal income taxes will come in real handy here.
(If you’re still putting that off, here’s how you can e-file your 2017 federal taxes for free.)
The IRS calculator will then tell you whether you’re overpaying or underpaying your taxes with every paycheck. It’ll also tell you the number of allowances you should claim for the rest of the year to get closest to paying your true tax bill.
Here’s how to increase your next paycheck
Once you know how many allowances to claim, your next step is to fill out a new Form W-4 and give it to your employer. You can download and print a W-4 (PDF file) from the IRS website here.
After filling out your name, address and social security number, you’ll write the number of allowances the IRS Withholding Calculator told you to take on Line 5. If you’re worried this might not be enough, you can use Line 6 to withhold additional money for taxes in any dollar amount you choose.
The sooner you do it, the sooner you’ll see a bigger paycheck. Just be sure to use that extra cash for something smart! | https://medium.com/finance-republic/heres-the-one-tax-mistake-you-re-probably-making-and-how-to-fix-it-2cf27096061b | ['Fox Van Allen'] | 2018-03-16 18:35:34.168000+00:00 | ['Taxes'] |
Wine Pairings for Any Impending Impeachment Scenario | Wine Pairings for Any Impending Impeachment Scenario
we’re going to need a LOT of bottles
The past few weeks have been a real rollercoaster for the White House! We began the month thinking Trump might be impeached for colluding with Russia, but now there’s literally endless permutations of impeachment opportunities! As the time nears, we must get serious:
Which wines are we going to drink as DJT has those sweet sweet articles of impeachment brought against him?
Below are pairings for a variety of scenarios.
Russian Collusion: Riesling
A light and aromatic white wine, Riesling has hints of pee tape blackmail, undocumented meetings with Russian leaders, and a slight air of millions and millions of dollars from foreign governments. Undoubtedly the perfect wine for a Russian collusion impeachment hearing.
Obstruction of Justice: Shiraz
The most likely possibility right now, the obstruction of justice route needs a tall, dark, and handsome wine like Shiraz! The flavor of Comey’s saucy memo is apparent in every sip, making each one more delicious than the last. Almost black in color, there will be an extra irony in enjoying this wine, given how much Trump hates black people.
Sharing Classified Information: Merlot
Merlot is made from thin-skinned grapes that are particularly sensitive to the environment, just like the liberal snowflakes attacking our Lord and Savior Donald Trump! It’ll be a great wine to pair with the possibility that really super serious information was just shared with very bad people who may now kill us.
Business Conflicts: Pinot Noir
Re-enact scenes from Sideways and take heart in the fact that American taxpayers are no longer serving the Trump family business!
Violating Anti-nepotism Laws: Chardonnay
Between Jared Kushner, Ivanka, and whatever the hell the other Trump kids are doing, DJT has managed to bring his whole family to the White House. (Except Tiffany. LOL Tiffany) The Justice Department has been A-OK with these appointments so far. Which is fair, because quite frankly, being able to get a job you’re wildly unqualified for because your rich dad got a job he was wildly unqualified for is the American Dream! But if they ever dig deeper into the legalities of it all, get the Chardonnay out watch the tears fall from Eric Trump’s weird face.
ALL OF THE ABOVE: Rosé
It’s not out of the question that all of the above lead to the impeachment of President Donald J. Trump, in which case we should all just have a good time! Stop worrying about impressing your friends, and drink the wine everyone knows is the most delicious but pretends not to like because it’s not cool. You’ve survived the worst presidency in American history, and you deserve this! | https://thebelladonnacomedy.com/wine-pairings-for-any-impending-impeachment-scenario-12c78a89a590 | ['Stephanie Ashe'] | 2017-05-23 22:19:34.490000+00:00 | ['Satire', 'Wine', 'Trump', 'Comedy', 'Politics'] |
Can We Be Free Of Suffering? | Question: Can we ever be free of suffering?
Response: I’ll answer your question by looking at a slightly different question.
Can we achieve world peace?
I think most people would have to answer no. It’s the practical, realistic answer. Why is that? Well peace is the opposite of (or compliment to) conflict. Can you imagine any point in time where there are living beings and there is no conflict? Each being, having unique and varying interests will invariably come in conflict with others. It will be over resources, love interests, property, right of way, or who gets that last piece of pie.
Even if everyone were enlightened, compassionate, selfless people, conflict would arise. World peace is practically impossible, because peace as a permanent condition is not possible.
Now let’s reflect on the original question in the light of the one on peace. Can we be free of suffering? From a Buddhist perspective, freedom from suffering requires a delicate balance. This balance supports the transcendence of suffering.
But we also must contend with impermanence. All balances are dynamic, and suffering and freedom from it is no exception. Even the great sages have ups and downs, good days, bad days, and so on. We are constantly traversing the stages of dependent arising, moving from suffering to cessation of suffering and back again.
We have to adopt the practical answer to the question. There is no end state of freedom from suffering. It is not a permanent condition. We will suffer on some days and other less so. Can we achieve freedom from suffering? Yes. Will we regress into suffering? Yes. Just like the weather in New England. If you don’t like it, wait 5 minutes.
If you enjoyed this post, please like and share.
Originally published at www.andrewfurst.net on November 2, 2015. | https://medium.com/mindfulness-and-meditation/can-we-be-free-of-suffering-81250d94e672 | ['Andrew Furst'] | 2015-11-22 22:29:14.544000+00:00 | ['Life', 'Self Improvement', 'Religion'] |
A 2020 Advent Liturgy | Photo by Dan Kiefer on Unsplash
Order of Service 12/13/2020
Welcome: Kyle
Music: Joel
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O come, o come
Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lowly exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice, rejoice
Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight
Rejoice, rejoice
Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high
And order all things far and nigh
To us the path of Knowledge show
And cause us in her ways to go
Rejoice, rejoice
Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel
In Christ Alone
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righeousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died
The love of God was magnified
The curse of sin on him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground his body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave he rose again
And as he stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am his and he is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from his hand
Till he returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand
Advent Candle Lighting Meditation
Candle Lighting Prayer
Here I Am To Worship
Light of the world, you stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with you
Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you’re my God
You’re altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
King of all days, oh so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly you came to the earth you created
All for love’s sake became poor
Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you’re my God
You’re altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me
Tag:
Rejoice, rejoice
Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel
Message: Kyle
Communion
Closing Song: God With Us
You’ve come to bring peace
To be love
To be nearer to us
You’ve come to bring life
To be light
To shine brighter in us
Oh Emmanuel
God with us
Our Deliverer
You are Savior
In Your presence we find our strength
Over everything
Our redemption
God with us
You are God with us
You’ve come to be hope
To this world
For Your honor and name
You’ve come to take sin
To bear shame
And to conquer the grave
Our Deliverer
You are Savior
In Your presence we find our strength
Over everything
Our redemption
God with us
You are God with us
Your glory is so beautiful
I fall onto my knees in awe
And the heartbeat of my life
Is to worship in your light
Your glory is so beautiful
Your glory is so beautiful
Benediction | https://medium.com/@joelherbert/a-2020-advent-liturgy-a2af8f46ed96 | ['Joel Michael Herbert'] | 2020-12-12 20:46:53.614000+00:00 | ['Liturgy', 'Worship', 'Advent', 'Emmanuel'] |
Deploying a Web App Using Heroku, Google Cloud & GitHub | Why These Tools?
GitHub: I wanted to keep my codes all on GitHub. I didn’t want to have multiple locations where I stored different projects for several reasons. One, it’s messy. I didn’t want to be switching between platforms to maintain my projects. Two, I have a terrible memory. If I don’t have things in one place, chances are I’ll just forget some things ever existed.
Google Cloud: That’s where I got my data. To build an application that requires little maintenance and remains up-to-date, I knew I needed something that allows me to query data from there as needed. Also, the data is massive! It’s enough to give pandas trouble just to load it, so it’s not practical to store the data on GitHub.
Heroku: I think I could have stuck with Google Cloud and used their App Engine. Maybe. I haven’t looked into it in-depth enough to tell for sure. It required me to put a credit card down, so I stopped. I’m not rich enough to comfortably let companies hold my credit card hostage just yet. Also, I have prior experience with deploying apps using GitHub & Heroku. Honestly, Heroku has a much more user-friendly interface than Google Cloud services to me. | https://towardsdatascience.com/deploying-a-web-app-using-heroku-google-cloud-github-1661379fb1b5 | ['Hien Vo'] | 2021-09-08 13:33:32.200000+00:00 | ['Google Cloud Platform', 'Deployment', 'Data Visualization', 'Tutorial', 'Heroku'] |
A designer’s road-map to win the heart of the engineer | Can I trust you?
Whichever the case, you need to build up trust that you know what you’re doing. If this seems daunting it’s because it is. For a couple of reasons: first, engineers have sometimes the feeling that they know everything, including design and user experience and while this might be true for some, it is, usually, not the case. There’s one thing to know how to put some HTML and CSS together and there’s a different thing to combine those harmoniously and help the user in his visit on the website. However, this will not stop some to argue with you over good practices “because I built once this website and ….”. Another aspect that I will elaborate later is the fear of the unknown. A developer whose skill set is in the back-end programming will likely not understand the implications of front-end work and will tend to be afraid of this kind of work up to the point of over-estimating it.
Another reason is because it’s expensive. It has gotten better with the rise and improvement of libraries but creating rich interfaces still requires quite some time. Because of this and because the engineers are expensive, companies prefer to focus more on bringing functionality to products in a more or less linear fashion rather than refining the existing ones based on feedback. Just for the fun of it, on the websites that you use, go and count how many feedback forms do you see.
There’s another aspect that it is your job to clarify: design does not equal user experience. Although my view might be wrong, I see design as the look of a website (colours, fonts, user interface elements) while user experience is much more subtle and refers to usability and usefulness. I haven’t studied this — because it wasn’t in the curriculum and probably still isn’t although it should be — so I had to learn about that during my career. But you can do better for your team. You can offer training and presentations so that you can speak the same language and refer to the terms as what they actually are and mean. Once you speak the same language with your coworkers and show how important these aspects are, your work just got easier.
Collaboration
The next step would be to involve people. The worst thing here is to lock yourself in a room and come up months later with specifications and/or a design without having talked with anyone about that. Your chances to succeed are directly proportional to the part of the company vision that you are able to incorporate in your design system (I will use this term on to include several aspects. There are many definitions out there, here’s a random one). Visit several departments to see how they understand the vision, what their goals are, what the intermediate steps are and always be up to date with the changes. Ask to be included in all relevant meetings that a company may have. Key here is also to actually understand what those products do and who are they intended for. I remember about a designer I worked with for a short amount of time (she got fired) that didn’t even know how to use the product let alone how to improve the user experience. You credibility will be greatly affected if you don’t know what you are supposed to improve.
One special mention here is the discussions (note the plural) you should have with the software engineers. As the software engineers are the people who will be impacted by your work the most, you should keep on your radar what they feel about the complexity of what you’re trying to do. The last thing you wish is to have an engineer say that what you want is too complex. This could be the case and should be mitigated but sometimes what happens is this: because the engineers are generally focused in their expertise they will use the “too complex” wildcard when they are too afraid. And it’s hard to argue with “too complex” because we don’t really have precise scales for simple and complex.
Let me try to explain this a bit more. At the beginning of my career I used to do only back-end development (that is, what happens behind a website). Slower and slower I embraced other parts of the systems and over the years I ended up programming everything a website is made of. So, I have both front-end (the website’s visible part) and back-end perspective. Now, many developers out there have focused mostly on one of these 2, so mostly or exclusively on front-end or back-end development. And each side things about the other one that is much more simple then it actually is. I used to do the same with the front-end work early on when I was doing mostly back-end programming. Each side tends to estimate the work on the other side rather high because they are not familiar with it and therefore afraid of the complexity involved. So, in your work you will have to balance this in your discussions. You will also have to balance the design systems to the skill set of the team you are working with. A team with enough front-end experience will be very welcoming towards your ideas while one without much experience will probably be afraid of what you want to do. It could also take them considerable more time to implement it which could derail road-maps and plans. If that’s the case then it is probably better to try to improve the skill set either by bringing new people or by training the existing ones.
Measure (paragraph so important that it gets its own heading)
This is a recurrent element but it is good to bring this early on to be able to gain trust and actually measure. There is nothing/nobody out there that can argue with hard data (of course there is but they are not being reasonable about that). Therefore start to measure early on. There’s a myriad of tools out there to help you do that. From page visits and interactions to heat-maps and A/B testing you are all covered. It is usually just a matter of money. The advantage of measuring the impact of your work is huge (and of course the converse is true). Not only it draws a professional approach but it helps you recognise wrong paths early on. If the numbers don’t move in one direction or the other there are 2 possible causes: you’re measuring wrong or the wrong thing (this is quite common actually) or the user interactions are not affected by those changes. When measuring especially in A/B testing, software engineers are required and this is another reason why you should explain your work and how it is important. I said that this is a recurrent element because you don’t measure once but rather continuously. The product managers and maybe sales and marketing will very likely be interested in those numbers as well so this a project you can do together. And if I would be to make a recommendation here: please do it together! The last thing a website needs is a tracking pixel for each department in a company to bring the performance down. Do find common ground, there is plenty.
Still collaboration but here you do more talking
Explaining things goes a long way. It is not a favour that you do to your colleagues but is rather in your job description. Here’s why: you do very specialised work. Not only there is likely nobody in your company doing similar things but what you do is in some ways if not pioneering work at least in its infancy. By this I mean that designing and especially user experience have not quite been but only on the biggest companies radars in the pre-smartphone era. The small and medium ones either didn’t have resources for these or they just didn’t bother since there wasn’t much of a competing edge here as most of them had a bad user experience so there was simply no incentive to improve. This has changed and improved but your work is still seen as too expensive and/or not important enough. Please convince me of the contrary but also explain me why I get frustrated on most of the websites I use? So, on one side your work is specialised and subtle and on the other side is expensive and not important enough. That’s why I believe you should do a lot of talking and explaining. Because this way of thinking is only preserving a bad user experience kind of software. When it comes to the talking you should also be prepared to defend your work and justify your decisions. Do not take this as somebody questioning your work or qualifications. That would be a terrible thing to think and also extremely false. People simply do not understand and you can’t blame us either as we are surrounded by bad user experience so how can we understand something that’s just not there? So instead try to educate the audience and the stakeholders about the importance of your work (don’t forget your measurement’s numbers, they do matter a lot).
So here a short recap until now: | https://medium.com/dev-genius/a-designers-road-map-to-win-the-heart-of-the-engineer-8a32c60558f9 | ['Constantin Dohotaru'] | 2020-06-12 08:05:00.208000+00:00 | ['Design', 'User Experience', 'Software Development'] |
Eat More Butts | At the episode-124 point in TCGS history, the show’s starting to transform into what will ultimately appear on Fusion and TruTV. Since its broadcast genesis, Gethard’s played the heart and anchor for a progressively complex, whirling multi-tier cake of sidekicks, characters, audience regulars, oft-costumed on-camera production staff, and callers with theme songs. It is (or was, until its cancellation slash creator pulled the plug earlier this year) a Byzantine sub-culture working itself into a semi-public frenzy each Wednesday night.
This thing that makes TCGS remarkable throughout its course is incredible, but it’s also about 65% too unwieldy for a public access show that — by this episode — has an eye on earning a slot on cable. And the development of a pilot by the creative team brings some polishing of the format into the live experience.
In episode 112 for instance, Murph begins opening the show, hyping the energy and introducing the regular cast for nascent viewers. Little touches like this can be difference makers in building the consistency needed for a big-time production. Ironically, the introduction of this new element also comes with Murph’s mic being turned off for the entire thing. J.D. Amato, TCGS’ director, writes in an overlay for this particular opening’s archived video, “I despise this and I will not stand for it. The road to immortality is not paved in mistakes. I would know.”
But by episode 124, Murph’s intro is running smoothly, complete with coordinated camera pan. Murph full-throats his way through the night’s cast: the greatest house band in the history of public access The LLC, internet liaison Bethany Hall, creature from the sea the Human Fish, random person no one knows but who will be featured on the show for the customary 15 weeks Random Sandy, of course Murph, jams-pumper Jeff Rosenstock, and your host Chris Gethard. The LLC flows into the show’s theme song, with the entire studio singing along.
Then. The audience begins chanting.
This happens sometimes. Usually it comes in refrains of “sandwich night” — in reference to the show’s annual punk-comedy Thanksgiving analogue. Tonight? “Eat more butts.”
“Eat more butts.”
“Eat more butts.”
Gethard dares the studio audience with a twirl of his finger and raise of his hands. The LLC lays in some backing rhythm. The crowd stands.
“Eat more butts.”
“Eat more butts.”
Five minutes in, it starts to feel like this might never end. Will it? Is this the episode? Was there ever a time these comedy geeks weren’t demanding I eat more butts? This is unusual.
There’s often an Andy Kaufman element to TCGS, an “is this real do i care if this is real maybe but probably not” sensation, especially as you’re learning the tells of the writers and cast. But this, I’m 65% sure, is not that … and in the very least, has sprouted obtuse goose wings and is flapping in wild rhythmic strokes out of whatever nest hatched it. And it’s already holding together better than Episode 95’s creator-devised, crowd-improvised hour-long song.
The Hour Long Song — Episode 95
“Enema.”
The chant shifts into a harmony-laden groove.
“Enema.”
What we’re seeing at this point, though, highlights one of TCGS’ other signatures, the loose format’s ability to run off the rails and just. keep. going. To fuck it up and do it live. The kind of thing that once broke down Bill O’Reilly is the thing that makes Chris Gethard’s wild contraption bleed.
On some scale grander than it should be taken, Amato’s joke was wrong: The immortality of TCGS is constructed with boundless mistakes. But Amato knows this: Even in its most processed state — the first season on Fusion, with the hour-long live format transformed to a 30-minute distillation of numerous hours of pre-recorded studio footage — the beauty of TCGS shines in its vulnerability and the glimmering insanity discovered by following it. The set in the Fusion era looks like a quarter-finished basement, with decor concepts started and aborted in favor of other half-baked ideas. (Minutes after the show returns to a live format, a guest takes a chainsaw to one wall of the set.) Mistakes and mayhem pave The Chris Gethard Show’s golden brick road. | https://medium.com/@mikemartens/eat-more-butts-5bd33d735641 | ['Mike Martens'] | 2019-04-20 20:42:36.684000+00:00 | ['The Chris Gethard Show', 'Chris Gethard', 'Punk Rock', 'Music', 'TV'] |
Alexandra Chalupa | Alexandra Chalupa
Here is a short post attempting to describe some small, yet significant details of the former Democratic National Committee (DNC) operative Alexandra Chalupa. She is the woman mentioned by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) last Wednesday in his opening statement before witnesses testified in open impeachment hearings.
By now most people who follow political theater have heard of the former DNC operative Alexandra Chalupa. Those who have not should become familiar with the woman who boasted about interfering in the 2016 presidential election.
The details are quite disturbing and the fact that most people have never heard of her is even more disturbing. It only reinforces President Trump’s criticism and mockery of our mainstream media outlets, also known as Fake News and the Enemy of the People.
For three years without a shred of evidence to support Trump/Russia collusion hysteria, our media was responsible for creating anxiety, fear, anger, and unrest by constantly reporting provably false information. Even now, after the Mueller Report concluded there was no evidence of Trump conspiring with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election, they continue to push this false narrative when possible, either by outright lying or omitting pertinent information.
Clearly, there was never any real interest in election interference. Had there been legitimate concern, the name Alexandra Chalupa would be well known around the country.
The fact is, there is real election interference to be found and a good place to start unraveling the origins begin with Chalupa along with many of her Clinton-connected colleagues who are also deeply embedded in the D.C. swamp.
Chalupa has received some mainstream attention, however it is mostly spin implying that she is simply a proud American citizen, human rights advocate and former DNC staffer who has been randomly targeted by Republicans in some made up effort to smear her for no good reason, when in actuality her role in the election interference has been overlooked and downplayed. | https://medium.com/@KayCee4TN/alexandra-chalupa-423626cb4fc1 | ['Kc Davis'] | 2019-11-20 12:01:01.795000+00:00 | ['Hillary Clinton'] |
All you need to know about deep sleep: 9 tips for better sleep | Why sleep is important?
We know that sleep is important for our health. Lack of sleep damage our health physically and mentally. Physically it affects our heart, blood pressure, immune system. Mentally it will lead us to mood swings, depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
What is deep sleep?
Our sleeping cycle affects our physical and mental health but only sleep doesn’t matter the quality of sleep matters. Quality of sleep is when you sleep at night and in the morning when you wake up you feel refreshed and energized it’s called deep sleep. Our sleep cycle contains five stages of sleep. 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th stage is called Non-REM sleep and 5th stage is called REM sleep and Deep sleep is the 3rd and 4th stage of non-rem sleep.
Why deep sleep is important? How much deep sleep do you need?
Deep Sleep plays an important role in our health. It’s a big problem if we don’t get deep sleep on a regular basis because it will affect us mentally or physically that’s why we need quality or deep sleep. And how much deep sleep do you need? Is depend on age, if you’re young and sleep 7 to 8 hours at night and then you need 1 to 2 hours deep sleep in this 7 to 8 hours sleep cycle and if you’re above 30 then you need half an hour to one-hour deep sleep in your sleep cycle.
Benefits of deep sleep
1-Our sleeping cycle affects our regular life. for example, if we don’t sleep one day we feel exhausted, weak so if you want to be active and energized you need deep sleep.
2- Deep sleep helps you to stay healthy physically. A good sleep cycle boosts your immune system, strengthen your heart, and reduce your stress.
3- Deep sleep helps you to stay healthy mentally it reduces stress, depression, makes your brain productive, and creative.
What causes lack of deep sleep?
1- If we work all day then it’s natural if we feel tired and exhausted and what do you do? When you feel exhausted or tired, you would like to sleep or rest but when you spent all day in bed or taking naps it reduced weakened your sleep drive.
2-If you don’t sleep properly maybe it’s because of sleep disorder. Some sleep disorders like PLMS or Sleep apnea create disruptions in your sleep cycle and the problems are the cause of lack of deep sleep.
3- Some types of medicines or drugs benzodiazepine, caffeine, and opioid medications are the causes of lack of deep sleep.
Facts and secret of sleep
You can sleep with open eyes
There is a condition called nocturnal lagophthalmos in which people sleep with their eyes open. In this situation, you can’t close your eyes completely when you sleep but according to research, it’s a common condition.
We can tell our body to not sleep
Do you know what animals do when they get tired and their body tells them to go to sleep then they have to sleep because animals can’t say no to their body because they have to walk around in the jungle but only human can tell their body and say no to sleep if they don’t want.
Cats love to sleep
So when we are talking about animals we can’t forget lovely and cute cats. Only cat lover knows that cat loves to sleep they can sleep anywhere and anytime. Cats spent their two-third life asleep.
Are you also a Sleepwalker?
We know some people who are sleepwalkers. Sleepwalk is a sleeping disorder known as parasomnia it’s an unusual condition in which people start walking in the mid of their sleeping cycle and the people who have parasomnia disorder are shy about their situation if you’re one of them won’t be shy contact your doctor if you have problems because you’re not the only one 15% population of the world are sleepwalkers.
Do you know television has made your dream colorful?
Let me tell you a secret if you were born in the 16th century most probably you could never experience colorful dreams because before television only 15% of the world population dream in color and 75% population dream in black and white color.
What is more important sleep or food?
It’s a difficult question but imagine yourself that what happens if you don’t eat for 3 to 4 days you’ll be weak, and hungry but what happens if you don’t sleep for 3 days? The answer is you can’t be able to do your regular work or maybe you’ll feel depressed and you can’t be able to think and that’s terrible. That’s why sleep is more important than food.
Exercise helps you to sleep or not?
Exercise helps you to sleep or not? The answer is exercise is good and healthy for you physically, mentally or for sleep, and yes it helps you to fall asleep but if you do exercise at the wrong time (before going to bed) it’s not going to helps you to sleep.
How to sleep better?
9 Tips for better sleep
Go to bed on time
The first tip for better sleep is going to bed at the same time, sleep the same time, and wake up in the morning same time on a regular basis even on the weekend this routine will help you to fall asleep regularly.
Exercise regularly
Regular exercise not only makes you healthy and strong but exercise also helps you to sleep better. It’s good If you’re a person who does exercise every day it helps you to sleep better but don’t do exercise before your sleeping time.
The right time for dinner
If you want better sleep then you have to take care of your digestive system. if your digestive system does not happy with you it will affect your sleep so don’t eat heavy meals at night eat your diner 1 to 2 hours before your bedtime.
Relaxed yourself
Stress is the main reason why people don’t sleep. There could be many reasons why you had stress but try to relax before bedtime even don’t think about how bad or good your day. Thinking about anything will only get you awake.
Stay away from technology
We live in an era where we used our smartphones not only in the daytime but also in the night time. And using mobile phones and laptops constantly not only harm your eyes and health but also the reason for lack of sleep. So turn off your laptops and smartphones an hour before your bedtime and just relax.
Caffeine
There is a stimulant named caffeine that is commonly used in coffee, tea and what caffeine does is reduced your tiredness and helps you to stay alert that’s why don’t drink coffee or tea before bedtime if you drink it will affect your sleep.
Alcohol helps you to sleep
Yes in the beginning alcohol may help you to sleep but it disturbs your sleep stage named REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and in this stage of the sleep cycle people dream that’s why don’t drink Alcohol before sleep its help you in beginning but the consequences are not good for your sleep cycle.
The habit of Sleeping Pills
Sleeping pills help people who have sleeping disorders or some problems but this help is not good if you make this your habit. Because pills are the short term solution for you to sleep so find the good and long term solution for your problems don’t take pills regularly.
How to Relaxed for better sleep
We know that a stressed free and relaxed mind and body is essential for your good sleep cycle but the question is how to relax for better sleep so these are the few proven tips for better sleep.
· Don’t think about your work, job, and problems before your bedtime.
· Watch all your TV-series and Movies two hours before your bedtime.
· After doing these two things turn off your bedroom light and lay down on your bed.
· Remember don’t think about bad things.
HOW TO HAVE A GOOD NIGHT WITH THESE PROBLEMS?
How to fall asleep if you can’t sleep?
How to fall asleep if you can’t sleep? So we have another question in this question why I can’t sleep at night like others? And the answer of this question is maybe it’s because of some minor problems like if you had already taken a nap of 1 to 2 hours before your bed time or you have pain in body etc. but if this problems happens regularly contact your doctor. These are the common disorder why people can’t sleep. Read and find out about these problems symptom’s and tips for asleep.
How to fall asleep with anxiety?
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a group of disorders in which some had stress, some had phobias, fears or they worried about their future or present.
Why you had Anxiety?
Maybe you had stress, or you’re depressed about something work load, family problems or someone death etc. trigger anxiety.
Tips for fallen asleep if you had Anxiety
· Exercise regularly.
· Do mediation its helps your mind to relaxed and stress free.
· Breathe deeply if you have panic attack at night.
· Talk to someone the main reason why people had stress, depression because they don’t tell others what they feel, their problems if you had family, friends trust them and talk to them about your condition.
· And the most important think follow these tips but also approach your doctor tell your condition there are many ways to treat Anxiety like through medication or psychotherapy.
How to fall asleep if you had insomnia?
What is insomnia?
Insomnia is a sleep disorder. People who had insomnia can’t sleep at night every day, and that’s the why they had other several problems like depression, anxiety, problems and pain in body.
Tips for Insomnia Disorder
· Try to make a sleeping scheduled and try to follow it on weekend to because if you had insomnia falling asleep every night is problematic for you and this scheduled will helps your body to follow a sleeping routine.
· Insomnia is a disorder in which you have other disorder like stress, anxiety and that’s the another problems so what you have to do is try to make your environment sleeping friendly turn off your room lights, turn off smartphones, and alarms.
· As I already mention other mental disorders like stress, anxiety comes with insomnia so try to make yourself happy, stress free, relaxed your body and mind before bed time.
How to fall asleep if you are scared?
How to fall asleep if you’re scared of something? The answer is if you can’t sleep because of darkness you had fear, you can’t sleep after watching a horror movie, or you can’t sleep after attending a funeral its means you’re scared and it’s common problems and happens to everyone because we all had feared.
Tips for Fallen asleep if you’re scared
· Try to relaxed yourself.
· Tell yourself you are safe.
· Distract yourself with other things like if you can’t sleep after attending someone funeral then try to distract yourself if you have other people in your homes talk to them, do something that makes you happy and think about other things.
How to fall asleep in 10 seconds?
Problems in falling asleep then try this famous method of fall asleep in 10 seconds. In this method, if you do the right procedure then you’ll fall asleep 10 seconds after completing this method. It’s a famous military method that comes from Sharon Ackerman’s book name Relax and Win: Championship Performance. This method needs practice but it’s worked.
Procedure
1. First step is lay down on bed and Relax your face even the under mouth muscles.
2. Second step is drop you shoulder and release tension.
3. Third step is Relax your legs, claves and thighs.
4. Fourth step is don’t think about bad memories imagine a relaxing scene.
5. If you can’t imagine this tell yourself “don’t think” for 10 seconds.
6. Now you will fall asleep in 10 seconds.
It’s a famous military there are some scientific evidence that show that this method work According to writer this method US NAVY PRE FIGHT school pilots. | https://medium.com/@mariamkhan2001/all-you-need-to-know-about-deep-sleep-9-tips-for-better-sleep-f061762f18d3 | ['Mariam Azeem Khan'] | 2020-12-25 23:38:50.452000+00:00 | ['Insomnia', 'Sleep', 'Insomnia Treatment', 'Sleep Disorders', 'Deep Sleep'] |
I think it’s funny | I think it’s funny,
That you think you’re strong.
It blows my mind,
You don’t realize you’re wrong.
I gave it my all,
And you shut me down.
Ditching all my calls,
Not a single frown.
I think it’s funny,
I thought you were mature.
I mean for a guy who’s almost thirty,
Goddamn my judgement was so poor.
You can’t manage time,
Can’t cook or clean.
And even asking’s a crime,
It’s like you’re still a fucking teen.
I think it’s funny,
I thought you really cared.
But in the end you left me stranded,
And I stood woefully unprepared.
You can’t look back,
You broke that bridge.
The night you didn’t fireback.
And babe it’s not funny,
The way I waited.
For the guy I loved,
And that love stays unrequited. | https://medium.com/@shejshahriar/i-think-its-funny-5c3a6d173284 | [] | 2020-12-20 08:12:42.173000+00:00 | ['Relationships', 'Heartbreak', 'Breakup', 'Dating', 'Love'] |
Creating space in Ottawa to empower underrepresented professionals in tech to kickstart their speaking careers | Why here, why now
By empowering diverse people to succeed, this speaker bootcamp launches the first in a series of positive ripple effects that extend beyond office spaces and conference stages, to build a future that is more inclusive.
Take, for example, the oft-cited challenge of ensuring diversity on panels, fireside chats, workshops and more. When we grow accustomed to seeing only one type of person represented as a “leader,” it becomes harder to imagine those who look different in the same position. It also becomes easier to make assumptions — and excuses — about how much of an effort it would take to invite diverse people to, for example, speak at a conference.
That’s why Women and Color’s Speaker Bootcamp is so refreshing. It provides subject matter experts from underrepresented groups with the opportunity to learn how to take up space where it isn’t already offered to them, gaining the confidence and skills to become the protagonists of their own stories. The greater the opportunity for people with diverse experiences and perspectives to connect — where both are respected and neither are engaged to simply tick a box — the greater our impact and potential to solve the challenges faced by our businesses, societies and the world. | https://medium.com/@womenandcolor/creating-space-in-ottawa-to-empower-underrepresented-professionals-in-tech-to-kickstart-their-b04260916d28 | ['Women'] | 2020-04-04 21:17:25.760000+00:00 | ['Public Speaking', 'Professional Development', 'Diversity In Tech'] |
From Academic to Data Scientist in Under a Year: Part I | Step 1: Build a solid mathematical foundation. If you’re in academia, there’s a good chance you’ve already had a stats course or two. Because my Ph.D. was in experimental psychology, I had a number of stats courses under my belt. If you don’t, though, I’d recommend taking the Statistics & Probability course through Khan Academy. You’ll also find at least one linear algebra course immensely helpful.
Cost: Free
Step 2: Learn Python. If you’ve never worked with any programming languages before, you’re going to want to do at least one general introduction to Python. I used Code Academy. Don’t get discouraged during this step. I’ve had friends tell me they gave up trying to learn to code because they could never figure out what they were doing wrong. In my experience, at least 80% of writing code is figuring out what you’re doing wrong. Most people who love coding enjoy the problem-solving process. You’re in academia, so I’m going to assume you do, too. If you don’t, then you will likely not only hate coding, but data science generally. I’d recommend a different career track.
Cost: $39.99/month
Step 3: Make a Github. I wish I’d had someone to tell me to do this early. During Step 4, you are going to be doing a lot of data science projects. Learn from my mistake: put them in a Github repo, comment your code, add READMEs that explain your projects, and just generally make sure they’re neat enough that you’d feel good about showing them to a prospective employer. This is going to be your portfolio.
Cost: Free
Step 4: Science that data. I’m about to write a short love letter to Dataquest.io. I promise they have not paid me to do this, and, in fact, have no idea I exist (maybe once this article is published). Dataquest is where I spent the majority of my time learning data science. It has a pretty comprehensive curriculum that covers SQL, Git & version control, and command line. They also review stats, probability, and linear algebra, in addition to teaching Python for data science. They make you learn to do many of the popular machine learning algorithms by hand before ever using libraries, and that was immensely helpful for getting a deeper understanding (which came in handy in the interview process during tech screens). If you do the full Data Scientist in Python track, you will end up with at least 20 complete data science projects in your Github.
Cost: $49/month
Step 5: Demonstrate your understanding. For this last step, you’re going to want to get your hands on some real data. Reach out to non-profits and small businesses in your area and offer your services as a data scientist free of charge. Most of these organizations do not realize they have useful data or understand what can be done with it, so you might need to hold their hands a bit and explain what counts as data and how you can use it. I’d also look at Data is Plural’s archives for interesting datasets and try to come up with a project from those. Avoid Kaggle, because the datasets there are clean and overused. Working with a couple of datasets outside of the ones Dataquest provides will both look better in your portfolio and help you learn to troubleshoot on your own. If you haven’t discovered Stack Overflow by this point in your journey (how is that possible?), you will need it here (and for the rest of your career). A word of caution: if you end up working with a non-profit or small business, make sure you ask them what info they’re comfortable with you including in your portfolio. They may ask you to keep some data private.
Cost: Who knows? Maybe your local small business will throw you a few bucks!
Some notes on workflow and methodology: I did not have a job, so I was able to devote myself full time to learning data science (meaning I spent at least 40 hours per week on my courses and projects). However, I also did not start until mid-April, and I was finished with my coursework by the end of October, so even if you devote half as much time per week as I did (for example, 2 hours a day on weekdays and 5 hours each on Saturday and Sunday) you should be able to complete everything in a year. I worked in sprints of 55 minutes with a 15-min break in between each one. This may seem like a long break, but when you’re learning something new and complicated, your brain needs a lot of rest time to really digest. Better to take breaks, and learn efficiently during sprints, than bang your head against the wall of a steep learning curve. That said, when doing projects, I would frequently get in the flow and completely lose track of time, and I think it can be helpful to ride that wave while you can. Just check in with yourself and make sure you take breaks when you are finding the troubleshooting process to be more difficult than usual. | https://towardsdatascience.com/from-academic-to-data-scientist-in-under-a-year-part-i-3c118627d44e | ['Anna H. Casey'] | 2020-12-18 14:16:25.966000+00:00 | ['Academia', 'How To', 'Data Science', 'Learning', 'Python'] |
Amal Totkay | Amal Academy has taught us five life-changing totkays that are essentially home-made solutions to our everyday problems. By following them, we will make amazing things happen in life.
