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SwiftUI API Calls with URLSession | Let’s go and create our SwiftUI App
Open Xcode and create a project.
2. For this demonstration, I’m using MVVM architecture. So first we have to create the below folders in our project hierarchy.
Models
View Models
Services
Extensions
3. Next, we have to create our model. This is the most important part because if you made this one wrong, your entire data retrieving will be full of bugs.
If we consider our API output we can see some Dictionaries and arrays here and there. Our entire API output is inside a dictionary. Look at the below image 👇🏻
But some are not inside any arrays or dictionaries. So in this session, I will grab both dictionary data and data which is not inside an array or dictionary.
Here I’m planning to get the main dictionary and name property inside the API output.
👆🏻 This one is inside a dictionary.
👆🏻 This one is not inside a dictionary.
Now let’s go and create our model. I’m going to name my models as WeatherModel and it is inside my Models folder.
I have created three structs inside WeatherModel.swift file.
The first struct is named WeatherModel and it is following the Decodable protocol. Inside this struct, we have to create a variable called main which has the type of Weather.
The second struct is the Weather struct and it also following the Decodable protocol. This struct has a few variables which have the same name as our API output data. So we don’t have to use CodingKeys to map these variable names.
In the Third struct, I add all the API data which are not inside an array or any dictionary so I called this struct as OtherData. This is also following the Decodable protocol. Here also we have to provide the original names from the API request.
This is my WeatherModel 👇🏻 | https://medium.com/@bathicodes/swiftui-api-calls-with-urlsession-950bcd7803e3 | ['Bathiya Seneviratne', 'Bathicodes'] | 2020-12-17 04:02:52.604000+00:00 | ['Urlsessions', 'Swift', 'Openweathermap', 'Swiftui', 'API'] |
Low-Code Founders: Louis Le Mercier, founder of CV Swap and “Être étudiant” | Low-Code Founders: Louis Le Mercier, founder of CV Swap and “Être étudiant”
Inside the mind of an entrepreneur: our founder of the week tells about the company he created around the Facebook page “Être étudiant” with his co-associate and the recent release of their online resume solution.
What led you to entrepreneurship?
“I was brought to it by meeting my friend and future co-associate Fabien Feuillard during our business school studies. We both had already made videos on Dailymotion that had worked well and wanted to realize news projects.
Our first project was a website called “Student Box” made on Wordpress to list the best websites and applications for students. Since we didn’t have a lot of money to put into advertising and promotion, it wasn’t very well known and we didn’t have a big flow of visitors. To change this, we created a Facebook page with a name that we wanted to be less commercial than Student Box: “Être Etudiant” (Being a Student). This allowed us to directly target and identify the audience we were addressing. It was an immediate hit: in two weeks, 20,000 people subscribed to the page and almost as many visited our website.
Beyond the website, what thrilled us the most was to grow a community around this Facebook page, so we decided to close the website to focus on “Être étudiant” in parallel with our studies.To feed it in publication, we started to create daily memes, small texts etc. to which the students could identify themselves through the hardships they were going through.
At the time, there weren’t many people offering this kind on content on student life in French. Our initial goal was to propose an alternative content to the traditional and serious media such as the “L’Etudiant” (The Student), in which we do not identify ourselves.
We started to be contacted by several brands to promote them so we set up this business model in which we were making videos about tips or interviews to promote brands with the touch of “Être Etudiant”. At the end of our studies, we were able to raise funds and recruit new members to expand our skills. Today, we work with Amazon, JustEat, La Fnac and startups like “Bob le mini lave-vaisselle” (Bob the tiny dishwasher), a French startup that decided to break the dishwasher codes to make it more practical and accessible for students who are struggling with their dirty dishes.
What motivated you to launch CV Swap?
While we were doing B2B with brand content (with all the advantages and constraints that this implies), we wanted to diversify our business model.
We were aware that we had a great audience, to whom we wanted to bring convenient services while allowing us to develop the media. It had to be something that was automated, that allowed us to make a regular income without having to spend a lot of time on it apart from the after-sales service.
After talking about the problems that the students encountered in everyday life, we realized that they had a lot of difficulties in creating a CV (what to put in it, how to make it attractive, etc.). Creating a CV application naturally came to us, since it seemed complementary and didn’t require us to invest a lot of time.
Can you present us CV Swap ?
CV Swap is an intuitive platform that allows you to build a design and optimized job search resume in 10 minutes.
Recruiters only spend a few seconds reading a resume, so the first impression has to be the good one. Having a visually optimized CV has a significant impact on the candidate pre-screening process when the recruiter has more than 200 of these to read.
The problem is that the majority of existing solutions are either too complex, not elaborate enough or too expensive. We believe that simply not being able to use or afford an online resume solution should not disadvantage the candidate. So the aim was to implement an effective solution that anyone could use and afford.
In 2021, the CV Swap application is expected to grow in terms of audiences, traffic and available templates. We believe this will be feasible thanks to Bubble, which makes maintaining the application simple and fast.
What challenges did you meet?
I was afraid that this kind of solution would not interest our audience of students, who don’t have much money. Even though our first offer starts at €2.99 for 7 days access to CV Swap’s premium features, it’s already a lot for some people.
Another concern was the security aspect of the platform, as there is a lot of data collected (academic background, identities etc.). We gathered a lot of information about user data management (RGPD etc.) and I was able to easily contact Bubble who sent me all the documents I needed to reassure me.
How went the development of the application?
I already had some bases in Python and JavaScript as I was interested in development, but I was aware of the fact that it took a lot of learning time to feel comfortable with it. With my basics, I would have been unable to do the CV Swap MVP without it taking me months. However, they served me well when I started to learn to use Bubble.
During the containment last March, I decided to allocate 2 hours per day to a Udemy training to learn how to use Bubble. I quickly found its operation and possibilities very interesting. After a week, I was able to start testing a basic CV Swap MVP to see if Bubble allowed me to do it entirely without using code.
Since our student audience consults our posts 80% on the phone, we wanted the application to be very responsive on mobile. It’s a very complicated aspect to set up without having the necessary good practices. There was also another challenging part, which was to integrate the APIs for the necessary options (such as exporting the CV in pdf). As soon as you have to use a bit of code, it’s much more complex.
The tool makes it possible to make more complex products than simple showcase sites, so there is a certain learning curve, but you can do a lot of things with it if you invest seriously.
In the end, we developed CV Swap in 2–3 months and were able to have a solid prototype that we tested with friends, family and acquaintances who were looking for an internship.
We were able to launch CV Swap for the September back-to-school season. Obviously, we could have done it faster if we had worked on it full time. What’s certain is that it would have taken much more time with a traditional development tool. I’m delighted to have discovered Bubble.
What advice do you give to people who have an entrepreneurial project but are afraid to take the plunge?
First of all, I would say that the most important thing is to persevere. There are often hardships, problems and difficult moments. But if we choose a project that motivates us on a daily basis, we can overcome these difficulties and keep our spirits up more easily. That’s why it’s important to choose your project carefully and to be able to identify with your target.
Otherwise it’s a bit cliché, but it’s particularly true: do not be afraid of making mistakes. It’s the same as when you start a new video game: there is a learning curve but you always end up being more comfortable and doing what you wanted.
It’s important to surround yourself with the right people, both professionally and personally. If you have a great team on the professional side but your personal life is complicated, it’s difficult to keep your motivation and to be able to lead your team and make the right choices.
It is important to be very careful during the recruitment phase and to be as transparent as possible with future candidates, so that they do not imagine things and are not disappointed afterwards. Don’t try to sell them too much of the dream and explain to them the vision of your project, that it can take time and that they will not be traditional employees because entrepreneurship is also a human adventure. You have to create a bond of trust and make your corporate culture reflect on these people to be sure that this is what they need.
Finally, I would say that you should not compare your entrepreneurial experience with what you see on Instagram or LinkedIn: the kind of people who are always travelling, who are very business -and performance- oriented, always seem to have the best ways of doing things and make us feel guilty. It’s just Vanity Content and we shouldn’t stop at that or waste time on it. The most important thing is to find interesting, relevant and caring people to live this adventure with. We are humans, we have to do things right, but some ways of doing things are not adapted to everyone. Everyone has their own way of functioning”. | https://medium.com/cube-insider/low-code-founders-louis-le-mercier-founder-of-cv-swap-and-%C3%AAtre-%C3%A9tudiant-d90afa065f9a | ['Melanie Bialgues'] | 2020-11-24 13:40:57.393000+00:00 | ['No Code', 'Low Code', 'Entreprenuership', 'Cv', 'Founders'] |
This is why Sepak Takraw is the coolest game ever | Sepak takraw have a lot in common with Volleyball. But the players can use everything except their hands to keep a rattan ball in the air. This sport is native to Southeast Asia but is growing in popularity in other parts of the world.
Sepak Takraw in Asian Games, Jakarta 2018
The game has different names in different regions of Southeast Asia, it is widely known internationally by the name “Sepak Takraw”. The word “sepak” is the Malay word for kick. “Takraw” is the Thai word for a woven rattan ball. So the name literally means, kick ball.
Sepak Takraw is an amazing sport with gifted athletes.
History of Sepak Takraw
A mural in Bangkok’s Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which was built in 1785, depicts Hanuman (a Hindu god) playing in a ring with a group of monkeys.
Some of the early descriptions were of groups of men forming a circle and competing at who could kick the ball either the highest or using the most entertaining tricks.
After being played in the form of a circle for hundreds of years, in 1740 the game began to evolve in Thailand and began to be played in what now would be recognized as a team sport.
Known as “sipa” in the Philippines, it was the national sport until 2009 and is still included in the elementary and high school curriculum.
Some believe that the sport was actually a variation of an exercise called cuju. This was something Chinese military men did to loosen up their limbs, exercise and improve dexterity. They would use a feathered shuttlecock (think of a badminton birdie) and kick it into the air, trying to keep it afloat.
In the 1940s, the game finally became recognized as a sport in Southeast Asia and the name Sepak Takraw was accepted.
The sepak takraw ball shall be spherical, made of synthetic fibre or one woven layer.
Sepak takraw balls without synthetic rubber covering must have 12 holes and 20 intersections. The ball can be any single or multi-color, but must not in any color that will impair the performance of the players.
A Sepak Takraw ratten ball
The sepak takraw ball can also be constructed of synthetic rubber or soft durable material for covering the ball, for the purpose of softening the impact of the ball on the player’s body.
The type of material and method used for constructing the ball or for covering the ball with rubber or soft durable covering must be approved by ISTAF before it can be used for any competition.
Sepak Takraw Gameplay Rules
After the service is in play, the players may move around their side of the court freely, there aren’t rules limiting who can attack or defend.
Players are not allowed to cross over or under the net except with the follow-through of their spiking kick.
You can play the ball with pretty much anything but your arms and hands.
The ball has to stay in continuous action in the air, not allowing it to touch the ground or be caught (like under an arm or between your legs).
Unlike volleyball, the same player may hit it multiple times in a row. | https://medium.com/@Bibek_/this-is-why-sepak-takraw-is-the-coolest-game-ever-6c04c3ab1e53 | [] | 2021-12-23 10:16:42.188000+00:00 | ['Sports', 'Asia', 'Fitness', 'Games', 'Football'] |
Support Vector Machines — Thinking like vectors! | Photo by Chiplanay on pixabay
Support vector machines work well in high dimensional space with clear margin or separation thus thinking like vectors.
Support Vector Machine(SVM) is a supervised non-linear machine learning algorithm which can be used for both classification and regression problems. SVM is used to generate multiple separating hyperplanes such that it divides segments of data space and each segment contains only one kind of data.
SVM technique is useful for data whose distribution is unknown i.e which has Non-regularity i.e data in spam classification, handwriting recognition, text categorization, speaker identification etc. I listed applications of support vector machine with it.:)
This post is about explaining support vector machines with an example, demonstration of support vector machine on a dataset and explanation of generated outputs of demonstration.
What lies behind SVM with example?
Picture exclusively created
In Support Vector Machines, we plot each data as a point in n-dimensional space(where “n” is the number of features) with the value of each feature being a value of a particular coordinate. Then, we perform classification by finding hyperplane that differentiates the classes.
Example
Consider a dataset containing Apples and Oranges. So, to classify them, we use Support Vector machine ad labelled training data on plane.
Photo by Sarah Gualtieri on Unsplash
A support vector machine(SVM) takes these data points and outputs the hyperplane (which is a two-dimension line of equation y = ax + b) that best separates the tags. The line is called the decision boundary i.e anything that falls to one side of it is classified as Apple and anything that falls to the other as Orange.
The hyperplane(Two-dimensional line) is best when it’s the distance to the nearest element of each data point or tag is the largest i.e specified on maximum margins.
Picture exclusively created
All points on the line ax+b=0 will satisfy the equation so, we draw two parallel lines ax+b=-1 for one side and ax+b=1 for the other side such that these lines pass through a datapoint or tag in the segment which is nearest to our line, then the distance between these two lines will be our margin. | https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/support-vector-machines-thinking-like-vectors-ba75f184c471 | ['Dhruv Aggarwal'] | 2020-06-29 09:28:30.601000+00:00 | ['Algorithms', 'Support Vector Machine', 'R', 'Data Science', 'Machine Learning'] |
Religion As a Political Tool: A Case Study of the Ayodhya Verdict | Religion As a Political Tool: A Case Study of the Ayodhya Verdict
How a largely communal conflict was politicized at the national level
On the 16th of October, the five-judge constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, concluded the hearing on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, the judgement for which was delivered on 8th November. According to the Supreme Court verdict, the entire 2.77 acres of the disputed land is to be used for the building of the Ram temple, while an alternate 5 acres of land will be awarded to the Sunni Waqf Board for the potential construction of a mosque. The court cited evidence of Hindu temple remains under the masjid as an important factor that led to this verdict.
Illustration by Pooja Nagaraj
This judgement is being hailed as one of the most important judgements in recent times due to the long, conflict-riddled history of Babri Masjid which will soon give way to a Ram Mandir. On the surface, this issue might seem like a religious one. After all, the three main parties involved are the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara, and ‘Ram Lalla’, represented by the Hindu Maha Sabha. However, contextualise the debate in a political timeline, and it becomes clear that the developments around the case were rooted in politics.
It all started in the mid-19th century when a Ram worshipping Hindu sect, called the ‘Nirmohis’, claimed that the Babri Masjid was built upon the ruins of a Ram temple. This claim gave rise to some minor communal skirmishes, but it was largely ignored by most. In the year 1949, some people claimed that they witnessed a mysterious child recognised as ‘Ram Lalla’ or infant Ram appear within the gates of the masjid with a sudden flash of lightning. This child then allegedly transformed into an idol of Ram which was found inside the masjid. Later investigations revealed that there was no proof of there ever being a child involved. In reality, three Hindu activists belonging to the Akhil Bhartiya Ramayana Mahasabha (ABRM), an offshoot of the Hindu Mahasabha (a right-wing Hindu Nationalist party), had broken into the mosque and placed the idol of Ram inside. Thus began the politicization of what was until now a largely communal conflict.
Upon the orders of the Supreme Court, the mosque was declared as a ‘disputed site’ and the gates were locked to both Hindu and Muslim worshippers. In the 1980s, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), an offshoot of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), spearheaded a campaign to ‘liberate’ Lord Ram’s alleged birthplace. This claim is unsupported by historical evidence, not that absence of evidence has ever been a hindrance in this issue. The campaign, aimed at demolishing the mosque and constructing a temple on the spot was led by BJP minister Lal Krishna Advani, who later went on to become the Home Minister. At this time, a relatively non-powerful party like the BJP started being included in the mainstream narrative of Indian politics. They also organised a whole hoard of rallies, marches and congregations to find support for their agenda.
Although this issue had mainly been used by right-wing ‘Hindutvavadi’ (parties which seek to establish the hegemony of Hindus) until now, the Congress joined the wagon soon after. After facing flak for the appeasement of Muslim fundamentalists in the infamous overturning of the Shah Bano judgement, the Rajiv Gandhi government decided to play the ‘Hindu card’ for the upcoming elections.
On the 1st of February 1986, the padlocks of the gates were opened to allow Hindu priests to worship inside the structure. Although the opening of the gates was a court-ordered decision, the promises made by the government to the Hindu communalists before the court decision and failure to appeal against the judgement revealed the hand of the Congress government.
Not to be left behind, the BJP in 1989 consolidated the Ayodhya Movement and made the building of the temple a substantial part of their manifesto; a move that proved to be extremely fruitful as BJP witnessed a steep rise in the number of seats secured in the next elections. In 1989, the Rajiv Gandhi government, having faced backlash for the Bofors scam ( weapon contract political scandal between India and Sweden), allowed the VHP to perform the Shilanyas ceremony (laying of the foundation stone on the mosque property) in November 1989, despite it still being a legally disputed site.
What had until now been covertly used by political parties to sway public opinion, soon became a full-blown political issue.BJP leaders like Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, and Uma Bharti organised a congregation for kar sevaks (volunteers for the religious cause) from all over the country, allegedly for a grand pooja in Ayodhya. However, things descended into chaos when the kar sevaks broke through the mosque gates and began to manually destroy the mosque using hammers, rods, and even their bare hands. By mid-afternoon on 6th December 1992, the mosque had been completely destroyed, and all that was left of it was rubble. Cases were filed against the BJP leaders involved but they all maintained that the demolition was completely spontaneous and not the intended outcome of the congregation.
However, later investigations into the apparent police inaction and testimonies of present journalists and camera people paints a clear picture of there being a significant amount of planning involved in the destruction of the mosque. One does not need to look further than the BJP leaders’ recent comments on the nearing resolution of the issue to understand how the ‘apparently’ religious debate stopped being (assuming if it ever was) a religious one and stands today as a purely political one. While the courts favoured the Hindutvavadi parties in their judgement, it does not seem like the last we will see of Hinduism being used to promote the current right-wing, near-militant, political agenda. | https://medium.com/thecontextmag/religion-as-a-political-tool-a-case-study-of-babri-masjid-6e77da68957f | ['Kayva Gokhale'] | 2019-11-18 08:30:06.564000+00:00 | ['India', 'Conflict', 'Babri Masjid', 'Politics', 'Religion'] |
New Updates! (charts, tickers &more) | Ola guys! It was a productive weekend! Today we are releasing 3 new features!
Tickers
Once you add any action into your strategy, containing a coin — a Ticker Panel will appear! The realtime price + 24h change will be shown for that coin and if you add more coins into one strategy they will be there too! Check this out. | https://medium.com/superorder/new-updates-charts-tickers-more-4f59cd9ee36 | [] | 2018-04-09 19:33:03.581000+00:00 | ['Trading', 'Bitcoin', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Product Updates'] |
Implementing CQRS With CBES | Hello everyone, Emrah Kurman and I want to share our story of how we implement CQRS with CBES(Couchbase Elasticsearch Connector). Also, we will talk about what CBES is, why we use it, how we implement it and customize it. If you’re ready, let’s start.
Before explain what CBES is and how we use it let’s talk about our problem. As we all know, the best solutions are always found when solving difficult problems. We also found the solution of CBES while dealing with such a difficult problem.
As Trendyol OMS Team, we manage our customers’ and sellers’ orders, packages, and claims. A while ago we have decided to re-platform one of our microservices to reduce response time.
As we all know, it is necessary to change an architectural structure rather than a tool or technology to scale. At this point, we have decided to separate our read and write API with CQRS. For those who don’t know, CQRS is an architectural design pattern that isolates read and writes operations from each other, giving us the opportunity to scale on the write and read side, and data source independence.
We have decided to use NoSQL DB on the Read side and our choice here was Couchbase. However, in complex queries or deep searches within a document, the index nodes were overloaded, and unfortunately, we could not get the results we wanted. At this point, we have decided to use the search and query power of Elasticsearch. We sent the queries to Elasticsearch and pulled the Couchbase data using the document IDs returned from the query. But there was a big problem here. How would the synchronization between Cocuhbase and Elasticsearch be? We could provide synchronization by connecting a connector from Couchabse to Kafka and a connector from Kafka to Elasticsearch (source and sink connector). However, since the transfer of data went through two different stages, latency would occur, and we would have to intervene.
This is where CBES comes into play. CBES was already a technology used by many teams in Trendyol, but as the OMS team, we were going to use it for the first time in our tech stack.
After implementing CBES our architecture turned into a structure as seen in the image below.
As seen in the figure, our listener consumes domain events from The Write API and populates our Couchbase. Then CBES comes into play and indexes Elasticsearch the data written to Couchbase. After that when Read Api processes a request, it first searches Elasticsearch, then pulls the data from Couchbase in the form of key values with the ids it finds in Elasticsearch.
What Is CBES & How Does It Work?
Let’s take a deep dive into the CBES, CBES stands for Couchbase Elasticsearch Connector. According to its official documentation, The Couchbase Elasticsearch Connector(CBES) replicates your documents from Couchbase Server to Elasticsearch in near real-time. The connector uses the high-performance Database Change Protocol (DCP) to receive notifications when documents change in Couchbase.
Let’s take a deep dive into the DCP protocol that Cbes uses in the background. As most of us know, databases are not just repositories that store data. Especially in a distributed cluster, there is a continuous data stream for data synchronization between nodes so a cluster can be viewed as an ongoing stream of changes. When Couchbase requests a change to a document, it doesn’t go and modify it directly on disk, instead, it only appends to a log and keeps moving so writing operations happen quickly. DCP’s approach is somewhat similar to the write-ahead logging you see in other software. Couchbase already has many available connectors. You can easily use them in your production environment. With this connector, you can sync an Elasticsearch cluster and index your data in Couchbase to this Elasticsearch cluster. The connector is fed by DCP that keeps Elasticsearch up to date.
How Did We Use & Customize CBES?
While Cocuhbase was the database to keep our documents, we wanted to benefit from the search capabilities of Elasticsearch, we learned of the existence of CBES, and the first hurdle was overcome. The second hurdle was whether it was really necessary to keep the same data in two different places. If we indexed all the fields in our document in Elasticsearch, we would have to keep the same data in two places, and our number of operations would have doubled anyway. If there were 100 fields on the document, we were performing all our queries using 15 of them. Indexing all fields meant detecting and applying the mutation of 100 fields to check just 15 fields. For this reason, we have decided to index only the fields that we will use in the query by Elasticsearch. The CBES provided this, but some of the fields we would use were inside an object, while others were on the top of the node. We previously used Elasticsearch as our main data source. However, the size of the document and the presence of nested objects caused our query performance to be bad because Elasticsearch evaluates the aggregate and nested documents separately when searching for nested documents. Based on our previous experience, we have noticed that when we normalize data, we get performance gains, and data size is reduced. The CBES could not denormalize the nested object field. That’s why we have customized CBES according to our own needs. In addition, we shortened the indexing time of CBES as we made the data smaller.
Let’s assume we want to filter this document by id, category, kind, and wandMaker’s id.
The CBES served us filterFieldesDocumentTransformer to index specified fields on a document. But as we mentioned above, we also need fields like wandMaker’s id. So we added a new field called denormalized fields to example.toml file.
It can be used in Elastichsearch Connector Configuration as seen
To take and map denormalized fields we changed CBES source code a little bit, thanks to our teammate Coşkun Bıdıcı
Three different chains extend TransformerChain class.
EmptyTransformer: which is used for indexing whole documents.
FilterTransformer: used for indexing filter fields.
DenormalizedTransformer: used for indexing inner fields.
We added transformerChain as a new field to DefaultDocumentTransfer and initialized it in the constructor, then called the transformerChain to do its mapping before indexing the document. After customization, we dockerize the CBES project and push the image.
To deploy a CBES project to Kubernetes, you need YAML files containing service, stateful set, config, and secret types. We have created two different YAML files for these.
elasticsearch-connector.yml contains service and stateful set types. Customized CBES image used it as statefulSet’s image. On the other hand, elasticsearch-connector-configuration.yml file contains secrets and configs.
Since we use GitLab as our repository, we created a gitlab-ci.yml file and at a deployment stage, applied kubectl apply -record.
Our First Migration Adventure
We weren’t sure the migration would be started from the beginning when we deployed the CBES. Right after the deployment, CBES started to migrate all data from the beginning, and it was marvellous to watch how fast migration was. Not so later, we realized that the CPU and Memory limit was not enough for migration, for this reason, we increased the limits until migration speed slowed. The CBES migrated more than 300 million documents in a day.
After our first CBES trial, we noticed the difference between the response times of our service before and after CBES. There was a critical decrease. So, we decided to use CBES for our other services. Unfortunately, CBES consumes a lot of resources. To overcome this issue, we distributed CBES services to three different clusters instead of deploying them to one cluster. If you are going to set up CBES for different buckets as we do, we recommend that you make sure you have enough resources.
In conclusion, CBES | https://medium.com/trendyol-tech/implementing-cqrs-with-cbes-8113733853a9 | ['Melek Bilgin Tamtürk'] | 2021-08-27 07:01:40.208000+00:00 | ['Connector', 'Elasticsearch', 'Couchbase'] |
Foundations in Analytics: The Importance of Scale | I’m sure many of the readers here are familiar with the basics of scaling data. I’ll be covering some simple intros, but this article is primarily to provide you with an example to use when introducing the uninitiated. I’m writing this as a bit of a primer for a semi-trivial project I proposed to some apprentices in the past and would like to share here in the near future. A much more detailed explanation of feature scaling can be found here.
Table of Contents
Much of machine learning involves minimizing for some value. KNN and K-means are among some of the earliest models you will be introduced to and are highly dependent on the scale of the values you pass to them. There are many others that have similar dependencies (PCA, Linear Discrimination Analysis, Hierarchical Clustering, and SVM, the list goes on). Without proper scaling, certain features can overpower the influence others can exert on your results.
I will be providing code in R. There is another article that covers the common scaling functions used in Python and goes into more depth regarding use cases and outliers. We will only cover the two most basic ones. There is some contention regarding how each should be defined, so for the duration of this article we will define them as follows:
Normalization: A variable will be scaled from 0 to 1 given a minimum and maximum.
Standardization: A variable will be scaled such that it now has a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1.
Wide aspect ratio for feature image. Additional animated charts at the end of the article.
Example Problem
The primary example we are going to consider can be found here. This is a very simple introduction to elbowing using a within-cluster sum-of-squares for determining an appropriate K value. The site does a great job of introducing this concept, but you’ll see that scale was overlooked. Disclaimer: Perhaps this was intentional. If not, I really hope the site doesn’t correct this. This is one of my favorite examples for apprentices and mentees getting into the field.
I encourage you to check out the example above if you have not already. We are going to follow the code very closely (but abbreviated) to recreate the solution and then discuss the importance of considering scale for a problem like this.
As mentioned in the article, you can download the data here. Unzip the file so we can read it in.
Open up your R environment, I recommend RStudio. In case you don’t have the libraries we’ll be using, the following code will install and load the libraries as necessary.
# declare packages for use
requiredPackages = c("ggplot2", "dplyr", "tidyr", "gganimate") # try to load package, if it fails then install and load
tmp = sapply(requiredPackages, function(pkg){
if(!require(pkg, character.only = T)){
install.packages(pkg)
library(pkg, character.only = T)
}
})
We will be using the function file.choose() to select our file (from the unzipped folder above). This will cause a window to pop-up and allow you to select the file for import.
testDf = read.csv(file.choose()) # check structure of the dataframe str(testDf) # remove ID column
testDf = testDf[-1] ### wss function plotWss = function(df, maxK = 20){
wss = (nrow(df)-1) * sum(apply(df, 2, var))
for (i in 2:maxK){
wss[i] = sum(kmeans(df, centers = i, nstart = 20)$withinss)
}
plot(1:maxK, wss, type = "b", xlab = "Number of Clusters", ylab = "Within Cluster Sum of Squares")
} plotWss(testDf)
Now get the models and plot the charts for k = 3 and k = 5. At first glance, k3 looks relatively decent, but you will notice some odd points classified as cluster 1 in the 40–60 range of the y-axis (TestB). Looking at k5 makes the problem even more evident. It appears that the value of TestA is much more important than the value of TestB. | https://towardsdatascience.com/foundations-in-analytics-the-importance-of-scale-84ae731ab3db | ['Nathan Pratt'] | 2020-12-21 22:55:34.873000+00:00 | ['R', 'Data Analysis', 'Data Science', 'Editors Pick'] |
This Computer Scientist Built an App That Randomized His Life | It was already getting dark by the time the car pulled up outside Max Hawkins’ apartment. His phone buzzed as a notification told him the details of its make, model, and registration number. The car had been ordered from his own Uber account, which wouldn’t have been particularly noteworthy if he’d been the one who requested it. Or if he had any idea where it was supposed to be taking him. But he didn’t.
He got in anyway.
The perfect life
A few weeks earlier, Max had been living the perfect life. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University, he’d landed his perfect job as a software engineer at Google. He was based in the perfect city, San Francisco, famous for its perfect weather and perfect looking people.
Every morning, Max woke up full of energy at precisely 7 a.m., dropped in at his favorite coffee shop to pick up his favorite coffee, and cycled to work via a carefully optimized route that took him precisely 15 minutes and 37 seconds. Everything in Max’s life was exactly as he wanted. Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t in control.
He didn’t figure out why this was until he read a research paper about a location-based machine-learning algorithm. According to the paper, if you fed the algorithm the coordinates of all the places you’d been for the past week, it would predict with surprising accuracy where you were going to be on the following day.
If a computer knew what he was going to do before he did, why was he even necessary?
As Max considered what would happen if he were to input his own details, he realized how easy it would be to anticipate where he would be on any given day. A fancy algorithm probably wasn’t even necessary. Anybody who observed his routine for a week would be able to predict his future movements down to the meter.