Self Talk:
Self-talk is something that we do spontaneously during our waking hours. People are becoming more conscious that positive self-talk is a powerful tool to improve self-confidence and minimize negative emotions.
It’s really important to have clarity about stuff to talk to yourself. It helps us to see our week and the power of our points. It makes us accountable and frees us from any kind of judgment.
Get out of Comfort Zone:
It’s really important to have clarity about stuff to talk to yourself. It helps us to see our week and the power of our points. It makes us accountable and frees us from any kind of judgment.
Create New Habits:
Identify something you’re already doing and make a small, easily palatable change you can commit to that pushes you toward your target. When you’re happy with the switch, make another minor change before you actually get to the routine you want to make.
Adopting new habits every day that help us follow our aim is a vital part of a healthy life. Shift is only possible if we adopt these new behaviors.
Ask People for Help:
It’s hard for us to start something new, but if we’re going to make a team, or if we need support from others, we can ask for it. We should make things happen in that way.
Fake it till you Make it:
It’s like a rule of attraction, if I have a dream of being somebody, then I have to act like that. By adopting the day-to-day behaviors of people I like, it will help me to become like that person.
Reflections:
How did they find the 5 tips?
Well, I found these tips incredibly helpful, and if I look at them closely, these are some of the points that the fellowship has been presenting from the outset. In addition, I think that a number of people have implicitly or specifically discussed these points to me during my education.
Takeaways?
Stepping out of our comfort zone is important because it will let us live life at its fullest. It will help you mature and grow as an individual.
Favorite tips:
The favorite tip that allows me to make it appreciable is to get out of my comfort zone. At the same time, it’s the toughest thing for me.
Growth mindset
The journey of cultivating a growth mentality is a daunting one with a few patches of rugged landscape, but the only way to get through is through hard work.
Started implementing already:
By adopting all of these, I can build my GrowthMindSet. By having a development attitude, thinking out of the box and doing something creative. | https://medium.com/@iqra-sattar167/amal-totkay-9a1cec5cae6e | ['Iqra Sattar'] | 2020-12-25 09:20:54.570000+00:00 | ['Amal Totkay', 'Reflections'] |
OWASP ZAP | Automated Pen Test with Jenkins | Assumption here — we have good understanding of following tool / terminologies.
OWASP ZAP (Pen Test Tool)
* The OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) is one of the world’s most popular free security tools. * It can help you automatically find security vulnerabilities in your web applications while you are developing and testing your applications.
Jenkins (Continuous Integration Tool)
* Jenkins is a self-contained, open source automation server which can be used to automate all sorts of tasks related to building, testing, and delivering or deploying software.
Purpose / Objective / Problem Statement:
Run OWASP Zed Attack Proxy(ZAP) with Jenkins to automate the Security testing for an application. We are going to see implementation on below site:
AUT: http://newtours.demoaut.com/mercurywelcome.php
High Level Process Flow:
OWASP ZAP | Automated Pen Test with Jenkins | Process Flow
A) Create a new Jenkins job:
* Click New Item and create a new Job as Freestyle Project. Click OK
* Click Save without making any configuration changes for the Job.
Create a new Jenkins job
* Click Build Now to create a workspace on the master machine
B) Install “OWASP ZAP” Tool:
We need to have OWASP ZAP tool installed on Jenkins machine. There are two ways to get this done:
Installed Manually
Download from Official website where Jenkins node is running.
Go to Manage Jenkins -> Configure System and Select Environment variable checkbox under Global Properties. Click Add
Enter the name as ZAPROXY_HOME and give the value as ZAP installed path. In this example, it would be the path /opt/zaproxy. Save the changes.
Installed Automatically through Jenkins
Under Manage Jenkins -> Global Tool Configuration, click on Custom Tool installation. Under Custom tool Section; provide OWASP ZAP tar (.exe in case of windows OS) downloadable link and the directory name. Note:
1) If you don't have the Custom Tool Installation option, you need to download a plugin called “Custom Tool Installation”
2) Actual download will happen once we build job.
Will use this config in Section "D) Configure Jenkins job:" below
C) Install “Official OWASP ZAP” Plugin:
To integrate ZAP with Jenkins, you need to install “Official OWASP ZAP” plugin. You can get that under Manage Jenkins -> Manage Plugins.
Download ZAP plugin
C-1) Configure “Official OWASP ZAP” Plugin:
you’ll need to configure two essential things; namely ZAP host and port. Go to Manage Jenkins -> Configure System and fill the ZAP HOST and Port field under ZAP section
Port 5555 is an example, you can choose the port you want here
D) Configure Jenkins job:
Click Configure | Select Build Environment. Check the Install Custom Tools option, and select the ZAP tool.
Installed ZAP Automatically through Jenkins
Add the Execute ZAP build step
Select Build Tab under project configurations | Click Add build step | Select Execute ZAP
E) Configure “Execute ZAP” Step:
E-1 ) Mentioned “Installation Method”
If Installed Manually:
If you already had ZAP, select the “System Installed: ZAP Installation Directory” option, and let the environment variable input remain default.
Specify the ZAP installed path for the environment variable (ZAPROXY_HOME).
If Installed Manually
If Installed Automatically:
If you don’t have ZAP, select the “Custom Tool Installation” option, and let the environment variable input remain default.
If Installed Automatically
E-2 ) Set “ZAP Home Directory” section
Should be the path to the directory of the Jenkins job you are creating
E-3 ) Configure “Session Management/Properties” section
You would need to create Persist session in ZAP under Session Management section. You’ll need to provide application name and URL under Session Properties Options.
Session Management
E-4) Configure “Attack Mode” section
Under the Attack Mode section of the build tab, enter the URL in Starting Point field for spidering the application, and select Spider scan option. Let the rest under this section remain default. Enable Active Scan checkbox and select thePolicy from the dropdown list.
NOTE: If you don’t have any options in the dropdown list, which will be the case if it’s your first time running ZAP, it will consider the Default Policy for the active scan.
Configuring the scan policies per your testing requirements
E-5) Configure “Generate Report” section
Tick Generate Report check box and provide all information to generate report in HTML and XML Format. You need to give a unique filename for every iteration of scans.
EX:
ENKINS_ZAP_VULNERABILITY_REPORT_${BUILD_ID} JENKINS_ZAP_VULNERABILITY_REPORT_ : This is a constant prefix ${BUILD_ID} : This is the Jenkins Environment variable, which is always unique for on the current build.
Generating reports
F) Configure “Post-build Actions” Step:
Add a Publish HTML reports post-build step
G) Build Job
Click on Save and Click Build Now. Once build is completed, you can view the HTML Report on Job Dashboard and other archived files from workspace.
Conclusion:
Achieved OWASP Zed Attack Proxy(ZAP) with Jenkins to automate the Security testing for an application.
Is that over? Well, In my next blog, we will see -
How to execute Active Attack on saved OWASP ZAP session (i.e Session management > Load Session).
How to handle user authentication
Stay tuned!!!
References:
[1] https://wiki.jenkins-ci.org/display/JENKINS/Custom+Tools+Plugin
[2] https://wiki.jenkins-ci.org/display/JENKINS/ZAProxy+Plugin
[3] https://github.com/zaproxy/zap-core-help/wiki/HelpStartConceptsPscan | https://medium.com/@priyank-it/owasp-zap-automated-pen-test-with-jenkins-e4f155a33f6f | ['Priyank Shah'] | 2019-04-12 15:41:22.004000+00:00 | ['Continuous Integration', 'Owaspzap', 'Pentest', 'Security Testing', 'Jenkins'] |
I wish I had been there , Selma | I wish I had been there , Selma
Photo compliments of wayfair Christmas flags.
What if I had?
Was there a light bright
And shining?
Was His glow spread to heal?
Would I kneel?
Was He safe, one would think so.
Ask Herod,
Rumor had it , three Kings repeated , that He be treated to early dismissal .
As mean as that man Herod was he included all boy babies early demise
What a surprise, or was it?
No, had I been there, I’d take action. | https://medium.com/@susanchristiana/i-wish-i-had-been-there-selma-d2a9a6780e24 | ['Susan Christiana'] | 2020-12-26 11:26:56.591000+00:00 | ['Hope', 'Nativity', 'Christmas'] |
Representative Eskamani’s Draft Debate Remarks in Opposition to SB404 | Members — many of you know might know that I worked at Planned Parenthood before I ran for office and served alongside you in the Florida House.
My Planned Parenthood story, like that of many, began as a patient. I grew up in Orlando, went to Orange County Public Schools and lost my Mom to cancer when I was 13 years old. My period hadn’t even started yet, let alone conversations with my Mom about dating, healthy relationships, or healthy decision making.
I would find myself in a dark cold auditorium at age 16 — in my high school — learning that sex before marriage was committing a sin and was provided with myths about contraception and STI transmissions.
I left that space feeling angry, frustrated, and shamed. I wasn’t sexually active yet, but I knew one day I would be, and I knew at that moment I wasn’t ready to become a parent either.
Lucky for me, I found a local Planned Parenthood health center and when I was 18 with a car and with a more flexible class schedule I made my way into a health center, met with incredible staff who treated me with love and respect, and began a method of contraception that was right for me. I started volunteering at Planned Parenthood as a health center escort, walking patients into the health center when there were protesters outside, and would work there for about seven years rising to become a Senior Director.
In my years at Planned Parenthood I have had the honor of working alongside some the most compassionate people you will meet and that includes the parents of young people who came to gain access to contraception, and yes — an abortion. I mentioned yesterday that I became a notary years ago to help verify documentation and identities of parents and guardians.
With all of that said, I think it’s important to lay out some facts on abortion and abortion for young people.
1. Abortion access is highly regulated in the State of Florida — there are very specific rules to follow in Florida law — including rules around parental notification — required licensing and AHCA has the power to make announced inspections. Florida us an ultrasound requirement, documentation that must be presented to them created by the State of Florida, and we also have a viability ban.
2. Abortion access — when legally accessible — is incredibly safe. Abortions in the United States are safe and have few complications, according to a landmark new study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
3. Researchers found that about 90 percent of all abortions happen in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. And complications for all abortions are “rare,” the report says. But the report did find that state laws and regulations can interfere with safe abortions.
4. Only one percent of women have an abortion following 20 weeks, and it’s often due to rare and tragic circumstances. Florida has a viability ban — and there are no elective third trimester abortion services happening in Florida. Period.
5. Based on this landmark research, it is found that “Abortion is safer when it’s performed earlier in gestation,” Lawrence says. “And so delaying and making people wait and go through hoops of unnecessary, extra procedures does not improve the safety. And actually by having them delay can actually worsen the safety.”
6. Now that might not deter you if you are morally opposed to abortion access for others, but maybe this next fact will: Abortion rates are on the decline, The U.S. abortion rate dropped to 13.5 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 in 2017, the lowest rate recorded since abortion was legalized in 1973 and an 8% decline from 2014, according to a new Guttmacher report. Birthrates declined in almost all states during this period, indicating that fewer people became pregnant, not that more individuals chose or were made to give birth rather than have an abortion — this emphasizes the importance of contraception in reducing the rate of abortion.
7. Keep in mind that in Florida and in states across the country, States largely affirm young people’s ability to consent to other reproductive health services, such as contraceptive services, c-sections, prenatal care, and testing and treatment for STIs. The notable exception is abortion care, a fact that undermines arguments for the necessity of forced parental involvement.
8. The leading health care professional organizations — the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and others — oppose these types of bills as they are dangerous to minors, particularly at-risk youth.
9. As of December 2016, minors account for 4% of abortion procedures — 2/3 minors already involve their parents, those who don’t (30%) fear physical harm or abuse if they involve a parent.
Let’s hear some of those stories now:
In 2008, Florida Judge Raul Palomino Jr. urged a 17-year-old to think of how distressed her Catholic parents would be if they discovered her secret abortion. In a 2006 Florida case, a girl testified she wasn’t financially or emotionally equipped to raise a child — a claim, the judge ruled, that proved she wasn’t mature enough to choose abortion. Three judges denied petitions because becoming pregnant by accident indicated a young woman was too immature to choose abortion.
In a previous paper, the researchers interviewed 20 adolescents who had undergone judicial bypass and reported that they found it “intimidating” and “scary” and encountered judges and guardians-ad-litem who preached to them and shamed them. This process can be embarrassing, and research also shows humiliation makes people lose trust in others and that stigma against abortion causes psychological distress in women who have them.
In some ways these girls were lucky to have made it to court at all. They had to get out of school, and in some cases to another town, for the hearing (and the procedure itself). They had to keep the whole process a secret
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT HURTS YOUNG PEOPLE
Parental involvement mandates are a dangerous erosion of reproductive rights and purposefully target populations who may be least equipped to fight back. Mandates deny young people’s right to bodily autonomy, may force a young person to face an abusive parent, and ignore relationships with trusted adults other than parents or legal guardians. These laws disproportionately impact young people of color, who are more likely to experience unintended pregnancy, as well as immigrants, who may lack government-issued identification or fear immigration enforcement against themselves or their family.
To improve access to abortion care for young people in Florida, courts must provide clear, consistent, accurate, and unbiased information about the judicial waiver process.
If/When/Now Report — examined court preparedness in Florida as it pertains to providing information by phone concerning young people’s abortion access; researchers found that of Florida’s 67 counties, 11 (16%) were classified as prepared or knowledgeable about the process. Four counties count not even be reached, with over 30 counties noted as unprepared.
TO CLOSE
We have been down this path before — — We have been down this path before. In 1988, the legislature passed a parental consent statute that was struck down as unconstitutional. Recognizing the robust privacy interest guaranteed by the Florida Constitution, the Florida Supreme Court struck down the parental consent requirement. In re T.W., 551 So. 2d 1186 1195 (Fla. 1989). The legislature should not be wasting taxpayer dollars attempting to pass bills that have already been struck down as unconstitutional.
Right now, in Florida if a minor wants to become a parent, they need no parental notification or consent — but if they choose to end their pregnancy, they do. It makes no sense that we trust a minor to be mature enough to become a parent, but we don’t trust them to say they are not ready to become a parent.
Senate Bill 404 is not about parental knowledge or advice or conversations or guidance — it is about politicians creating a system where minors will be forced to have children against their will.
I hope one day I will raise my mic up in this chamber to support prevention programs — not in opposition to politically motivated restrictions designed to ultimately ban abortion statewide. Thank you Members, and Speaker.
ADDITIONAL LINKS
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/03/16/593447727/landmark-report-concludes-abortion-is-safe
https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2019/us-abortion-rate-continues-decline-reaching-historic-low-2017 | https://medium.com/@annaveskamani/representative-eskamanis-draft-debate-remarks-in-opposition-to-sb404-c4b6c13296d1 | ['Anna V. Eskamani'] | 2020-02-20 22:02:07.978000+00:00 | ['Abortion', 'Reproductive Rights', 'Florida', 'Reproductive Health', 'Womens Health'] |
ETL Pipeline using Spark SQL | In this tutorial we will create an ETL Pipeline to read data from a CSV file, transform it and then load it to a relational database (postgresql in our case) and also to JSON file format. we will show you how simple it is to read and write data from different sources using sprak DataFrameReader and DataFrameWriter.
Here are the steps that we are going to follow during this tutorial :
Load the datasets ( csv) into Apache Spark
Analyze the data with Spark SQL
Transform the data into JSON format and save it to database
Query and load the data back into Spark
Spark ETL Pipeline
Dataset description :
Since 2013, Open Payments is a federal program that collects information about the payments drug and device companies make to physicians and teaching hospitals for things like travel, research, gifts, speaking fees, and meals.
File : OP_DTL_GNRL_PGYR2018_P06282019.csv:
This file contains the data set of General Payments reported for the 2018 program year. General Payments are defined as payments or other transfers of value made to a covered recipient (physician or teaching hospital) that are not made in connection with a research agreement or research protocol.
File header :
$ head -1 OP_DTL_GNRL_PGYR2018_P06282019.csv Change_Type,Covered_Recipient_Type,Teaching_Hospital_CCN,Teaching_Hospital_ID,Teaching_Hospital_Name,Physician_Profile_ID,Physician_First_Name,Physician_Middle_Name,Physician_Last_Name,,
{..}
,Indicate_Drug_or_Biological_or_Device_or_Medical_Supply_5,Product_Category_or_Therapeutic_Area_5,Name_of_Drug_or_Biological_or_Device_or_Medical_Supply_5,Associated_Drug_or_Biological_NDC_5,Program_Year,Payment_Publication_Date
First Line :
"NEW","Covered Recipient Physician",,,,"258145","HOWARD",,"SADINSKY",,"321 BOSTON POST RD",,"MILFORD","CT","06460-2574","United States",,,"Doctor of Osteopathy","Allopathic & Osteopathic Physicians|Pediatrics","CT",,,,,"Mission Pharmacal Company","100000000186","Mission Pharmacal Company","TX","United States",13.78,"04/13/2018","1","In-kind items and services","Food and Beverage",,,,"No","No Third Party Payment",,"No",,,"No","521226951","No","Yes","Covered","Drug","Adrenocorticosteroid","Prednisolone 25","0178-0582-08",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"2018","06/28/2019"
In our example we will use only the following fields :
{ "physician_id":"258145", "date_payment":"04/13/2018 ", "record_id":"521226951", "payer":"Mission Pharmacal Company", "amount":13.78, "Physician_Specialty":"Allopathic & Osteopathic Physicians|Pediatrics ", "Nature_of_payment":"Food and Beverage" }
Read The data from a csv file into DataFrame : | https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/etl-pipeline-using-spark-sql-746bbfae4d03 | ['Achraf El Gdaouni'] | 2019-11-15 12:28:49.007000+00:00 | ['Spark', 'Postgres', 'Spark Sql', 'Big Data', 'Etl'] |
The Google Homepage UI Story. Google’s Homepage has evolved a lot in… | The Google Homepage UI Story
Google’s Homepage has evolved a lot in the last 22 years. Let’s have a look at how its Interface has changed.
All images have been taken from waybackmachine.com.
1998
From Waybackmachine.com (1998)
The Homepage in 1998 looks very crisp and neat. There are boxes and sections, typically created using the bare minimum HTML code. The buttons are normal buttons you any frontend newbie can create today. Notice the Stanford search and the monthly updates subscription button.
There’s the exclamation after Google(Yahoo had one as well). Overall, it is not as comfortable to be used as compared to today's’ version. A lot of links made it confusing. | https://uxplanet.org/the-google-homepage-ui-story-db03033b5af9 | [] | 2020-11-14 06:03:38.855000+00:00 | ['User Experience', 'UX Design', 'Frontend', 'User Interface', 'Google'] |
Big Fat Swirrl Quiz of 2019 | If you’ve wandered into this blog post expecting Jimmy Carr, then you may be disappointed. BUT if you’re the kind of person who’s interested in all things data, then here’s a quick rundown of stuff that happened with us at Swirrl in 2019 …
1. What rhymes with DOGS and stretches across the GSS?
COGS (Connected Open Government Statistics) — not to be confused with DOGS (like this) Image Source
No, not clogs — COGS. In the quest for comparable and interoperable data, we’ve been working with the Office for National Statistics on the Connected Open Government Statistics (COGS) project, alongside statisticians at DIT, HMRC, MHCLG, DWP and others. In 2019, the project got a new name, the ONS have been scaling up their team of data analysts and we’ve been working hard on the software platform. COGS aims to make data from across government easier to find, access and use: cue lots of work with harmonising code lists, tidying data and creating filtered searches to make this happen.
2. What powers flooding apps but is also to do with trees (amongst other things)?
Here’s another loosely related image. This time, slightly closer to the topic … Image Source
Did you guess it? It’s Defra’s Data Services Platform. As part of a team with Landmark and Esri UK, we’re working with Defra to improve their data publishing as well as working on rolling out new tools, apps and services which make it easier to find, understand and use data from across organisations involved. Towards the end of last year we released enhancements to the Asset Management app as well as a new app: Assets Data Requirements Library. We’ll soon be introducing a new Ecology and Fish Data Explorer, and are working on enhancements to the River Catchment Data Explorer and the Bathing Water Quality Service.
3. Which data, published last year, powers lava lamps?
Bowie Penney presenting on the Indices of Deprivation Data, published by MHCLG
Well, not physical lava lamps, more Open Data Manchester’s lava lamp visualisation, which was one of many things people made with the Deprivation datasets on MHCLG’s Open Data site late last year. These datasets receive a lot of press and use, and they were recently updated in September. This data’s open, so anyone can use it, and the uses are wide ranging, from contextual funding use to estimating life expectancy.
Other things people made with the data include Rob Fry’s interactive map and Alasdair Rae’s work and, if you want to use the data to create your own app, visualisation or dashboard then the data’s accessible via an API on the site. Get to the IMD postcode app, area app and the Indices of deprivation datasets here (the tools were updated to go alongside the 2019 data release).
4. What has Postman Pat got to do with data?
I watched a lot of Postman pat about 5 years ago because of my kids. The most inept Postman ever - thank goodness for him that his cat is a genius. Image Source
Well, he presumably likes a good postcode and, if you do too, you might be interested to know that last year we added the Official National Statistics Postcode Lookup to the ONS Linked Data Geography Site. You can find geography identifiers on this site so it’s useful if you want to use ONS geography in linked data. Now you can also use a postcode search to find statistical areas, and we improved the user interface too, so it’s easier to find different types of areas and you can browse areas via a list or on a map.
5. What does every house in the country need and every house buyer want?
Nope, not a kitchen (although, really, a kitchen is pretty useful): EPC Data - which is needed whenever a property is built, sold or rented.
EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) and DEC (Display Energy Certificate) data has recently been updated on the custom site we built for MHCLG. The data is searchable, browsable and available for download, both individually and in bulk. The site stores EPC records for every business, public building and home in the country, with 50–100 fields for each, and it gets updated every few months. MHCLG made this data available because of its wide-ranging potential benefits in understanding the characteristics of housing across England.
6. Who wore paisley best?
Drinks after our Power of Data event in London in October. What I love about this is how Jamie and Bill both turned up in paisley shirts — must have coordinated wardrobes.
Well, honestly the jury’s still out on this, but Bill and Jamie both brought a strong paisley game to our Power of Data event in October. Videos are up now so if you missed seeing Heather Savory, Jeni Tennison, Gaia Marcus, Rosalie Marshall, Paul Maltby, Gavin Freeguard, David Kane or our own Bill Roberts, then do check their talks and discussions out. Bill also spoke at MBN Solutions in Glasgow; the RSS conference in Belfast; Linked Spatial Data in Europe in Amersfoort and an ESSnet workshop on Linked Open Statistical Data in the European Union at ONS in London. Super Swirrler, and all round superstar, Jen Williams taught a linked data course in Oxford in September and Jamie continued doing lots of good stuff with Open Data Manchester.
7. What did teamwork make in 2019?
The Power Rangers, truly making the dream work. Image Source
Come on. You know this one. Teamwork … makes the DREAM work (HT Miss Wilson, one of my son’s teachers).
Last year we were lucky enough to grow our team at Swirrl and they do, quite definitely, make the dream work. We welcomed Benjy Stanton, Andrew Mcveigh, Kira McLean, Ben Hindle and Rob Chambers, who are based all over the place really, from Swansea to Canada (with a bit of Bristol, London and Manchester in between). One of the nicest things about being part of Swirrl is the mix of remote and office based work and how it works.
Benjy Stanton, who joined us last year
8. What links road traffic, new build housing starts and the gender employment gap?
I mean, I know this is tenuous but I can’t mention road traffic and not feature KITT. Image Source
OK, this is admittedly a tricky one. These are just a few of the 200-plus datasets, which were added or updated in 2019, on the Scottish Government’s Open Data platform. This long-standing system draws in data from eleven different organisations, and that number of updates and additions in one year is pretty impressive — it certainly deserves a mention in this recap of 2019. You can take a look at the full list of the datasets available on statistics.gov.scot, and when they were modified, here.
9. Which pilot started in 2019?
Clue: not this one (Image Source)
I should imagine there were pilots aplenty in 2019, but if you got it (and you’re still reading all our news) then you do indeed get the gold star. We started working with the lovely people at NISRA on a pilot project last year. They’re currently adding datasets, so more to come on this as 2020 embraces us all in a big data hug.
So that’s it! Thanks for taking part in our Swirrl Big Fat Quiz of 2019. Who knows what 2020 will bring? You can always follow us on twitter to find out — just think of how much you’ll already know if I write something like this again next year … | https://medium.swirrl.com/big-fat-swirrl-quiz-of-2019-9dc8d36f5f38 | ['Sarah Roberts'] | 2020-01-15 11:42:45.557000+00:00 | ['API', 'Statistics', 'Linked Data', 'Geospatial', 'Open Data'] |
Why We Need to Teach Teens About the History of Marriage | Why We Need to Teach Teens About the History of Marriage
If something is so important legally, financially and culturally, youths need to understand marriage is not a romantic fairy tale
What do teens think about marriage? A few months ago, the New York Times presented that question to middle- and high-school aged teens. Their responses are illuminating — so illuminating that I believe we need to have a conversation with young adults about marriage.
Riffing off a survey by the Pew Research Center, the Times ran an article, “Unmarried Couples Gain in Numbers, but Survey Finds Married Ones May Be Happier,” saying that “unmarried couples report significantly less satisfaction in their relationships than do married couples, who report higher levels of trust in their partners’ honesty, fidelity and spending habits,” and then followed up by asking teens, well, what do you think about marriage and cohabitation?
First, I have some problems with what kind of unmarried couples were surveyed — were they couples who are living together for mere convenience or long-term couples who reject the institution of marriage for what they consider valid reasons, like economists, life partners and co-parents Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers. who reject marriage because of taxes. Are they really more dissatisfied with their division of household chores, communication skills or work-life balance, as the article suggests they would be? Probably not, because they are much more intentional in their partnering (which everyone should be).
And, let’s face it — finances are everything when it comes to getting married! According to the lead researcher of the Pew survey cited in the article, about 40 percent of those cohabiting said finances was a major factor of moving in together, right after love and companionship. Oddly, only 13 percent of married couples said financial considerations played a part in their decision to wed.
Which again proves that most people have no idea that marriage is, at its heart, a financial decision, and thus the poor young students are absolutely clueless about marriage being a legal document that binds you financially to your spouse. Shouldn’t young people understand that?
While quite a few say they don’t see a great need for marriage, others are way too hopeful about it:
It gives you a companion and best friend, who sticks with you through all your excitable and troubling moments in life, and you never have to worry about them not being there.
Oh boy! With a 40% to 50% divorce rate, clearly many “best friends” are not going to stick with you though the “troubling moments in life.”
Another student confuses love with marriage:
Marriage is just a title, a contract; it only begins to matter once love is in the picture.
Marriage is not just a title, but it is indeed a contract — a legal one! And love, as historian Stephanie Coontz has documented in her illuminating book, Marriage, a History, has made the whole institution unstable.
Some confuse a wedding with a marriage:
I get that the rings and the ceremony signifies a union between two people, but the amount of money spent and the whole process of wedding planning just seems too overly excessive.
It doesn’t have to be — you don’t need a big fancy party to marry. And if you’re planning anything, it should be for the marriage itself.
And then there’s one wise student who realizes that, well, you can always game the system:
There really isn’t much of a difference between a long term, committed relationship and marriage. The only real lifestyle change I think is tax benefits. And yes, I would absolutely marry a friend for the tax benefits until we can actually afford to live.
I’m heartened that some students recognize — and reject — the societal pressure to wed — just ask self-partnered Emma Watson about that — acknowledge that it isn’t as important nowadays as it once was and believe that you can be just as committed to a live-in partner as a legally wedded spouse.
Still, we don’t teach kids about marriage. They learn about it by observing their parents, married or not and who may not be stellar role models, and pop culture, so they really don’t understand its history or question why marriage matters today. Because, in the States anyway, it does — just ask same-sex couples why they fought so hard for the right to wed. Marriage shouldn’t matter, but it does.
So if something is so important legally and culturally, shouldn’t we teach youths about it — from the church’s initial rejection of it to coverture to the way it has shaped policy that privileges marriage above all other relationships from how it historically has benefited men much more than women?
I love that psychologist and author Alexandra Solomon teaches a Marriage 101 class at the Family Institute at Northwestern University — it’s so needed!
But that’s just one class at one college taught to a small group of students of college age even though, as the Times article illuminates, many teens have already formulated thoughts about romantic relationships and marriage way before that. Do you think it would help young adults to teach them about the history of marriage?
Not how to be a good spouse because, well, they may not want to be a spouse at all — good or bad — and because historically marriage education has created a bit of an ideological monster. But to teach them about how and why we have married, not only in the West but across cultures and time, to help them understand why marriage mattered so much in the past and whether it still needs to.
It’s been years since I’ve said these words but, I do.
Want to figure out if marriage is for you? (Of course you do!) Read The New I Do: Reshaping Marriage for Skeptics, Realists and Rebels (Seal Press). You can support your local indie bookstore or order it on Amazon. And we’re now on Audible. | https://omgchronicles.medium.com/why-we-need-to-teach-teens-about-the-history-of-marriage-42983566a3b0 | ['Vicki Larson'] | 2020-08-04 17:30:54.210000+00:00 | ['Love', 'Relationships', 'Teens', 'Relationships Love Dating', 'Marriage'] |
What do UX researchers really want | What do UX researchers really want
Many thanks to @designmortals for been the guiding force behind this article.
If you are a member of the UX / Product Design or Product Management / Development Team, it’s likely, that by this time, you have instinctive awareness of the value research brings to your company.
If not, fret not. I’m right here with you!
But before jumping into nitty-gritty of UX research, it’s good to understand when and why do organizations get serious about Research.
Whether its discovering vaccines for COVID- 19 or making sure that we use existing information of the medical treatments to treat patients with mild symptoms in the best possible ways, Research plays a significant role to find answers to things that were not known before.
But Why is research crucial? Can’t we just leverage already existing data and program it back into the system to achieve definite outcomes? Well, quite frankly speaking, No.
The purpose of research is to establish facts and fill the gaps in existing knowledge so as to determine alternative ways to arrive at a conclusion.
Search intent for “user research” has risen 4.25x in the last 10 years.
For instance, it would be prudent on your part to research about the style, form, charges, timings of a Dance Academy before buying membership because it will help to match your relevant interest with their services offered.
According to The State of User Research Report 2020, 80% of people who do research feel like they could be doing more research.
But do companies get serious about research. And if yes, then when?
Honestly, it depends. If the information they’re looking for is already out there with full reports of data or when marketing budget allotted to research is more expensive than beneficial, some companies ought to skip research phase.
On the other hand, if a small proportion of investment on research helps the organization make better informed decisions about consumer needs, explore potential threats & opportunities on product improvisation, discover emerging trends, then research makes sound business sense.
So, What’s UX Research?
UX Research is conducted to put forward a blueprint covering basic focus areas of the business in front of the users to analyze their pain problems, generate insights on how they interact with it and add real-time context to reveal information that can be fed into the design process.
Did I just put too many things on your plate?
Well, worry not. We’ll get off on the right foot as and when we explore the intricacies of UX Research.
The UX research process by Erin Sanders at Frog.
Think of UX Research as a study where the user’s behavior is observed while they interact with your product. What would it take for you to make their interaction more exciting?
Conversing with the users via Polls, conducting surveys, taking in person interviews; this although may seem too time-consuming but its not a lot of work if you would like to give your users a smooth and frictionless experience on your platform.
“You are not your user and you cannot think like a user unless you’re meeting users regularly.” — Leisa Reichelt, Head of Research and Insights at Atlassian.
Who Is A UX Researcher?
UX Researcher is like a Risk Mitigator with the cognitive ability to understand human perception and is an expert at human judgment decision making.
Simply stated, a researcher reveals unique user needs, explores their behaviors & motivations and tries to solve most challenging questions in design.
The FAST User Experience Research framework
They try to observe how people use icons, the kind of patterns they have in their mind during playing a game and try to understand why they do the way they do an activity.
“It’s not the customer’s job to know what they want.” -Steve Jobs
Are There Research Types?
Of course! Every day has a night, every User Research Method has a type!
There are two main types:
Qualitative Research-
· Focuses on assessing behavior based on observation by collecting non-numerical data from interviews, surveys containing open-ended questions among 10–30 people from the target group.
· The data helps to find patterns, trends and commonality across key categories under which most of the target group audience falls.
· Another facet of Qualitative Research is Usability Testing where, how usable or easy the design is for the users, is monitored to observe their stress response. It is important to not let your personal views affect key findings.
Qualitative vs Quantitative UX Research
Quantitative Research-
· Focuses on collecting data that can be measured, computed and transformed into usable statistics to understand what users do and test assumptions drawn from qualitative research.
· It is performed during a mission critical task where you need large sample size to be 98% confident about usability findings to understand where your TG agrees on different ideas, behaviors or motivation.
· This helps us to understand which Target Group to go for and how to prioritize the product features for them before hitting the first addressable audience.
· Platform agnostic tools like System Usability Scale can be used to evaluate the usability of a website
Who Should You Talk To?
“Testing with just 5 users can uncover 85% of usability problems.” -Nielsen Norman Group.
Building a product necessitates the adjustment of site based on user expectations and needs and you simply need to know what those expectations and needs are.
But to begin with, you need to find users who will use your product and services.
Social Media can be a great start for finding your target audience.
Let’s say, you’re selling a design course. In this case, you can find people actively looking to enroll in a Design Course from different Facebook UI/UX groups or create post with relevant hashtags to reach target audience who also follow other design accounts.
You could also create Ads for potential learners to fill up an enquiry form or perform a quick search on LinkedIn for people seeking Design Course and look for followers of your competition-other Design Course Providers.
Once you get their co-ordinates, you can create a survey for interview using Google Forms or alternatively, connect visitors from your functional website to your questionnaire using SurveyMonkey , Hotjar polls or Qualaroo .
Should You Script Questionnaire?
Should we predetermine how the conversation goes?
The mainstream response: Depends.
Although it might reduce the chances of spontaneity or new discovery and possibly make the conversation mechanical, a user interview script helps to establish basis to keep the users informed and talk to them comfortably about your product.
WHEN to have it scripted:
· Depending on the user type and what you’re trying to learn from them, it should be scripted when you have to ask formal questions and collect data in the same way, for instance, while doing a scientific research.
· If the way of asking is different, it will elicit a different response so that way you can control the variance by asking the same questions in the script.
· It’s advisable to have the Introduction scripted since the foundation remains the same. Sometimes it’s difficult for a researcher to have all questions answered and so it becomes difficult to act natural during the interview.
WHEN NOT to have scripted:
· When you don’t know the finite focus areas that users want to be questioned for since its keeps varying depending on user journey, it is better to have a flexible flow, keeping the pain points in mind.
· This is used for field study where we need to understand what user does in a particular scenario and hence, we frame higher level questions based on certain theme.
· Regardless of scripting the interview, one important aspect is not to ask interviewees if they want to have a module or a feature on the site.
· Key point is to understand what the user would like to achieve from your site and get insights on problems they might encounter along the way.
You can’t treat Target Users as Inputs on an Excel Sheet…
After gathering the data from user interview, looking straight into metrics could be misleading.
As a part of Findings, key categories should be determined based on the Affinity or likelihood of users falling in a particular category. Essentially, key categories help to solve underlying pain points of the business.
Based on the pattern or most frequent characteristic observed in the user behavior, users can be further grouped into Personas.
Personas help to define generic or fictional profile which is independent of actual user demography or age but based on features, interests and needs.
“Personas are like actors in UX movie and help to decide personality traits those actors possess.” -Design Mortal Academy.
What is the role of UX Research in design?
UX Research, which is mostly done during the early Discover Stage, aims to make the product more usable by understanding more about user, their pain points and by observing how they perform a task.
By basing design decisions around assumptions may cause risking the ability of the designer to fulfill users’ needs in a structured manner.
After product ideation, business decides functionality based on assumption of customers but UX Research can help to test those assumptions and make the concept of target audience less abstract so it’s easier to address the actual user needs.
Having relevant User Personas and modifying them timely based on changing user behavior is crucial to the commercial success of business; since this is what makes the target group resonate with the product idea.
Researchers want the designers to understand the importance of user behavior in making product useful than just aesthetically pleasant.
So now you know what UX Researchers really want :) | https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/what-do-ux-researchers-really-want-f0740d8f9467 | ['Tanvi Punjabi'] | 2020-12-12 20:25:07.180000+00:00 | ['User Research', 'Careers', 'UX', 'User Experience', 'UX Research'] |
How Coronavirus Infected Dreams | While the coronavirus affected the lives of everyone around the world, various consequences occurred in the dreams of people. Even before the virus infects the country in many places, people were affected by the news they learned from the media and started to have direct or indirect dreams about the virus. So the virus first got into our dreams.
To understand the source of the themes that emerge in dreams, it is useful to look at this corona epidemic, perhaps the most important and large-scale in world history.
Dreams establish deep patterns between past experiences and today’s reality. The panic and anxiety of the coronavirus, which surrounded the whole world, took place in the thoughts and feelings of individuals, perhaps faster than the rate of spread of the epidemic. So much so that even the region or the series where no positive cases have been seen yet, the virus started to appear in people’s dreams. Perhaps the virus was first transmitted by dreams and then physically spread throughout the world.
According to all-important dream studies that have been accepted from the past to the present, most of the dream themes refer to the past and the remaining parts to the reality of the present and the expectations of the future.
Although the existence of the virus coincided with a very short time in the global memory, it has transmitted to all people at an extraordinary speed thanks to the media and created a ground that triggers past traumas and anxieties. What is important here is that perhaps for the first time in such a short time we witnessed the structuring of dreams around a common theme on a global scale.
Human beings are common to the traumas of the society they live in as much as their personal lives, and they enter into a conscious and subconscious process by being affected by all experiences, whether they are directly or indirectly caused by a digital experience. The coronavirus has created a global dream in common in dreams as a common anxiety and trauma element that surrounds the whole world.
The results I encounter are of course themes that existed before the coronavirus. What I want to focus on here is to explain how people’s dream themes tend to be with the virus and how they place the virus into images. Viruses from the date of 03.11.2020 can be seen in Turkey, I constantly looking at how to investigate an impact in dreams. I will try to explain the important results I encountered in the survey I conducted with 112 participants aged 13–20 years and in the 500 dreams, I read.
In the survey I conducted, I asked the participants how often they had seen topics in different situations in their dreams in the last 4 months. The answers are below.
While 22% of the group stated that they did not feel the tension in their dreams, the remaining 68% experienced a feeling of tension at different rates. While 35% stated that they never felt lonely, 65% stated that they always felt lonely. 60% of the group stated that they had the feeling of losing an important person in their dreams. 68% stated that they did not see the coronavirus in their dreams.
It has been observed, the dreams lead to a happy moment of childhood are more intense than dreams that lead to bad memory. This shows that people are trying to develop a positive view to counter the negative impact of the process. It was striking that there was a great similarity between dreams of imprisonment and quarantine. It can be said that there is a remarkable number of dreams of death.
Interestingly, when asked directly about coronavirus, the answers were mostly low scored, while when asked about the indirect effects of the virus, it was observed that the answers were higher.
By researching the effects of the virus on dreams, we are, in a sense, equipped to investigate the invisible sides of visible society reactions. We are not looking at the showcase of the society, which leaves excellent impressions on social media, exhibits its skills, reveals that it is not struggling but struggling, sharing the good old moments with its followers and masking today’s moments, we are looking at the dusty places behind.
Death Anxiety
I can say that the most important dream theme that increases in dreams is the past experiences that trigger death anxiety. Dreams about the death of himself, his family, relatives or people in his social circle started to increase as the virus entered the country. In addition, it can be said that there is an increase in themes such as injury, lack of news and fading. If anxiety is not a direct theme, it is at the center of all themes that may be related to anxiety. For this reason, I can say that more than one dream theme occurs in parallel with the source and intensity of anxiety.
The last and biggest problem the world was experienced in terms of its global effects was World War II. Since then, wars and epidemics have always remained at the local level and have not turned into a worldwide problem. For this reason, interestingly, dreams that take back to 1944 occurred. For example:
“A friend of mine told me,” Will the coronavirus stop giving birth? “From a book called 1944: The History Book of Coronavirus. He opens a section titled and reads it to me. “
“Two nights in a row, a man whose I don’t know and whose body I can’t see is asking me: “Do you know what the difference between dead people from others during World War II?” These two dreams, whose style is seen one week apart, refer to World War II.
In some dreams, the death anxiety of the person has increased so much that he experienced death in his dream and even arranged a funeral ceremony for himself.
Sometimes, the censorship and reflection mechanism of the dreamer tried to make himself believe that the corona epidemic we went through would turn the corona epidemic into a previous bird flu epidemic and pass as easily as the bird flu. He tried to move the ego away from anxiety by making a thought that was more difficult to accept by making it acceptable.
Viruses are invisible, so they are represented in dreams by other visual objects. For example, half of the world’s population, who in some dreams turned into a towel instead of contaminating the virus, had the chance to continue life as a towel instead of dying. The reason why he wonders whether his family has a towel in his dream is the representation of his concern about the coronavirus transmission.
Anxiety affects dreams with positive content as well as negative dreams. Defense mechanisms such as reflection, change of direction and the need for censorship can take their place in dreams as more vivid, happy, colorful and energetic images instead of negative images of anxiety. After the virus seen in the world therefore be said that these two poles begin to occur in the dream images.
Quarantine — Loneliness — Social Distance — Social Isolation
It can be said that the themes of isolation, loneliness, stuck, distance, coldness and numbness in dreams have increased somewhat as a result of people’s distancing from their social lives with the quarantine process and the excessive decrease in all their communication.
In order to cope with the negative emotion created by the quarantine, it can be said that the themes of hugging, sharing and being loved also come to the fore. In some dreams, it comes to the fore when some famous people come and go on an adventure with the dream owner and this makes the dreamer very happy.
Dreams that portray the days of happiness, daily routines, meeting with loved ones, having fun, traveling freely, adding new excitement to photographs and wandering around the crowd without worry are among the other noteworthy dream themes.
Another consequence of the quarantine, the travel obstacle, was tried to be overcome with dreams. In this period, through dreams, the world’s seas that turned into deep blue by combining with turquoise, wide and green canyons, historical streets from different centuries, highways without speed limits, and mountain shores with flowers were visited by people in the dreams. People who were in the house all day, went on long journeys in their dreams to get away from this feeling of captivity.
Hunger
Hunger is one of the main motives of man. Although we learned about the hunger of times of famine in the past from history books, we have never experienced this. The coronavirus has prompted the world to rethink this issue.
Hunger anxiety arose when consumers realized that the existing ready food would not be enough for the world for a long time due to the cessation of production. People rushed to grocery stores to stock the maximum amount of food, and they didn’t even want to think that other people might need it.
The hunger motive was so overwhelming that there were food wars in the markets that could destroy all the splendor of civilization.
On the one hand, there was a primitive man who could become cruel while looking for food in the wild, and on the other hand, a modern man could become too blind to leave 1 box of toilet paper in the markets. This profound paradox has occupied a prominent place in people’s minds.
The difficulties in production and distribution activities due to the quarantine triggered people’s hunger anxiety. Dreams of finding food, grocery shopping, checking the number of supplies in the house were dreamed.
There was a dream I was reading. The dreamer, referring to the dream of “7 years of abundance, 7 years of famine”, which was seen by the Egyptian Pharaoh Nabuketnetzar, there was a dream that he and the Pharaoh were putting food in his bag in the huge stone-built supply stores of Egypt.
There is an interesting connection here. Today’s anxiety about finding supplies can be combined with the same anxiety experienced nearly 4,000 years ago.
Feeling threatened
Dreams of avoiding, exposing, or fighting threats from the known or unknown are remarkable.
In a dream, someone who went to the airport for a trip had seen the airport transform into a large hospital.
In another dream, the dreamer set up a virtual foreign country in the middle of the hall and wanted the virus to gather there, keeping him and his loved ones away from danger.
The human mind has a perfect imagination ability as a result of all the complex algorithms. Dreams are one of the most successful results of this visual art. The aesthetics of the images used even in fearful or threatening dreams are quite successful.
Digital Experiences
There was an increase in the need to receive news since everything was so sudden and fast in the virus process.
Due to the need to get news about the breaking news in the world, the situation of the people in our social circle and to state that they are good to the environment, the amount of phone, computer and TV usage increased and this was reflected in dreams.
As a result of digital experiences through the screen, such as phone calls, video calls, messaging, watching movies, participating in online activities, developing computer programs or learning efforts instead of real experiences, there have been some changes in the perception of reality and an increase in digital images, especially computer games, instead of real experiences in dreams.
It can be said that such dream experiences have an important role in keeping people away from global anxiety experienced in the real world. In this way, digital reality has been created where everything is a game that can be controlled with a remote, and that he can overcome the difficulties he will encounter with the game’s tools.
It can be said based on the analyzed data that such dreams, which existed before, intensify and increase somewhat during the virus process.
Change in the Amount of Dreaming
It is not easy to understand whether there is an increase in the number of dreams seen, but it is common to think that there is some change in people’s sleep, dream, waking and dream recall rituals due to the daily life cleansing from many stimuli and the increase in time spent at home.
Accordingly, it can be said that there is an increase in reported dreams as there is plenty of time and opportunity to pursue the meaning of their dreams.
Results
The coronavirus has rapidly affected people’s entire daily rituals, lifestyles and quality, death anxiety, past traumas, and future expectations.
It opened up a great and not easy to compensate area within the concepts of yesterday, today and tomorrow. People who became increasingly lonely, isolated and retreated into their own world have struggled or defeated the virus in many different ways in their dreams.
While negative manifestations of dreams could be seen more prominently in people with less social support, more manageable dream themes came to the fore in people with strong social support.
To understand the time we live in, it is more possible to understand the worlds that people do not express and to understand the dimensions of the trauma experienced on the social scale by looking at dreams that carry important data.
It is possible to see how much the sentence “I wish all these things were dreams” when you write “dreams” and list the results on Twitter since 11.03.2020.
To wish all this to be a dream to get rid of the painful reality of the process reveals the hidden truth under all those pleasant and creative posts made at home during the quarantine process from social media accounts.
The images of people who reinvent themselves, reveal their different skills, watch and read more, compose or paint, were reflected on the social media screens. But deep grief, fear of death, the possibility of being in the last days of his existence, his desire to quickly reveal everything he could create, reflected on the screen in his dreams.
To cope with the same threat at the same time as never before, humanity has to cope with the things that it knows, hopes, assumes, experiences, avoids or confronts, cleanses or smears in its dreams every night, to reduce its effect by simulating itself, and by changing direction. trying to relax.
Perhaps the biggest “common image” in the history of dreams is being built by the whole world every night. Today’s communication tools have huge possibilities in this construction. | https://medium.com/illumination/how-coronavirus-infected-dreams-c34a7c5f64b5 | [] | 2020-12-25 14:47:53.133000+00:00 | ['Humanity', 'Covid 19', 'Dreams', 'World', 'Pandemic'] |
Parenting Guide One:. Raising a child is a rewarding journey… | Instead of a type of punishment, discipline should be a learning experience.
Think back to the last time you had your child got disciplined for getting into trouble. What’ve you been doing? Maybe you were lecturing them, yelling at them, or putting them in a time-out?
But have you actually given a thought about what you are actually doing while disciplining your kid?
Instead of concentrating on the child’s growth, the traditional discipline utilizes a basic approach of penalty and fear.
Let’s consider time-outs to understand this better: this technique is used even by the most wonderful parents, who anticipate the child to utilize the time-out to think about their misconduct. But hardly ever does that occur. Children, conversely, tend to spend more time focusing on the behavior of their parents, which appears to heighten the conflict.
Spanking is another conventional method of punishment. Children become more terrified of the behavior of their parents when spanked, rather than concentrating on their own behavior, making this physical punishment unhelpful.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
No matter what the circumstances, time-outs, and spanking are implemented to children who behave badly, but it is not beneficial to either the parents or the kids to induce fear and frustration. What if we modify our thoughts and view discipline as a chance to learn important lessons?
To do so, the discipline has to focus on instructing over disciplinary action in a way that is both more deliberate and adaptable.
Rather than being responsive, discipline should be proactive.(taking action by causing change and not only reacting to change when it happens).
It is necessary to establish bonds, not discipline.
The aim is to have your kid collaborate with you, while the long-term aim is to assist them to strengthen their relationship abilities and attitude.
We need to attach and divert for this to function, which relates to the relation that you have to create with your kid before diverting them to positive conduct.
As a reward, if we glance at misbehaviors as a chance to teach valuable lessons, then you will not require to discipline your kid as much, progressively. | https://medium.com/illumination/parenting-guide-one-is-discipline-necessary-96d0cdaa531e | ['Acair Skye'] | 2020-12-20 08:20:03.936000+00:00 | ['Discipline', 'Childcare', 'Parenting Advice', 'Children', 'Parenting'] |
Tips for Planning a Virtual Event: A Parent Volunteer’s Perspective | In light of the recent pandemic, the entire world has essentially shifted to a virtual lifestyle. While it has been a more comfortable choice for some, it comes with its set of unique challenges that aren’t exactly easy to overcome. Our podcast, The Multipurpose Room, discusses the strategies that teachers and parents have found most useful for planning successful virtual events in their community. Organizing a virtual event is a relatively new idea for the majority of the population, and we would like to share some of the tips we have learned for planning such an event.
1. Planning and Organization
Firstly, you should begin by setting your goal for the event — it may be monetary, social, or both. Next create a plan for the event. It should include the target audience, date and time, location, how you will advertise and a list of things to do leading up to the event.
2. Budgeting and Sponsorship
Outline a comprehensive budget for the event and use it to monitor the expenses. You can put in placeholder numbers until you get specifics on venues, hosts, advertising and the platform that will broadcast the event. You should also budget for sponsors. Find sponsors that would be relevant to the content and activities of the event.
Sponsorship, if you choose to do it for your event, should be an area you spend some time on. You may want to create sponsorship packages for the event — a primary sponsor and a few secondary sponsors, for example. The sponsorship packages should focus on the benefits they offer to the sponsor. Once you have packages, identify potential sponsors and reach out.
3. Spread the Word (and the details)
Promoting an event has become much more manageable with the rise of social media and effective digital tools. Design creative evites with details of the event, sponsors and activities. Create a Facebook page for your event (or advertise on your existing Facebook group). Email your guest list the invitations and allow them to forward them to their list. If you wish to advertise, reach out to local papers. Design an event countdown on Instagram and use a unique hashtag for it. Ask your sponsors to share invites to the event on their social media pages. It will help create greater visibility for your event and allow it to reach hundreds of people.
You will also want to share all the logistical details in advance of the event. Since some people will be attending their first virtual event of this type, it is helpful for them to have any systems requirements, and logistics of how things will unfold.
4. Find a Dynamic Host
Finding a good host for the program is essential. The host should be able to engage everyone and keep them connected. The platform of the virtual event may be new to most people, and the host should help the audience adjust to the platform, and navigate through the initial learning curve.
5. Find the Right Platform
Choose a platform that has a simple interface and is readily available to your audience. For example, live videos can be streamed across various applications (e.g. Zoom, Facebook, and YouTube live). Make sure the event is showcased on a platform that is reliable and accessible for everyone, has chat features, and has all the functionality you will need for your event. YouTube live has become increasingly popular due to its uncomplicated system and a comments section to interact with the guests.
6. Build in Extra Time
On the day of your event, build in 15 extra minutes at the outset of the event for questions. Not everyone will have had a chance to read the instructions and the 15 minutes can be used to go over the instructions and field any questions. You will likely also want a bit of time to make any last minute sales.
7. Feedback
Lastly, arrange a survey to receive feedback after the event. Find out what the people liked the most and what they would have done differently. Hear about their overall experience at the event and discuss what they would like to attend next time. Give them a chance to share the difficulties, technical issues and hurdles they faced during it. Thank everyone for taking out time and send reminders of any upcoming events.
With virtual events becoming a necessity for most people, it is crucial to know how to plan a successful event. I hope these tips enlighten your thought process and help you plan an unforgettable and unique event for your audience. | https://medium.com/@k12clothing/tips-for-planning-a-virtual-event-a-parent-volunteers-perspective-921658475999 | [] | 2021-01-15 21:32:44.267000+00:00 | ['Fundraising', 'Schools', 'Online Event', 'Trivia', 'Parent Teacher Assoc'] |
2018 Politics — Can America Start Listening Again? | In 2018, politics in America is totally polarized, and views are entirely contained in both conservative and liberal echo chambers without the allowance for opposing dialogue or debate. From the right, if you disagree with their opinions then you are immediately labeled a ‘snowflake’ or a ‘libtard,’ and from the left, you are immediately branded a ‘fascist’ or ‘racist’ without fail. I have slowly removed myself from the political debate because it is no longer a dialogue of opposing views trying to find common ground to make everything better as a whole, but it is a cesspool of namecalling and hatemongering in the name of that group’s views. I have asked myself on several occasions; what would it take to get people from both sides to turn off the noise of hate and anger and turn on understanding and empathy at the other side’s opinions? The answer has to be real communication and conversation that will never occur in the 140 character soundbite world of Twitter or the 15-second soundbite of the news media. But, a real discussion between both sides will only happen when they meet to talk face to face and agree to do so without the angst and anger that so often pervades today’s politics. Can America come together and really start communicating? Or, as a Nation, have we gone too far down the path of quick to anger and ready to block social media echo chambers where only our opinion matters and that is the only opinion we want to hear?
Before I answer those two questions, I want to look at the many things that have changed during my lifetime as they pertain to the world we live and the way we communicate. In 1970, there were only three national broadcast networks for news, CBS, NBC, and ABC. Many local and national newspapers shared the print news twice daily, morning and afternoon. Our access to information was limited to those sources, and they seemed to be reasonably reliable sources with Walter Cronkite being the most-trusted anchormen in the country during that time. The nation believed he was giving us the facts and only facts as he knew them without slanting them towards one side of the political spectrum or the other. But, the late sixties and early seventies were also a time of great political upheaval with the protests against the Vietnam War breaking out on college campuses and the scandal of Watergate threatening to tear the fabric of the nation as the President’s integrity was called into question. Did these events divide the country along political boundary lines? Yes, for a time, but without the 24-hour social media and instant information of the Internet; echo chambers were not constructed, and the two sides were forced to either have face-to-face debate, a snail-mail letter exchange, or telephone conversations to communicate their views. With the skill of critical listening still being practiced by most Americans at that time, the other side’s logical argument could be understood, and both sides could come to an understanding whether they agreed or not; their stance was respectfully received.
In 2018, do people have the critical listening ability that previous generations practiced so well? No, listening to the other person is a lost art because we want only our opinion heard and we do not care about the other person’s opinion or their point of view because, in our own tunnel-visioned world, only our stance matters. In today’s echo chamber of not only politics but life, just MY opinion matters and if you don’t agree with MY opinion, I will shout you down with hate-filled rhetoric or flame you on social media with thirty-seven memes that shout my opinion in an attempt to ultimately drown out any opposition. If that does not work, we resort to blocking that individual we do not agree with instead of actually taking the time to critically listen and understand their point of view.
To answer the questions I posed, I think the nation as a whole has gone too far down the path of instant gratification and instant echoing of our own views that we are mentally unable to critically listen and have an honest, logical, and rhetoric-free discussion. To break the cycle for myself, the next time I find myself in a political debate I will make an effort to listen more critically and attempt to understand the other person’s point of view. And, if I disagree with them, I would hope that person would provide me the same courtesy because only by listening and attempting to understand will we break the echo-chamber cycle that is 2018 politics and interpersonal relationships. | https://stancromlishauthor.medium.com/2018-politics-can-america-start-listening-again-b0260616c209 | ['Stan Cromlish'] | 2018-08-04 21:22:06.654000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'Social Listening', 'Psychology', 'Mental Health', 'Debate'] |
Why Does Art Exist? | Development
Art is An Evolutionary Driver
Is the ability to create and enjoy art only possible when we have leisure time? And because leisure is a sign of satiation, comfort, shelter, and safety, does art enhance it by generating positive feelings and make us strive to achieve such conditions?
In other words, is the enjoyment of art a reward for the more successful members of the species? Does it indirectly drive us towards working harder, achieving more material success?
Does it explain why the rich, the royals, and despots have collected art, by fair means or foul? As a sign of worldly success and superiority?
Art is Relative and Anthropomorphic.
Human Art is Only That — Human Art.
Our perception of Art is intimately tied to our senses. Therefore, its existence, form and value are intrinsic to our species. For other life forms on our planet or elsewhere, it may be similar but won’t be the same.
For an alien species with very different sense organs and evolutionary needs, art will be very different, if it has developed it. It also explains why, even in humans, the creation and experience of art vary by individual. And develops as we develop in life.
With time, art changes us, and we change our art.
The good thing about this is that as long as we have variety and diversity in humanity, we’ll have it in art too. That’s the way to avoid the danger of it going stale. Artists, amateur and professional, have an impact on the masses and each other.
Art percolates through society, adding colour and dimensions wherever it reaches. | https://theapeiron.co.uk/why-does-art-exist-5adfa2727f61 | ['Shashi Sastry'] | 2020-12-08 07:50:42.848000+00:00 | ['Evolution', 'Art', 'Life', 'Creativity', 'Philosophy'] |
Your first user defined function in R | Your first user defined function in R
You might be using R frequently for data processing and modelling, but do you want to try efficient user defined functions to make your work easy? Then this post is for you.
Photo by Goran Ivos on Unsplash
User defined functions need not be complex or difficult to build, but can make you very efficient if you are smart about where you use it. It can be small or big based on your needs. A user defined function can be used for any action to be performed in R.
Read on to know more about user defined functions — step by step. Once you have a basic algorithm & a cup of tea ready, let’s get started.
Step 1: Understanding your algorithm
Identify different sections in your algorithm that needs to be repeated again. If there is a continuous chunk that is being repeated, you would need a single function, else you can use two functions separately. There is also a chance that you can use a user defined function within another user defined function. Sounds cool right!
Look for possibilities, identify the part that you would want to convert into a function. Now, let’s concentrate on just that section.
Step 2: Input & Output
There will be an input and output for this section. Input will be a variable or multiple variables/datasets that you have. It could be read directly into R or could be a result of the code that you plan to write.
Identify and visualize how the input looks like. You can either code it out or use pen and paper.
Think about what you would want as an output of this function. Output of this function should be such that it can be easily plugged into the rest of the code or saved without further complex transformations.
You don’t have to worry much about the exact format of the output. You can figure that out on the way.
Step 3: Flow Chart for your UDF
Figure out a rough algorithm as to how would you reach from the decided input to the desired output. If you are a beginner, don’t be lazy to draw a flow chart before you code (thank me later!). List down detailed steps, transformations and if you are comfortable with R, write down the in-build functions directly.
Step 4: Start Coding
Now we can start coding. Yay! The basic syntax for user defined function is given below:
Function_name <- function(a,b,...){
---- Function Body ----
}
where ‘a’ and ‘b’ are arguments.
And once you define a function, you can call it later as
Result <- Function_name(a,b)
Let me show you a small example. As discussed above, I am identifying that I need to convert addition of two numbers into a user defined function. I want my input to be the 2 numbers and output should be a sentence containing the 2 numbers and its summation. Flow chart will be as given below
Image by Author
Now we have to code it:
MyAddFunction <- function(a,b){
output = a + b
result = paste0("Addition of ", a, " and ", b, " gives ", output)
return(result)
}
Try calling this function using different values for a and b as given below:
For a = 3 and b = 5,
MyAddFunction(3,5) gives result as “Addition of 3 and 5 gives 8”
Congratulations! You have written your first function.
Step 5: Customizing your UDF
Ready to take it further? It is always better to build a skeleton of the function as we did above and then build on it for further modifications or customization. This way, you can clearly check where you are going wrong.
Let’s say instead of 2 numbers, a user tries to insert a = “one”. Do you want to add error messages telling the user to use a numeric variable rather than a character?
To do this, we can further modify the same function.
Image by Author
Let’s see how my function will look like now:
MyAddFunction <- function(a,b){
if(all(is.numeric(a), is.numeric(b))){
output = a + b
result = paste0("Addition of ", a, " and ", b, " gives ", output)
}else{
result = "Please make sure that inputs are numeric"
}
return(result)
}
Try calling this function using different values for a and b as given below:
Now for a = 3 and b = 5, the results will remain the same;
MyAddFunction(3,5) gives result as “Addition of 3 and 5 gives 8”
But for a = 4 and b = “two”,
MyAddFunction(4,”two”) gives result as “Please make sure that inputs are numeric”
What’s next?
Now that you have learnt how to build a basic user defined function in R, I hope you will be able to use it to make your code better. User defined functions can help achieve a lot of coding milestones like below:
Your code is now easy to understand by you and others It is now better structured and client ready UDF can help pin point algorithmic errors It leads to easy modification and code alterations in future
From now on with use of UDFs, hope you never feel lost while approaching yours or your peers code after a while!
Do you want to know how to make advanced user defined functions using loops or to call a user defined function inside another function? Check out my next post for more such interesting functions. | https://towardsdatascience.com/your-first-user-defined-function-in-r-1eedc634ead4 | ['Shruthi Geetha'] | 2020-12-23 13:58:15.821000+00:00 | ['R Language', 'User Defined Functions', 'Udf', 'R', 'R Basic'] |
How Does Your Blood Center Measure Up? | Are you benchmarking your organization in the best way possible? Are you tracking almost the exact metrics everyone else is tracking? Are you consistently measuring, monitoring and communicating your Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that drive performance in your blood center? Do you counterbalance your KPIs for maximum effect?
As we work with blood centers to digitize their operations, we have observed that they have some KPIs that are measured, with the majority of these leaning toward donor acquisition and related activities. To gain maximum value from your bench-marking efforts, we recommend you follow a few best practices that we’ve learned over the last fifteen years while working with organizations in and outside of the blood industry.
Choose your KPIs that are related to your specific center’s key goals and have KPIs that support those critical goals for each department and business unit. KPIs can vary based on your size, competitive landscape, specific areas that need attention, and they need to correspond to the culture you want to nurture. Pick 2 or 3 KPIs that can be consistently measured and monitored, and that are easy for your organization to understand and implement. By starting with a few simple KPIs, and gaining buy-in across the organization, you can create a culture driven by numbers. Implementing KPIs can often be met with resistance from members in the organization who might feel they are under the microscope but we’ve found that once implemented and well communicated, employees grow to appreciate having clear, measurable goals. Lack of ambiguity leads to higher productivity and better decision making as well. For every KPI you implement, counterbalance it with another KPI. If you measure the number of defects, deviations or other quality related metrics, we recommend that you also estimate the cost of preventing quality issues. KPIs such as Cost of Quality as a % of Annual Revenue, or Average Training Hours per Employee, will provide a needed counterbalance to the cost of defects. A defect or a waste typically translates into hard expenses for your organization, but your blood center also invests money and resources to prevent such issues. Is this investment tracked? If not, why not? We are big fans of combining both lagging and leading metrics. This way you can almost predict with a level of certainty where you are going and adjust before you get there as needed using the leading indicators. Implementing KPIs is only the first step. KPIs gain more value over time as you collect data, and unless you drive consistency and communicate the value of your metrics to everyone in the organization, there is a good chance that your gains will be short-lived. Communicate the importance of these metrics to your organization, and don’t settle for anything less than 100% compliance in bench-marking activities and they will become embedded in your culture. It is essential to use the right tools to record and communicate your KPIs to the rest of the organization. Business intelligence software and workflow systems, if set up correctly, are beneficial. We are sharing our latest experience with the City of Tyler, Texas where we helped them track the complete life-cycle of KPI scorecards and quality standards, at the next ASQ World Conference in May 2019.
Here is a list of common KPIs that our blood centers can track. Some can be assigned to departments, and others are attached to the blood center as a whole and managed by the leadership.
Cost Per Unit Collected (CPUC)
DASH rate (donations per staff hour)
Percent of waste or discarded products
Cost per donation
Blood product demand period
Number and percentage of adverse donor reaction
Percent of reactive units
Percent of individual product type vs. total inventory
Percent of defect-free processes
Cost of quality as a percentage of annual revenue
Number of deviation and percentage of deviation vs. total number of processes
Overall turnaround time from donation to product completion (internal)
Deferral percentage
Cost per mobile donation vs. cost per fixed-based location.
We would be keen to hear about other KPIs that your center is currently tracking. Also, there are a couple of KPIs that we believe that every blood center should monitor. | https://medium.com/@internshipprot/how-does-your-blood-center-measure-up-5c0cf2b67b03 | [] | 2021-06-17 09:31:54.591000+00:00 | ['Software', 'Technology', 'Blood', 'Quality Assurance', 'Business'] |
2 Simple Ways You Can Make a Positive Difference | Identity
My grandmother was a woman who was proud of her African heritage. She embraced it wholly and allowed it to reflect in her daily life.
As a young African child, growing up in a country where there was racial and gender-based discrimination it was hard to be proud of my identity. I wanted long straight hair and a straight nose. I would pinch my nose with a clothes peg in the hope that it would change shape. It remained the same, much to my chagrin.
Gran taught me to accept myself as I was. She highlighted my best qualities and praised me, which raised my self-esteem. When I decided to get married she was one of the first people I told. I was absolutely thrilled when she attended my wedding. Apparently she missed her only daughter’s (my mother’s) wedding.
Because of her influence, I am proud of my African heritage. I wear my hair natural. It is healthier than it ever was when I used hair straightening products.
My nose is still flat but I can breathe the same oxygen as everybody else through it. My skin is still brown — a God-given natural glow with no need for bleaching.
How and Where I Made a Difference
We had a Quiz Night in the community where I lived. Only two of us were of African descent. During one of the questions, a photo popped up on the screen displaying a multi-legged caterpillar on a tree branch.
“In which African country is this eaten?”
I recognised the creature in the image instantly. In fact, I had eaten one myself. I wanted to shout the answer. However, as I looked around the room and noticed people grimacing and on the verge of throwing up, I hesitated. They spat out comments like, “Yuck, what kind of a person would eat that?!” which made me want to run from the room.
But then something rose up within me. No one would make fun of my heritage. No one could make me ashamed of my identity. I shouted out the answer.
“Correct!” We high-fived each other in celebration and a smile crept up my face as I added, “I’ve eaten those caterpillars and they’re delicious.”
Upon that sudden revelation, my team members whipped their heads round with a collective gasp. Okay, I didn’t have to add that last bit but it felt good saying it. At the end of the evening people came and asked me questions about the caterpillars. They left that place more knowledgeable and less judgemental. I left with my head held high.
Takeaway
In being myself and being proud of my heritage, I give others permission to be themselves too. I know I don’t have to change myself to fit in. As a result I am accepted for who I am. | https://medium.com/vital-world-online/2-simple-ways-you-can-make-a-positive-difference-c47acd3c66b4 | ['Rejoice Denhere'] | 2020-11-18 09:34:04.179000+00:00 | ['Lifelong Learning', 'Personal Development', 'Positive Thinking', 'Changemaker', 'Positive Attitude'] |
Do You Muse? @BlackAt…….. | Racism. It’s another virus that continues to infect the fabric of this country. As a man of Trinidadian descent born in New York, I had the great honor of being raised by parents who were a bit naive to the rotgut that is American racism. While they experienced distinct colorism and a different form of racism growing up in a former English colony, the suffering and dismay that black people face in this country were somewhat of a foreign concept to them. As one can imagine, the ongoing depths and lengths that white people took to ensure continued oppression of black people in the ‘States’ was a bit different to them.
My parents, migrating to the states in the early 70s when many West Indians came to America, tried to raise me with the mindset that education, hard work and perseverance will create opportunity and a better life. At the same time, they also understood how racial differences disproportionately impact black families in this country so they shared their stories. That’s when I learned of my father being randomly pulled over by New Jersey State Police on his way back from buying an used car and his experiences working for Greyhound when they would promote white, less experienced people over him.
The murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Aubrey and Brionna Taylor, coupled with video footage that captures their deaths and the ongoing racist rhetoric of a leaderless administration in the face of a pandemic, has galvanized a national collective of many walks of life to speak out against these injustices. It has also created a movement to air out some of America’s ‘dirty laundry’, covering the overt and covert actions that have laid way for white people to maintain and impose their privilege throughout history.
In recent months, Instagram exploded with the creation of various @blackat….. handles, capturing the infinite number of microaggressions that black and brown people have historically suffered at some of the most renown, highly prestigious independent schools in the nation. Dalton. Exeter. Chapin. Trinity. Sidwell Friends. The list of schools is very long ….. and so is the list of transgressions. Countless stories of young BiPOC kids attending these schools in search of a stellar educational experience and opportunity to open doors for themselves only to face white teachers who run their fingers through the black girl’s hair or frequently questioned their place at the school or discouraged the students from applying to certain colleges and universities. A few other examples of our students’ experiences being poisoned by “bad apple” teachers.
To be clear, it wasn’t just teachers who led the Robert E Lee-esque charge. Fellow white students and the administration would equally participate in the cultivation and maintenance of these schools’ racist environments. Common experiences for black children at these schools included:
So in these institutions, it’s a top-down thing. From the school’s leadership all the way down to the kids (side note: the kids get these racism lessons from home but that’s for another “Do You Muse?”)
Do you know why racism in America is called systemic? Because it happens EVERYWHERE. While the examples above speaks to a longstanding history of white peers and adults in our nation’s elite schools, it happens everywhere, even in the most utopia of places, like my hometown.
The other day, a white schoolmate of mine shared on our graduating class Facebook group why he liked our hometown so much. He promptly showed his privilege by stating that he “didn’t see color” . Others liked his post (both black and white folks alike) but I didn’t respond. I was mulling over whether to address his post and, in my own admittance, I may have lost an opportunity at a teaching moment for this classmate. I guess I was a bit tired of teaching white people about privilege and how it shows up in moments like these. Reading the #blackat posts on Instagram triggered my own childhood memories. Some of these posts felt very familiar. Imagine:
your guidance counselor schedules a meeting with you and your parents to discuss college options, but shares that you should only consider safety schools. When my mother and I asked about certain Ivy League institutions, the guidance counselor then decided to review my academic records (for the first time) and started changing her tune immediately
visiting your AP History teacher’s non-AP class that was predominately black and brown students and hear him say to the class “I don’t care if you learn, I still get paid anyway”
one of your friends (who’s Indian) tells you that “you’ll get into college because you’re Black so don’t worry”
all the AP and honors classes (roughly 25–30 students) being predominately white with 4–6 black kids, 1–2 black boys (including me). Meanwhile, the non-honors classes were almost all predominantly black and brown kids (including ESL students who struggled with the English language)
the parent of the white valedictorian coming up to your mother during the Senior Honors Program dinner and playing the victim by commenting on her son not earning any scholarships while you did (in a not-so-nice way)
Black and brown kids been tracked into lower tiers as early as 3rd grade and never given the opportunity to advance academically
So @blackat was just another reminder of how embedded racism is in our society. Whether it’s the top schools in the land or just your neighborhood school in the burbs, the symptoms may look different. The lasting impact is exactly the same.
Racism is a truly a virus. | https://medium.com/@clayvirgil/do-you-muse-blackat-6767a85c3a99 | ['Clayton Virgil'] | 2020-07-23 01:41:50.323000+00:00 | ['Black', 'American Racism', 'Virus', 'Being Black At School', 'Racism'] |
What’s On — LGBT+ & sports and other news | Another month, another update! Here’s what we’ve been doing these last weeks at the Centre:
#ShineBrightInColours campaign for March: LGBT+ people and Sports
This month we are using the red colour of the rainbow flag, which represents Life, to talk about LGBT+ people and sports. With interviews, posters and resources, we are trying to raise awareness around what can be a quite challenging field for LGBT+ people. Have a look on social media to see what we’ve poster already!