The idea that his pursuit of the perfect lifestyle made him predictable bothered him, but what bothered him even more was the question of what his role in the decision-making process was. Was he really living? Or was he just stuck in a meticulously ordered rut? After all, if a computer knew what he was going to do before he did, why was he even necessary?
Build a machine to beat a machine
Instead of spiraling deeper into an existential crisis, Max did what most computer scientists would do when faced with a difficult problem; he built a solution. He decided the best way to break out of the loop he was stuck in was to make his life so unpredictable that even he wouldn’t know what was coming next.
Which brings us back to the Uber.
The first step in Max’s plan was an app that randomized his social life. If he told it he wanted to go out to eat, for example, it would pick a Google listing at random, order an Uber on his behalf, and send it to his apartment.
Crucially, it would do all of this without giving him any idea where he was going until he got there, so there was no way for his preferences to interfere. When a friend asked him to choose somewhere to go that evening, Max took the opportunity to test it out. He fired up the app, the Uber arrived at his apartment, and they let it whisk them off into the night.
Instead of spiraling deeper into an existential crisis, Max did what most computer scientists would do when faced with a difficult problem; he built a solution.
After a few minutes, Max and his friend found themselves driving through a part of San Francisco that they’d never been in before, and as they looked at the unfamiliar surroundings, doubts began to set in. What kind of person lets a machine send them to some random spot in a big city? What’s so terrible about sticking to what you know? What if the place they were going to didn’t have locally sourced, organic, grass-fed beef?
But before they had a chance to answer any of these questions, the driver announced they’d arrived. In his 2017 TEDx Talk, Max describes what happened next:
When the driver told us we’d reached our destination we thought it must have been a joke. We showed up in front of this austere brick building with a wrought iron fence in front of it and a sign that said the words: San Francisco General Hospital Psychiatric Emergency Center. In what may be a sign from the universe, the computer sent me to the local mental hospital.
Adventures in randomized living
Despite this minor setback, Max was hooked on his new adventures in randomization. He expanded his app to randomize things like where he got his hair cut and where he bought his groceries and what music he listened to on Spotify.
When he transitioned to freelance work, he let an algorithm choose random cities around the world for him to live in. He socialized by attending random Facebook events. He signed up for a website that eliminated random foods from his diet. He even got a random image from the internet tattooed on his chest. For over two years, Max left every aspect of his daily life to the capricious whims of machines.
And it was during this time, while attempting a downward dog in a randomly selected acrobatic-yoga class in Mumbai, the city that had been randomly chosen as his home for the next few months, that Max had an epiphany: His preferences had been a prison, and abandoning them had set him free.
The nagging feeling that he wasn’t in control of his life was born of how narrow it had become. His life was made up of a small selection of things he’d decided were for him and excluded everything else. By opening himself to new experiences, he’d discovered places and met people he would never have found by staying in his comfort zone. And by doing so, he enjoyed countless experiences that he’d previously been missing out on not because he couldn’t appreciate what they had to offer but because it would never have occurred to him to try.
Invisible options
As search and social media algorithms control more and more of what we’re exposed to, we find ourselves in a similar situation. Amazon knows what books we like, YouTube and other hubs know what videos we enjoy, Facebook knows who our friends are and how we vote and pretty much everything else. And all of these services are laser-focused on showing us more of those things to keep us engaged.
What does this emphasis on the things we already like leave in our blind spot? What are we missing because we don’t know it’s there? And as these systems become more ubiquitous, how long before we stop noticing that anything is missing? As Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, says, the end goal of these systems is to work so well that we don’t even need to think: “I actually think most people don’t want Google to answer their questions. They want Google to tell them what they should be doing next.”
What does it mean for us if this vision of the future comes true? If a machine can predict our desires so accurately that we can simply push a button and an Uber will take us somewhere we’ll love, do we still have free will? And more importantly, what happens when the machine suggests something that it shouldn’t?
What kind of person lets a machine send them to some random spot in a big city?
Kill a deer
The dangers of ceding too much control to our robot overlords are vividly illustrated by another of Max’s creations: a printer that suggests random activities.
He wrote a program that scanned thousands of books, blog posts, and Wikipedia articles for verb phrases such as “she went to the park and…” to set it up. With a little time and some grammar processing, it could then produce an almost limitless pool of ideas.
Most of them weren’t very useful. The list was full of suggestions that were too vague or abstract, such as “go to the park and think you are a tree” or “meet a certain goal.” But one day, Max fired up the printer, and it came up with this: “Kill a deer.”
Deer hunting hadn’t been part of Max’s perfectly optimized life so far, so his first instinct was to throw the piece of paper away and move on with his life. But then he asked himself the same question he’d been asking since the whole experiment began: “Why is that not something that I could do?”
When he thought about it, he realized there wasn’t a particularly good reason. He ate meat without any moral discomfort, even though he knew that doing so required the death of countless animals. He might even have eaten deer at some point. He didn’t have any particular problem with guns. Wasn’t his feeling that he couldn’t kill a deer just another self-limiting preference?
So he tried. Despite his misgivings, Max went on a hunting trip with a friend. The plan was to get to the point where he had the deer in his sights, then he’d decide whether to pull the trigger or not. (Luckily for the deer, Max and his friend didn’t spot any on their hunt.)
A randomly generated suggestion from a source he knew to be completely arbitrary led him to entertain the idea of doing something he felt uncomfortable with.
If you know your pop psychology, this probably doesn’t shock you. The ease with which our morality can be influenced is well documented in experiments like Stanley Milgram’s electric shock experiment or Philip Zimbardo’s prison experiment. Once we get used to following orders, it’s alarming how far we’ll allow ourselves to be pushed. Only now, those orders are controlled by algorithms so complex that no human is quite sure what they’ll suggest next.
Question your preferences
Most of us never think to question our preferences, and as a result, our actions are almost entirely guided by them. Just over 90% of iPhone users plan to stick with their iPhones when they upgrade. The same goes for 86% of Samsung phone users. Over 99% of U.S. voters in battleground states voted the same way in 2020 as they did in 2016.
Why is this? Did these people genuinely decide that their previous choice remains the best option for them? Do any of us? Research shows that often, we simply latch onto the first option we’re exposed to. Our subconscious then fills in the gaps retroactively, convincing us that we chose them deliberately. Liberal or conservative, iPhone or Android, that thing we like to do in bed — we tell ourselves that we’ve chosen these preferences even though we don’t truly understand where they came from. And in the process, we miss out on everything that falls outside those boundaries. Here’s how Max puts it in his TEDx Talk:
My preference had blinded me from the complexity and the richness of the world. And following the [computer’s suggestions] gave me the courage to live outside of my comfort zone. To discover parts of the human experience that I ignored because they were too different or “not for me.”
Following our preferences makes sense. They keep us comfortable and safe and even happy. But following them to the exclusion of everything else keeps us stagnant. Surprise, novelty, adventure — these are the things that give life meaning, and we can only find them outside the ordinary.
As computers and our habits work to keep us in our bubbles, there’s the danger that our lives become smaller. From music to politics to hobbies to culture, we spend most of our time seeing a fraction of the whole picture. This isn’t to say that it’s bad to have preferences, of course, but that it’s worth reminding ourselves to challenge them from time to time. It’s the algorithm’s job to keep life comfortable. But it’s up to us to keep things interesting. | https://debugger.medium.com/this-computer-scientist-built-an-app-that-randomized-his-life-16c17cd44c2f | ['Steve Qj'] | 2020-12-16 20:39:57.977000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Social Media', 'Future', 'Psychology', 'Computer Science'] |
Asura World X Phantasma Partnership Announcement | Asura World X Phantasma Partnership Announcement
Asura World is proud to announce a partnership with Phantasma, a partnership that will empower both companies to grow in users and adoption of our platforms.
Through this partnership Phantasma will feature Asura World within their Phantasma app under the eSports/Gaming category and support the ASA token directly through their wallet and app.
As both projects develop further into the partnership, other possibilities of collaborations will also be explored all for the greater purpose of growth.
What is Phantasma?
Phantasma introduces a decentralized content distribution system running on the blockchain, with strong emphasis on privacy and security. The goal of Phantasma Chain is to provide a new and adaptable framework to fill the needs for data management from dApps.
The focus will be on NFT technology and to improve the user-friendliness within the crypto-space. We will support all the best dApps from all different blockchains in one app: The Phantasma App.
What is Asura Coin?
Asura World aims to be the ultimate eSport platform online and a completely self-regulated one.
The Asura platform aims to create a gamers’ utopia. It will hand power back to the gaming community, and allow players from all around the world to bet, compete, learn, and discuss — all while earning tokens along the way!
As a member of the Asura community, YOU get to have your say in how the platform runs.
Voting will occur regularly on the growth of the platform and Asura’s unique betting creator.
The betting system is comprised of Asura’s own odds, and will be facilitated through completely transparent smart contracts to ensure fairness.
In addition to tournament hosting and betting, Asura will also provide in-depth professional guides or coaching to develop players at both a competitive level and for self-development. These paid services will provide deserving coaches a source of income for providing value to their fellow community members.
A forum will also be provided to discuss anything to do with your favorite games, with a built-in reputation system [community points] that provides yet another way to earn tokens for your contributions.
Games initially supported on the Asura platform will include CS:GO, Dota 2, King of Glory, League of Legends, PUBG, Fortnite, and Clash Royale.
For more information about Phantasma Chain:
Website: https://Phantasma.io/
Telegram Channel: https://t.me/phantasma_io
For more information about Asura World:
Website: https://Asuracoin.io/
Telegram Channel: https://t.me/asuracoin | https://medium.com/@asuraworld/asura-world-x-phantasma-partnership-announcement-4ebfa00b7878 | ['Asura World'] | 2018-12-31 11:15:02.772000+00:00 | ['Esports', 'Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Gaming', 'Crypto'] |
Article: Alzheimer’s disease | Alzheimer’s disease
Introduction
The Alzheimer’s disease is one that is usually referenced with old age. It usually comes with an increase in age as patients of this disease are usually 65 and above in age and the symptoms get worse over time. For example, it was found in a study that annually there were two new diagnoses per 1,000 people ages 65 to 74, 11 new diagnoses per 1,000 people ages 75 to 84, and 37 new diagnoses per 1,000 people age 85 and older. It is a progressive disorder that leads to brain cells being damaged and then dying away. The early signs of this disease may be forgetting events or conversations that occur recently. Over time the disease harms an individual’s social skills and even their everyday life as the slow depletion of brain cells causes dementia as well.
Symptoms
Although there are several signs connected to the Alzheimer’s disease and the symptoms may vary from person to person, the key symptom is memory loss. The patient will have difficulty is recalling recent events or finding the right words to form sentences and as the disease progresses, the early symptom not only worsen but new symptoms are visible as well. The Alzheimer’s disease also causes hardships in concentrating and thinking. This in turn affects the individual’s ability to make reasonable judgment and decisions in their daily life like cooking or driving or going shopping etc.
As the mechanical and abstract judgments worsen, this has a great impact on the person’s mental health as well. This patient will experience depression, apathy, social withdrawal, mood swings, changes in sleeping habits, aggressiveness, and social anxiety etc. This will usually lead to distrust in others even loved ones and hence harm the patient’s family relations.
Preserved skills
Although there is such negative impact on the patient’s brain functions, there are many crucial skills that are still preserved over the span of years even if the disease gets worse. These preserved skills may include listening or reading books, storytelling, singing, drawing, dancing or doing crafts. The part of the brain that controls these skills are affected later on in the disease, hence these are preserved over a long time.
Causes of Alzheimer’s
Scientists to this day are researching and unraveling new facts about this complex disease and the onset of chances in one’s brain chemistry to lead to this disorder. I seems that the onset of changes in the brain usually start around a decade before the symptoms even start to appear. Due to abnormal deposits of a toxic leftover fragment of protein called Beta-amyloid causes the neurons of the brain to be damaged irreversibly and hence these neurons stop being connected to other neurons. There are many other chemical changes in the brain cells to cause such damage. The damage initially appears to take place in the hippocampus and the Entorhinal cortex, parts of the brain essential in forming memories. Over time as these parts of the brain are damaged, the affected parts of the brain start to shrink, hence by the final stage of Alzheimer’s the brain tissue will have been shrunk significantly.
Treatment for Alzheimer’s
Although the exact causes are not fully understood, but the main problem is failure of brain protein to function properly and hence the disruption of brain neurons to take place. The disease being so complex, there is no one drug to solve the issue completely or prevent it from happening. Hence the current medical approach is to produce medicine that helps people maintain mental function and slow down the damage taking place on neurons or target specific issues regarding genetic, molecular, and cellular functions to control the underlying triggers to this disease.
Takeaway
Alzheimer’s is a very complex and dangerous disease to live with. Although the condition only worsens over time, there is a possible treatment to slow down the process.
If a person feels like a loved one has this disease or notices these symptoms, the first step they should take is to consult a doctor who will help make a diagnosis and hence give you a more accurate opinion on how the treatment should take place.
Maryam Narejo. | https://medium.com/@maryam.narejo/article-alzheimers-disease-39634bb15a7c | ['Maryam Narejo'] | 2020-06-16 09:16:06.824000+00:00 | ['Alzheimers Disease', 'Medical', 'Old Age'] |
Go with your Flow | Go with your Flow
Sep 15
Written By Jen Fieldman
You started your business because what you were doing before wasn’t serving you.
Maybe you were like me, and you were burnt out, unhappy, and unhealthy.
Maybe you found a path you didn’t know about or trust before.
Maybe the ‘rona eliminated your job and you’re taking the opportunity to do what you love.
What got you here doesn’t matter.
What matters is your purpose now. To do what you love and use those skills to help others, whether that’s through wellness or business.
And it’s time to f’*ucking stop letting the technical stuff like marketing be a roadblock.
Marketing is one of my gifts, and using my powers for good (finally) is what fuels me and brings me joy. When I help a client release a marketing block, or give them a suggestion for how to make their messaging more clear and effective, it’s an epic win.
My speciality is finding strategies and solutions that work for YOU. Not someone else, and certainly not me. It’s about you.
Whether it’s marketing, mindset, or general business — you don’t need another expert shouting at you. You need ideas and solutions on how to implement the strategies.
It’s time to make your business work for you. So you can focus on doing what you love.
You didn’t start your business because you wanted to run a business.
Let me help you move it forward, in a way that feels aligned to you.
Want to learn more? Send me a message, and I’ll reach out with the details!
Jen Fieldman | https://medium.com/@jen-5660/go-with-your-flow-31a618d59f3b | ['Jen Fieldman'] | 2020-12-27 19:35:37.115000+00:00 | ['Marketing Strategies', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Mindset'] |
H | I have just discovered the Hive ecosystem and i am learning about it. I may post something of my experiences as a beginner soon.
You can find me and my silent partner in there (the tags are @mightyrocklee and @heruvim1978, if you want to follow)
Take care
G. | https://medium.com/@mihalachecatalin/h-60e13eadbf1c | ['Mihalache Catalin', 'Aspiring Polymath'] | 2020-12-05 11:24:37.155000+00:00 | ['STEM', 'Hive', 'Leofinance'] |
The Trail from Head to Heart | The Trail from Head to Heart
by Jeremy Bishop on Pexels
For those of us who don’t know
the difference anymore
between joy and interest:
joy puts out the mind
and interest ignites it
Attention on any warmth in the heart
is deferred to a flaming head
Please place a cool rag on mine
because I want the warmth in my middle:
even waves emanating from a pot belly,
the soft heat of a stove
without the spastic singe of grease splatter,
a radiator relaxing the coils,
not the sparks striking between turning cogs
that wind you up
I want the subtle glow of a softly beating chest,
rather than the erratic banging of fireworks
exploding above
I’ll forsake the fascination
for a fever breaking upon the forehead
The trail from head to heart
is marked with ash in mourning
the enticing intensity of thought,
the loss of all that distracts you
from feeling | https://medium.com/share-the-love/the-trail-from-head-to-heart-7375bb6e3917 | ['Sydney J. Shipp'] | 2020-12-04 04:13:01.188000+00:00 | ['Feelings', 'Poetry', 'Free Verse', 'Poem', 'Self-awareness'] |
A Hidden Gem in the Free Agent Reliever Market | In an era where flame-throwing arms are highly valued, it’s easy to forget or overlook some of the other arms who don’t blow past hitters with high velocity. Sure, the high-velo pitchers are fun to watch and create excitement around the sport, but what about some of the other pitch-to-contact type of pitchers who get their job done just as well?
I want to look at a pitcher whose average fastball velocity is even below 90 MPH. After a strong 2020 campaign, I’m here to tell you why teams should explore the idea of signing Tyler Clippard.
Clippard will be entering his age 36 season in 2021. While velocity is not his strong suit, he has mastered the ability to pitch-to-contact. Sure, I know there are plenty of pitchers like this, but he’s not the standard high GB% low(ish) K% pitcher like Blake Treinen, for example. Clippard ranked 10th in baseball in fly ball percentage at 50.8%. Giving up just 2 HR on the season, he ranked 9th in HR/FB at 3.2%.
Clippard relies on his off-speed stuff, throwing his changeup 34.6% of the time. His next pitch in usage percentage is hit split-finger (20.4%), also off-speed. His off-speed arsenal produced a .279 xwOBA, higher than his xwOBA of .257 on the season.
His fastball, thrown at an average velocity of 89.5 MPH was his most effective pitch. How? Let’s look at his FB placement courtesy of Baseball Savant.
Tyler Clippard 2020 4SFB Heat Map (Baseball Savant)
Placement becomes that much more important when velocity is low, and Clippard does just that. We’re witnessing the revolution of the high fastball, and Clippard is a fine example of this. He was able to generate a 45.5% whiff percentage on his sub 90 MPH fastball with a 27.6% put away percentage while throwing this pitch just 18.3% of the time. It was his most effective pitch as far as xwOBA goes at .128.
Clippard ranked T-9 in reliever fWAR this season at 0.8 and 15th in FIP at 2.28. Among the top-15 in FIP, Clippard was the only one with a K/9 less than 10.
Let’s take a look back at placement. Clippard walked just 4 batters this season in his 26 innings pitched. This was a great deal of his success on the mound this season. It was his lowest career BB% by 2.1 percentage points. Let’s take a look at how that rate stacked up against the other top 50 relievers by FIP.
Clippard is among the league’s best when it comes to limiting free passes.
Over the past two seasons with the Twins and Indians, Clippard has ranked in the top 8% in wOBA. He ranked in the top 8% for xwOBA in ’19 and in the top 12% in ’20. His BB rate has been consistently dropping since 2017, where it was as high as 11.7%. His decrease in BB rate is certainly paying off, and his low xwOBA is a great reflection of that.
Red dot represents Clippard.
His BB rate in 2017 was as high as 11.7%, but he has brought that down to 4.1% in 2020. While his K% has been steady around 26%-30%, his K-BB% has trended upward due to his declining BB rate. Clippard did rank 43rd among relievers in K-BB% in 2020, but had the 2nd lowest K% on the list only behind Archie Bradley. Here’s how Clippard has trended in these categories over the last four seasons.
With age comes a decrease in velocity, but this has not and should not affect Clippard nearly as much since velo is obviously not what he relies on. His high fly ball rate may scare some teams away with hitter-friendly parks, but all the more reason why the Twins should try and keep him.
Jon Becker creates a very useful free agent tracker and rankings system where you get a good look at the free agents, who’s interested in them
(if not already signed), with an AAV projection. It’s looking like Tyler Clippard will bring in around $1 million AAV on a short-term deal, likely one year in length due to his age.
Clippard is going to succeed more in a pitcher friendly park, obviously. There is greater risk for fly ball pitchers in hitter friendly parks such as Yankee Stadium, where a routine fly ball in a majority of parks could sneak into the stands. If Clippard pitched all his games in Yankee Stadium this season, he would have given up 4 more home runs than he did.
I’d say there’s a good chance he could end up in the NL East this season, with PIT, MIA and ATL all having relatively pitcher friendly parks. Perhaps he could go to the NL West where SF, ARI, and SD have pitcher friendly parks. Park factors are incredibly important for many different pitchers, but especially fly ball reliant ones.
Assuming Clippard gets paid around $1 million, he’s a great talent whose projected AAV gives a false depiction of what he can bring to the table. It would be smart for the Twins to retain as much of that bullpen as possible considering their great success in 2020. Bringing back Clippard could be a step in the right direction for Minnesota after losing Trevor May to the Mets. | https://medium.com/@mlbsplits/a-hidden-gem-in-the-free-agent-reliever-market-93e5db2e4291 | ['Mlb Splits'] | 2020-12-22 23:11:13.176000+00:00 | ['Baseball Analytics', 'R', 'Baseball'] |
Wordpress En Çok Kullandığım Eklentiler | in In Bitcoin We Trust | https://medium.com/@enessari0/wordpress-en-%C3%A7ok-kulland%C4%B1%C4%9F%C4%B1m-eklentiler-93a1010756ac | ['Enes Sari'] | 2020-12-18 18:28:24.423000+00:00 | ['Wordpress Plugins', 'WordPress', 'Wordpress Eklenti'] |
Fix Slow ActiveAdmin Index Pages With Large Datasets by Hiding Filters | Fix Slow ActiveAdmin Index Pages With Large Datasets by Hiding Filters
As our app grows, sometimes we have to refactor our admin interfaces too
Photo by Lukas Blazek on Unsplash
I was recently using Active Admin and came up with a particular case where the index page for a particular resource was loading really slowly. After trying to search up and down, trying to figure out what was the issue, I finally found that the issue was with a filter.
To explain it a little bit more clearly, let us suppose that we have a particular case where you have a project in which a client has many transactions and we have hundreds of thousands of transactions.
Now, due to the fact that we have a client with so many transactions, getting all these records each time you visit the index page of the client takes a lot of time. On the index page, you may have many filters, where a filter can be used to filter clients based on the transactions.
Due to the fact that we have so many records, we can simply hide this filter, so that we are no longer trying to filter clients based on the transactions. To do that, we can simply write:
Now we no longer have to wait so long for the page of clients to load.
You still can filter transactions for different clients by having a client filter inside the transactions’ index page.
You have considerably fewer clients and the transactions of results are also paginated, so this should still give you a way of filtering the results without having to compromise with the loss of this filter.
I hope that helps. | https://medium.com/better-programming/fix-slow-activeadmin-index-pages-with-large-datasets-by-hiding-filters-b88a93334a5f | ['Fatos Morina'] | 2019-11-17 22:57:04.330000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Rails', 'Education', 'Programming', 'Ruby on Rails'] |
Naive Bayes Classifier in Machine Learning | Naive Bayes Classifier in Machine Learning
Mathematical explanation and python implementation using sklearn
Photo by fotografierende from Pexels
Naive Bayes Classifier
Naive Bayes Classifiers are probabilistic models that are used for the classification task. It is based on the Bayes theorem with an assumption of independence among predictors. In the real-world, the independence assumption may or may not be true, but still, Naive Bayes performs well.
Topics covered in this story
Image by Author
Why is it named Naive Bayes?
Naive → It is called naive because it assumes that all features in the dataset are mutually independent.
Bayes, → It is based on Bayes Theorem.
Bayes Theorem
First, let's learn about probability.
Probability
A probability is a number that reflects the chance or likelihood that a particular event will occur.
Event → In probability, an event is an outcome of a random experiment.
P(A)=n(A)/n(S)
P(A) → Probability of an event A
n(A) →Number of favorable outcomes
n(S) →Total number of possible outcomes
Example
P(A) → Probability of drawing a king
P(B) →Probability of drawing a red card.
P(A) =4/52
P(B)=26/52
Image by Author
Types of probability
Joint probability Conditional probability
1. Joint Probability
A joint probability is the probability of two events occurring simultaneously.
P(A∩B) →Probability of drawing a king, which is red.
P(A∩B)=P(A)*P(B)=(4/52)*(26/52)=(1/13)*(1/2)=1/26
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2. Conditional Probability
Conditional probability is the probability of one event occurring in the presence of a second event.
Probability of drawing a king given red → P(A|B)
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Probability of drawing a red card given king P(B|A)
P(B|A) =P(A∩B)/P(A)
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Derivation of Bayes Theorem
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Naive Bayes Classifier Example
Bayes theorem is an extension of conditional probability. By using Bayes theorem, we have to use one conditional probability to calculate another one.
To calculate P(A|B), we have to calculate P(B|A) first.
Example:
If you want to predict if a person has diabetes, given the conditions? P(A|B)
Diabetes → Class → A
Conditions → Independent attributes → B
To calculate this using Naive Bayes,
First, calculate P(B|A) → which means from the dataset find out how many of the diabetic patient(A) has these conditions(B). This is called likelihood ratio P(B|A) Then multiply with P(A) →Prior probability →Probability of anybody in the population having diabetes. Then divide by P(B) → Evidence. This is the current event that occurred. Given this event has occurred, we are calculating the probability of another event that will also occur.
This concept is known as the Naive Bayes algorithm.
P(B|A) → Likelihood Ratio
P(A) → Prior Probability
P(A|B) → Posterior Probability
P(B) → Evidence | https://medium.com/towards-artificial-intelligence/naive-bayes-classifier-in-machine-learning-b0201684607c | ['Indhumathy Chelliah'] | 2020-12-17 04:46:28.015000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Data Science', 'Python3', 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Machine Learning'] |
All Your Data Belong to Facebook | All Your Data Belong to Facebook
That creepy feeling is real and here’s how it works
Photo by Agence Olloweb on Unsplash
“My phone is spying on me.” We’ve all heard it, or even said it, and now I’m going to pull back the curtain and show you how it works. I’ve dabbled in code since Earthlink dial up but most of what I am writing here comes from “reading the manual”.
I have been pretty blaisé about my data being collected preferring to give away my innocous usage of the internet in exchange for free content. That’s the deal right? Sort of, websites use cookies to hold your shopping cart contents and tailor the site specifically for your tastes — “shoppers like you also bought blacklight posters and pickled herring” — but we have gone way beyond the bespoke.
My curiosity was aroused after doing a little Christmas shopping. I thought maybe replacing some chipped dishes might be a practical addition to the new set I just purchased. I did a Google search on Pier 1 Tosca Dinner Plates and before the last key press I had a row of ads with the exact plate available from replacements.com. I browsed a few, decided against it, and went to bed.
Two days later my partner asks if I was looking at dinner plates because she got an email offering plates for her exact set — Yes, she got the email, not me.
We figured it had something to do with cookies and Facebook friend connections but what can you do? A shrug emoji appeared and we moved on. But it bothered me. I knew enough about the technology to get part way and the remaining connections seemed a bit shady.
How Did They Do This?
I suspected Facebook since that was the most obvious link. If I could find a connection between replacements.com and facebook.com the rest would be data connections within the Facebook ecosystem.
I had not concerned myself with online tracking in sometime and I was quickly tossed down a rabbit hole where data harvesting and privacy were in constant conflict. I will summarize my findings with as little technical jargon as possible.
The web was originally designed for browsing documents but soon needed a way to maintain state between requests, e.g. “is the user logged in”. Session cookies hold that information in memory until the browser is closed. In 1995 eCommerce sites wanted to save shopping carts between browser sessions without requiring a login. First-party persistent cookies solved this by having the browser save a small amount of text on your device that could be read back later. The data were secured by allowing only the domain setting the cookie to read it.
At this point, advertisers could tell where an ad was placed and some basic information such as region but nothing that could truly identify the user. Enter third-party persistent cookies, also known as tracking cookies. Illustrated below is a simple example of browsing Website A, having your last viewed items list transferred to a third-party cookie which is then read later by the ad service to show your browsed items in the ad showing on Website B.
Of course as you continue to browse the ad service builds a more detailed profile to advertise those blacklight posters and herring snacks you’ve been wanting.
So far this is a fairly even trade, you give up some information to get advertising that is relevent and even removing some ads that might be offensive (e.g. a vegan getting ads for Omaha Steaks). But in the privacy versus marketing tug of war the money wins. Google and Facebook already know a lot about you by virtue of having you logged in. They are both large advertisers so the third-party cookie information can be merged with your full profile.
Let’s get back to those plates! Browsers now come with developer tools built in so viewing cookie contents is very simple. Here is my viewing history stored in the replacements.com cookie.
previouslyViewed [{“pattern”:243274,”composite”:false,”url”:”/china-pier-1-toscana-terra-cotta/c/243274",”exp”:1609730547192},{“item”:42933681,”pattern”:243271,”url”:”/china-pier-1-toscana-burgundy/c/243271",”exp”:1609730437634},{“item”:42933871,”pattern”:243273,”url”:”/china-pier-1-toscana-ivory-dinner-plate/p/42933871",”exp”:1609730417126},{“item”:42933771,”pattern”:243272,”url”:”/china-pier-1-toscana-gold-salad-plate/p/42933771",”exp”:1609730406480},{“item”:42933791,”pattern”:243272,”url”:”/china-pier-1-toscana-gold-9-soup-pasta-bowl/p/42933791",”exp”:1609730209479}]
You can see the data pretty clearly and with a transfer to the third-party it can be used to push the sale. But wait, it was my partner that got the push in an email! Taking a look at the email it was easy to see it arrived from [email protected]. SafeOpt provides a service that touts “Brand Collaboration — Join thousands of brands working together to improve customer experiences and grow revenue.” The inner workings of SafeOpt are only available by requesting a demo but it can be assumed that once the third-party cookies of these thousands of brands are merged into a “data lake” connecting my profile to my partner’s profile is not difficult. The real giveaway was the subject line: “Let’s pickup where we left off”.
So is Facebook off the hook on this one? Not at all. Facebook has even expanded tracking to brick and mortar stores with Off-Facebook Activity. This service allows any business to upload “hashed” customer data and have Facebook make a match. The hashing is one-way encryption that allows making a match without seeing the real data. The email address “[email protected]” becomes “b31ae737d3b012a9a2d1ddf5d94b695b” (using MD5) with no way to reverse it. Facebook finds a profile with the same hash and saves the match. This lets the store know if their ad was played to you before you bought something AKA a “conversion”. Flipping the sequence around, you could buy a shirt at Macy’s and start seeing ads for ties on Facebook. This also applies to apps like the Ring doorbell system.