We also invite you to play a game…Click here for more information!
‘Free to Fly’, a new LGBT+ group for Asylum seekers and refugees
Free to Fly is the new group for LGBT+ refugees and asylum seekers. The group is on every Thursday from 1.30pm to 4.00pm at the Leicester LGBT Centre. We would love to see you there!
Trans Inclusion Toolkit for schools
Thanks to the partnership developed between Leicestershire County Council, Leicester City Council and the Young Transgender Centre of Excellence (YTCE), a project run by the Leicester LGBT Centre, a new toolkit for trans inclusion is now available for schools across our region.
A national document, developed by over 10 organisations and local authorities, this toolkit provides guidance on how to support trans children, including information about toilets, referral pathways and bullying, amongst many others.
The young people of the YTCE have been integral in the creation of this toolkit. As one of them states:
‘This toolkit is really diverse and can be used to educate both staff and students alike’.
Lisa Vine, Project Lead of the YTCE said: ‘It has been absolutely fantastic to work at a national level to produce something that will change the lives of so many trans young people and any young person who needs support around their gender identity.
I am so proud that our young people from the YTCE played such a vital role in the creation of such an important piece of work. It is fantastic that they’ve been able to express themselves and have their voices heard’
Check the rest of the news and events of the Leicester LGBT Centre by clicking here. If you want to be the first one to receive all the news, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of our main page on our website! | https://medium.com/leicester-lgbt-centre-news/whats-on-lgbt-sports-and-other-news-836a03534a5a | ['Pep Sanz'] | 2018-03-16 12:03:25.210000+00:00 | ['Leicester', 'Lgbts', 'Transgender', 'Refugees'] |
Travel Light: the Ultimate Guide to Travel Packing | 2021 | “Who travels sees more.”
Nowadays, more and more people pick up their backpacks and walk straight into the outside world. They could be a backpacker, carrying a loaded bag and exploring from place to place; They could be a photographer, packing up all their “weapons” and recording the world seen with their own eyes; they could be you or anyone who enjoys traveling and experiencing our planet in their own way.
“Less is more.”
To make travel easier, traveling light is a necessity. Lose the stress, lose the weight, and lose the burden.
There’s less chance of theft or damage when you travel light. With only the essentials in your backpack, you can always keep an eye on it by carrying it wherever you go. You’re keeping your stuff well guarded and safe.
Having a lighter bag on your back keeps your hands free while you travel. You’re able to check a map, take photos or message your family. It’s much easier to catch a bus on the street or get a quick pass for the airport check-in.
Without a doubt, compared with keeping an eye on multiple cases and bags, having one bag can definitely save a lot of your time and energy. When others leave the plane and crowd to get their battered luggage, you can simply take your bag and be the first one out to catch the next taxi, bus, or train.
The Ultimate Guide to Travel Packing
Before discussing packing tips, I want to highlight that what you pack is situational. Always consider the situation you’re traveling into, such as the weather, transport links, and political situation, to name a few. It is essential to gather enough information about where you’re going beforehand to focus on the purpose of your travel, whether it’s civic tech research, taking scenic photos, or simply traveling around.
Start your packing a few days in advance to prepare all your things without overfilling your bag. Don’t forget to leave space for things you might need to purchase when you’re traveling.
When you’re packing, choose versatility over special-case items.
NOW, let me share some tips!
Tips for packing your clothes
Generally speaking, unless you’re going into the wilderness, you’re able to do laundry. With this in mind, the following should be enough for almost everyone:
4 sets of clothes and a coat or jacket. Choose items that best suit the weather, but remember long pants and a sweater for cool evenings
2 pairs of shoes: one to wear and one to carry
4 pairs of socks
4 pairs of underwear or a pack of disposable underwear
A hat or cap, depending on the weather.
Then, pack your items in a way that reduces creases and make the most of your packing space. Rolling pants instead of folding helps with this, as well as storing your socks in shoes. Use small bags to keep shoes separate and prepare a bag for dirty laundry.
Tips for personal accessories
This part will be widely dependent on the individual, but the following list should be enough for most people and travel destinations.
Medicines, such as painkillers and indigestion tablets
Toothbrush and toothpaste (travel size)
A small pack of detergent
Small toiletries (shampoo, shower gel, etc.)
Small nail scissors or clippers
Travel first-aid kit
Tissues and wet wipes
You might also get some small resealable bags to store liquid containers while you travel.
Of course, there’re lots of personal things you might take, but it’s all about your travel style and needs, just make them travel size. Keep all your small personal items in a multi-functional bag, such as a hanging toiletry bag to store everything neatly.
Tips for tech items
No matter where you go, in the 21st century, tech items such as your phone and camera are on the must-pack list. An essential rule for packing tech items is to keep them as light as possible.
You might need the following items:
Laptop, if you’re a freelancer
Phone and earbuds
Camera, if you’re a frequent traveler and photographer
Selfie stick or tripod
Cables for charging
Storage (USB keys, SD cards, card readers)
The tech items I listed above are the most common, but you might not need everything listed.
Let’s start packing the things above:
For laptops, there’s usually a specific space in the back of a rucksack that has additional padding.
Most of the time, your phone and earbuds will be in your pocket, but you may need a protective case to prevent any accidents while you’re traveling.
All the other items can pack conveniently into a camera bag. Apart from protecting the camera, there are extra pockets for storing cables, memory cards, and more. If you’re not carrying a camera, a small bag for digital items will work, too.
To keep my tech stuff tidy and secure, I use a PITAKA Digital travel Kit , a compact, lightweight carbon fiber wallet that holds ten mini charging and data storage essentials. With the Type-C charging cable and three adapters, you can charge almost any device. You can easily store and transfer data using the built-in memory card reader and USB flash drive. There are designated slots for storing your spare SIM card, Micro-SD, and a SIM ejector tool. The MagEZ Digital Travel Kit also holds up to three Chip and PIN cards or business cards in an RFID protected module, so you don’t need to worry about losing your cards.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, these tips will help you when you’re preparing for your next big trip. Without a doubt, packing light requires us to be selective about what we pack while keeping things organized, making sure every cubic centimeter is fully utilized.
In other words, try to be a minimalist when packing!
Travel lighter and live easier. writing hundreds of online articles over the past few years, mainly about technology. If I’m not writing, you can probably find me reading or playing video games. | https://medium.com/@ffengsli/travel-light-the-ultimate-guide-to-travel-packing-2021-65e7f748f9a8 | [] | 2021-01-23 02:12:54.597000+00:00 | ['Backpacking', 'Photography', 'Photographer', 'Travel Tips', 'Traveling'] |
An Illustration and A quote | An Illustration and A quote
Illustration done by Author
This is just one of the many quotes which I loved from the book, Painting in Proust. I returned this book to the library, but if I come across it, I will borrow it again. I believe there are poems hidden in those paintings, but we humans are always in a hurry; if only we could pause and soak it all. While turning the pages of the books, I did the same; I soaked in the stories quietly. | https://medium.com/paper-poetry/an-illustration-and-a-quote-476732ac08a9 | ['Priyanka Srivastava'] | 2020-12-20 16:52:01.151000+00:00 | ['Paper Poetry', 'Quotes', 'Illustration', 'Proust', 'Writing'] |
STARBUCKS (SBUX) INVESTOR DAY 2020 — CEO and CFO on Vision for the Future and Reaffirms Strategy for Continued Growth at Scale | STARBUCKS (SBUX) INVESTOR DAY 2020 — CEO and CFO on Vision for the Future and Reaffirms Strategy for Continued Growth at Scale | https://medium.com/@fintechbytes/starbucks-sbux-investor-day-2020-ceo-and-cfo-on-vision-for-the-future-and-reaffirms-strategy-1e4c1629ccb7 | ['Fintechbytes Co'] | 2020-12-12 19:11:52.371000+00:00 | ['Stocks To Watch', 'Stocks To Buy', 'Stocks To Buy Today', 'Stocks', 'Stock Market'] |
Feeling Stuck? Might Be Time for a Crucial Conversation | The Vendor Gone AWOL
I have been working with one vendor, Sebastian, for many years. I can honestly say that Sebastian is brilliant when it comes to numbers. He knows how to handle my books in a way that’s easy and intuitive.
He Helps Me Enormously… When He Is On
When he is on, he advises me on my finances in ways that help me enormously. Let me stress…when he is on. Because Sebastian goes AWOL, or missing, sometimes. More than sometimes. I won’t hear from him for a few weeks; he won’t answer emails and I sometimes wait for an answer for 10+ days, which is infuriating.
Every time I think it’s time to find a new vendor, Sebastian shows up with a new financial tip that makes my life easier. So then I decide to keep him as a vendor after all.
However, after repeated AWOL experiences, I decided it was time to have a crucial conversation with him.
It Was Time For a Crucial Conversation
Crucial conversations. The term makes it sound like it’s a life or death conversation. It’s not. It’s a concept pioneered by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler based on the premise that if you find yourself stuck in a personal or work situation, what is actually holding you back is the avoidance of a crucial conversation.
You Feel Stuck, But You’re Not
This is not a concept they merely discussed over coffee while pulling an all-nighter. It is based on 25 years of studying communicators who are considered influential by their peers and managers, pinpointing what makes them different than those less influential. What they found was that their subject’s ability to skillfully deal with conversations set them apart from the pack. The good news is, this skill-set is easy to learn, and once it is learned, will allow you to face anyone in any situation, regardless of power, position, or authority.
It Often Feels Like Life and Death
While a crucial conversation doesn’t necessarily indicate a life or death situation, it often feels like life or death because the conversation has escalated to red alert level. It’s more than just a conflict. It’s when the stakes are high and emotions run strong. Some examples could be when someone feels discriminated against, when a product launch is about to go awry or when team tension is running higher than usual due to rumored layoffs. Another example is my situation with Sebastian, the vendor who loved to go AWOL, which we’ll come back to.
So what do you do when it’s time for a crucial conversation? Here are seven steps from Patterson, Grenny, McMillan and Switzler’s book, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High:
Take These 7 Steps When It’s Time For a Crucial Conversation
Start with Heart: What do you want from this conversation? Identify exactly what is at stake with this conversation to maintain your conviction. Learn to Look: It’s important to be on the lookout for a mutual purpose. Is the conversation being held with mutual dialogue or defensiveness? Master Your Story: Make sure you look back at all the factors leading up to this crucial conversation. Being armed with the facts allows for a more direct and balanced conversation, not based wholly on emotions or ‘he-said, she-said’. Make it Safe: If you notice that you or others are moving away from the dialogue into avoidance or defensiveness, it’s time to do something that makes everyone involved more comfortable. Show interest; ask questions, smile, or have a time-out to restore the safety. State Your Path: Share your facts and conclusions in a way that will make the other party feel safe telling their story, too. Explore the Other’s Path: Listening is a key element to communication and EQ, yet so many people don’t do it well. Asking questions and truly listening to the other’s story, with your ears, your eyes (for non-verbal cues), and energetically will allow you both to find commonalities and differences between you, leading to greater understanding and openness in the conversation. Move to Action: Come to a consensus about what will happen, document who does what by when and settle on a way to follow up.
In Truth I Didn’t Handle It Beautifully
So let’s get back to the crucial conversation that I needed to have with the often-AWOL Sebastian. In truth, I didn’t handle it beautifully and I didn’t follow the exact steps in the model. I’ll explain what happened in the context of the model, and I’ll let you decide how I could have handled it differently.
Okay, so what exactly did I want from my conversation? I knew for this to go well, I had to Start With Heart. And this wasn’t about expressing my frustration. I wanted him to know that I value his expertise and ideas. And although we have very different communication styles, we work well together when we both engage with each other. If we don’t engage together, our long-term relationship is at stake.
I needed to define our mutual purpose. And then it hit me — Sebastian and I didn’t have a mutual purpose. We never defined that. I hired him to help me with my accounts and we’ve worked together since then. It’s transactional. There is no purpose. Hmmm…maybe that’s the problem? I hadn’t noticed our lack of mutual purpose before; I needed to Learn to Look.
To further prepare for this crucial conversation, I had to make sure to Master My Story. What were my facts? Well, it took him 10 days to answer my last 3 emails. He was unprepared for our last meeting, asking me what our agenda was. My accounts aren’t updated yet this month.
We met at my office over coffee, which felt a little awkward at first since we usually video chat. So while that didn’t necessarily Make is Safe from the start, once we started talking about our purpose, we both leaned in to the conversation and got excited about the possibilities. However, I had to self-manage my emotions as I was still frustrated by him going AWOL.
Despite my frustrations, I knew my purpose for the conversation. But what did Sebastian want? I wanted to Explore His Path, so I asked and I listened. It turns out he was getting bored with my work. He wanted to move on to bigger clients. Yet, he valued our relationship and didn’t want to ‘fire’ me. Wow…that was a news flash to me. Why didn’t he ever tell me this before? After all, I’m approachable. He explained that he was afraid of hurting our long-term relationship.
So now what? Well, for the first time in years of working together, we were truly honest with each other. We each stated our own path and showed our fears. Now it was time to Move to Action.
Yet it didn’t have to be binary; my first coach said there are 16 solutions to each challenge. He always made me find 16 solutions before I could make a move, which frustrated me to no end. Yet his premise is right; we often stop looking after two or three ideas.
Without a Common Purpose There Is No Motion Forward
What’s the solution that honors both of us? The first step was to find a common purpose. Without that, there was no motion forward. So Sebastian and I determined that we both valued creativity and innovation. We also valued trust and long-term relationships.
So what’s the common purpose amongst all that? To create new ways to work together that engaged both of us, and to hold each other accountable when one of us went AWOL.
When it came to actions, we agreed to work together for another six months if:
Each of us brings complete engagement to our meetings
We admit when the other frustrates us
It’s now been 9 months and we’re still going strong!
Can you see a way that I could have handled this crucial conversation differently? I’d love to hear your critiques.
Let us share experiences. Leave a comment below, send us an email, or find us on Twitter.
Subscribe To Our Newsletter | https://medium.com/@centerforhciva/feeling-stuck-might-be-time-for-a-crucial-conversation-91b380d489a9 | ['Center For Human Capital Innovation'] | 2020-12-18 09:52:29.787000+00:00 | ['People Analytics Course', 'People Analytics', 'Leadership Development', 'Leadership Companies'] |
Alone for Christmas? Or Just Alone, Anyway? | Alone for Christmas? Or Just Alone, Anyway?
Being alone for the holidays has less to do with the holidays, and more to do with being alone. I learned to deal with being alone a long time ago. Here’s how. Tessa Schlesinger Dec 24, 2020·8 min read
Alone of the holidays can be depressing. Pixabay Couleur
Being alone on holidays when everyone else seems to be with close friends and families puts an emphasis on our being alone. It seems to us to mean that we are not loved, that we have no worth, that others are having fun, and we are are out in the cold — very much left to put up with life’s struggles without help.
Probably, for the first time in modern history, many more of us will be home alone this year, and those of us who are lucky enough to live in countries where we can gather in limited numbers will not have quite the same experience as we have had in previous years. There is also the danger that one of us is infected, and though we will not think of that in the few hours that we spend together, it may have deadly consequences in the weeks and months ahead.
The Significance of the Day
Whether it’s Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving, or some other holiday, all these times have one thing in common. They are times of celebration with those who are close to us. We drink and eat and, maybe, even dance. We talk and laugh and feel a great deal of sentimentality, and all of that signifies to us the bonds that tie us together, and that, in turn, gives meaning to our lives.
Those of us who are alone miss out on all of that, and it is the thought of not being part of the whole that can make us slip into misery and depression. It is not the holiday itself.
2021 may well be as difficult as 2020, but I wish courage and perseverance for you. I know you have those qualities. Pixabay. Nick Gesell.
Dealing with the Day
I have Aspergers (high functioning autism) plus an auditory processing disorder. In addition to this, for two thirds of my life, I faced chronic abuse, and the outcome has been that I have spent most of my life alone. I cannot recall a Christmas, New Year, or any holiday spent with anyone. The exception is for the first 18 years of my life when I was with my family. That said, I don’t have any memory of them because they were not particularly celebrated by my family. I’m now 69. That’s a lot of time to spend a lot of celebratory holidays on your own.
So I developed ways of being on my own that made those days special instead of hell.
Good Deeds
It’s amazing how good we can feel when we give to strangers. I have learned to spend the few days before Christmas (or any other celebratory holiday) being extra kind and generous to strangers in the street. I might give ten bucks to a homeless man or offer to run an errand for someone else. I make a point of doing two good things a day for the three of four days before Christmas (or other holiday). I don’t tell anyone. I hug it to myself — feeling such a deep joy that I was able to make someone else happy. I know it works.
Of course, now we have the web, and there is no reason why we can’t spend twenty minutes or an hour looking for some good deed we can do on the web. And the good thing is, we can now do this on Christmas day! I know that there are begging sites where one can contribute to others. And there’s kickstarter, of course. You can also sign petitions, fulfil someone’s wishlist on Amazon, or even go out for coffee (if there’s a coffee place open) and buy someone else a coffee — pay it forward.
Somehow, giving to strangers in the days running up to that lonely holiday gives one such a good feeling that it seems to negate any feeling of emptiness on the day itself.
Preparation for the Day
It’s how to spend the time without remembering that everybody else out there is having a good time that makes the day so stark. In order to prevent that, we need to do a little planning on how to fill the time so that we don’t have time to think unhappy thoughts.
The web is such an amazing tool, so we can use Twitter or Facebook or any other social networking sites to ask beforehand who will be alone, and then set up a time to group-talk. Whatsapp, Messenger, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and others also all provide the ability to connect with others. You’ll be amazed just how many people spend time alone on celebratory holidays. If you set up a time to chat for an hour, you’ll be amazed how much better you feel when you wake up on Christmas (or New Year) morning. It’s best to have about ten people and to plan to chat together for an hour. You might even send out invites for the event. While it’s fine to set up the chat a week before, it’s probably better to do it the day before. Also, try to set up two chats — one for the morning and one for the afternoon.
Another great thing to do on a ‘home alone’ holiday is to go where you haven’t gone before. Do something new. You can purchase a ‘paint-by-numbers’ drawing to do on Christmas day or buy a jigsaw puzzle if the last time you did one was childhood. The stores are full of activity-gifts, so buy one for yourself.
Of course, most people are going to be watching movies or binging on a particular series. The thing to do is not to scroll through what’s available on the actual day. Rather pre-plan what’s available, and if necessary purchase a video. Mostly, though, you can just see what’s showing on the various streaming channels and plan what you are going to watch and what time it is.
Lastly, set up a Ko-fi account for yourself. This is so that others can buy you a cup of coffee. I know it sounds rediculous, but people can certainly donate to me through Patreon, and they do (I truly love my Patreon supporters), but, somehow, when someone buys me a coffee through Ko-fi, there’s a touch to it that makes me feel less alone. I think it’s because it happens in the moment. You know that for a few minutes someone thought enough of you to take time out of their day to do something tangible for you. Allow others to buy you a cup of coffee.
So what you’re really doing is planning how to spend each hour of your day on the particular holiday.
Food and Drink
What would a holiday be without food and drink? Be different, though. Instead of planning on having just one major celebratory meal, rather spoil yourself with the equivalent of the British morning tea and scones, a lunch with a glass of wine, and afternoon tea with chocolate cake. You can decide to have whatever you want.
I would suggest preparing all your food in advance, so that all you have to do on ‘the day’ is to heat it up.
My choices are as follows:
Breakfast: Coffee with a two soft boiled eggs and lightly buttered toast.
Morning tea (about 11 am). English Breakfast tea with a scone, jam, and cream.
Lunch (about 1pm) Chicken, brussel sprouts, and beetroot for my main meal. And for desert frozen blueberries with a chopped banana and coconut cream poured over. What happens is when you pour the coconut cream over the frozen berries, the coconut cream freezes, and the entire concoction tastes like ice cream. One glass of sweet wine.
Afternoon tea: Either Masala tea or Earl Grey tea with either chocolate cake or a cheese fridge cake.
Supper: Not going to happen.
An Example of Your Pre-planned Day
8 am. Wake up. Have coffee, breakfast.
9 am. Have that pre-planned group chat with friends and strangers on the web. We can also spend a little time beforehand or afterwards calling those who are close to us and wishing them happy days.
10 am. Watch a movie for two hours.
12 pm. Time for a little exercise. Walk the dog. Jump up and down. Scoot down to the coffee shop if there’s one open and you’re allowed. If not, walk about the neighborhood, or watch an exercise program online (worst case scenario). This is important because physical activity makes the happy hormones work. It also works up an appetite for lunch.
1 pm. Lunch. Because you’re on your own, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t read a book or watch a movie simultaneously.
2 pm. Time for a snooze.
3 pm. Time to set aside an hour for your new activity — jigsaw, paint by numbers, knit a beanie, or attempt the Times cross word (ugh, no).
4 pm. Time for another hour long group chat that you’ve pre-arranged for those who’ve planned to be part of the group. It’s important to have some facetime with others. So really do try and arrange time to talk to others on this day.
5 pm. Now the day is winding down, and it’s time to sink into repose with great music. Listen to the type of music that puts you into a state of worship for all that is beautiful and magnificent on our planet. Listen for an hour or two, and then have another glass of wine, grab a book or watch a movie. Your day has come to an end.
Things to Remember about Celebratory Holidays
The first thing to remember is that these holidays are just human constructs — there’s nothing really special about them. It’s just a day that human being have decided to make special. The nice thing about them is that we get to exercise our human need for warmth and closeness with others. That’s what we really miss when we are alone. It’s not the actual holiday — it’s the warmth and closeness with others that we miss.
There are only a few days like this during the year. We can live through them, and we really don’t need to feel bad. As much as human closeness is part of the human condition, so are periods of aloneness and difficulty. We are made all the more human because we experience them.
My Wish to You
I may not know you, but there are certain things I wish for you. I wish you health above all things. Without health, it’s difficult to have the energy to accomplish anything. Then I wish for you the peace of mind that comes from recognizing that you are human, fragile, and a miracle. All life is a miracle. You are no exception. And, lastly, I wish you ease in all things. We often fail to recognize that we are happiest when we are at ease.
You can buy me a cup of coffee on Christmas day (and other celebratory holidays) here. | https://medium.com/@tessaschlesinger/alone-for-christmas-or-just-alone-anyway-617e254e671 | ['Tessa Schlesinger'] | 2020-12-24 09:26:32.579000+00:00 | ['Life', 'Holidays', 'Loneliness', 'Christmas', 'Psychology'] |
What Happened After I Didn’t Die | It is really hard once you tell someone you’ve decided to not kill yourself. Because then you have to follow through on a bunch of things, including not kill yourself.
I will rewind.
Depression and anxiety have been my north and south, long before I realized what mental illness was, let alone that I was wired that way. In my early twenties, I sought help. I tried and tried and tried — every permutation of medication and type of therapist as I moved from one country, city, and state to another. I fell in love, got married, had a baby, bought a house, adopted cats, got a dog, lost my father…through it all, I had the support of my friends and husband. I work hard. I like to read and drink wine; I usually say that the most athletic thing I’ve ever done is give birth. I cook and I am transfixed by pretty gross things. I have a sense of humor that rivals a 12 year old. To date, the highs in my life weren’t especially grandiose — trips abroad to Guatemala, Amsterdam — and the lows weren’t terribly awful — I didn’t get the negotiated salary, squabbling about unloading the dishwasher. By far, the worst thing that had ever happened was the death of my father in 2018.
My point is that I really thought I was ok. But I wasn’t. The reason I am writing my deeply personal story is multifold. My sense of urgency to share this is because I am still so ashamed of what happened just 5 weeks ago, even though with my public health background and career in the social service sector, I know mental health stigma keeps people like me and like you in the shadows. I know rationally that what I went through (and am still dealing with) is not shameful, but the fact that I feel the bright burn of stigma means I have internalized it. Another reason is I want to add my voice to the collection of others who have spoken out about this. Maybe you are like me, an Asian-American, middle-aged woman who is high-functioning but wanting to die and you want to know what it’s like on the other side. I don’t know. But I don’t hear from women like me very often. So here I am. I also want to touch briefly on how terrifying our options are in this country for mental health services, particularly for those with in-patient needs.
One of the greatest sources of frustration was that although my psychiatrist and I figured out the right medication to capture my depression, we could never quite find the right medication to address my anxiety. Part of it was because of the complex PTSD and trauma I carry with me, part of it is just how my brain chemistry works. It’s the chemistry that she and I wanted to address while I worked with another practitioner on figuring out how to unburden a lifetime’s worth of trauma. (I’ll jump in here and say that this is all very expensive and the majority of the really skilled practitioners don’t accept insurance because they don’t have to deal with what I am sure is medieval administrative torture since they have patients upon patients willing to pay premium prices.) My doctor and I decided to try a new medicine to see if one pill would take care of depression and anxiety, knowing we could always come back to the one that worked on my depression in case Plan A didn’t work. It did not work.
I don’t find the suicide details necessary to share, because the salient point is that in the past I have just wished I would dematerialize or not wake up. This was the first time I had a plan, from start to finish, to kill myself. I had a moment of clarity. I was in deep and for the first time, I couldn’t see myself clawing out of the darkness. I had a panic attack so severe that I nearly crashed the car (which, in hindsight would have been ironic; I can also see how the timing of dark humor is probably not optimal.) I called my psychiatrist and my therapist, sobbing for help. I had never felt like this before. I had just dropped off my daughter for a playdate during my lunch hour, and had meetings stacked for the rest of the afternoon. I had to finish performance evaluations for staff, get a draft outline prepared for our annual report, schedule my mammogram, um what else. Oh! The board meeting was coming up and I had to pull together the program report and shoot, our grant reports were also due in two weeks. Just do it. It’s time. Let’s just get this over with. Aren’t you tired? It will be easier for everyone in the long run. Let’s just go.
I never cried as hard as I did when I made the decision to voluntarily check myself into the local emergency room so that they could process me and then refer me to their affiliated psychiatric hospital. Before I left for the ER, after I spoke with my therapist and psychiatrist again, and after they both told me what to expect, my best friend stood in the bedroom as I took a shower. My husband and she packed a bag for me. I was numb. My husband sat for hours with me in the ER, and then drove me over to the psychiatric hospital. I hated it there. It had been nearly 12 hours from the time I lost it to the time I was shown to my new bed at the hospital. There was a nurse who did a top to toe body examination (for any markings, tattoos, scars, etc.) while another nurse observed. The beds had no blankets, the room had no doors. The lights were on in the hallway. Every 15 minutes someone would check in on you (to make sure you were alive.) Every two hours there was another vitals check of some sort. I had a roommate who talked nonstop.
In the morning, I did an intake with a doctor, a medical student, and a psychiatrist who was so haughty and condescending, I had to explain that the reason my face was twisted up was because that was my angry face. Yes, I felt angry and I often frown and purse my mouth when I am indeed angry. However, looking at these three men, I had the sudden realization that although I could voluntarily check myself out because I had voluntarily checked myself in, compliance was key. In a place like this, the more you acquiesce and the smaller you make yourself, your odds of getting out increase. You are more likely to get better treatment if you just don’t make a fuss. And I was starting to make a fuss. They completely pulled me off all of my medications, including my thyroid and hormone replacement therapy, and I felt very off. I kept asking what their plan was. I felt buzzy and uncoordinated. What I wish we had in this country is like a Canyon Ranch-type spa that took Blue Cross and had an on-site therapist. If you are critically ill, have attempted suicide multiple times and/or have never had mental health treatment before, a psychiatric hospital can be helpful. But if you are like me, and need help and a softer landing spot…well, there really isn’t a place for us unless you have deep pockets.
The hospital psychiatrist and I agreed that this was not the place for me. It was highly distressing (for a number of reasons, and reasons that I am sure only heighten other patients’ illnesses, like randomly bringing you part of care packages that loved ones drop off for you, or not relaying phone calls from friends or relatives) and I was going to have better outcomes working with my care team at home as long as I was safe. He wished me luck, and I waited to go home. I saw my husband pull up in our car and felt relief, remorse, and a rush of love.
We told a light version to our young daughter of why I had been in the hospital for two days. Something about how I had a bad reaction to my medicine, which essentially was true. I held her little sparrow arms and squeezed her tight. I had been so close. What had I been thinking?
I chose to tell a few of my closest friends. It was hard and very strange. There’s no natural opening for that kind of conversation. I answered old texts once I had my phone back again. “Hey! So sorry I am just getting back to you! Why don’t we get together next week? Maybe with the kids? Hope you’re having a great weekend!” I did not tell my biological family. For the next week, I was unable to care for myself simply because my body just shut down and I slept. Because my mother-in-law was visiting (another uncomfortable situation where the whole truth was withheld), I would escape to my best friend’s house for a measure of peace. She would bring me a cooler of drinks and leave me a tray of food and let me rest. Soon I was able to replicate that at home, to some degree. I started intensive therapy and EMDR therapy four times a week. I took medical leave of absence from work. I went back on my trusty anti-depressant and started a new medication for anxiety, which I am hoping will work.
I am meditating the fuck out of meditation. I have to take a class on how to breathe because in my 43 years, I apparently did not learn how to breathe properly. EMDR has healed some wounds and cracked open unknown ravines of grief. Some of it has been so acute, I needed an outlet for the emotional pain and to my dismay, I wanted to cut myself. Backward two steps. But visions of that psychiatric hospital were front and center and I worked on a harm reduction plan with my care team. I am working on walking through the fire.
This still isn’t easy. Some days are better than others. Some hours are harder than others. I get it though. It’s embarrassing and hard to reach out for help. I get how easy it is to just want to opt out. I hope you don’t. I hope you know that life is really hard and there are a lot of dumb therapists and psychiatrists out there, but there are also some amazing ones. Your family is also the people who choose you, and no matter who you are, someone is out there actively choosing you. You might not think so, but I will bet my stubborn ass that I can find you one person who chooses you, and that alone is enough to keep slogging through.
I fully accept that I am wired differently, and it is entirely possible that I will need to rely on medications for mental health wellness for the rest of my life. But the right medicines will keep me alive.
Before I sign off, if I know you and you are reading this, there is no way you could have known. You could not have seen it coming, or stopped this. I don’t know if it will ever happen again. I hope not and I don’t think so, but life is really strange and I can’t make promises like that anymore. What I can promise is that I am working hard on staying healthy, and I won’t ever stop trying. | https://medium.com/@jsk123/what-happened-after-i-didnt-die-304e790b7b91 | ['Jen Kim'] | 2021-08-17 18:10:38.852000+00:00 | ['Womens Health', 'Depression', 'Anxiety', 'Asian American', 'Mental Health'] |
https://jikonitaste.com/best-baking-sheet-for-roasting-vegetables/ | https://jikonitaste.com/best-baking-sheet-for-roasting-vegetables/
Best Baking sheet for roasting vegetables is either a flat or rectangular metal pan used in the oven. It is often used for baking bread, rolls, pastries and flat products, such as cookies, sheet cakes, swiss rolls, and pizzas. These pans, like all bakeware, can be made of a variety of materials, but are primarily aluminum or stainless steel.
https://mlifdrsxjlk9.i.optimole.com/w:1024/h:769/q:74/https://jikonitaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Bakeable-non-stick-cooling-rack.jpg
https://jikonitaste.com/best-baking-sheet-for-roasting-vegetables/
Baking sheets for roasting vegetables are pans used to roast vegetables. One of the best ways to prepare vegetables, if you want something with a little more flavor than steaming them, is to roast them. Common feature that may be found in sheet pans include: one or more flat edges to assist food removal, one or more raised edges (lips) to retain food, a contagious rim to retain either food or shallow liquid, handles to assist in moving pan into and out of the oven, a layer of insulation( typically air) designed to protect delicate food from burning (air bake pan) or perforations to aid in speeding cooking (pizza tray).
WHAT ARE THE THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE BUYING YOUR BAKING SHEET FOR ROASTING VEGETABLES?
MATERIALS
Aluminum is the best option. If your primary objective is superior heat conduction, this is the way heat is transmitted to your food through direct contact rapidly so your food starts cooking the moment it enters the oven and then stops as soon as you remove it.
SIZE
A Standardized half — Sheet is 18X13 inches but not every pan you look at will measure up precisely. The most important thing with the size is to check if the pan will fit neatly into your oven. A small difference in dimensions is not going to affect the way your food is cooked but will render it a wasted purchase if it won’t fit inside your cooker.
COATING
Non — stick coating polarizes opinion. Clearly, the principle is sound and should lead to a stress- free clean- up. The problem is many cheaper coatings tend to come away and are not particularly effective in the first place. The other drawback is that non — stick trays tend to be darker in color. This means that more heat is absorbed and radiated so you’ll get darker baked food, something you might not always want. There is no right or wrong answer with a coating so stick with an uncoated pan if you’re a purist or chose very carefully indeed if you want the convenience of a non — stick sheet.
EDGES
Rolled edges are undoubtedly the superior option. These reinforce around the rim and dramatically reduce the chance of your pan warping when heated. It’s the sudden changes in temperature combined with poor edging that causes many cheaper pans to warp.
THICKNESS
The lower the indicated gauge, the thicker the pan. Generally thicker sheets give better results and they’ll also last longer for the double — win. Look for overall build quality along with the thickness and pay attention to the gauge remembering that the lower the better.
CLEANING
Thinking of cleaning, check to see whether the pan you are considering is considered dishwasher safe or friendly. You can wash by hand and mitigate any messy clean up by using plenty of parchment paper. | https://medium.com/@chinurunjoku7/https-jikonitaste-com-best-baking-sheet-for-roasting-vegetables-15fba265e266 | [] | 2019-11-20 21:16:15.941000+00:00 | ['Frying Pan Non Stick', 'Baking', 'Roasting Pans', 'Pan', 'Cooking'] |
Why it’s time to reconsider joining an agency partner program | Why it’s time to reconsider joining an agency partner program
Change is coming for agencies. Digital transformation is pushing them into the arms of marketing technology vendors. To woo local experts, SaaS MarTech giants are coming up with partner programs full of financial and branding incentives. But what’s on the first sight looks like a win often hurt agencies, business relationships in the long run. Why so? And what marketing agencies can do to stay relevant in the digital market? Read on.
Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash
Substance or suspect?
On the face of it, a partnership with a large Martech vendor brings an agency great profit. New leads, cross-promotion, affiliate fee, discounts, exclusive knowledge resources and better support for the end-client. Its enough reason for management to consider enrolling in such a venture. All the more reason to do so, when competitors have already published their partner certificates and badges.
But before you catch fire, let’s go through the points which massive Martech vendors don’t publish in their polished offers.
Massive investment
Before you can tap into partnership fruits, large marketing automation vendors require agencies to get certificates. Taking courses and exams costs time and money. And it gets worse if you want to step up in the partnership ladder. To get more brand exposure or extra streams of revenue, more employees need to graduate from the vendor’s “academy”. Besides the required effort, this is an easy road to becoming dependent on the vendor in the long-run.
But there’s another type of unhealthy reliance on the line. Becoming a certified agency partner force you to sell only that software and don’t recommend or implement any other competing platforms. This might be a ball and chain when you face a lucrative client which doesn’t use vendor’s products.
Less control
When you recommend a marketing automation platform, be sure your client will hold you accountable for things that won’t go right. As the company your client trust, you should guarantee the budget for the new marketing solution won’t swell up like a balloon. There are two issues that may cause such bloat:
Tech/data/process requirements mismatch — marketing automation platforms work only if you feed them with data at the right time. If such an infrastructure isn’t ready yet, then the project budget and timeline sheets will be smashed with “development services” items. And they can become pricey as there’s little chance that a vendor will provide custom development services to ease the integration for a specific setup.
Pricing — often marketing automation platforms charge based on usage. But to enable some enterprise features the pricing doubles or triples (take Hubspot’s pricing for example). You should ensure you have evaluated client’s requirements in breadth and depth, otherwise, it may happen the bill will soar a couple of months downs the road — when you realize that the cheapest option to satisfy the client’s need is to upgrade to a much more expensive plan.
Ultimately, when your brand around a single software vendor, you better be sure that it’s still going to be around for some time. Otherwise, your client will need to reinvest all that time and money in deploying and learning the new platform — which will lead to a trust crisis between you and your client.
Uncertain future
What can be heard whispering in backchannels is that some partnerships might turn not as profitable as advertised in the long run. The reason for this is the voracious appetite of some of the Martech industry leaders. Their goal is to transform their products from being just a handy tool to a marketing beast. The beast, which is going to replace the majority of your agency tasks. It’s not just about AI which is still early stage and doesn’t bring much value for an average company. You should be afraid of battle-tested features that are taking more and more of your land, but also good quality professional services they’ve recently started to provide.
Finally, marrying to a vendor and making it a big part of your offer means you’ll face a whole new level of competition. Marketing automation leaders have thousands of agencies, with some of them having to resell, consulting, and integrating the vendor’s products at its core. And big vendors won’t be skewing the playing field in your favour, it’s the other way around — you have to fight with your elbows to get more of this deal.
So what can a forward-looking agency go about it?
API-first marketing tools to the rescue
I don’t want you to avoid technology partners at all. There’s a growing evidence that because of technology investments CMO’s budgets are overtaking CIO’s and you surely want to take a piece of this cake, right? The alternative gospel I’d like to preach relies on marketing technology too.
Rather than giving away the majority of revenue to Martech giants, you can extend your offer with marketing technology integration services. As McKinsey says, you can become a “hybrid, who speaks both marketing and IT, and naturally see the connections between them”. “But becoming a Martech integrator needs plenty of developers!” — You’ll say. Yes, you need to invest in technical knowledge, but with the birth of API-based marketing tools, the must-have requirement for a sizeable development team doesn’t hold true any more. So how is it done?
Let’s start with what an API-based solution, Ed Shelley from Chart Mogul defines with these features:
There is NO user interface (GUI). Or in some cases, there is a GUI, but it’s secondary to the core product.
Interaction with the service is through a web-based API — a programmatic way of connecting services and transferring data across the web in a machine-readable way.
The value of the service is usually in the data that’s delivered (through the API).
Pricing is often usage-based, meaning that the cost is based on the number of requests made to the API.
(I’ve elaborated on the introduction to API-based solutionson ChiefMartec blog)
How can you use such a creature to overcome the problems we’ve talked about?
Flexibility, credibility, control
First of all, API-first platforms don’t offer A-Z solutions in a particular marketing area. Instead, they offer building blocks. And it’s your role to put them together to satisfy a client’s need. Yes, your developer has to understand the platform, it takes time and money. But the overall solution achieved by connecting your knowledge with technology will be much more suited at the end of the day.
This is because you can roll out the solution iteratively — you have full control over the software and you pay for usage. You can also easily integrate with existing infrastructure, no bottlenecks cause by format mismatch or mundane and costly import/export processes.
And even the “learning part” is more pleasant with the API-based solutions. First, the API-first platforms I know don’t enforce any certification if you want to become business friends. Second, to please developers (who don’t buy or use things if they’re not blatantly clear and transparent from the get-go), they go extra miles to explain the platform capabilities in details to the users and convince them they can quickly bring themselves up-to-speed. So, all the materials on the plate (see Contentful, Twilio, MailChimp resourceful knowledge bases), no exams, no paid training, no strings attached.
Instead, they provide pre-built software components, tutorials, and interactive guides to develop a custom solution in no time. With such setup, your development team doesn’t really have to be big!
There’s one more shade of flexibility which comes with an API-based tools. You can use building blocks to create a solution branded as your product. Some providers even allow for white labelling of every part of the platform. Being recognised as a solution provider or a know-how owner will definitely help you improve your margins.
This all constitutes a lightweight form of partnership you engage in without risking your position and clients’ trust.
API-based partnership programs
API-first platforms offer partner programs too. Enrolling in such partnership not only will allow you to satisfy clients requirements better, but you will also avoid some risks related caused by going all-in with Martech giants. And you can still get the perks like discounts, better support, exclusive materials, and ultimately new leads.
Tapping into the digital world and staying solution-agnostic at the same time sounds like a good long-term plan for becoming a successful marketing agency, doesn’t it? | https://medium.com/voucherify/why-its-time-to-reconsider-joining-an-agency-partner-program-48263799d20d | ['Mike Sedzielewski'] | 2018-09-11 10:50:12.926000+00:00 | ['Partnerships', 'Agency', 'Marketing', 'Marketing Automation'] |
Five Vignettes from My Pendejo Youth | Rocking that Collar
Uno. In 1995, when I was six years old, dad gave me two dollars. I treasured those two baros so much I decided to get a wallet to store them. So, at Harbor College swap meet that Sunday, I secretly bought a cheap ass wallet which cost two dollars. When it came time to store my wealth, my pendejo ass was puzzled that I no longer had any money.
Dos. When I was eight years old, mom took my siblings and I to visit a relative. Living in the Wilmington barrio meant we lived among junkyards and talleres and all kinds of shit. When approaching one of those junkyards, mom said to avoid the gate and walk in the street as a group. My pendejo ass thought I was badass so I disobeyed. An enraged Doberman Pincher with pointy ears lunged at me and took a chuck out of my back. I was at hospital for some time.
Tres. When I was in fifth grade, my school — Wilmington Park Elementary — held a Thanksgiving food drive. I took it seriously. There were poor people in our community who needed help. So, I contributed some food and helped organize the gift boxes. A few days later, I arrived home after school only to find one of those boxes at our door step. My pendejo ass figured it was a mistake. Then I looked at my dirty, raggedy poor ass and realized it wasn’t.
Cuatro. In second grade, as part of April Fool’s, my teacher trashed our classroom while students were at recess. When we returned, all were in shock. She explained it might have been a leprechaun and secretly pointed a green laser at the ceiling, which she said was the manifestation of that leprechaun. My pendejo ass believed it all year and would take all my things home every day in case that little green goblin came back.
Cinco. At nine years old, I was at the obligatory Sunday morning mass. Bored out of my mind, I kept dozing off which was always followed by an excruciating Latino pinch to my side. At the end, the priest invited the congregation to come up for a blessing. As the aspergillum made its way towards me, I yelled “shoot me, Father”. My pendejo ass got a nice ass whopping that day. | https://medium.com/@cortesjuve/five-vignettes-from-my-pendejo-youth-9eecd30d9362 | ['J. Cortes Rivera'] | 2021-01-01 17:48:52.807000+00:00 | ['Short Story', 'Barrio', 'Migrants', 'Youth', 'Mexican American'] |
GetResponse Review 2021- A Walkthrough | I’m going to give you a walk through of the email marketing software, GetResponse.
So that after reading this Blog you’ll know exactly if this software GetResponse is the right thing for your business.
I’m gonna focus on giving you a quick overview of the software and also share with you my personal experience that I’ve had with it the past three years that I’ve been using it.
The goal here is to give you a feel for the software so that you can eventually decide if you actually wanna go with GetResponse for your individual business.
But if you eventually decide to go with GetResponse, I do have an in-depth tutorial on YouTube that will teach you step by step how to set up your email marketing system within GetResponse.
So the first thing that you see when you log in to your GetResponse account is your dashboard.
You can customize your dashboard by adding different widgets and moving them around to wherever you want to.
Personally, I like to see an overview of all the different email lists that I currently have and also see some stats about the last newsletter that I sent out to my email subscribers.
When you start using the software, the easiest way to navigate through it is by clicking on the menu button on the top-left corner, there you see all the main tools of GetResponse.
I’ll give you a brief overview of most of these tools in this blog, but first I wanna talk about lists.
The way you organize your email contacts within GetResponse is by adding them to different lists.
So the first thing that you need to do is create a new email list.
If you already have an email list, you can either add each email address manually or I recommend you can just import your entire email list.
Once you’ve created a new list or inputted your existing email list, you can set up the emails that you wanna send out to your subscribers.
To write and design your emails, you’ll be using the drag and drop email editor within GetResponse.
Whether you create an email for a newsletter, an autoresponder or an automation message you’ll always go through the email editor to create it.
You can choose from tons of different templates for all kinds of different sectors.
Personally, I find all of them look quite professional and if you have a company and wanna send out such kind of newsletters, it’s really easy to just change the text and get a well-designed newsletter within a couple of minutes.
Personally, I like my email to look a little bit more personal, which is why I mostly just start with a blank template and just add some text without a lot of designs.
Disclaimer: This article has affiliate links and if you click the link and buy I will receive a small commission.
For a 30 days free trail click here.
Inside of the editor, you can just drag a text box into your Canvas and edit the text.
There’s also other things you can add to your email like for example, images, buttons or social media links.
You’ll also get a preview of what your email will look like when opening it from a smartphone.
Personally, I like this email editor and I never really had any problems with it.
You can do a lot of fancy stuff with this, but I personally just use it for simple text emails with a couple of links and maybe one or two images max.
Within GetResponse there are basically three different ways you can automate your emails.
The first one is by sending out a simple newsletter. This is a onetime email that you can send out to all of your subscribers approximately at the same time because you wanna let them know about a current event.
I for example, send out newsletter emails to my subscribers whenever I write a new blog on my website.
A cool thing you can do here is use the feature perfect timing.
GetResponse actually tracks whenever your email subscribers open your emails and then determines the best time to send out your email to each individual subscriber.
So by activating the perfect timing feature for your newsletter, you can pretty easily increase your open rates by just clicking this button. And it also helps to not end up in the spam folder because you’re not sending out all of the emails at once.
The second way of automating your emails is by using the autoresponder.
This is a very simple way of setting up an email sequence. So what you can do for example, is prepare five emails that you wanna send out over the course of five days to everyone who signs up to your newsletter.
Just create a new autoresponder for a specific list and add the five emails. Then whenever somebody’s added to your email list, those five emails will be sent out in the order and time period that you’ve set up.
Personally, I don’t use the email autoresponder at all because everything you can do within the autoresponder, you can also do within the email automation tool, which is the third way of automating your emails.
This is, in my opinion, the most powerful tool of GetResponse. There you can set up an entire email workflow for your email subscribers.
Here’s an example of what you can do with this automated feature.
So we start with the first block, which adds everyone who subscribed to a specific email list to this workflow. Then we wanna immediately send them a first message, which is our welcome email with a link to our free ebook.
What I can do then is add a condition to check who actually opened this email. To everyone who didn’t open the email, I will send the same email again after two days just with a different title.
Then everyone who does end up opening any of the first emails is going further into email sequence.
One day later, I’ll send out the next email.
The ones who didn’t open any of my first two emails will be automatically removed from my list because those are inactive
contacts or fake email addresses.
I can also add conditions checking if people clicked any link in the message and then assign tags to people who do.
This way I can segment my list and send people down an email sequence that is customized based on the actions that the email subscriber takes.
Another feature I like to use in GetResponse is the splitter to split test different email titles and messages.
So for example, I can send 50% of my subscribers one email and to the other 50% I send another email and then check the stats to find out what email works the best.
You can really get crazy within this email automation feature and you can actually create email workflows that lasts for months and keep making your money on autopilot by promoting different products for your subscribers.
I hope this quick example gives you an overview of what you can do with an email automation using GetResponse.
I’ll show you exactly how to download my personal email automation sequence that you can then import to your own GetResponse account and then use that as a template.
Another important feature within GetResponse is the tracking.
For every email you send you get statistics for how many people actually received your email, how many actually opened it, how many people clicked any of the links, and how many people unsubscribed from your email list after opening the email.
These are all valuable metrics that you wanna analyze to learn what actually resonates with your audience and what doesn’t.
And when you go back to the dashboard and click on reports, you have access to a lot more analytics and information about your email subscribers.
Things like demographics, different devices or subscription methods. GetResponse also has a tool that you can use to build landing pages, forms and surveys.
I personally only use the GetResponse landing page tool, which works quite similarly to the drag and drop email editor. There you also have tons of different templates you can choose from.
Designing a landing page is quite easy and you do have all the basic functions you need.
However, if you’ve been using a software like ClickFunnels to build your landing pages, you’ll notice that there is room to improve here on GetResponse.
What I’m missing, for example, is the possibility to split test different landing pages, which you can do in a software like ClickFunnels, but I currently do use to GetResponse landing page tool to save some money on yet another subscription service.
However, if you do wanna use another software to create your landing pages, you can easily integrate them with GetResponse so that everyone who signs up on your landing page will be automatically added to your email list within GetResponse.
Nowadays you can actually use GetResponse as an all-in-one email marketing solution.
They recently added a feature called Autofunnel that allows you to create sales funnels and basically do everything from Facebook ads to landing pages and checkout pages within GetResponse.
Personally, I haven’t tried this feature yet so I can’t tell you how well it actually works, but I do like to have the possibility to have all the components of a sales funnel within one software, which should make it a lot easier to integrate everything.
Things I have also never tried is the webinar tool and the CRM feature in GetResponse.
I’ll make sure to create an updated review when I’ve actually tried those features.
One thing that I can speak about is their 24-hour support, which in my experience works very well.
Whenever I have any questions, I just click on the chat box on the left side and type in my question.
There’s always someone online who can answer my questions and also help me out with screenshots and even short video tutorials customized to my questions.
I think I actually never had to wait over a minute to receive an answer to my question so I can definitely say that they have very good support.
Now let’s take a look at the pricing of GetResponse. Like I said, they do
have a 30-day free trial, so we can try out the software with all the features and you don’t even have to give them the credit card information when you create an account.
Then after those 30 days, if you like the software, you can choose one of
the four available plans, the basic, the plus, the professional or the enterprise plan.
For very basic email marketing, the basic plan should be enough to get started.
However, what you don’t get in the basic plan is the email automation workflow feature, which is in my opinion, a must if you wanna take email marketing seriously.
I currently have the plus plan which allows me to use all the tools that I’ve detailed you in this blog.
If you don’t run over five email marketing campaigns at the same time and if you don’t have over 100,000 email subscribers, you don’t really need to look at the professional or the enterprise plan.
Personally, I recommend to get the plus plan and you’ll have everything you need. What I do wanna point out is that the bigger your email list gets the higher the price will be.
So for example, it’s $49 per month for up to 1000 contacts and then $59 per month for up to 2,500 contacts.
Actually, most email marketing softwares have this kind of pricing.
So overall I can tell you that I’m very happy with GetResponse and I can definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a solid email marketing solution.
Also, if you’re an affiliate marketer, I can tell you that you won’t have any problems putting affiliate links into your emails.
I’ve heard that other email marketing softwares, like for example, MailChimp don’t really support affiliate marketing, which is why a lot of affiliate marketers actually changed to GetResponse. | https://medium.com/@cbsimharao/getresponse-review-2021-fe55743fd6de | ['Narasimha Rao'] | 2020-12-12 14:51:12.893000+00:00 | ['List Building', 'Email For Marketing', 'Email Marketing', 'Email', 'Email Marketing Tips'] |
The Male Gaze is like, a Prison | A few months ago I was sitting in the corner of an inner-suburbs cafe with some university friends. We’ve graduated, three of us have jobs in finance and two others are finishing masters, we’re not just pretty faces. The conversation turned to power, and the question was posed: “What type of power, that women have, is most effective in society?”
There are many answers, but the one that comes to mind is sexual power. (Before I proceed, the ideas discussed tackle the very heteronormative view of sexuality as per my own experiences. Obviously, there exists a whole other experience of womanhood, beyond the cis experience that I don’t touch here).
Power and sex, there hasn’t been a better combination since…never? Of course, women have more purpose than sex, but it has been the narrative that we are defined by. If we consider the four main portrayals of women in popular media; virgin, slut, mother, bitch, the first three are defined by each character’s ability to provide or withhold sex. Bitch is the easy catch-all for women who don’t fall into these stereotypes and make men uncomfortable.
It was on my mind since watching a round table that the Hollywood Reporter had published mid last year. Filmed in the humid climate of the brewing Weinstein storm, the actresses were discussing their experiences of their own sexual power. Maggie Gyllenhaal, who was there for her work acting and producing “The Deuce,” where she acts as a porn star, was reflecting on her own experience of utilizing her sensuality, look at the rest of the table and asked, “haven’t we all? ” To which, Angela Basset says, “I have not been asked to use my sexuality in my career… as a black woman,”
Sandra Oh echoed “I don’t think I’ve gotten any job based on (gestures to her body) As nice as it is” She then went on to say one of the key takeaways of the roundtable, “There is a different type of weight when you are not seen. And you are not seen that way and you are not given power that way, because it is power.
If the greater community at large tells you “We don’t even want that from you…” these things that I realise now, have hurt me for a long time” What the interaction prompts is the question, what is sexual power and, is it ever a positive thing?
The politics and feelings concerning sexual power have become murky in a post #MeToo, “Fourth Wave Feminism.” Sexual power is the ability to use other people viewing you as a sexually desirable being, to empower yourself sexually, doesn’t feel savoury. Sexual power can be exercised individually and societally. Individually, someone’s sexual power depends on the other person: their preferences, their past history and the way that their brain is wired. In society, there exists the Barbie-stencil, a majority wins model of what is desirable. The Round Table interview encapsulates the society definition and invites us to question whether the possession of sexual power is positive. When you fit the definition of the mass wet dream valuation, you are objectified for the gratification of the viewer. In extreme cases, present in the production of popular media, you lose depth and become your sexual power. Sometimes this value system can be weaponised, as Maggie Gyllenhaal has done. However, the use of sexuality is still at the cost of being reduced. You must first be objectified to turn yourself into a weapon.
When you are not viewed and objectified in this way, you are protected from the costs of sexual power, but there is pain in not being accepted. The pain of not feeling valued and therefore, not being valuable. Sexual power becomes a terrible curse. Pain when you have it, pain when you don’t.
The zero-sum gain incongruity is put into the every day by my friends’ experiences of catcalling. One of my friends gets catcalled regularly and she hates it. She’s been put in dangerous situations as men have followed her to her car at night. While the intention of the admiring gaze may be intended as complimentary, she describes it as “surveillance.” Another friend added the reverse of this. She has never been catcalled and used to feel that there was something wrong. She knows that catcalling is not a good thing, it’s a disrespectful claim of ownership over a person. But she still wonders, is she somehow less when she is not being Looked At.
The concept of surveillance and being viewed is not new. ‘The Male Gaze,’ was coined by Laura Mulvey in her essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” It refers to the way in which women are depicted in cinema, to satiate the sexual appetites of the heterosexual man. Look at women, from her neck to her breasts to her butt to her thighs. This is sexual power or sexual vulnerability, experiences which are on either side of the scale demonstrating the volatility of the power. Sexual power is not possessed by the woman. It is borrowed power, leant to the recipients. When a group of men yell (or do not yell) at a woman they are affirming her sexual power. Sexual power is not the same as financial power. It is not the same as a professional position, a degree or a skill, where the power is owned. Sexual power is fleeting. It is for others to decide, to give and to take away depending on your adherence to certain aesthetic procedures (makeup, clothes), weight, and age, if you are seen, or not. I say this again, sexual power is fleeting, it is hard to earn, harder to maintain and easy to lose.
But in a cruel trick, when a woman is invisible, when she loses the sexual power (which is inevitable), there is a quiet voice which tells us we should pity her as “unworthy” of the male gaze. As participants in society, we are aware of how society views us. Margaret Atwood says it best, as she is prone to do, in the “Robber Bride”
“Male fantasies, male fantasies, is everything run by male fantasies? Up on a pedestal or down on your knees, it’s all a male fantasy: that you’re strong enough to take what they dish out, or else too weak to do anything about it. Even pretending you aren’t catering to male fantasies is a male fantasy: pretending you’re unseen, pretending you have a life of your own, that you can wash your feet and comb your hair unconscious of the ever-present watcher peering through the keyhole, peering through the keyhole in your own head, if nowhere else. You are a woman with a man inside watching a woman. You are your own voyeur.”
When you are invisible, you must live in awareness of this apparent shortcoming. And despite the rationale that this shouldn’t matter, the constant, measuring surveillance is debilitating.
To draw a dramatic parallel, the male gaze is like a prison. Foucault, a 20th-century academic, studied the concept of the Panopticon. The Panopticon is a prison structure where the prison cells are built in a circle, in the centre of which is a guard tower with tinted windows. The prison cells are open but due to the tinted windows of the guard tower, the prisoners are unsure whether they are being monitored, whether they are being watched by ten guards or none at all. This uncertainty heightens the power of surveillance. When the prisoner assumes they are being watched, they become both the prisoner and the guard, internalising the surveillance. The prisoners become individualised weakening the likelihood and success of a group revolt, strengthening the institution. Surveillance is paralyzing.
The male gaze works same way as the Panopticon. Even though we may reject the sexual power society gives us, even though there may not be men around, as individuals we turn the male gaze on ourselves. It is present in the way you angle yourself for a selfie, the clothes we wear, the feelings we have when we receive or do not receive catcalls. We are individualised and continually weakened by the institution of sexual power.
The claustrophobia of the male gaze comes into immediate focus and the next question is posed, is there an exception to the narrative?
The answer lives with the Panopticon’s namesake. The Panopticon was named after the Greek myth of Argus Panoptes, the giant with hundreds of eyes that could look in every direction and sleep at different times, maintaining constant surveillance. The exception to that narrative is the first bitch or “Nasty Woman,” Medusa. Raped by Poseidon in the temple of Athena, her beauty was cursed and she was made to have a head of snakes so terrifying that she turned all men who gazed on her to stone. She is the automatic victor of Panoptes, literally unable to be looked at, invisible, and safe, and quiet. Our treatment of Medusa becomes interesting and the questions we ask, indicative of the male gaze panopticon. Is she the monster? Should we pity her for her loneliness, that she may never feel the glow of the borrowed power of being an object of sexual desire? Or, should we envy her, that she is the only known survivor of the Male Gaze?
Sexual power is no longer the only power that women possess, but as Maggie Gyllenhaal said, “A hundred years ago, the only way you could support yourself is connecting with a man…” Women may have more effective avenues and variations of power, but sexual power continues to be the defining feature of our experience and valuation. As the weaponisation of sexuality starts to penetrate mainstream popular media, the constant touchpoint of sexual power should be that it is a borrowed power. It is not a resource that grows from a woman. It is of the image of woman. The conversation beyond this is unwieldy and difficult, but I believe that it is time for our power to come from us, to take steps to evict the male voyeur behind our eyes. It is time to grow snakes for hair and to be uncomfortable.
References:
Atwood, M 1993, “The Robber Bride”
The Hollywood Reporter, 2018 “Drama Actresses Roundtable: Angela Bassett, Elisabeth Moss, Claire Foy, Thandie Newton | THR” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvfzWFl5q9E | https://medium.com/@ncwychandra/the-male-gaze-is-like-a-prison-eae8b91613fa | ['Nat C'] | 2019-05-30 13:54:54.770000+00:00 | ['Feminism', 'Society', 'Women', 'Media', 'Sociology'] |
Importance of the Interactive System Design | Interactive design is a user-oriented field of study that focuses on meaningful communication of media through cyclical and collaborative processes between people and technology. Successful interactive designs have simple, clearly defined goals, a strong purpose, and an intuitive screen interface.
Design rules for interactive systems
1)Principles of Learnability
The ease with which new users can begin effective interaction and achieve maximal performance.
Predictability
support for the user to determine the effect of future action based on past interaction history. Predictability means that interaction design should set accurate expectations about what will happen before the user taps, swipes, or clicks on something.
Synthesizability
support for the user to assess the effect of past operations on the current state. Immediate honesty and eventual honesty are two aspects of synthesizability. These concepts usually apply to the ability of the interactive system to provide the user with measurable and informative notification of changes in the operating state of the system.
Familiarity
The familiarity principle is concerned with the ability of an interactive system to allow a user to map prior experiences, either real-world or gained from interaction with other systems, onto the features of a new system. The extent to which a user’s knowledge and experience in other real-world or computer-based domains can be applied when interacting with a new system.
Generalizability
This theory of interactive design offers support for users to expand knowledge of particular experiences to new, but similar circumstances within and across applications.
Consistency
Consistency is important for fostering generalizability and is perhaps one of the most commonly used design concepts in the design of user interfaces. There should always be clear use of labels and icons and the same icons and labels should be used.
2)Principles of Flexibility
Consider a setting with multiple demand classes that are served by a set of resources. When each resource is limited to serving only one demand class, we can often have a situation where some resources are under-utilized and idle, while others are over-utilized and not able to meet the demand. One tactic for dealing with this situation is to make each resource more flexible so that it can serve more than one demand class. But how much flexibility should each resource have and what is the best way to deploy flexibility across the resources? This chapter shows that when done right, limited flexibility can provide almost the same level of benefits as complete flexibility.
Dialog initiative
The dialog is said to be machine preemptive when the scheme regulates the dialog flow. Conversely, the dialog is said to be preemptive for the user when the flow is managed by the user.
Multi-threading
A thread may be considered a part of a dialog within a user interface that allows a task to be completed. Multi-threading provides support for several tasks to be performed at once within an interface.
Task migratability
Task migration requires transferring responsibility between the user and the system for the execution of tasks. One clear example of this is a computerized spell checker.
Substitutivity
Substitutivity offers users alternative ways of specifying input or viewing output. For example, a drawing package may allow the start and end coordinates of a line to be specified, conversely, the same system may allow the line to be drawn first, and the system indicates the endpoint coordinates.
Customizability
The user interface should be able to support individual preferences. For example, standard control bars in MS Word can be changed as needed.
3)Principles of Robustness
The level of support provided the user in determining successful achievement and assessment of goal-directed behavior.
Observability
The ability of the user to evaluate the internal state of the system from its perceivable representation.
Recoverability
The ability of the user to take corrective action once an error has been recognized.
Responsiveness
How the user perceives the rate of communication with the system.
Task conformance
The degree to which system services support all of the user’s tasks.
4)Standards and Guideline for Interactive systems
Set by national or international bodies to ensure compliance by a large community of designer’s standards require sound underlying theory and slowly changing technology. Hardware standards more common than software with high authority and low level of detail. ISO 9241 defines usability as effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction with which users accomplish tasks.
5)8 Golden Rules of Interface Design
Ben Shneiderman (born August 21, 1947) is an American computer scientist and professor at the University of Maryland Human-Computer Interaction Lab. His work is comparable to other contemporary design thinkers like Don Norman and Jakob Nielsen. In his popular book “Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction”, Shneiderman reveals his eight golden rules of interface design:
Strive for consistency by utilizing familiar icons, colors, menu hierarchy, call-to-actions, and user flows when designing similar situations and sequence of actions. Standardizing the way information is conveyed ensures users are able to apply knowledge from one click to another; without the need to learn new representations for the same actions. Consistency plays an important role by helping users become familiar with the digital landscape of your product so they can achieve their goals more easily.
by utilizing familiar icons, colors, menu hierarchy, call-to-actions, and user flows when designing similar situations and sequence of actions. Standardizing the way information is conveyed ensures users are able to apply knowledge from one click to another; without the need to learn new representations for the same actions. Consistency plays an important role by helping users become familiar with the digital landscape of your product so they can achieve their goals more easily. Enable frequent users to use shortcuts. With increased use comes the demand for quicker methods of completing tasks. For example, both Windows and Mac provide users with keyboard shortcuts for copying and pasting, so as the user becomes more experienced, they can navigate and operate the user interface more quickly and effortlessly.
With increased use comes the demand for quicker methods of completing tasks. For example, both Windows and Mac provide users with keyboard shortcuts for copying and pasting, so as the user becomes more experienced, they can navigate and operate the user interface more quickly and effortlessly. Offer informative feedback. The user should know where they are at and what is going on at all times. For every action, there should be appropriate, human-readable feedback within a reasonable amount of time. A good example of applying this would be to indicate to the user where they are at in the process when working through a multi-page questionnaire. A bad example we often see is when an error message shows an error code instead of a human-readable and meaningful message.
The user should know where they are at and what is going on at all times. For every action, there should be appropriate, human-readable feedback within a reasonable amount of time. A good example of applying this would be to indicate to the user where they are at in the process when working through a multi-page questionnaire. A bad example we often see is when an error message shows an error code instead of a human-readable and meaningful message. Design dialogue to yield closure. Don’t keep your users guessing. Tell them what their action has led them to. For example, users would appreciate a “Thank You” message and a proof of purchase receipt when they’ve completed an online purchase.
Don’t keep your users guessing. Tell them what their action has led them to. For example, users would appreciate a “Thank You” message and a proof of purchase receipt when they’ve completed an online purchase. Offer simple error handling. No one likes to be told they’re wrong, especially your users. Systems should be designed to be as fool-proof as possible, but when unavoidable errors occur, ensure users are provided with simple, intuitive step-by-step instructions to solve the problem as quickly and painlessly as possible. For example, flag the text fields where the users forgot to provide input in an online form.
No one likes to be told they’re wrong, especially your users. Systems should be designed to be as fool-proof as possible, but when unavoidable errors occur, ensure users are provided with simple, intuitive step-by-step instructions to solve the problem as quickly and painlessly as possible. For example, flag the text fields where the users forgot to provide input in an online form. Permit easy reversal of actions. Designers should aim to offer users obvious ways to reverse their actions. These reversals should be permitted at various points whether it occurs after a single action, a data entry or a whole sequence of actions.
Designers should aim to offer users obvious ways to reverse their actions. These reversals should be permitted at various points whether it occurs after a single action, a data entry or a whole sequence of actions. Support internal locus of control. Allow your users to be the initiators of actions. Give users the sense that they are in full control of events occurring in the digital space. Earn their trust as you design the system to behave as they expect.
Allow your users to be the initiators of actions. Give users the sense that they are in full control of events occurring in the digital space. Earn their trust as you design the system to behave as they expect. Reduce short-term memory load. Human attention is limited and we are only capable of maintaining around five items in our short-term memory at one time. Therefore, interfaces should be as simple as possible with proper information hierarchy and choosing recognition over recall. Recognizing something is always easier than recall because recognition involves perceiving cues that help us reach into our vast memory and allowing relevant information to surface.
6)Norman’s 7 Principles
Donald Norman, one of the most notable researchers in the field of human-computer interaction and user-centered design, provides seven key design principles to keep in mind while designing any interface. Norman’s idea is that devices, computers, and interfaces should function correctly and be intuitive and easy to use. The six principles that revolve around this idea are:
1. Use both pieces of knowledge in the world and knowledge in the head.
2. Simplify the structure of tasks.
3. Make things visible: bridge the gulfs of Execution and Evaluation.
4. Get the mappings right.
5. Exploit the power of constraints, both natural and artificial.
6. Design for error.
7. When all else fails, standardize.
Evaluation techniques for interactive system
What is evaluation?
Evaluation is a process that critically examines a program. It involves collecting and analyzing information about a program’s activities, characteristics, and outcomes. Its purpose is to make judgments about a program, to improve its effectiveness, and/or to inform programming decisions.
Goals of evaluation
1. Assess the extent of system functionality -The design of the system should allow users to more easily perform their intended tasks. This means not only making available the required features inside the system but also making it easily accessible.
2. Assess the effect of interface on the user -It’s necessary to analyze the user’s interaction experience and its effect on the user. This involves considering things such as how simple the system is to understand, its accessibility, and the satisfaction of the user with it.
3. Identify specific problems -These may be aspects of the design n which, when used in their intended context, cause unexpected results, or confusion amongst users. Both the functionality and usability of the design are related to this.
Evaluation through expert analysis
In particular, the first evaluation of a system should ideally be performed before any implementation work has started. Some methods have been proposed to evaluate interactive systems through expert analysis. These depend upon the designer, or a human factors expert, taking the design and assessing the impact that it will have upon a typical user. The basic intention is to identify any areas that are likely to cause difficulties because they violate known cognitive principles or ignore accepted empirical results. These methods can be used at any stage in the development process from a design specification, through storyboards and prototypes, to full implementations, making them flexible evaluation approaches. They are also relatively cheap since they do not require user involvement. However, they do not assess the actual use of the system, only whether or not a system upholds accepted usability principles.
The cognitive walkthrough is a usability evaluation method in which one or more evaluators work through a series of tasks and ask a set of questions from the perspective of the user. The focus of the cognitive walkthrough is on understanding the system’s learnability for new or infrequent users.
Heuristic evaluation is a process where experts use rules of thumb to measure the usability of user interfaces in independent walkthroughs and report issues. Evaluators use established heuristics (e.g., Nielsen-Molich’s) and reveal insights that can help design teams enhance product usability from early in development.
Model-based evaluation is using a model of how a human would use a proposed system to ob- tain predicted usability measures by calculation or simulation. These predictions can replace or supplement empirical measurements obtained by user testing.
Using Previous Studies in Evaluation is Experimental psychology and human-computer interaction between them possess a wealth of experimental results and empirical evidence. Some of this is specific to a particular domain, but much deals with more generic issues and applies in a variety of situations. Examples of such issues are the usability of different menu types, the recall of command names, and the choice of icons. A final approach to expert evaluation exploits this inheritance, using previous results as evidence to support (or refute) aspects of the design. It is expensive to repeat experiments continually and an expert review of relevant literature can avoid the need to do so. It should be noted that experimental results cannot be expected to hold arbitrarily across contexts. The reviewer must therefore select evidence carefully, noting the experimental design is chosen, the population of participants used, the analyses performed and the assumptions made.
Evaluation through user participation
1. Styles of evaluation -User participation in evaluation tends to occur in the later stages of development when there is at least a working prototype of the system in place. There are two types of evaluation studies; Laboratory studies (Users are taken out of their normal work environment to take part in controlled tests, often in a specialist usability laboratory) and Field studies (Takes the designer or evaluator out into the user’s work environment in order to observe the system in action).
2. Empirical methods: experimental evaluation-To support a particular claim or hypothesis, this offers empirical proof. At various levels of details, it can be used to analyze a wide variety of different issues. Also, this is one of the most powerful methods of evaluating a design or an aspect of a design is to use a controlled experiment. There are a number of factors that must be considered carefully in experimental design such as Participants, Variables tested and manipulated, Hypothesis tested, and Experimental design.
3. Observational techniques -A popular way to gather information about the actual use of a system is to observe users interacting with it. Usually, they are asked to complete a set of predetermined tasks, although, if the observation is being carried out in their place of work, they may be observed going about their normal duties. Some of the techniques used to evaluate systems by observing user behavior are; Think Aloud, Cooperative evaluation, Protocol analysis, Automated analysis, and Post-task walkthroughs.
4. Query techniques -This relies on asking the user about the interface directly. Query techniques can be useful in eliciting detail of the user’s view of a system. The advantage of such methods is that they get the user’s viewpoint directly and may reveal issues that have not been considered by the designer. There are two main types of query technique: interviews and questionnaires.
Evaluation through monitoring physiological responses
This will allow us not only to see more clearly exactly what users do when they interact with computers but also to measure how they feel. The two areas receiving the most attention to date are eye-tracking and physiological measurement.
When it comes to eye tracking, modern systems use a head-mounted camera to monitor the eye. Eye movements are believed to reflect the amount of cognitive processing a display requires. So measuring not only where people look, but also their patterns of eye movement may tell us which areas of a screen they are finding easy or difficult to understand.
The emotional response is closely tied to physiological changes. These include changes in heart rate, breathing, and skin secretions. Measuring these physiological responses may therefore be useful in determining a user’s emotional response to an interface.