Lastly, not to trigger paranoia, is browser fingerprinting. Just requesting a single web page includes quite a bit of data. Here’s mine :-)
USER AGENT: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/14.0.1 Safari/605.1.15
HTTP_ACCEPT HEADERS: text/html, */*; q=0.01 gzip, deflate, br en-us
BROWSER PLUGIN DETAILS: Plugin 0: WebKit built-in PDF; ; ; (Portable Document Format; application/pdf; pdf) (PostScript; application/postscript; ps) (Portable Document Format; text/pdf; pdf).
TIME ZONE OFFSET: 480
TIME ZONE: America/Los_Angeles
SCREEN SIZE AND COLOR DEPTH: 1680x1050x24
SYSTEM FONTS: Andale Mono, Arial, Arial Black, Arial Hebrew, Arial Narrow, Arial Rounded MT Bold, Arial Unicode MS, Comic Sans MS, Courier, Courier New, Geneva, Georgia, Helvetica, Helvetica Neue, Impact, LUCIDA GRANDE, Microsoft Sans Serif, Monaco, Palatino, Tahoma, Times, Times New Roman, Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Wingdings, Wingdings 2, Wingdings 3 (via javascript)
ARE COOKIES ENABLED?: Yes
LIMITED SUPERCOOKIE TEST: DOM localStorage: Yes, DOM sessionStorage: Yes, IE userData: No, openDatabase: false, indexed db: true
HASH OF CANVAS FINGERPRINT: 573151a043aa0608d8ba9e2e56bd1997
HASH OF WEBGL FINGERPRINT: f9005465a29cc9af5ce80896ba68904d
WEBGL VENDOR & RENDERER: Apple Inc.~Apple GPU
DNT HEADER ENABLED?: False
LANGUAGE:en
PLATFORM: MacIntel
TOUCH SUPPORT: Max touchpoints: 0; TouchEvent supported: false; onTouchStart supported: false
AD BLOCKER USED: False
AUDIOCONTEXT FINGERPRINT: 35.10893232002854
CPU CLASS: N/A
HARDWARE CONCURRENCY: N/A
DEVICE MEMORY (GB): N/A
Remember that hash thing? That block of data can be turned into an identifier (“529d7853126789827f73251403800ad8”) that will be unique to several thousand people, quite a small number in the total population and when combined with other elements can be even narrower.
Stopping the Tracking
“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”
― Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack
Obtaining complete privacy on the internet is a fool’s errand but we do need a modicum of privacy.
Disabling third-party cookies in the browser is quickly becoming a default setting but as you can imagine, other methods and workarounds soon crop up. Still a trip to the Electronic Frontier Foundation is recommended; check into Privacy Badger and Cover Your Tracks.
Off-Facebook Activity seems particularly intrusive after the Cambridge Analytics scandal and Facebook has provided tools for managing it. The settings are buried fairly deep so here is the direct link to Off-Facebook Activity settings. Note that turning it off only makes your data anonymous and does not delete it.
Ultimately privacy is not just a personal preference, as you can see my loose setting led to my partner receiving spam so tighten up your security, if not for yourself, for your friends and family. | https://medium.com/swlh/all-your-data-are-belong-to-facebook-41cf8f6f3455 | ['Paul Coogan'] | 2020-12-17 11:07:18.998000+00:00 | ['Web Browser', 'Privacy', 'Facebook Ads', 'Cookies', 'Advertising'] |
How to connect smart devices to the Amazon IoT Core service and watch it send MQTT messages? | AWS IoT
How to connect smart devices to the Amazon IoT Core service and watch it send MQTT messages? Workfall Jun 25·15 min read
The internet of things, also known as IoT, in recent years, successfully disrupted our daily lives. If you are using smartphones, smart watches, smart fire alarms, smart door locks, smart bicycles, medical sensors, fitness trackers, smart security systems, smart refrigerators or smart cars, you are using IoT devices! IoT devices are making our lives better in so many ways, and it will likely continue to do so.
With the escalating uses of IoT devices, we need solutions to connect them, and collect, store, and analyze different devices’ data. AWS IoT is the only cloud platform which provides data management and rich analytics in easy to use services designed for IoT data. In this blog, we will discuss AWS IoT Core, it’s features, benefits, how it works, etc. In part 2 of this blog, we will do step by step hands-on to connect smart devices to the Amazon IoT Core service and watch it send MQTT messages.
Fortune Business Insights, indicating that the IoT global market, which was valued at $190 billion in 2018, would reach $1.11 trillion ($1111.3 billion) by 2026.
In this blog we will cover:
What is IoT?
What is AWS IoT?
How does AWS IoT work?
Use cases of AWS IoT
Various AWS IoT services
What is AWS IoT Core
Benefits of AWS IoT Core
Features of AWS IoT Core
Why should you use AWS IoT Core?
AWS IoT Core capabilities
How does AWS IoT Core work?
Companies Using AWS IoT Core
Conclusion
What is IoT ?
Internet of Things (IoT) refers to any device or physical object that connects and exchanges data with other devices and systems over the internet. These devices or objects are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies. As you control different appliances in your homes (i.e. fans, thermostats, and refrigerators), or go on a jog and track your exercise activity using a smart watch, then you know that IoT touches our daily lives. Other day-to-day use cases for IoT include using vacuuming robots to help with cleaning houses, or using devices to monitor and secure homes, businesses, or packages.
Some examples of how we use Internet of Things in our everyday lives include:
Smart voice assistants (Alexa or Siri)
Smart security systems, smart locks, and smart doorbells
Smart home appliances like stoves, refrigerators, washers and dryers, coffee machines, slow cookers
Fitness trackers, smart watches, sleep trackers, and smart scales
Smart home hubs (home heating and cooling, smart control lighting, )
What is AWS IoT?
AWS IoT provides the cloud services that connect your IoT devices to other devices and AWS cloud services. AWS IoT provides device software that can help you integrate your IoT devices into AWS IoT-based solutions. If your devices can connect to AWS IoT, AWS IoT can connect them to the cloud services that AWS provides.
AWS IoT lets you select the most appropriate and up-to-date technologies for your solution. To help you manage and support your IoT devices in the field, AWS IoT Core supports these protocols:
MQTT (Message Queuing and Telemetry Transport)
MQTT over WSS (Websockets Secure)
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol — Secure)
LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network)
How does AWS IoT work ?
AWS IoT provides cloud services and device support that you can use to implement IoT solutions. AWS provides many cloud services to support IoT-based applications. So to help you understand where to start, this section provides a diagram and definition of essential concepts to introduce you to the IoT universe.
Apps
Apps give end users access to IoT devices and the features provided by the cloud services to which those devices are connected.
Cloud services
Cloud services are distributed, large-scale data storage and processing services that are connected to the internet. Examples include:
IoT connection and management services.
AWS IoT is an example of an IoT connection and management service.
AWS IoT is an example of an IoT connection and management service. Compute services, such as Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud and AWS Lambda.
Database services, such as Amazon DynamoDB
Communications
Devices communicate with cloud services by using various technologies and protocols. Examples include:
Wi-Fi/Broadband internet
Broadband cellular data
Narrow-band cellular data
Long-range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN)
Proprietary RF communications
Devices
A device is a type of hardware that manages interfaces and communications. Devices are usually located in close proximity to the real-world interfaces they monitor and control. Devices can include computing and storage resources, such as microcontrollers, CPU, memory. Examples include:
Raspberry Pi
Arduino
Voice-interface assistants
LoRaWAN and devices
Amazon Sidewalk devices
Custom IoT devices
Interfaces
An interface is a component that connects a device to the physical world.
User interfaces
Components that allow devices and users to communicate with each other.
Components that allow devices and users to communicate with each other. Input interfaces
Enable a user to communicate with a device
Examples: keypad, button
Enable a user to communicate with a device Examples: keypad, button Output interfaces
Enable a device to communicate with a user
Examples: Alpha-numeric display, graphical display, indicator light, alarm bell
Enable a device to communicate with a user Examples: Alpha-numeric display, graphical display, indicator light, alarm bell Sensors
Input components that measure or sense something in the outside world in a way that a device understands. Examples include: Temperature sensor (converts temperature to an analog voltage),Humidity sensor (converts relative humidity to an analog voltage), Analog to digital convertor (converts an analog voltage to a numeric value), Ultrasonic distance measuring unit (converts a distance to a numeric value), Optical sensor (converts a light level to a numeric value), Camera (converts image data to digital data)
Input components that measure or sense something in the outside world in a way that a device understands. Examples include: Temperature sensor (converts temperature to an analog voltage),Humidity sensor (converts relative humidity to an analog voltage), Analog to digital convertor (converts an analog voltage to a numeric value), Ultrasonic distance measuring unit (converts a distance to a numeric value), Optical sensor (converts a light level to a numeric value), Camera (converts image data to digital data) Actuators
Output components that the device can use to control something in the outside world. Examples include: Stepper motors (convert electric signals to movement), Relays (control high electric voltages and currents)
Use cases of AWS IoT
Industrial
AWS IoT customers are building industrial IoT applications for predictive quality and maintenance and to remotely monitor operations.
Connected home
AWS IoT customers are building connected home applications for home automation, home security and monitoring, and home networking.
Commercial
AWS IoT customers are building commercial applications for traffic monitoring, public safety, and health monitoring.
Various AWS IoT Devices
AWS IoT Core has many features that tackle different challenges IoT customers often have. Now we go into the different components of AWS IoT Core and walk through an example of how a fictional startup will use the different components of AWS IoT Core to their benefit.
Some of the most widely used IoT device types include smartphones, smartwatches, smart refrigerators, smart door locks, medical sensors, etc. Here’s a list of a few of the most popular IoT devices:
Google Home Voice Controller: IoT device that allows users to enjoy, manage, and control features such as media, alarms, lights, thermostats, volume, and more through voice commands.
IoT device that allows users to enjoy, manage, and control features such as media, alarms, lights, thermostats, volume, and more through voice commands. Amazon Echo: IoT device that is capable of processing voice commands to play songs, take phone calls, set timers and alarms, answer questions, check the weather forecast, manage to-do lists, manage smart home devices, and much more.
IoT device that is capable of processing voice commands to play songs, take phone calls, set timers and alarms, answer questions, check the weather forecast, manage to-do lists, manage smart home devices, and much more. Fitbit: High-performance, IoT wearable that provides smart features such as heart rate tracking, workout tracking, sleep pattern monitoring, food intake, and more.
High-performance, IoT wearable that provides smart features such as heart rate tracking, workout tracking, sleep pattern monitoring, food intake, and more. Bigbelly Smart Waste and Recycling System: Platform for smart waste management in a smart city framework. It provides historical and real-time data collection capabilities via a cloud-based service to assist with smart trash collection and reduction in overflow.
Platform for smart waste management in a smart city framework. It provides historical and real-time data collection capabilities via a cloud-based service to assist with smart trash collection and reduction in overflow. Medication Dispensing Service: Made by the tech giant Philips, the Medication Dispensing Service automatically notifies patients when it’s time to take medication or refill medication, or a dose has been missed.
Made by the tech giant Philips, the Medication Dispensing Service automatically notifies patients when it’s time to take medication or refill medication, or a dose has been missed. Libelium Waspmote Sensor Nodes: Sensor device network that enables easy integration of industrial devices with the cloud for data communication.
Sensor device network that enables easy integration of industrial devices with the cloud for data communication. Ring Doorbell: Smart home automation system that enables users to monitor their homes through the use of motion-based cameras and smart doorbells.
Smart home automation system that enables users to monitor their homes through the use of motion-based cameras and smart doorbells. Logitech Harmony Universal Remote: Powerful smart device that enables users to control house media, lighting configurations, and other smart devices from a remote location.
Powerful smart device that enables users to control house media, lighting configurations, and other smart devices from a remote location. ESP32: Low-cost, low-power system on a chip (SoC) with WiFi and dual-mode Bluetooth capabilities that are engineered and widely used to work for mobile devices, wearable electronics, and the prototyping and development of IoT applications.
Low-cost, low-power system on a chip (SoC) with WiFi and dual-mode Bluetooth capabilities that are engineered and widely used to work for mobile devices, wearable electronics, and the prototyping and development of IoT applications. Raspberry Pi 3: Small, affordable yet powerful computer that can be used in IoT projects due to the simplicity of connecting multiple sensors simultaneously.
Small, affordable yet powerful computer that can be used in IoT projects due to the simplicity of connecting multiple sensors simultaneously. Odroid: It stands for Open and Droid, it is a development platform with hardware and software used to create IoT applications.
What is AWS IoT Core
AWS IoT Core lets you connect IoT devices to the AWS cloud without the need to provision or manage servers. AWS IoT Core can support billions of devices and trillions of messages, and can process and route those messages to AWS endpoints and to other devices reliably and securely. With AWS IoT Core, your applications can keep track of and communicate with all your devices, all the time, even when they aren’t connected.
AWS IoT Core also makes it easy to use AWS and Amazon services like AWS Lambda, Amazon Kinesis, Amazon S3, Amazon SageMaker, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon CloudWatch, AWS CloudTrail, Amazon QuickSight, and Alexa Voice Service to build IoT applications that gather, process, analyze and act on data generated by connected devices, without having to manage any infrastructure.
Benefits of AWS IOT Core
Secure device connections and data
AWS IoT Core provides automated configuration and authentication upon a device’s first connection to AWS IoT Core, as well as end-to-end encryption throughout all points of connection, so that data is never exchanged between devices and AWS IoT Core without proven identity. In addition, you can secure access to your devices and applications by applying policies with granular permissions.
Choose your preferred connection protocol
AWS IoT Core lets you select the communication protocol most appropriate for your use case to connect and manage IoT devices. AWS IoT Core supports MQTT (Message Queuing and Telemetry Transport), HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol — Secure), MQTT over WSS (WebSockets Secure), and LoRaWAN (low-power long-range wide-area network).
For devices and clients that use MQTT, MQTT over WSS, and HTTP protocols, AWS IoT Core Message Broker provides a high-throughput publish/subscribe message broker to transmit messages to and from all of your IoT devices and applications. For LoRaWAN devices, AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN provides a managed capability that eliminates the need for you to develop or operate a LoRaWAN Network Server (LNS).
Process and act upon device data
With AWS IoT Core, you can filter, transform, and act upon device data on the fly, based on business rules you define. You can update your rules to implement new device and application features at any time. AWS IoT Core makes it easy to use AWS services like AWS Lambda, Amazon Kinesis, Amazon S3, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon CloudWatch, and Amazon Elasticsearch Service for even more powerful IoT applications.
Connect and manage devices without managing servers
AWS IoT Core allows you to connect any number of devices to the cloud and to other devices without requiring you to provision or manage servers. AWS IoT Core allows you to scale your device fleets easily and reliably.