Universal Design for Interactive Systems
Universal Design Principles
The 7 Principles of Universal Design were developed in 1997 by a working group of architects, product designers, engineers, and environmental design researchers, led by the late Ronald Mace in the North Carolina State University. The purpose of the Principles is to guide the design of environments, products, and communications. According to the Center for Universal Design in NCSU, the Principles “may be applied to evaluate existing designs, guide the design process and educate both designers and consumers about the characteristics of more usable products and environments.”
Equitable Use
The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. Provide the same means of use for all users: identical whenever possible; equivalent when not. Avoid segregating or stigmatizing any users. Provisions for privacy, security, and safety should be equally available to all users. Make the design appealing to all users.
Flexibility in Use
The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. Provide choice in methods of use. Accommodate right- or left-handed access and use. Facilitate the user’s accuracy and precision. Provide adaptability to the user’s pace.
Simple and Intuitive Use
Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level. Eliminate unnecessary complexity. Be consistent with user expectations and intuition. Accommodate a wide range of literacy and language skills. Arrange information consistent with its importance. Provide effective prompting and feedback during and after task completion.
Perceptible Information
The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities. Use different modes (pictorial, verbal, tactile) for redundant presentation of essential information. Provide adequate contrast between essential information and its surroundings. Maximize the “legibility” of essential information. Differentiate elements in ways that can be described (i.e., make it easy to give instructions or directions). Provide compatibility with a variety of techniques or devices used by people with sensory limitations.
Tolerance for Error
The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. Arrange elements to minimize hazards and errors: most used elements, most accessible; hazardous elements eliminated, isolated, or shielded. Provide warnings of hazards and errors. Provide fail-safe features. Discourage unconscious action in tasks that require vigilance.
Low Physical Effort
The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue. Allow user to maintain a neutral body position. Use reasonable operating forces. Minimize repetitive actions. Minimize sustained physical effort.
Size and Space for Approach and Use
Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of the user’s body size, posture, or mobility. Provide a clear line of sight to important elements for any seated or standing user. Make reach to all components comfortable for any seated or standing user. Accommodate variations in hand and grip size. Provide adequate space for the use of assistive devices or personal assistance.
Multi-modal interaction
More than one mode of interaction is an important principle of universal design. Such design relies on multi-modal interaction. However, it should always be remembered that multi-modal interaction is not just about enhancing the richness of the interaction, but also about redundancy. Redundant systems provide the same information through a range of channels, so, for example, the information presented graphically is also captioned in readable text or speech, or a verbal narrative is provided with text captions. The aim is to provide at least an equivalent experience to all, regardless of their primary channel of interaction.
Sound in interface Sound is an important contributor to usability. There is experimental evidence to suggest that the addition of audio confirmation of modes, in the form of changes in keyclicks, reduces errors [237]. Video games offer further evidence since experts tend to score less well when the sound is turned off than when it is on; they pick up vital clues and information from the sound while concentrating their visual attention on different things. The dual presentation of information through sound and vision supports the universal design, by enabling access for users with visual and hearing impairments respectively. It also enables information to be accessed in poorly lit or noisy environments.
Sound is an important contributor to usability. There is experimental evidence to suggest that the addition of audio confirmation of modes, in the form of changes in keyclicks, reduces errors [237]. Video games offer further evidence since experts tend to score less well when the sound is turned off than when it is on; they pick up vital clues and information from the sound while concentrating their visual attention on different things. The dual presentation of information through sound and vision supports the universal design, by enabling access for users with visual and hearing impairments respectively. It also enables information to be accessed in poorly lit or noisy environments. Touch in the interface Touch is the only sense that can be used to both send and receive information. Although it is not yet widely used in interacting with computers, there is a significant research effort in this area and commercial applications are becoming available. The use of touch in the interface is known as haptic interaction. Haptics is a generic term relating to touch, but it can be roughly divided into two areas: cutaneous perception, which is concerned with tactile sensations through the skin; and kinesthetics, which is the perception of movement and position. Both are useful in interaction but they require different technologies.
Touch is the only sense that can be used to both send and receive information. Although it is not yet widely used in interacting with computers, there is a significant research effort in this area and commercial applications are becoming available. The use of touch in the interface is known as haptic interaction. Haptics is a generic term relating to touch, but it can be roughly divided into two areas: cutaneous perception, which is concerned with tactile sensations through the skin; and kinesthetics, which is the perception of movement and position. Both are useful in interaction but they require different technologies. Handwriting recognition Like speech, we consider handwriting to be a very natural form of communication. The idea of being able to interpret handwritten input is very appealing, and handwriting appears to offer both textual and graphical input using the same tools. There are problems associated with the use of handwriting as an input medium, however, and in this section, we shall consider these. We will first look at the mechanisms for capturing handwritten information, and then look at the problems of interpreting it
Like speech, we consider handwriting to be a very natural form of communication. The idea of being able to interpret handwritten input is very appealing, and handwriting appears to offer both textual and graphical input using the same tools. There are problems associated with the use of handwriting as an input medium, however, and in this section, we shall consider these. We will first look at the mechanisms for capturing handwritten information, and then look at the problems of interpreting it Gesture recognition Gesture is a component of human-computer interaction that has become the subject of attention in multi-modal systems. Being able to control the computer with certain movements of the hand would be advantageous in many situations where there is no possibility of typing, or when other senses are fully occupied. It could also support communication for people who have hearing loss if signing could be ‘translated’ into speech or vice versa. But, like speech, the gesture is user-dependent, subject to variation, and co-articulation. The technology for capturing gestures is expensive, using either computer vision or a special data glove.
Designing Interfaces for diversity, considering three key areas: disability, age, and culture
Interfaces are usually designed to cater to the ‘average’ user but as people are diverse, there are many factors that must be taken into account when we are trying to get closer to a universal design.
It is estimated that at least 10% of the population of every country has a disability that will affect interaction with computers so the design of software and hardware should not unnecessarily restrict the job prospects of people with disabilities. Most common sensory, physical, and cognitive impairments and the solutions for the issues they raise for interface design are as follows. | https://sunandakarunajeewa.medium.com/importance-of-the-interactive-system-design-91f00f3dadb0 | ['Sunanda Karunajeewa'] | 2020-12-27 17:21:07.189000+00:00 | ['Evaluation Techniques', 'Interactive Systems', 'Universal Design', 'Design Rule', 'Hcl'] |
BRISBANE | The seat of Brisbane covers the gentrified inner Brisbane suburbs of Ashgrove, Kelvin Grove, New Farm and north to Ascot and Hamilton. The seat was won by the LNP in 2010 with Trevor Evans becoming the local member at the 2016 election. Prior to 2010, Brisbane was a long term Labor seat, however demographic change is not on the ALPs side as wealthy baby boomers continue to move into the seat to take advantage of services and cultural amenity.
Information taken from Hansard via They Vote for You
The LNP’s Evans won the seat comfortably in 2016 with, after allocation of preferences, 56 per cent of the vole compared to the ALPs 44 per cent. At the last election, the Greens gained 19.4 per cent of the vote and their candidate this time is Andrew Bartlett, a former Senator with a high profile. Despite the large margin for the LNP, Brisbane has been identified as a priority seat for the ALP who have sent through a range of senior Shadow Ministers including the leader Bill Shorten. The ALP candidate Paul Newberry is an expert in the transition to renewable energy and could appeal to disaffected Liberal moderates who want to see action on climate change. On paper, the seat should be safe LNP but the ALPs continued interest indicate they believe there is potential to harvest disaffected Liberal voters.
Full list of candidates for seat of Brisbane | https://medium.com/the-machinery-of-government/brisbane-bb3cbce531f7 | ['Policy Innovation Hub'] | 2019-05-08 02:00:10.353000+00:00 | ['Australian Politics', 'Policy', 'Government', 'Elections', 'Politics'] |
Automatic Machine Learning (AutoML) Landscape Survey | A review of 22 machine learning libraries to help you choose which one might be right for your pipeline.
Alexander Allen and Adithya Balaji
Introduction
At Georgian Partners, our data science team is consistently looking for ways we can improve our efficiency and the efficiency of teams at our portfolio companies. One way is through improving the tooling in our machine learning pipelines. Rather than manually writing code to manipulate datasets it can be more efficient to draw from the vast collection of libraries available. However, there are so many libraries claiming to improve upon different processes in different ways it is overwhelming to make a selection. In this paper we distill down the core functionality of 22 machine learning libraries to make it clear which ones are the right choice for your pipeline.
A typical machine learning project breaks down into discrete steps: collecting raw data, merging data sources, cleaning data, feature engineering, model construction, hyperparameter tuning, model validation, and deployment. Data scientists can best contribute their ingenuity to the model construction phase, yet anecdotally it seems that the most time consuming pieces of machine learning are feature engineering and hyper parameter tuning. Thus, many models are not optimal as they move from experimental stages to production prematurely due to time constraints, or deployment in production is delayed.
Automatic machine learning (AutoML) frameworks reduce the load on data scientists so they can spend less time on feature engineering and hyperparameter tuning, and more time experimenting with model architectures. A quick exploration of the solution space not only allows a data scientist to quickly assess a dataset but also provides a baseline performance to improve upon. This paper provides a functional review of existing AutoML frameworks.
Overview
We survey open source frameworks that automate single or multiple parts of the machine learning pipeline. The parts of this pipeline that are serviceable by automatic frameworks are model construction, feature engineering, and hyperparameter optimization and thus we analyze mature frameworks claiming to optimize any combination of those tasks. We choose libraries that could feasibly be included in the pipeline of an enterprise data science team with minimal implementation effort. Each framework review includes, if applicable, the goal of the library, the statistical method implemented, and the primary differentiating factors to consider when deciding whether to integrate it with a new or existing project.
Partial Solutions
Some AutoML solutions address single portions of the data science pipeline. Although they do not provide an end to end solution, these libraries focus on implementing a cutting edge method to solve a specific problem or operate in a specific environment with unique constraints and thus are worth considering.
Feature Engineering
feature-tools
Link — 1,347 Stars — 139 Forks — 119 Commits — BSD 3-Clause — Last Release 30 May, 2018 (0.1.21)
Featuretools is a package that aims to address the challenges of feature engineering by utilizing the schema from datasets sourced from relational databases. The open source platform is a subset of a commercially available front end service that serves enterprise customers. Featuretools uses an algorithm called Deep Feature Synthesis (DFS) that traverses relationship pathways described through the schema of a relational database. As DFS traverses these pathways, it generates synthesized features through operations applied to the data including sums, averages, and counts. For example, it might apply a sum operation to a list of transactions from a given client id aggregated them into a column. Though, that was a depth one operation, the algorithm can traverse deeper features. Feature tools’s greatest strengths are its reliability and ability to deal with information leakage while using time series data.
boruta-py
Link — 318 Stars — 82 Forks — 62 Commits — BSD 3-Clause — Last Release 5 Mar, 2017 (0.1.5)
Boruta-py is an implementation of the brouta feature reduction strategy in which the problem is framed in an “all-relevant” fashion whereby the algorithm retains all features that significantly contribute to the model. This is opposed to a “minimum optimal” feature set that many feature reduction algorithms apply.
The boruta method determines feature importance by creating a synthetic feature composed of randomly reordered values of the target feature, and then trains a simple tree based classifier on the original feature set and a feature set in which the target feature is replaced by the synthetic feature. The difference in performance for all features is used to compute relative importance.
categorical-encoding
Link — 494 Stars — 115 Forks — 171 Commits — BSD 3-Clause — Last Release 22 Jan, 2018 (1.2.6)
The package extends many categorical encoding methods that implement the scikit-learn data transformer interface. The package implements common categorical encoding methodologies such as one hot encoding and hash coding but also more niche encoding methods such as base n encoding and target encoding., This package is useful to deal with real world categorical variables that, for example, might have high cardinality. The package also directly works with pandas data frames, imputes missing values, and handles transforming values that might have been outside of the training set.
tsfresh
Link — 2,781 Stars — 340 Forks — 243 Commits — MIT — Last Release 14 Oct, 2017 (0.11.0)
This library focuses on generating features from time series data. The extensive package is backed by a German retail analytics company that open sourced this portion of their data science pipeline. It extracts a list of shape features that describe a time series trend. These shape features include features as simple as variance and features as complex as approximate entropy. This allows the package to be able to extract trends from the data which would allow an machine learning algorithm to more readily interpret a time series dataset. The package uses hypothesis testing to take the large generated feature set and reduce them down to the features that most explain the trend. tsfresh is also compatible with pandas and sklearn allowing it to be slotted into existing data science pipelines. Tsfresh’s main feature is its scalable data processing implementation that has been tested in production systems with large amounts of time series data.
Trane
Link — 4 Stars — 1 Forks — 245 Commits — MIT — Last Release 5 Feb, 2018 (0.1.0)
This package is a product of MIT’s HDI Project. Trane works with time series data stored in relational databases and used to formulate time series problems. By specifying meta information about a dataset a data scientist can let the engine formulate supervised problems from time series data extracted from a database. This process is self contained in a json file that the a data scientist would write that would describe the columns and data types. The framework would process this file and generate possible prediction problems which in turn could be used to amend the dataset. The project works tangentially to feature-tools and can be used to generate additional features in a semi-automated manner.
FeatureHub
Link — 32 Stars — 5 Forks — 249 Commits — MIT — Last Release 9 May, 2018 (0.3.0)
Another project from MIT’s HDI Lab, FeatureHub is built on top of JupyterHub allowing data scientists to collaborate when developing feature engineering methodologies. Their system automatically ‘scores’ the generated features to determine their overall value to the model at hand. This crowdsourced approach to feature engineering and machine learning showed results within 0.03 and 0.05 points of winning solutions when tested.
Hyperparameter optimizers
Skopt
Link — 880 Stars — 340 Forks — 173 Commits — New BSD — Last Release 25 Mar, 2018 (0.5.2)
Skopt is a library of hyperparameter optimization implementations including random search, bayesian search, decision forest, and gradient boosted trees. This package contains well-studied and reliable methods of optimization, however these models perform best with small search spaces and good initial estimates.
Hyperopt
Link — 2,161 Stars — 473 Forks — 939 Commits — BSD 3-Clause — Last Release 20 Nov, 2016 (0.1)
Hyperopt is a hyperparameter optimization library tuned towards “awkward” conditional or constrained search spaces which includes algorithms such as random search and tree of parzen estimators. It supports parallelization across multiple machines using MongoDb as a central authority for storing results of hyperparameter combinations. This library is implemented by hyperopt-sklearn and hyperas, two model selection and optimization libraries built on top of scikit-learn and keras respectively.
simple(x)
Link — 362 Stars — 22 Forks — 4 Commits — AGPL 3.0 — Experimental (Manual Install)
Simple(x) is an optimization library implementing an algorithmic alternative to bayesian optimization. Like bayesian search, simple(x) attempts to optimize using the minimum number of samples possible but also reduces computational complexity from n³ to log(n) making it extremely useful for large search spaces. This library uses simplexs (n-dimensional triangles) to model the search space instead of hypercubes (n-dimensional cubes) and by doing so avoids the computationally costly gaussian process used by bayesian optimization.
Ray.tune
Link — 3,435 Stars — 462 Forks — 1,707 Commits — Apache 2.0 — Last Release 27 Mar, 2018 (0.4.0)
Ray.tune is a hyperparameter optimization library primarily targeted at deep learning and reinforcement learning models. It combines a number of cutting-edge algorithms such as hyperband: an algorithm for minimally training a model to determine the effect of a hyperparameter, population based training: an algorithm for tuning multiple models in parallel while sharing hyperparameters, hyperopt, and median stopping rule: stopping a model if its performance drops below median performance., This all runs on top of the Ray distributed computing platform which makes it extremely scalable.
Chocolate
Link — 26 Stars — 26 Forks — 196 Commits — BSD 3-Clause — Experimental (Manual Install)
Chocolate is a decentralized (supports compute clusters running in parallel without a central master) hyperparameter optimization library which uses a common database to federate the execution of individual tasks; it supports grid search, random search, quasi-random search, bayesian search and covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy. Its unique features include its support of constrained search spaces and optimizing multiple loss functions (multiple objective optimization).
GpFlowOpt
Link — 102 Stars — 27 Forks — 407 Commits — Apache 2.0–11 Sep, 2017 (0.1.0)
GpFlowOpt is a gaussian process optimizer built on top of GpFlow, a library for running gaussian process tasks on a GPU using Tensorflow. This makes GpFlowOpt an ideal optimizer if bayesian optimization is desired and GPU computational resources are available.
FAR-HO
Link — 22 Stars — 5 Forks — 110 Commits — MIT — Experimental (Manual Install)
FAR-HO is a library containing a set of gradient-based optimizers running on tensorflow which include Reverse-HG and Forward-HG. The purpose of this library is to provide access to gradient-based hyperparameter optimizers within Tensorflow allowing model training and hyperparameter optimization to occur within GPUs or other tensor-optimized computation environments for deep learning models.
Xcessiv
Link — 1,055 Stars — 76 Forks — 316 Commits — Apache-2.0 — Last Release 20 Aug, 2017 (0.5.1)
Xcessiv is a framework for large scale model development, execution and ensembling. Its power comes from its ability to manage the training, execution and evaluation of large numbers of machine learning models in a single GUI. It also has multiple ensembling tools for combining these models in order to achieve maximum performance. It includes a bayesian search parameter optimizer which supports a high level of parallelism and also supports integration with TPOT.
HORD
Link — 52 Stars — 8 Forks — 33 Commits — No license — Experimental (Manual Install)
HORD is a standalone algorithm for hyperparameter optimization. It generates a surrogate function for the black-box model that is being optimized and uses that to generate “promising” hyperparameters that may be close to ideal in order to reduce evaluations of the full model. It consistently shows higher consistency and lower errors when compared to a tree of parzen estimators, SMAC, and gaussian processes. It is especially ideal for situations with extremely high dimensionality.
ENAS-pytorch
Link — 848 Stars — 135 Forks — 33 Commits — Apache-2.0 — Experimental (Manual Install)
ENAS-pytorch implements efficient neural architecture search in pytorch for deep learning. It uses parameter sharing in order to achieve the most efficient network fastest making it suitable for deep learning architecture searching.
Other
Other Open Source Solutions
These solutions were either too similar to previously mentioned solutions or were still under development enough. They are listed here for reference:
Gpy / GpyOpt (Gaussian process hyperoptimization library)
auto-keras (Keras architecture and hyperparameter search library)
randopt (Library for experiment management and hyperparameter search)
Paid Solutions
As the machine learning space has grown, many companies have sprung up to address various problems that arise throughout the data science process. The following are a list of AutoML companies. We do not comment on their efficacy or specialty as we do not benchmark or test these solutions.
H2O Driverless AI (Full Pipeline)
Mljar (Full Pipeline)
DataRobot (Full Pipeline)
MateLabs (Full Pipeline)
SigOpt (Hyperparameter Optimization)
Full Pipeline Solutions
ATM
Link — 251 Stars — 56 Forks — 557 Commits — MIT — Experimental (Manual Install)
Auto-Tune Models is a framework developed by the “Human-Data Interaction” project at MIT (same as featuretools) for quickly training machine learning models with very little effort. It performs model selection using an exhaustive search and hyperparameter optimization using the Bayesian Tuning and Bandits library. ATM supports classification problems only and supports distributed computing on AWS.
MLBox
Link — 504 Stars — 115 Forks — 854 Commits — BSD 3-Clause — 25 Aug, 2017 (0.5.0)
MLBox is a recent automatic machine learning framework whose goal is to provide a more current and up to date avenue for automatic machine learning. It provides data collection, data cleaning, and train-test drift detection in addition to feature engineering that many existing frameworks implement. It uses Tree Parzen Estimators to optimize the hyper parameters of the selected model type.
auto_ml
Link — 793 Stars — 146 Forks — 1,149 Commits — MIT — Last Release 11 Sep, 2017 (2.7.0)
Auto_ml was developed as a tool for businesses looking to boost the value derived from their data without much work besides cleaning. The framework does the heavy lifting of feature processing and model optimization using an evolutionary grid search based method. It improves its speed by utilizing highly optimized libraries such as XGBoost, TensorFlow, Keras, LightGBM, and sklearn. The framework claims 1 millisecond prediction time at most which is its selling feature. This framework generates quick insights into a dataset such as feature importance and creates an initial predictive model.
auto-sklearn
Link — 2,271 Stars — 438 Forks — 1,839 Commits — BSD-3-Clause — Last Release 5 Jan, 2018 (0.3.0)
Auto-sklearn is a framework that uses bayesian search to optimize data preprocessors, feature preprocessors, and classifiers used in a machine learning pipeline. Multiple pipelines are trained and ensembled into a complete model. The framework was written by ML4AAD Lab based out of Freiburg University. This optimization process is done using the SMAC3 framework written by the same research lab. As the name suggests the model implements sklearn which it uses to source the machine learning algorithms. Autosklearn’s main features are consistency and stability.
H2O
Link — 3,132 Stars — 1,217 Forks — 22,936 Commits — Apache-2.0 — Last Release 7 Jun, 2018 (3.20.0.1)
H2O is a machine learning platform written in Java that operates at a similar abstraction level to machine learning libraries such as sklearn. However, it also contains an automatic machine learning module which utilizes its included algorithms to create machine learning models. The framework performs an exhaustive search over the preprocessors built into the H2O system and uses either cartesian grid search or random grid search to optimize hyperparameters. H2O’s greatest strength is its ability to form large computer clusters which allow it to grow at scale. It is also versatile with bindings in python, javascript, tableau, R and Flow (web UI).
tpot
Link — 4,130 Stars — 705 Forks — 1,766 Commits — LGPL-3.0 — Last Release 27 Sep, 2017 (0.9)
TPOT or Tree-Based Pipeline Optimization Tool, is a genetic programming framework for finding and generating code for optimal data science pipelines. TPOT sources its algorithms from sklearn much like the rest of the automatic machine learning frameworks. TPOT’s greatest strength is its unique method of optimization which allows it provide more unique pipelines. It also includes a tool to convert the trained pipeline directly into code which is a major benefit to a data scientist looking to further tweak the generated model.
Conclusion
These frameworks provide valuable solutions to common data science problems and they have the ability to dramatically improve the productivity of data science teams who then spend less time implementing algorithms and more time thinking about theory. However, there are many libraries not covered by this survey, and there will be new ones developed on a regular basis. We encourage teams to explore github for solutions to their problems and show some love to the many small, but high quality machine learning projects out there.
In our next piece — Choosing the best AutoML Framework — we compare four frameworks head-to-head on 87 datasets. Give it a read! | https://medium.com/georgian-impact-blog/automatic-machine-learning-aml-landscape-survey-f75c3ae3bbf2 | [] | 2018-09-11 14:10:56.394000+00:00 | ['Software Development', 'Machine Learning', 'Automl', 'Artificial Intelligence'] |
Why is Manuka honey so special? | Manuka honey is a complex honey that goes far beyond a simple table honey. It has been the focus of extensive scientific research evidencing remarkable natural properties that set it apart from other kinds of honey and make it so highly prized throughout the world.
Manuka honey requires special care and expertise to optimize and protect its special natural properties. Methylglyoxal (MGO) has been demonstrated to be the naturally occurring compound that makes Manuka honey so special. MGO is formed in the honey from Manuka nectar, and as the honey ripens, the MGO content can increase.
Multiple studies have shown that manuka honey can enhance wound healing, amplify the regeneration of tissue and even decrease pain in patients suffering from burns. What’s more, manuka honey may help heal diabetic ulcers. Applied topically, manuka honey effectively treats burns, ulcers and non-healing wounds. It has also been shown to combat antibiotic-resistant strains of infections, such as MRSA.
Research shows manuka honey inhibits the growth of harmful oral bacteria that can cause gingivitis and tooth decay. Unlike refined sugar, it has not been shown to cause tooth decay. Manuka honey can help treat sore throats. Research shows it attacks bacteria that causes soreness, especially in patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation.
The research is mixed, but manuka honey’s potent antibacterial effects may help treat gastric ulcers caused by H. pylori. It may also prevent alcohol-induced gastric ulcers. Manuka honey may decrease inflammation in individuals with IBS. It may also be effective at attacking C. diff.
Manuka honey’s ability to treat acne appears favorable given its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. All things considered, manuka honey is likely an effective treatment strategy that may accelerate the healing process when used in conjunction with more conventional therapies.
If you want to buy an organic Manuka Honey or regular honey, CLICK HERE! | https://medium.com/@jupaerina/why-is-manuka-honey-so-special-758b134aa1e2 | [] | 2020-02-20 11:41:52.544000+00:00 | ['Honey', 'Cure', 'Disease', 'Manuka Honey', 'Prevent'] |
Hotmail Helpline Number or Hotmail Customer Service +1–844–832–5538 Technical Support | Hotmail Change Password Use Your Secret Questions
Also, remember that the server will determine which of the secret questions will be made available to you; for hotmail account sign in.
Contact Hotmail customer service for password reset, If you have forgotten your Hotmail password and wish to use your security questions, head over to Hotmail Contact page and select Password and sign in.
Under sub-topic two, select Forgot Password, under Recommended Option, enter your email address and click on Submit.
Click Next. If prompted, enter the CAPTCHA code.
Select Use my secret questions, followed by Next. Then enter the answers to your security questions.
If entered correctly, Hotmail will prompt you to enter a new password. And change your earlier Hotmail password enter your new pass-code and click on Next to finish your password recovery.
Note: If you do not have secret queries on file that reset possibility will not be out there in Sign-in Helper.
Finding it hard recalling what’s the answer to your security questions?
Try resetting it using your recovery email or mobile number.
Invalid ID or Password Message
If your attempts to log in result with an Invalid ID or Invalid Password error message, Hotmail change password this signals that you’ve entered a password and ID combination that doesn’t match what’s on record.
If you are certain that you are providing the proper sign-in data, there are a few scenarios as to why this is happening.
If your secret code contains numbers or letters, make sure that your caps lock or number lock keys are activated.
Case-sensitive codes are often entered incorrectly due to key stroke sensitivity.
Take a look at your browser’s auto-fill settings. If your browser usually fills-in your password for you automatically and you’ve changed your password recently, you’ll be required to enter your new password manually to override your browser settings.
If you’re sure that you’re entering the correct information, this could be an indication that someone else accessed your account and changed your password.
Reset your password immediately using the Password Helper tool. Once you regain the access to your account, review the steps to secure a hacked account to revert any changes made without your knowledge.
Important Note: If you can’t answer the secret question either and you do not have access to your alternate e-mail address or phone number also, there is nothing else you can do from here as Hotmail is not able to tell that you are the legitimate owner.
Find your Hotmail ID and restore access to your Hotmail account | https://medium.com/@jennypink958/hotmail-helpline-number-or-hotmail-customer-service-1-844-832-5538-technical-support-9c15ff0b3b98 | ['Jenny Underwood'] | 2019-07-24 08:25:39.362000+00:00 | ['Support', 'Hotmail', 'Technology', 'Security', 'Customer Service'] |
How to Entertain Your Kid at Home With ARLOOPA’s Augmented Reality | Entertaining your kids at home has never been so relevant. With school going remote around the world and playgrounds being closed in the face of the pandemic, you are faced with a challenge of keeping your kids happy and busy at home.
The internet is no longer enough. YouTube is great, but it’s just not interesting enough to keep a child of the Z Gen entertained.
Augmented Reality App to Entertain Kids
If you’ve already tried everything from YouTube videos to mobile games, and are looking for a more exciting way to entertain your child at home with your smartphone, you should try augmented reality.
Augmented reality is the perfect new way to teach, entertain, and surprise kids. It allows you to smoothly combine fantasy and reality together using your phone or tablet.
Are you looking for an AR app that will allow you to work some true magic? Consider using ARLOOPA. ARLOOPA is a free kid-friendly AR app with the potential to keep your child really curious and entertained.
It is a versatile AR app that has a 3D models gallery inside with various cool categories, such as Spacecraft, Animals, Cars, Military, Science and Technology, etc. | https://medium.com/swlh/how-to-entertain-your-kid-at-home-with-arloopas-augmented-reality-58a7694c92b | ['Nar Poghos'] | 2020-11-20 10:01:05.052000+00:00 | ['Children', 'Entertainment', 'Augmented Reality', 'Pandemic', 'Kids'] |
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With Vasayo, the difference is in the delivery…and that makes all the difference! | https://medium.com/@fybsy/how-to-get-a-discount-from-amazon-5187cc855334 | [] | 2020-12-23 01:08:23.399000+00:00 | ['Health', 'How To', 'Discount', 'Amazon', 'Beauty'] |
Disney World Tips and Hacks. The epic family trip to Walt Disney… | The epic family trip to Walt Disney World was a success after all. There were a few rocky moments as to be expected, but everything turned out fine by the end of the day. Not even the temperature dipping down to 61 degrees with wind chill or parks filled to capacity could stop the Disney Magic from taking effect. We even had to tend to a sick child during the first day when we flew into Orlando, Florida.
It’s no secret that I’m not a Disney World fan, but I am glad that I went with the family. My wife and children truly appreciated their gift and had the time of their lives. Of coarse the fun moments were usually interrupted with disciplining children and dealing with sibling rivalry. My experiences at Disney World during this trip were quite different than previous visits because I tried to keep an open mind. The lessons that I learned from my wife I would like to share with you to ensure that you will have an enjoyable trip when you visit the theme park. Lets start with the first Walt Disney World Hacks.
Dress Appropriately:
The temperature dropped to 61 degrees on Animal Kingdom day and I was the only one in my family that dressed for the weather. My wife and children saw the beautiful Florida sun and decided to wear shorts and paid the price. Once the sun started to set, the temperature plummeted to the low 50’s. My wife and children were very uncomfortable in shorts and t-shirts, but persevered and made the best of the situation. Just remember that Florida gets cold just like everywhere else and its better to take off a layer, than not have the extra layer at all.
Florida is famous for its tropical weather so make sure that you pack a poncho or umbrella. More than likely at some point during the week you will be caught in a rain storm. We were lucky and were only caught in the rain once, but if this had been the rainy season, it would have been a daily event.
Resort Transportation: For starters, if you are staying on resort and are dependent upon Walt Disney World transportation, expect delays. It actually took 45 minutes before our Disney transportation bus arrived to the resort for Magic Kingdom. While waiting, we had multiple buses that were scheduled for our stop drive pass us because they were filled to capacity.
This became the norm, but I did find a number to call Walt Disney World transportation when experiencing delays longer than 20 minutes. You may want to jot down (407) 939–7433 just in case your transportation does not show up after 20 minutes. When I called, they placed me on hold and when they came back on, they had the exact location and time of our next bus.
Security Check Point:
The security check points at Walt Disney World are taken much more seriously these days. Disney World deserves credit for ensuring the safety of their guest, but it does cause unexpected delays. When we arrived at Magic Kingdom, our jaws dropped when we saw the line in front of us. It moved quick enough, but it was intimidating and time consuming. We discovered that if you don’t bring a bag, you are allowed to bypass the security check point and this can be quite useful knowledge if you are in a hurry. By the way, fanny packs count as a bag. I learned this when park security called my wife back to the check point to be rechecked.
Coffee:
If you are like me, you need a cup of coffee in the morning to get you going. Walt Disney World does supply a complimentary coffee machine in your room, but I felt the coffee was quite weak. I figured I would grab some at the park and was astonished to find very long coffee lines. The line for Starbucks actually appeared to be more like a line for a ride. I suggest bringing along some instant coffee or an energy drink to hold over til the lines subside. Nothing like waiting in line for 30 minutes for a cup of coffee while your family stands by patiently waiting on you
Food and Snacks:
Did you know that you can bring small coolers into Walt Disney World? This is probably one of Walt Disney Worlds Hacks that is least known. Its worth the hassle of bringing one into the park if you are on a tight budget. If you have a stroller, its very convenient to place the cooler in the undercarriage or on top by the handle bars. You can also save money by purchasing a 11.99 popcorn bucket with refills for only 1.99. This is a easy cheap way to have snacks throughout your stay at Walt Disney World. Just don’t lose the bucket three days into the trip like we did.
Fast Pass:
Please use the Fast Pass system. There is nothing more frustrating than waiting in line for hours on end when you don’t have to. Walt Disney World hacks have utilized this system for many years now and it is always evolving. Fast Passes used to be distributed throughout the park via kiosk on printed out tickets with a time window for you to arrive at a ride. This allowed guest to bypass the longest of lines and have a better experience at the park. The system is still the same, but if you are staying on resort, you will receive a magic band. This band is now used in place of the old school printed out tickets. If you are staying off resort, you can get a plastic card in its place. If you forget about all the other Walt Disney World Hacks that I just described, please remember this one. My wife registered in advance for three of the earliest available Fast Passes, then once we rode all three of those rides, she would use the Disney App to sign up for more passes. It blew my mind how well this worked at Magic Kingdom. Just remember that these reservations need to be made in advance in order for this to work for you. 60 days out for those staying on resort and 30 days if you have accommodations else where.
Restroom:
Due to the popularity of Walt Disney World these days, you will find that the most basic of amenities can be strained. Pay attention to where all bathrooms are located and make a mental note. Some are much busier than others and this may matter at the most inconvenient of times. When the parks are extremely crowded, both men and women restrooms have lines going out of the doors.
Alcohol: If you are staying on resort and enjoy to have a night cap in the evenings, I suggest bringing your own alcohol. The cheapest beer starts at $8 and goes up from there. I am not a heavy drinker, but I enjoy to have a drink every now and then. I chose to say no to the inflated alcohol prices and I will have a beer when I go home.
Disney App and Message Boards:
Walt Disney World has an awesome app that seems like it is integrated into everything. This app is a great resource for maps, waiting time for rides, scheduling fast passes, and so much more. I suggest for you to have this app loaded on your phone ready to go before you arrive to the theme park. Please take advantage of message boards like DisBoards to gain as much knowledge as possible about Walt Disney World before going on your adventure. The more knowledge that you obtain before your trip will help guarantee your success. | https://medium.com/aladdin-publishing/disney-world-hacks-47e90ebf83ca | ['Dwight Washington'] | 2020-03-04 17:29:08.381000+00:00 | ['Disneyland', 'Vacation', 'Disney', 'Walt Disney World', 'Disney World'] |
So Close | The distress call sounded sometime after the U.S.S. Goodhue slid past the international dateline. The tiny atoll of Midway — site of the U.S. Navy’s pivotal victory over Imperial Japanese forces two and a half years earlier — lay astern in the night sea. And now, finally, in December 1945, after years of suffering on all sides, the Empire of Japan was defeated and occupied. The Second World War was over. American servicemembers, by the thousands, boarded troop carriers bound for home. Still, hardships and danger remained.
Aboard the Goodhue, newly promoted U.S. Army Sgt. Paul E. Poetter — my father — and more than 1,900 G.I.s and sailors steamed toward the West Coast. “[We] received an S.O.S. from a Liberty Ship with 1,200 veterans on board,” my father wrote in a letter. “This message was picked up by us at 4 a.m. We at once turned around and headed for the stricken ship.” Home would have to wait.
The damaged ship’s last-reported position was 80 perilous miles away. Even at war’s end, the Pacific waters held terrors unknown: mines, wreckage, deadly weather. At 11 a.m., as the Goodhue neared the scene, signal lamps on other rescue ships blinked with Morse Code. “We were only a mile away when they signaled us that we were not needed, so we turned [back] around.” Sgt. Poetter and his mates never learned the outcome of the crisis; all they knew was that the Liberty Ship had struck a floating mine. “It was traveling the same route we had traveled,” my father wrote, a close call he quietly tucked into his letter, penned on Christmas Eve 1945.
Each December, I hold that dispatch in my hands like a precious pearl. Sgt. Poetter’s words shimmer with subtlety and swirl with suspense — his journey home was as arduous as it was exhilarating. So, too, were the treks of millions of men and women fortunate enough to arrive back safely on our shores. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Red Cross nurses and doctors — gems all, weathered by sand, salt, and sea — whose legacies we laud, whose fallen comrades we commemorate. My father’s letter, his homecoming story, gleams with the universal hope and gratitude of the Greatest Generation, the spirit of the holiday season, and more than a few wonders.