Features of AWS IoT Core
AWS IoT Device SDK : The AWS IoT Device SDKs include open-source libraries, developer guides with samples, and porting guides so that you can build innovative IoT products or solutions on your choice of hardware platforms.
The AWS IoT Device SDKs include open-source libraries, developer guides with samples, and porting guides so that you can build innovative IoT products or solutions on your choice of hardware platforms. Device Advisor : It provides pre-built tests that helps developers to validate their IoT devices for reliable and secure connectivity with AWS IoT Core. By using Device Advisor, developers can test if their IoT devices can reliably interoperate with AWS IoT Core and follow security best practices. Developers can identify and resolve the most common device software issues during development before they deploy their devices in production.
It provides pre-built tests that helps developers to validate their IoT devices for reliable and secure connectivity with AWS IoT Core. By using Device Advisor, developers can test if their IoT devices can reliably interoperate with AWS IoT Core and follow security best practices. Developers can identify and resolve the most common device software issues during development before they deploy their devices in production. Message Broker : Securely transmits messages to and from all of your IoT devices and applications with low latency. The flexible nature of the Message Broker’s topic structure allows you to send messages to, or receive messages from, as many devices as you would like. It supports messaging patterns ranging from one-to-one command and control messaging, to one-to-one million (or more!) broadcast notification systems and everything in between.
Device Gateway : The Device Gateway manages all active device connections and implements semantics for multiple protocols to ensure that devices are able to securely and efficiently communicate with AWS IoT Core.
The Device Gateway manages all active device connections and implements semantics for multiple protocols to ensure that devices are able to securely and efficiently communicate with AWS IoT Core. Registry : The Registry establishes an identity for devices and tracks metadata such as the devices’ attributes and capabilities. The Registry assigns a unique identity to each device that is consistently formatted regardless of the type of device or how it connects. It also supports metadata that describes the capabilities of a device
The Registry establishes an identity for devices and tracks metadata such as the devices’ attributes and capabilities. The Registry assigns a unique identity to each device that is consistently formatted regardless of the type of device or how it connects. It also supports metadata that describes the capabilities of a device Device Shadow : The Device Shadow makes it easier to build applications that interact with your devices by providing always available REST APIs. In addition, applications can set the desired future state of a device without accounting for the device’s current state. AWS IoT Core will compare the difference between the desired and last reported state, and command the device to make up the difference.
The Device Shadow makes it easier to build applications that interact with your devices by providing always available REST APIs. In addition, applications can set the desired future state of a device without accounting for the device’s current state. AWS IoT Core will compare the difference between the desired and last reported state, and command the device to make up the difference. Authentication and Authorization : You can create, deploy and manage certificates and policies for the devices from the console or using the API. Those device certificates can be provisioned, activated and associated with the relevant IoT policies that are configured using AWS IoT Core. This allows you to instantly revoke access for an individual device if you choose to do so.
You can create, deploy and manage certificates and policies for the devices from the console or using the API. Those device certificates can be provisioned, activated and associated with the relevant IoT policies that are configured using AWS IoT Core. This allows you to instantly revoke access for an individual device if you choose to do so. Rules Engine : The Rules Engine makes it possible to build IoT applications that gather, process, analyze and act on data generated by connected devices at global scale without having to manage any infrastructure. The Rules Engine evaluates inbound messages published into AWS IoT Core and transforms and delivers them to another device or a cloud service, based on business rules you define. A rule can apply to data from one or many devices, and it can take one or many actions in parallel.
The Rules Engine makes it possible to build IoT applications that gather, process, analyze and act on data generated by connected devices at global scale without having to manage any infrastructure. The Rules Engine evaluates inbound messages published into AWS IoT Core and transforms and delivers them to another device or a cloud service, based on business rules you define. A rule can apply to data from one or many devices, and it can take one or many actions in parallel. AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN : AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN enables customers to connect wireless devices that use low-power, long-range wide area network (LoRaWAN) technology. Using AWS IoT Core, customers can now setup a private LoRaWAN network by connecting their own LoRaWAN devices and gateways to the AWS Cloud — without developing or operating a LoRaWAN Network Server (LNS). This eliminates the undifferentiated development work and operational burden of managing an LNS and associated infrastructure, accelerating the network set-up time.
AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN enables customers to connect wireless devices that use low-power, long-range wide area network (LoRaWAN) technology. Using AWS IoT Core, customers can now setup a private LoRaWAN network by connecting their own LoRaWAN devices and gateways to the AWS Cloud — without developing or operating a LoRaWAN Network Server (LNS). This eliminates the undifferentiated development work and operational burden of managing an LNS and associated infrastructure, accelerating the network set-up time. Alexa Voice Service (AVS) Integration : Alexa Built-in is a category of devices created with the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) that have a microphone and speaker. You can talk to these products directly with the wake word “Alexa,” and receive voice responses and content instantly.
Alexa Built-in is a category of devices created with the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) that have a microphone and speaker. You can talk to these products directly with the wake word “Alexa,” and receive voice responses and content instantly. Amazon Sidewalk Integration : Amazon Sidewalk is a shared network that helps connected devices work better through improved connectivity options. Operated by Amazon at no charge to customers, Sidewalk can help simplify new device setup, extend the low-bandwidth working range of devices, and help devices stay online even if they are outside the range of their home Wi-Fi.
Why should you use AWS IoT Core ?
Quick device connectivity: Connecting your hardware device or your mobile application to AWS IoT Core quickly is simple and easy using AWS IoT Device SDK.
Connecting your hardware device or your mobile application to AWS IoT Core quickly is simple and easy using AWS IoT Device SDK. Secure data ingestion: Ingest millions of data records/messages collected from multiple devices securely and easily using AWS IoT Core.
Ingest millions of data records/messages collected from multiple devices securely and easily using AWS IoT Core. Easy device management: With AWS IoT Device Management, organizing, monitoring, and remotely managing the IoT devices is easy and simple.
With AWS IoT Device Management, organizing, monitoring, and remotely managing the IoT devices is easy and simple. Supports Multiple protocols: AWS Device Gateway supports the MQTT, WebSockets, and HTTP 1.1 protocols.
AWS Device Gateway supports the MQTT, WebSockets, and HTTP 1.1 protocols. Simple codebase management: Application code base can be easily managed with your current team of .NET developers. No need for additional expertise to handle the code base.
AWS IoT Core capabilities
Publish and subscribe to messages with message broker
The Message Broker is a high throughput publish/subscribe (pub/sub) message broker that securely transmits messages to and from all of your IoT devices and applications with low latency. AWS IoT Core supports devices and clients that use the MQTT and the MQTT over WSS protocols to pub/sub to messages, and devices and clients that use the HTTPS protocol to publish messages.
Mirror device state
With Device Shadow, AWS IoT Core stores the latest state of a connected device so that it can be read or set at any time, making the device appear to your applications as if it were online all the time. This means that your application can read a device’s state even when it is disconnected, and also enables you to set a device state and have it implemented when the device reconnects.
Build Alexa Built-in devices cost-effectively at scale
The Alexa Voice Service (AVS) Integration for AWS IoT Core introduces a new virtual Alexa Built-in device in the cloud. To use the AVS Integration, customers use a new set of AWS IoT-reserved MQTT topics to transfer MQTT-based audio messages between devices connected to AWS IoT Core and the new virtual Alexa Built-in device. This allows customers to send and receive audio messages over the reserved MQTT topics, interface with the device microphone and speaker, and manage the device-side state all while using the same secure AWS IoT Core connection.
Connect and manage LoRaWAN devices
AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN enables customers to set up a private LoRaWAN network by connecting their own LoRaWAN devices and gateways to the AWS cloud — without developing or operating a LoRaWAN Network Server (LNS).
How does AWS IoT Core work?
Connected devices, such as sensors, actuators, embedded devices, smart appliances, and wearable devices, connect to AWS IoT Core over HTTPS, WebSockets, or secure MQTT or LoRaWAN. Included in AWS IoT Core is a Device Gateway that allows secure, low-latency, low-overhead, bi-directional communication between connected devices and your cloud and mobile applications.
AWS IoT Core also contains a Rules Engine which enables continuous processing of data sent by connected devices. You can configure rules to filter and transform the data. You also configure rules to route the data to other AWS services such as DynamoDB, Kinesis, Lambda, SNS, SQS, CloudWatch, Elasticsearch Service with built-in Kibana integration, as well as to non-AWS services, via Lambda for further processing, storage, or analytics.
There is also a Registry where you can register and keep track of devices connected to AWS IoT Core, or devices that may connect in the future. The Device Shadow in AWS IoT Core enables cloud and mobile applications to query data sent from devices and send commands to devices, using a simple REST API, while letting AWS IoT Core handle the underlying communication with the devices. The Device Shadow accelerates application development by providing a uniform interface to devices, even when they use one of the several IoT communication and security protocols with which the applications may not be compatible. The Device Shadow also accelerates application development by providing an always available interface to devices even when the connected devices are constrained by intermittent connectivity, limited bandwidth, limited computing ability or limited power.
Communication with AWS IoT Core is secure. The service requires all of its clients (connected devices, server applications, mobile applications, or human users) to use strong authentication (AWS IAM credentials, or 3rd party authentication via AWS Cognito). All communication is encrypted. AWS IoT Core also offers fine-grained authorization to isolate and secure communication among authenticated clients.
Companies Using AWS IoT Core
Conclusion
In this blog, we have discussed IoT, AWS IoT, AWS IoT Core and it’s benefits, use cases, features, how it works and different companies who use AWS IoT. We also have discussed that IoT enables computing physically to be created quickly and brings advanced analytics capabilities to the real world. In part 2 of this blog, we will demonstrate how to connect devices to the Amazon IoT Core service and watch it send MQTT messages? We will also discuss about AWS IOT Analytics in our upcoming blogs. Stay tuned to keep getting all updates about our upcoming new blogs on AWS and relevant technologies.
For any further queries, feel free to post your comments, we are happy to help!
Meanwhile …
Keep Exploring -> Keep Learning -> Keep Mastering
This blog is part of our effort towards building a knowledgeable and kick-ass tech community. At Workfall, we strive to provide the best tech and pay opportunities to AWS-certified talents. If you’re looking to work with global clients, build kick-ass products while making big bucks doing so, give it a shot at workfall.com/partner today. | https://medium.com/workfall/how-to-connect-smart-devices-to-the-amazon-iot-core-service-and-watch-it-send-mqtt-messages-cde55f59077f | [] | 2021-06-25 05:36:02.287000+00:00 | ['Aws Iot', 'AWS', 'Smart Cities', 'Workfall', 'IoT'] |
Our Planet’s Blood | A story of ecological connectivity, wildlife flows, and how to create a safe passage for human and non human climate migrants
(Credit: Eiko Jones)
My skull is pounding as I launch headfirst against the cement wall. This obstacle, so near to my final resting place, is a tear in the orbit of my bloodline. I am caught in a gyre of churning water, a flailing body of skin and bone depleted by months of relentless exertion. My brothers and sisters beside me contort into the same frenzy, tails thrashing, bewildered at this impasse.
We are the urge of life to close a primordial cycle of birth and death. Inside my molecules lies the snaking shape of every river turn. We will flow up the trunks of trees to blossom into rich leaves, stroking the ocean and becoming krill that will feed our kin. We are a single mind that makes ocean, river and forest into one.
As you read these words, millions of bright-red salmon voyage from ocean depths towards the mouths of gushing rivers after years of feeding and fattening out at sea. They will ascend their ancestral streams to spawn and to die, navigating great distances through instinctual processes that still befuddle scientists.
The entire food web of the Pacific Northwest depends on the regularity of these annual salmon runs. The salmon feed the forest. They are a counter-current of upward swelling oceanic compounds; up to 80 percent of the phosphorous and nitrogen found inside salmon-adjacent plants and trees originated in the deep sea. As they swim upstream, the fish are snatched up by bears and birds who leave the carcasses to decompose on hungry soils. With fish in their fibers, the trees provide shade and rooted earth to ensure that streams remain cool and clear for salmon to keep running. Theirs is a delicate evolutionary reciprocity. | https://medium.com/@alexafirmenich/what-the-salmon-have-to-say-d56adea34027 | ['Alexa Firmenich'] | 2021-03-25 23:58:07.679000+00:00 | ['Salmon', 'Migration', 'Ecological Justice', 'Social Justice', 'Connectivity'] |
Arrays, Linked Lists, and Big O Notation | If you are familiar with programming languages like Ruby or JavaScript, then you probably have experience working with Arrays. Arrays are very versatile data structures. In Ruby, there are a variety of built in methods that can be performed on an array. For example, push, pop, shift and unshift are all methods that involve adding or removing from an array. Even though arrays seem like the best option for storing a collection of similar data types, there are still some drawbacks that could be solved by using a data structure called a Linked List.
When preparing for technical interviews as a developer, it is important to be familiar with different data structures like arrays and linked lists and the pros and cons of working with each. Something to take into consideration is the memory allocated for each and also the time complexity of each. One way of looking at speed is through the Big O Notation.
Big O Notation
What is the Big O Notation? Big O is the way we describe the performance efficiency or complexity of algorithms.
Big-O Complexity Chart
The graph above represents the Big O complexity chart. In order to understand the differences and similarities between Arrays and Linked List, we must first understand Big O and some of the different time complexity possibilities. Below are three different possibilities for the speed of an algorithm.
O(1): Executes in the same time regardless of the size of the input O(n): Executes linearly and proportionally to the size of the input O(n²): Performance is directly proportional to the square of the size of the input (ex: nested iterations, loops)
Now that we are familiar with the Big O, we can now dive into the similarities of Linked Lists in terms of time complexity and memory allocation.
Arrays
What is an Array? An array is a collection of elements that are ideally of the same data type. When an array is created, the size of the array is specified at the time of declaration meaning it is a fixed size. Arrays are also stored as one large contiguous block of memory starting at an index of zero. This means that the elements get stored in consecutive slots of memory. For example, when accessing an array at an index of 2, we are retrieving the third element.
Since the size of an array is specified at the time of declaration, part of the array contains the data, and the other portion of the array is empty so that it can store new elements if we wanted to add to it. If an array becomes too large, a new array must be created that copies over the original data and then doubles in size to create more empty space for future data to be stored. With an array, there is often memory allocated to the actual data stored and memory allocated to empty slots that may be filled in the future.
Array Example
The image above represents an array. When using an array it common to access an element at a certain point, remove an elements or add an element. However, these different actions have costs in terms of time. For an array, accessing elements at a specified index has a constant time of Big O(1).
Inserting or removing from an array can come in three different forms: inserting/removing from the being, inserting/removing from the end, or inserting/removing from the middle. In order to add an element to the beginning of an array, we must shift every other element after it to a higher index. For example, If we wanted to add 2 to the beginning of the above so that it would now be at the zeroth index, 10 would now be at the first, 9 would be at the second and so on. Time taken will be proportional to the size of the list or Big O(n), n being the size of the list.