Aboard the Goodhue, Sgt. Poetter’s journey would prove challenging. He’d boarded the ship in the Philippines on December 6, 1945, after more than two years in the Pacific. Down in Hold №3, he and 147 men crammed onto cots. “It was plenty stuffy and crowded, but no one complained. For this was that day many had been waiting for, for so, so long a time.” Seasickness soon set in, and he battled the ailment for 7,000 miles — the entire voyage. “It wasn’t so awfully bad after the first few days,” he wrote with a shoulder shrug. “No, I wasn’t the only one, there were plenty more just like me.”
Sgt. Poetter was one of “eight million men and women from every service branch, scattered across 55 theaters of war spanning four continents” — according to the National World War II Museum — who would make their way home between September 6, 1945, and September 1, 1946. Dubbed “Operation Magic Carpet,” the effort was the largest-ever combined air- and sealift. And December 1945 was the operation’s busiest month, when almost 700,000 personnel returned to the U.S. “Home alive by ‘45,” the saying went. Everyone everywhere hoped for holiday reunions, a sentiment shared by Sgt. Poetter and Willie Mae Lewis — his sweetheart, my mother.
A year earlier, on Christmas Eve 1944, he’d written to her from Oahu, Hawaii. “Yes, gee whiz, here it is Christmas Eve, yet it is far from seeming that way,” he scribed. “In a letter from home I saw they are having rain and snow and lots of cold weather. Mom is hoping there will be a white Christmas. She always did love the snow.” I imagine my father, a slim figure in sandy fatigues, glancing toward the sky as he penned that line. How impossible snow must have seemed at that moment, on a palm-dotted, sunbaked island. “Willie Mae, I got your nice Christmas card,” he continued. “The picture of the little home sure made me wish I were back in the States. That old homesickness sure gets a fellow about this time of year.” Now, a year later, aboard a cramped troop ship, home was finally on the horizon.
On December 20, 1945, nearing the West Coast, the Goodhue pitched and listed in heavy seas. “That ocean made our boat ride like a roller coaster,” my father wrote. Nearer still, they drifted into a California fog: “It is quite funny to be talking to a guy standing next to you but not being able to see him.” Finally, on December 23, they reached the harbor. With the shore in sight, the Goodhue slowed. On board, the troops received the news: the port was too crowded to dock, and nearby troop encampments were full. A temporary setback.
Soon, they inched toward land — their ship carried several gravely ill patients and had received priority clearance. Ahead in the distance was a tugboat, churning their way. As the tug neared, its name came into focus: Snafu. The boat sported a curious crew — “lots of singing girls and a Santa Claus.” Movie stars, too. “On board and using the loudspeaker was James Cagney.” Lynn Bari and Olivia de Havilland accompanied him. And the Rose Bowl Queen, with court in tow, serenaded the troops with Christmas carols. “No need to say us fellows went for this big!” my father beamed.
A band played as the Goodhue eased into port ahead of Christmas Eve. Red Cross nurses came aboard with newspapers and ice cream. The men delighted in sweet treats and their brush with celebrity as the nurses “took telegrams,” the text messages of yore. Sgt. Poetter dashed off one to his mother and another to Willie Mae; dated “Los Angles Cal 23,” it read: “dearest Landed san Pedro today discharged in Atlanta Merry Xmas loving Paul.”[1]
Much to their surprise, the weary men learned they had one more night’s stay on the Goodhue. As Christmas Eve dawned, they filed off the ship. The Red Cross “gave us ice cold milk (Fresh Milk), the first since leaving the States, and did the boys enjoy it.” They savored doughnuts, too, as they boarded a train to Riverside California — Camp Anza. During the 40-mile trip, Sgt. Poetter marveled at orange groves, dairy cows, and an abandoned airfield. “The most impressive sight was the seemingly never-ending oil wells. The number was beyond counting.” He drank it in, the whole wondrous expanse of America, at once familiar and foreign.
They arrived at Camp Anza to a welcome speech and a “meal of which I have never seen the equal.” “A steak dinner with all the trimmings, including ice cream and a pint of milk. I know I put on five pounds. Ha.” Sgt. Poetter got a haircut; a photographer from Life captured the moment. And the men received “assurance of a speedy homebound train.” Yet, the tracks were silent on Christmas Eve.
Sgt. Poetter slept late on Christmas Day, a “very unaccustomed thing,” given the occasion. “But Christmas was and is a day of surprises for everyone, and for us it was no exception.” They enjoyed a “grand dinner” and delighted in presents made by school children. No train, though, so my father “took in a show.” “The picture: A Walk in the Sun. I thought it very enjoyable.”
No train on the following day, either. Sgt. Poetter documented “anxiety” among the G.I.s. Finally, on his fourth day at Camp Anza, he heard the whistle call. The tracks led east. Closer yet to home.
Today, when I study my father’s correspondence, I’m warmed by his positivity, perseverance, and purposefulness — which I’ve chronicled this year, the 75th anniversary of World War Two’s conclusion. His holiday dispatches, though, are especially poignant. Despite delays and setbacks and near-misses, he made it to Atlanta — HOME! — for New Year’s Eve. He relished presents under the tree, the Rose Bowl on the radio, and unopened letters from his sweetheart. Then, he got to work.
He discharged from the army on January 2, 1946. Took the Civil Service exam two weeks later. Landed a job the next day. Soon, he married my mother and started a family. Eventually founded a university. Built a legacy. Like so many of our Greatest Generation, he advanced with resilience toward his daunting peacetime mission of reinventing himself as a civilian, of creating a new life after war. This Christmas, I feel my dad’s presence so close, and I treasure the qualities of leadership — persistence, forgiveness, resourcefulness, and valor — I learned from his letters written long, long ago. Peace. | https://medium.com/@paulawallacesocial/so-close-eacb7e270ef8 | ['Paula Wallace'] | 2020-12-23 21:19:35.963000+00:00 | ['Letters', 'Telegram', 'History', 'World War II', 'Christmas Eve'] |
Into The Mythic With Rebecca Farr’s Animal Love Thyself | at Klowden Mann (through June 15)
Reviewed by Ellen C. Caldwell
When I wrote about Rebecca Farr’s fourth solo exhibit in November of 2016, I said it was everything. I saw the show immediately following the 2016 presidential election and Farr’s show created a nurturing embrace and a place for soul-and nation-searching. In her fifth solo exhibit at Klowden Mann, Animal Love Thyself, Farr’s exhibition again feels like everything we need in an age that is amidst Trump’s presidency, amidst the wake of #MeToo and #TimesUp, and amidst a time that is more and more against the rights of people who are not hetero, cis, white men
Farr’s multimedia show consists of large plastered works of furniture and other household items, oil paintings on wood and canvas, and ceramic sculptures. With ambitious goals, Farr sets out to break down and interrogate biblical stories and origin myths that have either cast, or in some cases even expelled, the body and the feminine as secondary and unnecessary. From the show’s press release, “Farr has made a study of the moments in which the body is asked to abandon itself as an act of spiritual development and offers an integrative remedy to an old wound.”
Dividing the gallery into different spaces, each featuring an overarching story and theme, Farr uses her mixed media to create domestic divisions throughout. Upon entry, visitors are greeted by a plaster garden of animals on the floor (made from plastered stuffed animals), aptly called Animal Greeting. It looks as if Farr dipped the animals generously into plaster so that they are rounded, globulous, and inviting. If you look closely, you notice things that hint at the exhibit’s overarching theme, such as a larger dog in an embrace with a smaller one on its lap, almost an animalistic homage to Michelangelo Buonarroti’s Pietà, suggestive of the Virgin Mary holding a Christ figure in its lap.
The animals gather in this garden, near hanging ceramic braids on the wall, and a beautiful painting indicative of both Farr’s style in general and this show specifically. This work, Promised Land I, ties in all of the colors and feelings of the show, welcoming viewers to enter the Judeo-Christian tale of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden. In a living-room like setting, a plastered lamp and table suggest both Adam and Eve’s presence and absence at the same time. Is this the garden from which they were expelled or is this the domestic space they inherited via expulsion? Both options feel empty and hollow, yet also with the suggestion of hallowedness.
Promise Land I
There are really special moments throughout the show — ones that require the viewer to engage personally and poetically with the work and domestic spaces Farr has created. Moving deeper into the gallery, Farr dedicates one area to the Coronation of the Virgin. This is a massive project to reclaim the female body and its creative power, thus rewriting that reclamation into new mythologies, but Farr does so in the gentlest and subtlest of ways.
The Moment She Realized She Was a Girl
Mary’s vanity table awaits us, a plastered girl’s table covered in organic ceramic tools suggestive of both male and female reproductive organs. Through this table alone, viewers are asked to consider Mary’s role in this virgin birth. Farr returns to her the powers of fertility, birthing, of life, and of creation. Around the corner, as if stepping into Mary’s dressing room, we are confronted with a plastered chaise lounge with a ceramic crown resting atop. Paintings also hang above, including one of the more figurative suggestions of Mary entitled The Moment She Realized She Was a Girl. This work made me gasp and also breathe a huge sigh of relief upon seeing it. It is again everything for this moment now.
In the work, composed of subdued shades of blues and reds, Mary wears her crown, which in this case, as on the chaise, is actually a pelvic crown. Thus again and again, Farr deconstructs and reconstructs the biblical renderings of Mary to reimbue her reproductive rights, her choice, and her primordial creation.
Mary’s hands hold her uterus and pelvic area powerfully, as her inner organs shine through in a bright reddish pink hue, suggesting the confusion of power, privilege, confusion, and curse that come to pubescent young women through the arrival of their periods. This is a quiet, contemplative, and horrifying moment that many women can probably relate to, as Mary holds what feels like all life within her, and also without her. This is that moment when girls realize what it means to be a woman in this society. What it means to hold the power and pain of life and yet also be the dehumanized object of the gaze. It is about the things we carry and inherit, and the things we ought to reject. Farr’s work is an exploration of what it means to be a girl and later a woman in the Western world, through its art, culture, and storytelling. What does it do, then, when Farr retells a story that traditionally casts Mary merely as a vessel to fill, or a womb to be claimed, and instead makes her a sexual creator of life and a god herself?
In Farr’s words, Mary “is reduced to just being a docile vessel, devoid of earthly pleasure, power or desire — just a willing open vessel, soft and gentle perpetually bowing the head. For me this is one of the most dramatic wounds in the bible. For women, but I feel for humanity in general. By dismantling the power of the feminine as co-creator of life and generator within her body, by taking away her desire and power of her pelvis as a seat of incredible power so many aspects of human experience are reduced and degraded. Taking sex away from her (from all of us) and sticking her up in the sky as the queen of heavens feels directly connected to why whales are dying and oil is being sucked out of the ground. The sacred is not seen in the physical from that moment on.”
Skull
Sleeping Awakening
In a 2015 New Yorker interview with I love Dick and Transparent writer and director Jill Soloway, Ariel Levy discusses Soloway’s creative role as a director. Soloway explains how women “are naturally suited to being directors” because of their devotion to storytelling and narrative as children. They continue, “We all know how to do it. We fucking grew up doing it! It’s dolls. How did men make us think we weren’t good at this? It’s dolls and feelings. And women are fighting to become directors? What the fuck happened?” In Animal Love Thyself, Farr asks us the same kinds of questions, only they are older. How in the world did men recast man as the creator of life in the most ancient biblical stories and origin myths? Were men so threatened by, and jealous of, the power women held symbolically in their hands, as in The Moment She Realized She Was a Girl, that they rewrote this primordial tale with men as the creators?
Last Supper
Farr describes this work as “a victory and a prayer for a new path. I feel we are on the brink of new stories; this painting holds both the memory of this trauma and the seed of a new path, the potential for a new myth.”
From Mary’s rooms, visitors enter into the space of the Last Supper. A large table with ceramic place settings greets us and thirteen ceramic pairs of footprints stand at the ground, quietly urging viewers to stand behind them and to look to the paintings on the other side of the table. These works reconsider the famous subject and imagery of the Last Supper itself. Farr’s paintings are a rewriting of the great (men) of art history. Paintings and subjects are slightly reminiscent of those painters Farr said she studied at this time, like Goya, Velasquez, Rembrandt, Titian, Bacon, Auerbach, Freud, Doig, and Turner. (She says of this process that she “did not want anything to be too heavily associated with a specific work,” but that “the old masters were a marinade.”)
Feast 1
Farr’s works are indeed a new and fresh take on these past works. In Feast I, she suggests a Last Supper theme through familiar table settings and angles, however she presents an orgy of legs and bodies coming together to “feast” in a more primordial, natural, and sexual way, again welcoming both the animal and the feminine back into these stories. The show’s press release notes that in the exhibition, “Farr enacts installations throughout the gallery space that invite the viewer to join her in ritually correcting the foundational Western investment in mind/body duality, and the eviction of the animal and the feminine from the seat of consciousness.” This is truly one of those big moments in the show.
And the ceramic footprints are ones I continually came back to. They silently beckoned me.
Something about their ghost-like suggestions of the apostles was moving and inviting. On the one hand, it felt like the incantation of an otherworldly presence and on the other, it felt like an invitation to standby and take my seat at the table as well. Here, these prints rest on the ground, as if feet of all sizes and makes stepped into earthy wet clay and left the imperfect shells and shapes of their feet behind. They seem to act as a directive not only to look at the paintings before us, but also to look within as in Self Reflection I, where Farr paints Mary as a child-like, nearly genderless Buddha that resides within us all, seeing herself more truly through a reflection. These footprints are also a welcoming to embody these ideals regardless of one’s religious beliefs, to take a seat at this table, whose religion has turned (and is still turning) so many away throughout history. It is a more inclusive welcoming for both Mary and her full, true self, and for all outliers, of all genders and sexualities. It is a call and invitation to take a seat at this once-restrictive table of biblical proportions and of the exclusive Western canon of art history, pathology, and mythology.
Through her Last Supper, Farr makes room for us all.
Self Reflection I, II & II
Animal Love Thyself is at Klowden Mann (Culver City, CA) through June 15th, with an artist talk on Saturday, June 1st at 4:00pm. Rebecca Farr(b. 1973, Glendale, CA) was raised in the Pacific Northwest, and lives and works in Los Angeles. She has exhibited in Los Angeles at Klowden Mann, Five Car Garage, Maiden LA, ForYourArt and PØST, in Seattle at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, SAW Gallery and Velocity Studio, along with presentations at multiple art fairs throughout the United States.
@riotmaterial
riotmaterial.com | https://cvonhassett.medium.com/into-the-mythic-with-rebecca-farrs-animal-love-thyself-bd860c1417bc | ['Riot Material'] | 2019-05-30 15:57:48.790000+00:00 | ['Art', 'Review', 'Artist', 'Painting', 'Animals'] |
Meditation isn’t hard — we’re just doing it wrong | When you think of meditation, what comes to mind? Probably something along the lines of “I really should be trying not to think right about now.” Well what if I were to tell you that the whole point of meditation is actually to keep thinking — not to stop thinking?
Maybe you want to believe me but you don’t want to make the rookie error of taking time out your meditation to actually ponder about it. At present, you’re desperately trying to shut every slither of a thought from sauntering through the distracted chaos that is your mind, all the while trying to retain some sense of feeling in your slowly numbing ass, as your back muscles start to ache from sitting up in such an unnaturally straight posture.
Your body is screaming, and so is your mind. But still you stubbornly sit and listen out for some unobtainable solace of silence.
Stop.
It’s not coming.
And it’s not supposed to.
Meditation isn’t about cutting off the power supply to every wayward thought and emotion that flitters through your head. It is not the gathering of empty darkness that will invite inner peace and clarity to swoop in. The point of meditation is actually to observe your thinking patterns to help you decipher the mismatch of incomprehensible twists and turns of the mechanical madness that comprises the maze of topsy turvy mayhem that is the holistic constitution of your mental faculty. What? Exactly.
That got you thinking again.
Now we’re getting somewhere.
When I sent myself off to meditation camp, I thought I’d return with yogic super powers that enabled me to sit dead still for hours on end in full lotus, or at the very least, come away with the answer to every childhood hangup or emotional melodrama I’d ever self-inflicted on myself and the poor souls around me — but I didn’t. What I came away with was far more valuable.
I came away with a deeper understanding of how I think. In other words — I came away with a deeper understanding of who I am. Which is actually the same thing.
As James Allen says in As a Man Thinketh:
“The outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state…Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.”
Meditation doesn’t teach you to stop thinking — meditation teaches you to become a silent observer to your own thought patterns, which give rise to your emotions and, subsequently the actions and reactions that stem from this. Your humaness is the very essence which will bring you peace and fulfillment. The more you deny your thoughts and emotions, such basic of human instincts, the more you cut yourself off from who you actually are.
So rather than telling yourself that meditation is “too hard” and you just can’t possibly have a single moment spare to even try it, here’s a few tips that may help you do it right.
Tips to Help You Meditate
Practice mindfulness whenever you remember to. When you are eating, when you are driving, when you are brushing your teeth or closing a door. Just allow yourself to be aware of what you are doing. That’s all you have to do — think about what you are doing.
Sit in silence in nature for at least 10 minutes a day. Take a small smidgen of time out your daily schedule to remove yourself from stress and hurriedness to contemplate trees. Take off your shoes, run your finger along the roughness of bark, make friends with the insects, take a breath and relax.
Meditation doesn’t mean you have to sit for hours on end. Try standing, walking at different speeds or bringing mindfulness into seemingly mundane tasks like washing the dishes or cutting vegetables. Bring your full focus into what you are doing and turn your work into a form of meditation.
Focus on your breath. This is how Buddha reached enlightenment. By observing his in and out breath he was eventually able to completely disassociate his consciousness from this human instinct and so became an outside observer of his own body. Easier said than done, but give it a try.
When you feel an emotion arising, rather than reacting instinctively, pause and immediately take note of what you are thinking. What are the habitual thinking patterns that have caused this emotion to arise and is it really necessary to be allowing yourself to feel this way?
Self-observation is the first step to positive change.
Try incorporate these simple meditative principles into your everyday living and see the way you think, the way you are, miraculously start to change. | https://medium.com/dreamer-do/meditation-isnt-hard-you-re-just-doing-it-wrong-6c8ba25b95d5 | ['Camilla Marsh'] | 2019-10-16 03:44:38.401000+00:00 | ['Self-awareness', 'Mindfulness', 'Inner Peace', 'Meditation', 'Life Lessons'] |
Ever Heard of the Kentucky Meat Shower? No? Well, Good News, it’s a Nightmare | Obviously, you and I and everyone else who has been or will become haunted by this information have a lot of questions. So, answering the most important question first, yes, people did eat the sky meat.
Because, I mean, when chunks of red mystery meat fall out of the sky what are you gonna do, not taste it?
Two men who were never identified turned up the next day to test it and said it was either lamb or deer, however a local hunter said he was positive it was bear. I don’t know who was right, and honestly that doesn’t matter. What matters is that they willingly ate the sky meat and deserve our respect.
The second question is, what the fuck?
There has to be an explanation for this, right?? Well, three months later a Leopold Brandeis examined one of the samples and said it wasn’t actually meat at all, but instead a kind of flesh-colored cyanobacteria called nostoc that “swells up into a translucent jelly whenever it rains.” Except, if you’ll recall, it was not raining when the meat fell from the sky.
So get the hell out of here, Brandeis, you useless nerd.
Shortly after Brandeis’ theory was made public, notable and experienced histologists examined the samples and agreed that it was, in fact, meat, and that those particular samples were likely from either a human infant or a horse — which is about as helpful as Amazon Alexa saying, “It’s either snowing or hot as the surface of the sun,” when you ask her what the weather is today. That doesn’t really narrow it down a whole fucking lot.
Do I need a coat or sunscreen?
Is it flesh from a human baby or a goddamn horse?? | https://medium.com/funny-or-die/ever-heard-of-the-kentucky-meat-shower-no-well-good-news-its-a-nightmare-c7c1b7ccf9f6 | ['Funny Or Die'] | 2020-12-18 01:42:45.306000+00:00 | ['Meat', 'Kentucky Meat Shower', 'Funny Weird', 'Funny Original Articles', 'Sky Meat'] |
John Boyega is Right to Call Out Disney Over Star Wars | Diversity in Star Wars
Star Wars has always been known for having a diversity problem. There are not enough developed female characters and the plight of minorities is often overlooked. However, there are examples in Lucas’s work that indicate he was at least making an honest effort to do better. There are even some significant achievements.
Carrie Fisher’s portrayal of Princess Leia is far from that of a shrinking damsel. Fisher offered her own criticisms over the bikini segment in Return of the Jedi, but even that sequence ends with Leia strangling her oppressor to death. Princess Leia is widely regarded as a positive embodiment of female strength and dignity.
Lucas was never deaf to criticisms of his films, and adding Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back helped bring more diversity to the cast. It’s important to note that although Lando has the same sort of scandalous reputation as Han Solo, Lando is a figure of respect and importance. He is a city administrator with a complex character arc that goes from pragmatic to competent and finally heroic.
Lucas even featured Samuel L. Jackson as Jedi Master Mace Windu in the prequel trilogy. Although most fans would agree this character was criminally underutilized, it shows that Lucas had no problem casting minority actors to play important and powerful characters. | https://medium.com/cinemania/john-boyega-is-right-to-call-out-disney-over-star-wars-5d242f18aee4 | ['Walter Rhein'] | 2020-09-04 21:29:19.907000+00:00 | ['Film', 'Racism', 'Disney', 'Diversity', 'Star Wars'] |
How to Make Money While Playing League of Legends | How to Make Money While Playing League of Legends
Many gamers and streamers are doing these everyday to earn bucks passively and enjoy League of Legends at the same time. Jared Ambrocio Aug 25·7 min read
Corporate Mundo being himself.
Every gamer’s dream is playing their most favorite game while not needing to find a real job. While this might sound lazy, I find it what most people say the “strategic laziness.” Sitting in front of your computer while the cash is flowing sounds heaven — but how can you do it?
Folks, I present the concept of passive income for League of Legends (LoL). For starters, passive income is earnings you get even if you’re sleeping, travelling, or enjoying things with minimal effort. Starting this setup is not an easy task, however. You must be patient and committed to providing value to your growing audience.
Assuming you’re new in the world of passive income, it may seriously take you a while. But hey, if you have an effective formula that you do correctly, you might earn stable cash in less than a year.
As the legendary basketball professional Michael Jordan has said: Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen. If you don’t put in the effort, you won’t get anything. “But Jared, I thought this is passive income. Why do I need to work?” Well, you still have to maintain things assuming you have your income streams.
Today, let me show you five amazing ways on how to earn money while playing LoL. You can start all these income streams right away after you finished reading this article. Let’s get started.
YouTube Content Creation
Image by Terje Sollie at Pexels
Many stay-at-home people use video-sharing platforms, including YouTube. In fact, the company itself said that about 122 million active users are watching a billion hours every day! Imagine how vast the number is. It’s impossible not to get any audience, even if you’re just starting out.
Chilling Smite, Challenging Smite, and Circus Jhin are some of the channels I’m subscribed to. Obviously, they play League of Legends, and they’re good at making people laugh. The value they provide depends on a particular niche they’re into — and this is where the challenge begins.
If you want to create a channel on YouTube, ask yourself:
“Should I provide tips and tricks? Or compile my epic kill montage and clutch? Or maybe play it casual and show my extraordinary skills?”
Slowly but surely, you’ll garner attention from the public. And if you’re lucky enough, you’ll be blessed by the algorithm — you know the random videos that pop up on your feed.
The only challenge you’ll face is patience, commitment, and creativity in providing value. After that, you can monetize your channel for every people who view your ads.
Creating a YouTube channel is easy, but maintaining it isn’t.
Summary: •With the growing number of daily viewers on YouTube, there’s a high chance to grow your views too. •Start by considering the niche: Do you want to teach new players some valuable skills or bring memes on their feed? •Creating content on YouTube with League of Legends takes time and effort, to begin with. •The perfect formula to get views is by consistently uploading quality videos and optimizing it. •You can put ads to monetize your channel once you have recurring viewers and passed the minimum number of required subscribers.
Affiliate Links
Photo by Serpstat from Pexel.
Getting sponsorship from websites and companies isn’t hard. You just search them up, join their program, and you’re in. However, the most challenging part is getting clicks since you’ll need an audience.
I’ve seen a lot of websites selling RP or Wild Cores — and most of the cases skins — where they look for content creators. Once you’re signed up, you’ll get a link that tracks clicks and visits. And once it sells, you’ll get a commission depending on the company.
Doing affiliates in League of Legends will take a little while since you’re building your audience. Create compelling content — be it a skin review or videos — and stay consistent with the quality. Put the links on the description, and at the end of the day, you’ll reap what you sow.
Summary •Join affiliate programs to sell RP, Wild Cores, and cosmetics. •Grow your audience for better chances of getting commissions.
Write Awesome Content
Image via Pixabay.
While you can create videos about League of Legends, you can also write about it. “What to write?”, you say. Start through problem identification and give your audience the answer they need.
If people wanted to use a beginner-friendly ADC on the lane, list all possible champions and pick the best candidates. If they want the best gaming assistant for the game, recommend your personal favorite. The method is tricky and needs commitment, but you’ll find yourself providing valuable info to your readers.
Remember to optimize your content by applying the rules of SEO. Not a good writer? Why not hire one or two to get you started. Learn to know what your competitors are not doing, and you can take advantage of it to climb on the results.
Once you have a huge audience, you can put up ads or affiliate links to get income while you’re playing — or whatever you’re doing.
Summary: •Writing is easy. But optimizing your written content takes time and effort. •Apply the same rule: identify what the player is struggling with, provide answers through the blog, and remain persistent with the quality. •You can put ads or links to earn money from your writing.
Do Livestreams
Image by Roberto Nickson at Pexels.
Pardon his in-game behavior, but did you know Tyler1 earns around $83,000 monthly through Twitch and YouTube? And yes, that number alone is only a part of his million-dollar fortune, thanks to his diverse income streams. If he can do it, you can do it too.
I’ll be honest, live streaming in Twitch isn’t entirely passive. You’ll put in the effort — most likely spend an hour or two playing games, get the ads and sponsorship if you have, and wait for donations. However, it’s generally a bad idea to start with Twitch as the platform has only 15 million daily active users.
But once again, if you have your audience from other income streams, you can easily link them out to your Twitch account. Don’t forget your key to success: consistency, quality, and willingness.
Summary •Many streamers earn money just by playing League of Legends and sharing it with the world! •Twitch is one of the best streaming platform sites, but you’ll need an audience. •You can earn money from streaming via donations, ad revenue, and sponsorships.
Sell Your Skills as a Service
Photo by Lucie Liz at Pexels.
Fiverr is one of the best online markets to create an account and establish a remarkable reputation in League of Legends. You see, many users are already occupying the niche, so it’ll be tricky if you’re starting. But don’t worry, I have tips to help you out.
First, be specific on what your goal is. If you want to teach people with your Challenger mindset, it’ll be hard for you. But if you think out of the box — for example, engaging in analyzing lore and taking it to a new level, you might get lucky.
But sure, if you decide to teach basics and advanced lessons, I won’t stop you. Just make sure to have an attractive package, get decent reviews, and avoid getting tilted. They have a different experience in their elo or probably trying League of Legends for the first time.
Summary: •Selling your skill to players can be a semi-passive income stream. •Remember that selling and getting reviews on Fiverr is difficult. That’s why you must innovate and show new things to LoL players.
Conclusion
There’s nothing more fun and practical than earning income while doing something you like. Whether you’re playing or spending time with your friends on Discord, it’s a next-level feeling when there are no more financial restraints. But that ideal world starts with your very own effort.
Let me clarify that these income streams will not work, especially if you’re only starting out. Of course, you have to put your plans into action to yield the best outcome possible. And in the end, you’ll thank the game for making your life a better one. | https://medium.com/@jnfambrocio/how-to-make-money-while-playing-league-of-legends-7678cac20d36 | ['Jared Ambrocio'] | 2021-09-02 05:37:38.497000+00:00 | ['League of Legends', 'Work From Home', 'Passive Income', 'Extra Money Online', 'Gaming'] |
Practice makes perfect: cyber security training at the FT | by Rosie Crocker
Every business is aware of the damage that data breaches can cause, especially ahead of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which comes into effect next month. In March, Electric Airwaves came to the FT to help our teams think through potential cyber crisis scenarios.
The workshop placed people in cross-functional teams with colleagues from across the business. Each group received the same fictional crisis scenario and acted as a crisis management team for the FT.
The scenario was updated frequently throughout the morning and, after each team had agreed on what they were going to do, the team from Electric Airwaves facilitated a discussion how their decisions might be interpreted externally.
As the crisis evolved, teams were able to see how decisions they made earlier would be perceived later in the crisis and would impact the FT’s reputation.
The purpose of the workshop was to help staff:
Understand how damaging a data breach could be to the FT Practice responding to a security incident in real-time
It was an enjoyable day and, as well as learning specific techniques for managing a crisis situation, attendees grew their confidence with respect to handling a data breach. As Electric Airwaves taught the teams, “Confidence comes from learning; learning comes from practice. A crisis is no time to start practicing.” | https://medium.com/ft-product-technology/practice-makes-perfect-cyber-security-training-at-the-ft-b91d38e49892 | ['Ft Product'] | 2018-04-03 15:02:55.192000+00:00 | ['Security', 'Crisis', 'Cyber', 'Cybersecurity', 'Ft'] |
BEST Method to Lose Weight in 15 Minutes a Day | BEST Method to Lose Weight in 15 Minutes a Day
And this was without any special diet and without any tough workout plan. Meaning Mar 3, 2020·2 min read
If you had tried absolutely everything to lose weight.
Keto Diet
Vegetarianism
Low-Carb
High-Carb
Paleo
Fasting
But they did not work.
Keto Diet, Vegetarianism, Low-carb…. ???
And this was especially important if you wanted to lose weight without worrying about diet or exercise.
Rule #1: Understand It’s your subconscious mind and NOT your diet or exercise that gets rid of the fat.
Rule #2 of Hypnotic Weight Loss is: Your Brainwaves Need to be In Sync.
Rule #3 of Hypnotic Weight Loss: You Must Repeat the Process Until it’s Permanent.
>>Click Here << to read details of rules
And this is 15-Minute-Weight Loss- the program that You’re going to be so happy you got for your fitness, your health, and your life.
Download program in :
15 minutes a day for 21 days before you fully evaluate your results. Keep this in mind: the results become cumulative.
Good luck ! | https://medium.com/@pokemonpokc/best-method-to-lose-weight-in-15-minutes-a-day-c6b46d42f22d | [] | 2020-03-03 06:54:02.076000+00:00 | ['Method To Lose Weight', 'Weight Loss Program', '15 Minutes A Day', 'Weight Loss Tips', 'Lose Weight In 15'] |
लफ्ज़ और लहज़े: दुष्यंत कुमार | Galiyaara Podcast
Hindi Podcast | Your coolest hotspot for Hindi and Urdu literature | Poetries and Desi Stories | | https://medium.com/galiyaara-podcast/%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%AB%E0%A5%8D%E0%A5%9B-%E0%A4%94%E0%A4%B0-%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%9B%E0%A5%87-%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A4-%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0-6555e4d156c4 | ['Aditya Ojha'] | 2020-06-13 21:45:05.621000+00:00 | ['Hindi Kavita', 'Poetry', 'Storytelling', 'Podcast', 'Hindi'] |
A dirty thing called ‘Love’ | Love is kissing her lips at midnight the same night she screamed at a service staff for no particular good reason. Love is picking up a trail of clothes he left in your room, although the laundry basket is clearly way within reach.
Love is lying in bed for the first time, holding each other’s soft, gentle gaze, feeling immensely tired from staying awake, but not wanting to rest your eyes, fearing you can never recreate this moment. It’s insisting on doing the dishes together, even when one of you offers to do it alone.
Love is the exact moment he admitted to sleeping with someone, and you going through a mental list of what-the-fuck-you-ever-did to deserve this. Love is accepting that she has been thinking of someone else every morning, late into the night.
It’s the fights, the ugly crying, the running away, over a stupid hill right beside the Yishun sports stadium in the middle of the night, forgetting why you’re angry in the first place, anger escalating, screaming like a mad person. It is tolerating insults, the ones stemming from their insecurities. It’s the desperation of doing so much, more than your best, and still left with little to no reciprocation.
It’s funny how I am writing about love. Even while typing and reading the word l-o-v-e, I cringe a little. I spent my last relationship of 4 years not being able to utter that word as though it was a dirty word, because he believed actions speak louder than a romanticised concept of love. I agree to that. How people can utter these 3 words everyday puzzles me. It’s like squeezing a lemon over and over again even though there’s no more juice. Now when these words are thrown to me, I feel nothing. I block it out like an adblocker. It’s not that I consciously want to block it out. It’s just hard to believe it.
I am not a writer. I am not an expert. Neither am I in a relationship. The more accurate depiction would be that I am out of love. I mean, hell, I don’t even believe in it. I want to, don’t get me wrong. I see it everyday around me. But witnessing a mutual connection with someone that will actually work out is like finding a good bowl of laksa with hum. (Okay, bad example, maybe I didn’t look hard enough for that laksa. Reccs, please?)
I apologise in advance for wasting your time if you are looking for advice, hope or optimism because all I can offer is my sporadic and pessimistic train of thought, that might or might not make any sense. A lengthy extract of what you might find in my diary, if I had the discipline to keep one, filled with typos and grammatical errors.
People are always looking for the one. They look for this idealised relationship, one that promises of intellectual conversations, an arm candy you can show off to friends, mind-blowing sex and cuddles, a soulmate that will understand you just by the twitch of your brow, someone relatively doing well in their career, the one that your parents will finally like.
If there’s such a perfection, it would be happening in 2050, where we just pay a subscription for customisable AI. I’ll be kinda old by then, but always a fan of sci-fi, so put me on that waiting list for beta testing, please.
Well, with all these idealisation and expectations, no wonder the person you date is gonna tragically let you down. There’s no space to be great, when you expect perfection.
So spare me, rid the assumptions you make of my Instagram page. I am not the person I portray myself in colour graded pictures. I am in love with film, but my life is not merely a carousel of loosely curated photos. Social media is a glimpse of what I am. I am not just all that.
I was brought up an extrovert, but more than anything now, I appreciate comfortable silence. I romanticise about the rain, sometimes a little too much. I tear easily at every emotional scene in the movies. It’s nice to have attention, but at times, I want to melt and merge into the wall paint behind me. I still think of the people who let me go and wonder why.
Get to know me. Not a hundred questions of what I like in bed, gosh, we can save that for future conversations. No, really get to know me. Ask me why I like fluffy trees, even though I’d frown a little, struggling to fully explain myself while trying to sound poetic.
Be vulnerable with me, as I will be with you, because that’s god damn strength. And that’s how we know if I can handle the softest, squishiest sides of you. And if I can’t, I am sure someone else will.
The process of finding your one true love (if it exists) is not something that should be rushed. Something I need to constantly remind myself. It will not magically bring you happiness. Correct me if I am wrong, but you will not feel like you are suddenly complete. It’s pain. Tears, confusion, countless arguments about why the fuck are we not meeting enough, or if we are meeting too much. Why can’t you do that one thing for me? Having to explain why you would rather play Dota 2 for 5 hours than to sit through 1 hour of West World with me.
Yes, it’s a solution for ridding emptiness.
But it’s also choosing one special person to suffer with. And I guess there’s some merit and romance to that. It’s picking the kind of demons you are willing to fight and, or embrace. It’s the assurance you won’t spend Christmas alone or feeling a little salty hanging with all your friends that are attached. It’s not having to wonder if there are things so wrong about you, that you don’t deserve to love or be loved. It’s the hope and idea of finally finding someone who will understand you. Or if not, accept with a light humour, the strangest parts of you that you don’t even welcome yourself.
There’s no shame in taking a little longer. To figure things out a little slower. Hold on to yourself and remember the serenity of being alone. | https://medium.com/kopi-date/a-dirty-thing-called-love-92551e729795 | ['Christina Keslie'] | 2020-12-21 04:28:05.113000+00:00 | ['Relationships', 'Pain', 'Love', 'Loneliness', 'Dating'] |
The positive effect of having plants in your home | Spending time in nature is one of the most powerful ways to reinstate a sense of ease, so a small indoor garden can create a calm space to recharge after a busy day, essential in today’s constant activity. Plants in your home will remind you of the importance of living more consciously, being aware of one’s surroundings, and appreciating the environment. Planting is also a gentle, calm, and relaxing activity to unwind your mind.
This story was first published on HomeAnds.com.
Studies have shown that plants have a positive effect on your living
The most obvious positive effect plants have on your home is air filtering. Sitting in the general proximity of houseplants means that you will benefit from their air cleansing talents. A NASA study shows that houseplants remove toxins and indoor pollutants, such as benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toluene, and ammonia, from the air. Based on several experimental studies, the presence of potted plants is helpful in many different settings including work, school, and hospitals. In particular, plants have been shown to:
Lower blood pressure (systolic)
Improve reaction times
Increase attentiveness
Improve attendance (at work and school)
Raise productivity (at work)
Improve well-being
Improve perceptions of the space
Lower levels of anxiety during recovery from surgery
Raise job satisfaction
Feeling good around plants is probably not surprising. After all, we surround ourselves with plants during celebrations and tragedies (i.e., weddings and funerals, respectively). We also set aside “sacred” green space for parks and community gardens in our cities and communities.
How houseplants make you more mindful
Mindfulness your ability to be present in the moment, aware of where you are, and conscious of the place and thing that you are doing. Life is available only in the present moment. Plants are a good way to help us be more mindful in our lives.
Living in the moment
Houseplants will remind you what it means to live “in-the-moment”. They react calmly and beautifully to their immediate surroundings — sunlight, air, water, temperature — and using those surroundings to thrive and grow. Flowers mirror our own unique and life-affirming essence and teach us the great lessons of patience, humility, and the beauty inherent in impermanence: cycles of the beginning, maturing, ending, transforming. Set aside time to appreciate your plants. Look at the growth habit and form of your plant — some plants grow up, others cascade down. Appreciate the texture, color, and shape of the leaves. Breathe in the scent of the soil.
Witnessing growth
Another positive effect of plants on mindfulness is their physical manifestation of growth. New leaves sprout, flower shoots emerge, the plant gets taller and wider. When you are mindful of your plant, you’ll discover little changes that let you know how things are going. Look for signs of new growth in your plants once a week. Observe how your plant develops new leaves. Each plant has its own artful way of producing new growth.
Connecting with nature
When you share your living spaces with plants, you bring the beautiful and diverse outside world into your home. You can engage with nature on a personal level in every room. Plants help remind you of different eco-systems on earth. And thanks to the adaptability of houseplants, you can recreate those environments.
Creating relationships with other living things
Being mindful also means embracing relationships with other living things. Maybe you work long hours. Perhaps you travel a lot. Sometimes you aren’t home long enough to own a cat or dog. Or even a goldfish. But that doesn’t mean you can’t surround yourself with life. A plant isn’t as demanding as a pet. All you must do is fulfill its basic needs (provide the right light and hydration) and you will be rewarded with a beautiful living thing. Adding plants to your living space helps you remember that you are a citizen of the world.
Conclusion — having a few plants at home is a must!
Plants are indispensable to human life. Through photosynthesis, they convert the carbon dioxide we exhale into fresh oxygen, and they can also remove toxins from the air we breathe. If you keep indoor plants in your home and office, you already know their power. In addition to looking great, they keep you connected to the great green world outside. And they remind you that the world is a place of growth. Plus, multiple studies show that being in proximity to plants reduces stress, increases productivity, and even helps you heal and sleep better. | https://medium.com/@homeands/the-positive-effect-of-plants-in-your-home-d8faf90cfe7d | [] | 2020-12-27 10:15:50.872000+00:00 | ['Indoor Garden', 'Home Decor', 'Home', 'Interior Design', 'Plants'] |
Unwelcome Surprises | Your turn!
THEME: Surprise
Share your own one-line poem (30 words or less) on the theme as a response to this post, or write a stand-alone piece if you prefer. Tag your piece ‘One Line’ or if it’s 15 words or less, ‘Chalkboard Espresso’. If you have a stand-alone poem, be sure to leave a link in the response section below. | https://medium.com/chalkboard/unwelcome-surprises-4d6865c7f6eb | ['Harper Thorpe'] | 2020-09-09 19:00:04.157000+00:00 | ['Humor', 'Nature', 'One Line Poetry Prompt', 'Poetry', 'Satire'] |
My Dentist — Dental Clinic for Complete Dental Solution. | My Dentist — Dental Clinic for Complete Dental Solution.
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Our first steps in sociocracy | Our first steps in sociocracy
Although we are a well-coordinated and experienced team that has been working together for years, setting up our new agency presented us with organisational challenges. Iwan Negro Follow Dec 3, 2020 · 4 min read
Starting from the exceptional foundation of six equally entitled partners, we gave each other the confidence to believe in our idea. However, our individual goals, competencies and areas of responsibility were different.
So how did we find a common process that adequately secured business decisions and yet remained open to change at any time?
Start
There were many business and organisational decisions to be made. In addition, our daily tasks continued to pile up.
I decided to educate myself on the subject of self-organisation and sociocracy. I interviewed colleagues, friends and family in order to identify ideas that would help us to move forward in terms of organisation. Many things were completely new, but after a few weeks, we discussed two concrete suggestions in the team: Holacracy and Sociocracy 3.0 (S3). In the very same meeting, we decided to test S3 for 6 months.
Getting started was easy — S3 was designed as a practical guide that could be implemented step by step and offered an extensive collection of ideas, so-called patterns. These patterns proved to be helpful in other organisations in implementing sociocracy and in enhancing productivity, collaboration and satisfaction.
Several weeks have passed since then. Certain patterns we use daily, others we understand but do not yet apply, and new ones we are still learning. In the introductory phase, the following patterns have helped us the most. | https://medium.com/mutoco/unsere-ersten-schritte-in-der-soziokratie-2124127c934 | ['Iwan Negro'] | 2020-12-03 22:08:04.355000+00:00 | ['Startup', 'Organization', 'Sociocracy', 'Agency', 'Holacracy'] |
Marketing Retainers Are Cubes | For a marketing agency, having customers on retainers (vs. say, a number of one-off projects) can be a game-changer.
A twelve-month commitment from a customer means you aren’t placing all of your efforts into prospecting and selling new projects each month. With longer client commitments, your revenue now becomes more predictable and easier to forecast. We aren’t living “in-month, biting our nails pushing for a “Closed Won”. You also now get to spend more time, and show more value, to your customers. You can move from vendor to partner.
Okay, so yes. The intrinsic value — and argument for — marketing retainers is clear. But they aren’t going to appear out of thin air. And while creating the appropriate retainer model is a project within itself (tip: begin by applying a percentage mark-up on top of your effective hourly operating costs), a number of agencies struggle with how to properly and appropriately scale out bundled options made available to customers.
Cold Stone Creamery has “Like It, Love It, Gotta Have It”. Starbucks has “Tall, Grande, Venti”. Slack has “Free, Standard, Plus”. So how do you create a tiered set of options for right-sizing customers instead of just “Not Enough Value, Our Sweet Spot, and the Overpriced One”?
Get cubical.
In geometric terms, a cube is a symmetrical, three-dimensional, shape. It has six square, identically sized faces. Or you know — it’s a 3D square.
But how does this relate to marketing retainers and your agency’s current menu of services. In your standard service pack (or menu of services, or list of deliverables), each package should be visualized as a cube; essentially, every retainer has a width, a length, and a depth.
[For the following examples, let us operate under the hypothetical “Bronze, Silver and Gold” labels to your tiered marketing offering.]
WIDTH: Expand your services “horizontally” and add more options to the menu as needed. By scaling up in packages, more items can now be a part of the retainer. Going from Bronze to Silver, maybe now blogging becomes a deliverable where it hadn’t been in the previous tier. Or PPC management. Or creative services. Or lead nurturing.
(i.e. HubSpot, when moving from Basic to Professional editions, adds marketing automation into the software.)
HEIGHT: In services that appear in multiple retainer levels, scale up by increasing the frequency and/or the delivery cadence of these services “vertically”. For example, Bronze may have 2x blogs published a month, but Silver has 2x published blogs a week. Move from 4x Facebook posts a month to 12x organic posts a month.
(i.e. Slack’s Free version allows for up to 10 app integrations. A move to Standard uncaps that amount for unlimited integration options.)
DEPTH: By growing in “depth”, increase the technical aspect and approach to a particular service. Be more hands on with an integration or manage the sync between two platforms. By moving to Gold, add boosted posts or advertisements to the social management service. Include a defined A/B testing schedule on top of your landing page development service.
(i.e. Dropbox Business, when moving from Standard to Advanced, introduces SSO integration for logging in vs. requiring users to manually log ins to Dropbox itself.) | https://medium.com/get-stuff-dunn/marketing-retainers-are-cubes-f9334d51d96 | ['Kevin Dunn'] | 2018-02-21 20:15:11.741000+00:00 | ['Marketing', 'Digital Marketing', 'Digital Marketing Agency', 'Freelancing', 'Inbound Marketing'] |
Join me for CMSWire’s Digital Customer Experience (DX) Summit 2016 | CMSWire’s Digital Customer Experience (DX) Summit 2016 conference brings together the world’s foremost digital customer experience (DX) and marketing technology (MarTech) leaders and practitioners who are defining the next generation of digital experiences and creating the organizations and teams that make them a reality.
Join me at the DX Summit in Chicago on November 14, 2016 for a workshop titled: Deliver Digital Excellence with Global Compliance and Integrity. Or come participate in the many other events and roundtables (hint, I am sitting on the panel for The Market for MarTech: Peak Perspectives, Fundamentals and Investment).
More info on the DX Summit website. | https://medium.com/kpodnar/join-me-for-cmswires-digital-customer-experience-dx-summit-2016-f70ffa177595 | ['Kristina Podnar'] | 2017-01-20 22:26:45.973000+00:00 | ['Digital Standards', 'Events', 'Digital Policies', 'Standards', 'Policies'] |
How the GUILD is pivoting their startup in times of global trends and COVID-19 | How the GUILD is pivoting their startup in times of global trends and COVID-19
The GUILD is a community for female entrepreneurs, investors, innovators and leaders to connect and collaborate on new ideas and business ventures.
In later 2016 just after the US election — that did not yield the results female leaders had hoped for — the San Francisco tech startup launched its services at a brand-new WeWork co-working location in San Francisco’s hip SOMA district surrounded by companies like Twitter, Zendesk and Uber.
GUILD founder Anne Cocquyt observed that “we couldn’t find events where I saw myself represented, a “founder” was associated with a white guy; something was missing in the male-dominated startup world”. She had co-founded and sold a small consumer product startup by that time and was deeply involved in Silicon Valleys startup ecosystem through her corporate innovation role at one of the biggest biotech companies.
“We have to be the change we want to see” she concluded when she left her corporate job and shifted her focus from digital health startups to community building and started experimenting with novel techniques and match-making algorithms to support female entrepreneurs build stronger professional networks.
First results were promising and soon she secured a deal to put a round of angel investment to work. From then on Anne focused on leading a tech team and getting the word out about the new service — mainly through in-person networking events in the Bay Area.
The user base grew fast, the company pivoted a few times but in 2019 Anne saw an interesting trend: VC firms were starting to focus investments outside of Silicon Valley, Asia received unprecedented amounts of investment dollars and also other hubs in Europe started raising first female focused funds.
“That’s when I decided to add a layer to the GUILD and offer a community platform that connects the players in all these ecosystems with each other. We started to recruit ambassadors in these regions. Of course our core offering of curated 1:1 introductions still remains, however we understand that our ladies need more than one new connection each week. That’s why we decided to move to a new community engagement platform and offer very targeted services and products and open local chapters in Asia and Europe.”
This global trend presented as an opportunity for the GUILD, the business model and its tech products. “It forced us to think outside the box”, says Anne, “we started connecting our members not just at the local coffee shop, but offered virtual connections and sorted through time zone differences and complicated rules matrixes to understand which times we should suggest for our members to connect when it’s 9am in San Francisco and 6pm in London.”
The GUILD going global and connecting multiple innovation hubs as a result of global trends
The startup also had to go back to the drawing board and follow its own credo of asking its new users what was most important to them.
Webinars with thought leaders from innovation hubs, practical advice and connecting in more intimate settings with more than two people but not more than 20 was another priority for the users.
The team also learnt about accelerator programs and realized that many were not built by women or for women and that the typical accelerator program accepted 80% male-founded startup teams at a stage when startups already showed some traction. While many didn’t charge any fee, they took large junks of equity from the startups. The question remained where to gain entrepreneurship skills before getting to prototype stage and how to do this for women who are bound to one geography due to family or a job they couldn’t leave.
“A big step in the right direction was our recent launch of an online academy- it’s a 12-week program that guides female entrepreneurs from all over the world through the steps to launch a successful business before investing a lot of time and money. All from the comfort of your own living room or home office. We ensure that the entrepreneurs are building something users actually want,” says Anne.
That program just launched its second cohort amidst COVID-19 quarantine all over the world. “Scholarship applications skyrocketed” says Anne. But she decided to fund a large portion in order to keep supporting women build businesses. “In crisis like these, the underrepresented get hit the hardest and we will see the negative effects years from now if we don’t continue the support now. Changing the odds for female entrepreneurs is a long-term effort. We can’t stop in the face of adversity”.
This was the general attitude when COVID-19 hit. Anne recalls that she was meant to go to Germany to teach a startup diversity workshop at the German Accelerator Alumni Summit and closely monitored news from Italy and Europe in late February early March.
“As an entrepreneur you always have to be on the outlook for threads or opportunities, if you are not vigilant, a new trend or the competition will come out of seemingly nowhere and swoop you away or you miss a pivot that could propel you forward. There is very little margin for error as you are operating with such small budgets as a startup.”
At the same time, “An entrepreneur does more than anyone thinks possible, with less than anyone thinks possible,” as a famous investor in Silicon Valley — John Doerr — remarks.
When Anne realized that this pandemic (weeks before it was called a pandemic) was a thread to the GUILD’s business model of in-person events, she called her network of advisors and got a meeting on calendar for March 19th to discuss the possibilities for the GUILD without in-person events for the next 12 months at a minimum.
Anne recalls: “Some people said to me that I was crazy when I started working from home on February 26th. I remember vividly how I turned around when I set my foot on the Muni and decided I didn’t want to take the risk any longer to be on public transportation. That was the day when I started thinking about the pieces in my business that still made sense and what I should focus on to keep my business alive.”
Reconnecting with the WHY and the purpose of the startup was a big eye opening lesson — Anne didn’t build her company and the community for years to let it die. Navigating ups and downs of finding product market fit, hiring teams, letting teams go, and pivoting had already taught her to steer the ship through high seas.
“I believe a lot of entrepreneurs have a pretty well trained muscle when it comes to ambiguity and placing bets on the future and that’s exactly what is asked of us now — look ahead, place your bets, don’t forget to ask your customer what they want and then steer the course.”
The global economic impact of COVID-19 is still to be determined, however Anne believes it will be a massive global correction and that correction will also make space for good companies to grow and defend market share. | https://medium.com/theguilded/how-the-guild-is-pivoting-their-startup-in-times-of-global-trends-and-covid-19-95516364e89a | ['The Guild'] | 2020-04-24 01:44:23.169000+00:00 | ['Startup Lessons', 'Community', 'Female Founders', 'Startup', 'Women In Business'] |
4 sites to watch advertising and earn money | Today more than ever, we are invaded by advertising, the good news is that there are websites that make you earn money to watch advertising. If you are one of our loyal readers, you have probably already read one of our articles on the subject. In particular, I have written an article especially dedicated to applications that allow you to earn money by watching advertising.
Now imagine yourself sitting comfortably on your couch. Phone or PC at your fingertips, and above all, an income supplement that comes all by itself. Just by watching advertising. Does that tempt you? Let’s go for it.
4 reliable sites to watch advertising and earn money
Maximiles is a really interesting multi-remuneration site. Its principle is simple, you accumulate points by watching videos, but also by reading emails, with paid polls, cashback, etc…
Of course, registration is totally free, especially since it is a recognized and trusted brand among the paid sites.
Also the remuneration at Maximiles is not in the form of cash, but of gifts. Indeed, you can choose among more than 300 rewards (fashion, high tech, sport, etc.).
And moreover, we offer you 100 free points as soon as you register !
Let’s start this top with Swagbucks. It’s a site I’ve already told you about in several articles, since it allows you to earn money in many ways. The site offers you to watch videos that will earn you a certain number of points. Points that can then be exchanged for gift cards or cash on PayPal. And you know what ? You can earn $100 a month just by sitting in front of your screen.
So if you haven’t signed up yet, go for it !
Just like its counterpart above, Zoombuck offers you many ways to make money online. One of them is to be able to watch commercials and videos. The principle is simple, once you’ve registered you choose a video channel according to your interests and then you can watch videos at your leisure.
It’s as simple as that, the points accumulated are then available to be exchanged for Playstation, Apple, Clash of Clan gift cards and many other mobile games, Steam, Amazon, Netflix and more. In short, there’s no shortage of choices and there’s something for everyone.
Irazoo
Last but not least in the list of multi-payment sites. Irazoo offers you 50 video channels with different themes to make you earn money with and by answering a quick survey. Thus, you can find mini movies, application trailers, tutorials, etc… Each video or ad earns points that you can then exchange for gift cards or cash on PayPal.
Finally, as a bonus, we offer you 100 points as soon as you register !
How much money can I make from watching advertising ?
If it is indeed possible to round off your month-end with this method, don’t expect to earn thousands of Dollars either.
In principle, each video session earns a few cents of dollar, so you need to spend a lot of time in front of your screen to earn an extra $15–50 per month.
And for those who are wondering, there is no scam. At least, not with the sites we present on the blog. It’s like everything else, sometimes we come across sites that are not very scrupulous. Be very careful with those who will ask you to pay to register and save yourself before it’s too late. | https://medium.com/@laboiteasous/4-sites-to-watch-advertising-and-earn-money-537614eca8ae | ['La Boite À Sous'] | 2020-10-15 22:43:05.864000+00:00 | ['Advertising', 'Make Money', 'Cash', 'Money', 'Earn Money Online'] |
How to Get the Price of Cryptocurrencies in Real Time Using Python | Programming
The first thing that I like to do is create a description of the program in the comments:
#Description: This program gets the price of crypto currencies in real time
Next, I will import the libraries needed for this program:
#Import the libraries
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
import requests
import time
Now, I want to create a function to get the price of a cryptocurrency. This function will take in a cryptocurrency name and return the price of that coin.
For this function to work properly, I need to get the coin (the cryptocurrency name) and append it to the URL. Then I need to make a request to the website to get the data. Next, I need to parse the text using an HTML parser. And last but not least, I need to find and extract the text that contains the price and return it.
Note: The text/cryptocurrency price is located under two <div> tags. Both of the tags have a class equal to BNeawe iBp4i AP7Wnd . This means all I have to do is find those div tags using the class and extract the text.
Image showing the location of the price/text.
Now, I want to create a main function to consistently show the price of whatever cryptocurrency I want. I also want this program to show the price only if it has changed.
All of this can be easily achieved by creating a variable to hold the most recent price and only print the new price if that variable is different from the current price.
Also, I can create an infinite loop to constantly get the price of the cryptocurrency. A variable will be created to hold the cryptocurrency name and will be the input for the function that was created earlier to get the current price. I will put in a three-second delay so that I give the price time to update and so that I am not requesting the website too much.
Finally, I can run the program by executing the main function:
main()
Image showing the updated price of the cryptocurrency.
Thanks for reading this article. I hope it’s helpful to you all! | https://medium.com/better-programming/get-the-price-of-cryptocurrencies-in-real-time-using-python-cdaf07516479 | [] | 2020-11-30 17:56:36.314000+00:00 | ['Cybersecurity', 'Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Programming', 'Python'] |
The Sopranos episode review — 3.8 — He Is Risen | Original air date: April 15, 2001
Director: Allen Coulter
Writers: Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess, and Todd A. Kessler
Rating: 8/10
Joey Pants is really growing on me here. I still can’t stand listening to him because of his voice and accent, but he so perfectly embodies his asshole of a character. He’s probably the most easily hatable one on the show so far.
Here, Ralph laments the way Tony treated him, and even considers switching families, until Gigi Cestone passes away, and he’s promoted to captain. He wants to confirm that it’s based on merit, but Tony won’t do that.
Tony also meets a woman, Gloria Trillo (Annabella Sciorra), at Dr. Melfi’s office after a mixup on the time of her appointment.
He eventually meets her at the car dealership where she works, and sleeps with her.
Meadow’s also sort of in a relationship with Jackie Aprile, Jr. (Jason Cerbone). She hasn’t been speaking to her dad much recently, I guess following her breakup, which she blames on him.
In the best moment of the episode, Tony tries to speak with her before Thanksgiving dinner, thinking of the woman that Ralph killed, and how he could have helped her, but chose not to.
It’s a really powerful moment, and it is the highlight here, but there are plenty of other solid moments. | https://medium.com/as-vast-as-space-and-as-timeless-as-infinity/the-sopranos-episode-review-3-8-he-is-risen-4f81ee8b56e | ['Patrick J Mullen'] | 2021-02-14 14:02:20.139000+00:00 | ['TV', 'The Sopranos', 'Tv Reviews', 'Television', 'Drama'] |
Sophie, | For this story, I have one quote that helped me accept my diagnosis and gave me a sense of validation and answered all my conflicts of how to identify myself with the diagnosis…
The quote:
“Unlike other Mental Health Conditions, Autism is unique in that it is not about what you have. It is about who you are.”
Autism is so deeply ingrained into our very being that there is no separating the two. This is the basic reason neatly everyone in the Autistic Community prefers Identity-First language.
This is in direct contrast to the Mental Health System, who not only prefer Person-First language, but they are mandated to use that type of language in all official documents they write.
This preferemce is reflected by the usage of the term “Autism Spectrum Condition” as trending in more progressive and cutting-edge countries such as Australia, the UIK, Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK, and more. Autism is in fact not a Mental Healh issue in any way. We don’t have the too often ableist terms such as “deficits or “limitations”. What we have is differences.
After all, MRI studies have found that the Autism Brain is wired radically different that the neurotypical brain, all the down to the cortical networks and neuron and synaptic junction connection levels. In some neuron connections, the neuron density is much more dense, and in other regions either absent or much less dense.
Even the mass of the different organ regions of the brains of those with Autism are different in mass. Some organs are larger, such as the Prefrontal Cortex, and some organs are smaller in mass, such as the Amygdala, which is maladaptive in those with Autism.
I would even go so far to say that:
“Autism is not just a different type of human, but a more evolved and more specialized species of human being.”
And there are many peer-reviewed studies that support my theory.
Wrong Planet indeed!
So, you know what to do now!
You are ready to join my team!
Simply email me at the email address below… | https://medium.com/@keira-leda-lees/sophie-76c5291722fc | ['Keira Fulton-Lees'] | 2020-12-07 01:58:31.948000+00:00 | ['Autism', 'Neuroscience', 'Neurodivergent', 'Autism Spectrum Disorder', 'Psychology'] |
歐盟擬立法限制大型科企壟斷 | A columnist in political development in Greater China region, technology and gadgets, media industry, parenting and other interesting topics. | https://medium.com/@frederickyeung-59743/%E6%AD%90%E7%9B%9F%E6%93%AC%E7%AB%8B%E6%B3%95%E9%99%90%E5%88%B6%E5%A4%A7%E5%9E%8B%E7%A7%91%E4%BC%81%E5%A3%9F%E6%96%B7-34894f2358b4 | ['C Y S'] | 2020-12-16 00:29:17.975000+00:00 | ['Government', 'Europe'] |
HP Predicted Who Wanted to Quit. Should Companies Guess Their Employees’ Behavior? | HP wanted to save money — and learned a lot about employee motivation
For HP, losing experts is expensive — not only because the company could lose the creative potential to the competition. Training new staff costs time and productivity — it takes several weeks, if not months, for team members to become involved in processes and topics. The HR experts saw a potential saving of 300 million US Dollars through a lower rate of change.
In 2011, a team began to collect and analyze data. They wanted to understand which employee would likely be willing to resign soon. What they found out, was not surprising: promotions, salary increases, and the rotation of positions had a positive effect on the desire to stay at HP. Those factors on one hand expressed appreciation, on the other hand, they ensured that new tasks and more responsibility would make work interesting. Appreciation and novelty are essential for the motivation of employees. Routine kills every spark over time.
However, there were also surprising findings: Especially in the sales department, a high number of promotions harmed the willingness to stay. Sales staff demanded a significant salary increase with each promotion to be willing to stay. If this was not the case, the promotion signaled to the salespeople that they were valuable enough to find a good job elsewhere with better conditions. HP learned how different personality types were attracted to certain jobs and departments and how they behave in atypical ways, in contrast to the average. | https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/hp-predicted-who-wanted-to-quit-should-companies-guess-their-employees-behavior-a89e9da4a749 | ['Alice Greschkow'] | 2020-10-27 22:27:22.621000+00:00 | ['Predictive Analytics', 'Business', 'Human Resources', 'Data Science', 'Work'] |
When Someone You Love Screws You Up a Little | When Someone You Love Screws You Up a Little
Emotion trumps logic, even against our own best interests.
Photo by Brit for Nappy
I recently wrote this post about how I bonded through unhealthy eating habits with my mother.
I never expected it to be taken as an endorsement for said unhealthy eating habits. It took me aback when someone suggested I was doing so. It made me look at my piece and wonder if what I intended was what actually ended up in the piece. I made an effort to clarify my position and explain that I was describing how unhealthy habits happen, from my own perspective.
Like most kids, candy was my favorite food group. Let’s face it, I wasn’t gonna eat cottage cheese for any Tom, Dick or Harry off the street. But I recognized that the quest for slimness would give me direct access to my mother, who was dieting and who happened to be my favorite person in the world. I jumped on the fad diet bandwagon because my mother was already up there and loved my mother and would have followed her most anywhere.
So, I see cottage cheese today and immediately think of how much I love my mother and how much I enjoyed that time spent with her. My mouth may protest but my heart loves those milky white curds.
Yes, I’ve had lifelong issues with food, probably because of it.
That’s the price I’ve been paying for that particular quality time. And I muster up the memory of the taste of cabbage soup at odd moments. I know what it feels like to survive on a liquid diet. I have muscle memory of exercises to build up things that weren’t supposed to be on a child (circa, Laverne & Shirley … you know what I’m talking about).
None of these odd proclivities or memories make me love my mother any less so I can’t unearth anything but fondness when I think of them.
And that’s how lots and lots of bad habits start … with love. We all have plenty of vices adopted simply because we wanted to fit in with people we idolize. It’s a sad, odd fact of life that I make light of as a coping mechanism, not because I don’t understand the serious implications.
But in clarifying my position, what became clearer to me is that we (as a people) have a need to put things into “right” and “wrong” buckets. “Good” or “bad”. “Pretty” or “ugly”.
It’s easy to point to someone and say they were wrong when you don’t know them and don’t have skin in the game. Hindsight — and perspective — is twenty-twenty.
I understand the sentiment in wanting to cut to the heart of things; impact over intent. And I agree: It’s critically important to see dangerous behavior for what it is. But the issue is, most of us don’t see danger for what it is when it’s happening. Most of us only recognize danger in hindsight … when we’re far removed from the emotion of a situation and can look at it logically.
In the moment, logic is usually nowhere to be found. I’m no psychologist but I’ve developed a theory on this:
Our hearts, emotions, and involuntarily bodily responses tell us good people can’t do bad and bad people can’t do good. We’ve hard-wired and conditioned our brains to believe that. We feel first, and then we link our “good/bad” logic to those feelings. And that’s how our “black and white” gets so screwed up. Wrong can feel right if it’s being dealt by someone you love, and vice versa. And the world is all sorts of shades of grey when it comes to right and wrong — those shades make it extremely difficult to see the forest for the trees.
I hope I didn’t seem to be condoning wrong in my last post. I’m only being honest about my life and my weakness and the love that shaped me as a person. I respectfully ask not to be judged for my honesty.
I also hope other adults can relate to my post in terms of trying to see their way through emotional fog to get to the heart of the matter.
We have to know how to recognize when our emotions are coloring our perception of a situation. And we have to know it’s possible to love people who do wrong. Not just brain-know, but in-practice know.
That love colors everything they do in our eyes. It forgives minor infractions. It makes everything they say “not so bad”. It awards them the coveted benefit of the doubt. It’s important that we don’t get fooled by the right/wrong, good/bad way of feel-thinking into assuming a good person will always do right and a bad person will always do wrong.
We all make mistakes that hurt the people we love, good intent or not. I propose we use hindsight as a learning lesson instead of a castigation of the people who lovingly screwed us up, because many of them were just as lovingly screwed up themselves and just didn’t know any better.
Case in point… | https://medium.com/the-ascent/when-someone-you-love-screws-you-up-a-little-1402f5c23a3 | ['Patti Flinn'] | 2019-11-04 16:57:49.447000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement', 'Bonding', 'Mothers And Daughters', 'Love', 'Body Image'] |
How does Protest Works? | Along the years, the concept of protest always slipped my mind, how does it work or if it will ever work. It also seems a bit funny that when faced with atrocities, the best that we can do is to go to the street, stand or sit, raising signs and chanting, and risk getting sprayed, choked, assaulted or arrested. Entirely at the mercy of our authorities to take their desired action and make changes.
Are we threating that we will not vote for them?
Are we displaying our huge discontentment out in the wild?
Are we alerting and nudging our fellows to tell them this is bad and we must stay united?
Are we reminding them of the social contract?
Are we reminding them that we are not docile and will suck up anything they shit on us?
Are we demonstrating civil disobediences to show our power?
Are we pressuring them to act, by making them looks bad?
Are we damaging the economy to tell them that if they want to profit off from our hard works and this country, they must first allow us to live a tolerable life?
It seems that there are no clear answers to this. | https://medium.com/@marc-lenz/how-does-protest-works-50b6b3e7ed2b | ['Marc Lenz'] | 2020-11-27 09:07:28.825000+00:00 | ['Vote', 'Protest', 'Authority', 'Civil Rights', 'Economy'] |
FOURTH ABUJA NEM101 | Some attendees had been into cryptocurrency for years but had little or no knowledge of NEM and XEM before the meetup opened their eyes to the wonders of the NEM Blockchain. | https://medium.com/nem-nigeria/fourth-abuja-nem101-94fdd8f212b6 | ['Martins Ajima Austin'] | 2018-08-25 08:37:18.829000+00:00 | ['Nigeria', 'Nigerian Economy', 'Nem', 'Xem', 'Bitcoin'] |
Trust Me? | Trust Me?
Should I?
©Paula via Canva
“Do you trust me?” he asked, offering me his hand.
I could barely hear him over the whirl of the helicopter blades but I’m good at reading lips.
“Not at all.” I replied as I took his hand. “But hey, this night has been full of surprises.”
Duncan helped me up into the helicopter as it lifted off the ground, just avoiding the bloodthirsty creatures that dived for us.
I watched them gather underneath us even as the helicopter gathered altitude. The last thing I ever expected when I agreed to this blind date was for the restaurant to be crashed by blood-thirsty former human beings, attacking anything and everything in their sight. For some reason they seemed to be zeroing in on me.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that my ‘date’ had known what was going to happen. He’d been assigned to keep me safe as apparently, I was the key to saving the world.
We buckled into the helicopter as his friend steered us away from my former home. We’d heard rumors that there was a safe zone in Texas of all places that was creature free. If we could get there and prove we were uninjured, we’d be safe. Supposedly. It hadn’t been long since the creatures had begun attacking but to my knowledge, the world had been overrun already.
But with the winds gathering and the numerous creatures we just left behind, I didn’t know if we could make it to Texas from New York. I wasn’t even sure we could make it out of New York safely. If there were rumors about a safe zone, no doubt there would be more of these things and I didn’t like the looks of this wind.
Just then, the helicopter bucked in the wind.
“Hang on!”
I grasped the seat in front of me and the hook above my head, “Already hanging!”
I felt him wrap his arm around me, other hand wrapping around the hook above his head. The helicopter rolled in mid-air, shuddering and there was a loud snap above our heads.
“What was that?!”
Before he could answer, our pilot spoke, “One of our rotors just snapped! We’re going down!!”
The helicopter took a nosedive and I felt his arm tighten as the pilot yelled, “Hold on!”
I felt the hook above my head be ripped from my hand as the top of the helicopter ripped off, leaving nothing but open air and jagged walls above us. There was no way the seatbelts were going to hold even if there was any way this helicopter was going to land safely.
He pulled my hand off the seat before it could be broken, even as the seatbelts snapped from the winds, pulling us out of the helicopter.
“Hold on!”
I wrapped my arms around his waist, holding on tightly, hoping like hell he had a plan that I couldn’t see beyond freefalling to our deaths.
Just then, I felt something hit me in the back of the head as we cleared the helicopter remains.
As I blacked out, I swear I saw wings above him, coming out of his back. But that’s not possible, is it? | https://medium.com/sunday-fabricated-stories/trust-me-9e196e26830 | ['Paula Crofoot'] | 2019-08-04 17:48:39.230000+00:00 | ['Short Story', 'Fiction', 'Escape', 'Writing', 'Trust'] |
OriginScale’s first funding round set for the 29th of March | Founded in 2019, OriginScale promises to make supply chains visible, traceable and most importantly reliable for any consumer packaged goods (CPG). As well as a host of other features designed to make the supply chain process easy to manage. From tracing issues to recalling batches. This is not only a great tool for any company using it but also good news for a consumer since any issues can be traced all the way back to the factory. The biggest selling point is that this can all be done simply and in one place. Allowing for more efficiency and making the user confident that everything is being taken care of. The user-friendly nature of the product would be ideal for any start-ups handling CPG with little to no knowledge of the process. It’s currently in its beta stages but you can sign up for a demo in which you will be taken through the process and a plan will be set up for your needs. This one-on-one approach is a great addition and again would be perfect for anyone new to supply chain management.
Supply Chain
Co-Founder, Bhaskar Ahuja labels himself as a ‘serial entrepreneur’ and has created an array of successful startups before this. As well as having extensive and impressive IT and tech knowledge.
OriginScale has many competitors. Most notably Oracle, with their Netsuite that offers tracking, management and inventory control amongst other features. They boast some pretty impressive clientele such as Charlotte Tilbury, a well-known cosmetics brand.
Despite their collection of social media accounts, OriginScale does not have any marketing up and running at the moment. Each social media account is barren, with no posts and not even a profile picture on any account other than their Linkedin. Considering they’re coming up to their first funding round, it would not be surprising if marketing campaigns are launched in the near future. Due to the online nature of the product, their competitors rely on things such as active social media accounts. Namely, Linkedin since it is entirely for professionals, and Twitter which has a large number of company and business accounts. As well as Google Ads, which ensures that their company is at the top of the search results for specific search terms.
OriginScale has some big competition but we’ll definitely be keeping an eye out after their funding round has finished to see where they take their product. | https://medium.com/seudonet/originscales-first-funding-round-set-for-the-29th-of-march-4013c550b18a | ['Harriet Tornincasa'] | 2021-03-19 11:31:39.219000+00:00 | ['Tech', 'Startup', 'Funding'] |
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