Adding to the end of the array is a lot simpler in terms of speed. It involves adding the element to the next highest index of the array. This means that it is constant time and Big O(1) if the array is not already full. However, if the array is full it would involve having to create a new array and then copy the contents of the original into the new array which would be O(n). The third case of insertion would be adding to a position between the beginning and end of the array which would be Big O(n). The same time complexity is also true for removing from an array.
Linked Lists
What is a linked list? A linked list consists of nodes where each node contains data and and a reference to the next node in the list. Unlike an array, data is not stored in one contiguous block of memory and does not have a fixed size. Instead, it consists of multiple blocks of memory at different addresses. This means that the size is variable because elements are allocated memory at runtime. We can create and free nodes when we want or need without having to worry about memory. In order to access any node or element of the list, we need the address of the head node and need to then traverse the entire list in order to get to the desired element. Unlike an array, there is no reserved or unused memory. However, extra memory is used to store addresses for the next node. The last node’s address pointer will be undefined or 0 since it is the last node of the chain and will not have anything that comes after it.
Linked List Example
When accessing elements of a linked list, speed is proportional to size of the list with Big O(n). Since we must traverse the entire list in order to get to the desired element, it is more costly compared to accessing elements of an array.
When inserting a node into the beginning of the list, it only involves creating a new node with an address that points to the old head. The time it takes to perform this is not dependent on the size of the list. This means that it will be constant time or a Big O(1). Inserting an element to the end of the list involves traversing the whole list and then creating a new node and adjusting the previous node’s address for the next node. Time taken will be proportional to the size of the list and Big O(n). When we are inserting node into a position between the beginning and end of the linked list, we will have to traverse the list up until the specific point and then adjust the pointers with Big O(n). The same time complexity is also true for removing nodes from a linked list.
Comparing Arrays and Linked Lists
Big O Comparison of Arrays and Linked Lists
The graph shown above represents the different time complexities of performing different actions on arrays and linked lists. It is not necessarily better to use one data structure over the other. However, you must take into consideration what actions you will be performing on them. | https://medium.com/@mckenziefiege/arrays-linked-lists-and-big-o-notation-486727b6259b | [] | 2019-02-06 17:20:09.699000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Arrays', 'Linked Lists', 'Software Engineering', 'Big O Notation'] |
ASP.NET Core Blazor Tuturials For Beginners | In this article, I am going to discuss What is Blazor. Microsoft has recently released a new .NET web framework called Blazor. It is a free, open-source Web framework to build Web apps using C# that run in a Web browser. As part of this article, I am going to discuss the following pointers in detail.
WebAssembly is a low-level assembly-like language in a binary format that can run in the modern web browser. The ASP.NET Blazor runs the C# code in the browser with the help of WebAssembly. It runs in the same security sandbox as JavaScript frameworks like Angular, React, Vue, etc. Not just C#, in fact, we can run any type of code in the browser using WebAssembly.
WebAssembly is based on open web standards. That means for the Blazor application to work, there is no need to install any special plugin like back in the days of silver light and flash. The main advantage of WebAssembly is that it handles memory-rich jobs and multi-threading very well as compared to javascript.
ASP.NET Core Blazor Hosting Models
The Blazor offers 2 hosting models. Blazor WebAssembly and Blazor Server.
Blazor WebAssembly
This is also called the client-side hosting model and in this hosting model, the Blazor application going to be run directly in the browser. So, everything the application needs i.e the compilation of application code, its dependencies, and the .NET runtime are downloaded to the browser. In our upcoming articles, we will discuss Blazor WebAssembly in detail in our Blazor Hosting Models article.
Blazor Server
This is also called the server hosting model and in this hosting model, the application is executed on the server from within an ASP.NET Core application. Between the client and the server, a SignalR connection is established. When an event occurs on the client such as a button click, the information about the event is sent to the server over the SignalR connection.
The server handles the event and for the generated HTML a diff (difference) is calculated. The entire HTML is not sent back again to the client, it’s only the difference that is sent to the client over the established SignalR connection. The browser then updates the UI. It embraces the single page application architecture which rewrites the same page dynamically in response to the user action. Since only the diff is applied to update the UI, the application feels faster and more responsive to the user. In our upcoming articles, we will discuss more Blazor Server.
Environment Setup for Blazor App Development
In your local machine, to set up Blazor, you need two things i.e. .NET SDK 3.1 or later and IDE (Integrated Development Environment).
Install .Net SDK 3.1 or later:
First, you need to install .NET SDK 3.1 or any later version. In order to verify whether the .NET Core SDK is installed on your machine or not, type the dotnet –list-sdks command in the command prompt and press enter as shown in the below image.
As you can see in the above image, in my machine, there are five different versions of .NET Core SDKs are installed. If you further notice .NET Core SDK 3.1.300 is also installed which is the latest version at this moment. If you have not installed .NET Core SDK 3.1 or any higher version, then please install it from the following URL.
https://dotnet.microsoft.com/learn/aspnet/blazor-tutorial/install
Once you navigate to the above URL, just click on the Download .NET SDK option as shown in the below image. Here, first, you need to select the Operating System installed on your machine and then select whether it is 32 bit and 64 bit and then only click on the Download .NET SDK to download it. On my machine, I have installed 64-bit Windows OS, so I select Windows and Download .NET SDK (64-bit) option as shown in the below image.
Once you download the .NET SDK, then install it. If everything fine, once the installation completed, you will get the following.
Check everything installed correctly
Once you’ve installed it, open a new command prompt and type “dotnet” and press the enter key as shown in the below image. If the installation succeeded, then you should get the following output.
Got an error?
If you receive a ‘dotnet’ is not recognized as an internal or external command error, make sure you opened a new command prompt.
Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Blazor App Development:
You can use any of the following IDEs to develop the Blazor app.
Visual Studio 2019 Visual Studio Code .Net Core CLI
We will discuss using all the above options to develop the Blazor application. But from the beginning, we are going to use Visual Studio 2019 as the IDE for Blazor app development. If you have not installed Visual Studio 2019, then please download and installed Visual From the below URL.
https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/
Once you navigate to the above URL, and if you are a student and you just want to learn Blazor, then I recommended you to choose the Community edition of Visual Studio 2019 which is free as shown in the below image and the community version has all the features of the enterprise edition has.
While installing Visual Studio, please make sure ASP.NET and Web development workload is installed. To verify this, whether you have installed this workload or not, Open Visual Studio Installer and then click on the Modify button as shown in the below image.
Once you click on the Modify button, the following screen window will open. Here select the Workloads option and then make sure the ASP.NET and Web Development checkbox to be checked as shown in the below image.
That’s it. We are ready with our environment to develop ASP.NET Core Blazor Application. In the next article, I am going to show you how to create the Blazor application using Visual Studio 2019 step by step. Here, in this article, I explain the Environment Setup for Blazor Application Development.
Creating Blazor App in Visual Studio
Creating First Blazor App using Visual Studio 2019
Now, we are going to create our first Blazor app using Visual Studio 2019. Actually, we are going to create 2 Blazor projects. One Blazor project with server-side hosting and the other one is with client-side hosting. The first step is always first. Open Visual Studio 2019 and then click on the Create a new project option as shown in the below image.
Once you click on the Create a new project option, the Create a new project window will open. In the search textbox, search for Blazor, and here you will find two options to create Blazor projects.
Blazor Server App: This project template is used for creating a Blazor Server App that runs server-side inside an ASP.NET Core app and handles user interactions over a SignalR connection. This template can be used for web apps with rich dynamic user interactions.’ Blazor WebAssembly App: This project template is used for creating a Blazor app that runs on WebAssembly and is optionally hosted on the ASP.NET Core app. This template can be used for web apps with rich dynamic user interactions.
Here, select the Blazor Server App option and then click on the Next button as shown in the below image.
Once you click on the Next button, then the configure your new project window will open. Here, you need to specify the Project name (BlazorServerApp) and the location where you want to create the project. Also, provide the solution name (MyFirstBlazorApp) and finally click on the Next button as shown in the below image. A solution is a container for one or more projects in Visual Studio.
Once you click on the Next button, it will open the Additional Information window. Here, you need to select the Target .NET Framework version. The authentication types. Whether you want to configure HTTPS and enable Docker. Select .NET 5 and simply click on the Create button as shown in the below image.
Once you click on the Create button, it will take some time and create the Blazor Server App with the following file and folder structure. In our upcoming articles, we will discuss the file and folder structure in detail.
Now run the application and you will get the following web page.
Creating Blazer WebAssembly App in Visual Studio 2019:
Once we created the Blazor Server App, now we will create the Blazor WebAssembly App and we will not create a separate project for this, instead, we will add the Blazor WebAssembly App to this existing solution. To do so, right-click on the solution and then select Add => new project option from the context menu as shown in the below image.
Once you select the New Project option, then it will open the add new project window. Again, search for Blazor in the search textbox and then select Blazor WebAssembly app and click on the Next button as shown in the below image.
Once you click on the Next button, Configure your new Project window. Here, you need to give a meaningful name (BlazorWebAssemblyApp) to your project and click on the Next button as shown in the below image.
Once you click on the Next button, then it will open the Additional Information window. Here, you need to select the Target .NET Framework version. The authentication types. Whether you want to configure HTTPS and whether you want to configure in ASP.NET Core Hosted as shown in the below image.
Once you click on the Create button, then it will take some to create the Blazor WebAssembly project with the following file and folder structure in your existing solution.
Now set BlazorWebAssemblyApp as the startup project and run the application and you should get the following webpage.
Now our solution contains two projects (one Blazor Server App and one Blazor WebAssembly App). Now let us run both the projects simultaneously.
Running Multiple Project in Visual Studio:
If you want to run multiple projects simultaneously in a visual studio, then you need to follow the below steps:
Right-click on the solution and then select the properties window. From the properties window, select the startup project from the left menu. Then select the multiple startup projects radio button from the middle pane and set the project action as start from the drop-down list for those projects which you want to run and then click on the Apply and OK button as shown in the below image.
With the above changes in place, now run the application and you should the webpages as expected. But while running the projects, if you are getting the following errors
Then simply follow the below steps.
Select Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console. Once the Package Manager Console window is open, simply type dotnet restore and press enter button as shown in the below image.
Once the restore successful, then again run the projects. At this time, you may get the following error.
We will discuss why this error and how to resolve this error in detail in our upcoming articles. But, now let us solve this error in another way. Right-click on the BlazorServerApp project and select the properties option from the context menu. From the project properties window, select the Debug tab from the left pane, and from the launch drop-down list, select the Project option, and save the changes.
Now run the projects and you should see both the projects are up and running.
Note: The Blazor Server App template is used to create a Blazor application with a server-side hosting model whereas the Blazor WebAssembly template is used to create a Blazor application with a client-side hosting model. So, with Blazor we have two hosting models. One is Blazor WebAssembly (i.e. Client-side hosting model) and the other one is Blazor Server (i.e. Server-side hosting model). | https://medium.com/c-sharp-progarmming/asp-net-core-blazor-tuturials-for-beginners-29393d8a652c | ['Alpesh Patel'] | 2021-09-03 04:12:37.152000+00:00 | ['Blazor Webassembly', 'Aspnet', 'C Sharp Programming', 'Aspnetcore'] |
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Powered by WordPress.\n\n[12/17, 2:50 AM] laximikantsonale2018@gmai: https://www.icontentmasters.com/payment-page/\n\n[12/17, 2:51 AM] laximikantsonale2018@gmai: https://www.icontentmasters.com/payment-page/" | https://medium.com/@laximikantsonale2018/https-jvz4-com-c-1794767-362133-15fa9e6cdfdf | [] | 2020-12-16 21:32:15.258000+00:00 | ['Akshay Kumar', 'San Francisco', 'Varun Dhawan', 'Riyaz Hassanali', 'Kosovo'] |
Five of our Favorite YouTube Videos of 2021! | 2021 is coming to a close, and over the last twelve months we’ve released some really cool videos on our YouTube channel. We’ve drawn inspiration from your favorite movies, tv shows, and video games, as well as told some compelling stories and highlighted some of nature’s most beautiful marvels. We thought it’d be a good time to look back at some of our favorite videos from this year. Check them out below!
1,000,000 Dollar Gems
Ever wonder what 1 million dollars-worth of gem specimens looks like? In this unboxing video we take a look at some of JTV’s most valuable specimens. Tanzanite and black opal are the stars, but we won’t spoil the rest. You’ll have to see for yourself!
Geode Cutting Amethyst
We can all agree that geodes are one of the coolest geologic formations on earth, right? They’re like nature’s Easter eggs! We’ve cracked geodes on the channel before, but this one was so be we had to saw it in half! Come see the glittering reveal of what’s inside this massive amethyst cathedral.
Unboxing Moldavite
If there ever was an example of beauty being born out of destruction, it would have to be moldavite. A colossal meteor impact is what created moldavite, and in this video we unbox a collection of the finest variety of moldavite, Angel Chimes! Watch to see why they’re named so.
Snakestone
Many cultures around the world combine gems and beasts in their stories. One animal commonly associated with gemstones is the serpent, or snake. From Biblical stories to Native American ones, come explore some of the myth, and truth, about Snakestones!
Brand New Rare Specimens
We here at JTV love the holidays, and we think one of the best ways to celebrate is by treating yourself, so that’s exactly what we did! We recently acquired some new specimens to display, and we thought we’d share them with you to round out the year and holiday season. Come share in our excitement!
It’s been a great year for our YouTube channel, and we have another brand new year to look forward to! There are loads of fascinating and stunning gem and mineral videos coming your way, so don’t forget to subscribe to our channel so you don’t miss out on what 2022 has to offer.
– Rob | https://medium.com/jewelry-love/five-of-our-favorite-youtube-videos-of-2021-639671f9d7e0 | ['Scarlett Sinclaire'] | 2021-12-29 19:53:53.669000+00:00 | ['Gemstones', 'Featured', 'Jewelry Box'] |
Comprehensive Understanding of Transaction Isolation Levels | By Meng Borong and Wangde
Most developers are familiar with transaction isolation levels and know common terms related to this concept, such as dirty read, non-repeatable read, read committed, and repeatable read. However, developers, as technical personnel, must also have an in-depth understanding of transaction isolation levels. With only a basic knowledge of transaction isolation levels, database kernel developers may develop confusing isolation levels, and business developers may get unexpected results from databases.
To check whether you have an in-depth understanding of transaction isolation levels, ask yourself the following questions:
(1) What are transaction isolation levels? What problems can transaction isolation levels solve? Are transaction isolation levels clearly defined? Are the definitions accurate?
(2) How is the performance of the isolation levels of mainstream databases, such as Oracle and MySQL and how are they implemented? Are their definitions consistent with the “official” definitions?
If you can clearly answer these questions, then congratulations, you do have an in-depth understanding of transaction isolation levels. If not, fret not. After reading this article, you will have the answer to all of these questions.
Section 1: Transaction Isolation Levels
Transaction isolation levels represent the isolation of “I” in atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability (ACID) of relational databases and ensure the security of concurrent transactions that conflict. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) SQL 92 standard defines the following three phenomena that concurrent transactions may cause:
Dirty read: SQL-transaction T1 modifies a row. SQL- transaction T2 then reads that row before T1 performs a COMMIT. If T1 then performs a ROLLBACK, T2 will have read a row that was never committed and that may thus be considered to have never existed.
SQL-transaction T1 modifies a row. SQL- transaction T2 then reads that row before T1 performs a COMMIT. If T1 then performs a ROLLBACK, T2 will have read a row that was never committed and that may thus be considered to have never existed. Non-repeatable read: SQL-transaction T1 reads a row. SQL- transaction T2 then modifies or deletes that row and performs a COMMIT. If T1 then attempts to reread the row, it may receive the modified value or discover that the row has been deleted.
SQL-transaction T1 reads a row. SQL- transaction T2 then modifies or deletes that row and performs a COMMIT. If T1 then attempts to reread the row, it may receive the modified value or discover that the row has been deleted. Phantom: SQL-transaction T1 reads the set of rows N that satisfy some . SQL-transaction T2 then executes SQL-statements that generate one or more rows that satisfy the used by SQL-transaction T1. If SQL-transaction T1 then repeats the initial read with the same , it obtains a different collection of rows.
If you think the preceding definitions are lengthy, take a look at the following formal descriptions:
A1 Dirty read: w1[x] ... r2[x] ... (a1 and c2 in any order)
A2 Fuzzy read: r1[x] ... w2[x] ... c2 ... r1[x] ... c1
A3 Phantom read: r1[P] ... w2[y in P] ... c2 ... r1[P] ... c1
w1[x] indicates that transaction 1 writes record x. r1 indicates that transaction 1 reads record x. c1 indicates that transaction 1 is committed. a1 indicates that transaction 1 is rolled back. r1[P] indicates that transaction 1 reads several records according to the conditions of predicate P. w1[y in P] indicates that transaction 1 writes record y that meets the conditions of predicate P.
According to the preceding formal descriptions, ANSI defines four isolation levels to solve the three phenomena.
However, Jim Gray, in his famous paper “A Critique of ANSI SQL Isolation Levels” (Critique for short), argued that defining isolation levels according to the preceding phenomena is not rigorous due to the following reasons:
Reason 1: The serializable level is met if transactions of P1, P2, and P3 are prohibited. However, the ANSI standard explicitly describes the serializable level as “the performance of executing multiple concurrent transactions is equivalent to that of a certain serialization”. The two are contradictory. When transactions of P1, P2, or P3 are prohibited, “equivalent to a certain serialization” may not be met. The Critique calls the isolation level with P1, P2, and P3 transactions prohibited in the ANSI standard as anomaly serializable.
Reason 2: The definitions of phenomena are inaccurate. As shown in the following figure, the example is not included in A1 but has a dirty read (Txn2 reads x + y != 100). There are similar examples for A2 and A3. Those who are interested can try to list examples. I will not go into detail here.
ANSI defines phenomena strictly. If the requirements for transaction commit, rollback, and data query scopes are removed and only the read and write sequences of concurrent transactions are retained, the looser and more accurate definitions of phenomena are as follows:
P1 Dirty Read: w1[x]...r2[x]...(c1 or a1)
P2 Fuzzy Read: r1[x]...w2[x]...(c1 or a1)
P3 Phantom: r1[P]...w2[y in P]...(c1 or a1)
Reason 3: The three phenomena apply only to S(ingle) V(alue) systems and cannot define isolation for M(ulti) V(ersion) systems. The snapshot isolation (SI) implemented by a lot of commercial databases does not violate P1, P2, and P3 but may violate constraints and cannot be serialized. In addition to P1, P2, and P3, other phenomena include:
P4 Lost update: r1[x]...w2[x]...w1[x]...c1
A5A Read skew: r1[x]… w2[x]... w2[y]… c2… r1[y]… (c1 or a1)
A5B Write skew: r1[x]… r2[y]… w1[y]… w2[x]… (c1 and c2 occur)
A5B2 Write skew 2: r1[P]... r2[P]… w1[y in P]... w2[x in P]...(c1 and c2 occur)
I will give an example for each of the preceding phenomena.
r1[x=50] r2[x=50] w2[x=60] c2 w1[x=70] c1
Lost update: Transactions 1 and 2 charge RMB 20 and RMB 10, respectively, to account x. After transaction 1 is committed, RMB 70 is written to the database. After transaction 2 is committed, RMB 70 is overwritten by RMB 60. After transactions 1 and 2 are committed, the account should have RMB 80.
(x+y=100) r1[x=50] w2[x=10] w2[y=90] c2 r1[y=90] c1
Read skew: Accounts x and y have RMB 50, respectively, totaling RMB 100. After transaction 1 reads account x (RMB 50), transaction 2 transfers RMB 40 from account x to account y. After transaction 2 is committed, transaction 1 reads account y (RMB 90). For transaction 1, x + y = 140, resulting in inconsistency.
(x+y>=60) r1[x=50] r2[y=50] w1[y=10] c1 w2[x=10] c2
Write skew: Accounts x and y have RMB 50, respectively, totaling RMB 100. There is a constraint that the sum of money in accounts x and y must be RMB 60 or more. Transactions 1 and 2 read accounts x and y and take RMB 40 from accounts x and y, respectively, and think they do not break the constraint. After the two transactions are committed, x + y = 20, so the constraint is broken.
(count(P)<=4):r1[count(P)=3],r2[count(P)=3],insert1[x in P],insert2[y in P],c1,c2,
Write skew 2: Change the conditions of write skew to a scope.
Section 2: Isolation Level Implementation
The previous section describes three phenomena defined in ANSI and the transaction isolation levels defined based on the number of prohibited phenomena. There are no strict or rigorous “official” definitions. The performance of the isolation levels of different mainstream databases varies, and some phenomena are confusing. In my opinion, we should not get caught up with accurately defining isolation levels and, instead, pay more attention to the isolation level performance and implementation of different databases and know how to correctly use them in production environments. In this section, I will use examples to describe the performance of the isolation levels of mainstream databases and how to implement them.
2.1 Lock-based Isolation Level Implementation
Before describing the implementation of lock-based isolation levels, I will first introduce some lock-related concepts.
Item lock: Lock the accessed row to prevent dirty or fuzzy reads.
Lock the accessed row to prevent dirty or fuzzy reads. Predicate lock (gap lock) : Lock the search scope. If a full table is scanned, lock the whole table to prevent phantom reads.
: Lock the search scope. If a full table is scanned, lock the whole table to prevent phantom reads. Short duration : Release a lock after a statement ends.
: Release a lock after a statement ends. Long duration: Release a lock after a transaction is committed or rolled back.
The preceding lock operations can be combined to implement different transaction isolation levels, as described in the following table.
S lock indicates a shared lock, and X lock indicates an exclusive lock.
All write operations with X locks will select long duration. If a write operation with an X lock selects short duration, it may be overwritten by a write operation of another transaction after the lock is released and before the transaction is committed. This will result in dirty writes.
For write operations:
Short duration item S locks prohibit P1. If a read operation detects a row that is being modified (X lock is added to the write transaction), the read operation is blocked at the S lock until the write transaction is committed.
Long duration item S locks prohibit P2. If a write operation encounters a read transaction (S lock), the write operation is blocked at the X lock until the read transaction is committed or rolled back.
Long duration predicate or table S locks prohibit P3. When a scope-based write operation encounters a scope-based read operation (predicate S lock), the write operation will be blocked until the read transaction is committed or rolled back.
The following table describes the phenomena that can be prohibited by the three lock-based isolation levels.
Due to performance and other considerations, databases rarely implement isolation levels based only on locks. With the MVCC + lock method, read requests do not have to be locked. This is the most popular implementation method.
2.2 Oracle Isolation Level Implementation
Oracle databases only support the read committed and serializable isolation levels according to the official description. However, the serializable level of Oracle databases is actually based on the SI level of the MVCC + Lock implementation method.
To implement snapshot reads, a global variable SCN (System Commit/Change Number) is internally maintained, which increases when a transaction is committed. A read request for obtaining the snapshot obtains the latest SCN. In Oracle databases, the MVCC implementation method classifies blocks into two types: (1) Current blocks: latest pages and consistent with persistent data. (2) Consistent read blocks: pages of consistent versions based on the snapshot SCN.
The following two examples show what happens to a database with read and write statements at different isolation levels.
At the read committed isolation level of an Oracle database, each statement will obtain the latest snapshot, and all read requests are snapshot reads. Row locks need to be added to write requests to rows. A write operation to a row will not stop because other transactions update the same row unless it does not meet the predicate conditions for an update. Therefore, lost updates may occur.
At the serializable isolation level of an Oracle database, the snapshot is obtained after a transaction starts. All read requests are snapshot reads, and row locks need to be added to write requests to rows. After a lock is added to a write operation, first check the target row. If the SCN of a transaction that has recently modified the row is greater than the SCN of the current transaction, the row has been modified and cannot be viewed by the current transaction. If this happens, an error is reported, which prevents lost updates. In this write conflict implementation method, the first committer wins.
The following table describes the phenomena that can be avoided using two Oracle isolation levels.
2.3 MySQL (InnoDB) Isolation Level Implementation
InnoDB also uses the MVCC + Lock method to implement isolation levels. All common select statements are snapshot reads. Delete, update, select for update, and other statements are current reads with locks, as described in the following table. (Note: The table uses Pecona 5.6 code implementation.)
The performance of the read committed isolation level in InnoDB is similar to that in Oracle. Compared with SI in Oracle, the repeatable read isolation level in InnoDB cannot prevent lost updates. The following figure shows an example. At the InnoDB repeatable read isolation level, when a transaction for a row is committed, whether the row is modified by other transactions is not determined. This avoids the rollback costs caused by S1 update conflicts, but may result in lost updates.
Update and other operations are locked current reads, and phantom reads may also exist, as described in the following table. However, if the update statement of Txn1 is replaced by a select statement, phantom reads can be prohibited because the select statements of a transaction use the same snapshot.
Although the implementation method of InnoDB repeatable read does not avoid lost updates or repeatable reads, it makes full use of current MVCC reads without locks. In addition, current reads avoid excessive rollback costs when S1 update conflicts increase dramatically.
InnoDB also implements lock-based serializable to prohibit all abnormal phenomena. For more information, see section 2.1 “Lock-based Isolation Level Implementation.”
Section 3: MySQL (X-Engine) Isolation Level Implementation
X-Engine isolation levels are also implemented based on the MVCC + Lock method and support repeatable read and SI. They have the same performance as the repeatable read and serializable isolation levels in Oracle databases. X-Engine implements a row-level MVCC. The key of each record has a sequence to represent the version. All read operations are snapshot reads (including locking reads). The snapshot required by read requests is also a sequence. Write conflicts are processed based on locks at two phases and comply with the “first committer wins” principle.
The following two examples are used to describe the implementation principles.
Similar to Oracle databases, the X-Engine SI isolation level can avoid lost updates.
Section 4: Summary
The preceding sections describe the performance of various databases’ isolation levels. The preceding table compares their differences. MySQL isolation levels are unique, and the repeatable read isolation level can avoid certain phantom reads. Developers must note that some databases may have the same isolation level names, but the performance of these isolation levels may be different.
Original Source: | https://medium.com/@alibaba-cloud/comprehensive-understanding-of-transaction-isolation-levels-212460572176 | ['Alibaba Cloud'] | 2021-01-04 02:41:54.775000+00:00 | ['Acid', 'Transactions', 'MySQL', 'Database', 'Alibabacloud'] |
Im too Busy to be Creative and Other Excuses. | In this series I will continue sharing my insights that I’m learning from reading Stephen Pressfield’s The War of Art. He points out many common forms of resistance. Resistance is the insidious force which blocks our creative flow and takes us away from doing our work, our true calling. In this article I’ll be pointing out some areas where resistance personally shows up for me.
I’m overwhelmed I want to focus on one thing at a time
This form of resistance destroys your soul through the use of perceived logic.
It tells you that if you focus on your creative task that you have to let your health go. It tells you that while you’re working on your promotion at work you can’t begin writing your novel. People talk about the need for sacrifice in order to get the things that we want. This is absolutely true. However, the things you have to let go of of aren’t the things that you think. The things that you actually have to let go of are your own perceived sense of self limitation and lack of discipline. By letting go of these things your life will get better in every area of your life. Remember we are taking on the task of overcoming resistance. It’s not just about the painting or the book. It’s about developing the mindset of a true professional.
It’s going to take away time from my family
Hours of Netflix, surfing the Internet, and being with your children but not really fully being there because you’re in a light level of desperation and despair isn’t exactly quality time. In order to be the best for other people you need to be the best version of yourself. Also, as we move into a time where we are in a global economy there is more competition for your children as they become adults. It’s going to be very important that you serve as an example of following your passion and having the self-discipline to follow through.
I haven’t decided what my creative passion is yet
You can’t think your way into acting better, but you can act your way into thinking better. What this means is that doing whatever work and intrigues or fascinates you you will start to assist you in discovering your voice through practice. So many people spend time in their head waiting for the muse to appear. By doing the work you’ll get real world feedback which will inform you much better than just swirling around in your own thoughts. The Muse loves when you begin.
I don’t have an audience (it doesn’t matter anyways no one’s listening)
You are. Don’t put your sense of self-worth into the opinions of others. As you release the opinions of others as a major concern, you’ll feel more comfortable showing your work. This will also assist you in dealing with the rejection that comes along with doing anything that really matters to your soul.
This form of resistance tells us that we need a certain number of followers or that we need to have a gallery that’s going to show our work. The way to overcome this form of resistance is to use the lack of an audience as a benefit rather than something that hold you back. If you have a small audience or no audience, you’re free to create whatever sort of work that you like. Use this time to enjoy discovering your voice.
I don’t understand the technical aspect
This shows up as the person who wants to create a YouTube channel but feels it has to be edited perfectly before he begins. On top of that he needs to master the editing program before he can even record a video. There is some truth to this.
If you’re creating content that no one can resonate with or that looks unprofessional you’re not going to get very good results. Do it anyways. Acknowledge the areas where you’re resisting such as not properly formatting or editing your work. But keep creating. Understand that there is a resistance to the technical aspect of the work which shows up as a desire to classify yourself as avant-garde. You may be avant-garde, but that doesn’t mean that your work can’t look polished and awesome. However, there’s no need to get caught in the trap of perfectionism. You can do both simultaneously; increasing the quality of your craft and sitting down to do the work. | https://medium.com/@tritime257/im-too-busy-to-be-creative-and-other-excuses-895bd8e349a3 | ['Sterling Scott'] | 2021-04-06 15:11:07.724000+00:00 | ['Rejection', 'Confidence', 'Writers Block', 'Imposter Syndrome', 'Confusion'] |
7 Fantastic Resources for Tech Interview Prep | 7 Fantastic Resources for Tech Interview Prep
Prepare well and nail your next interview
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash
The software interview is quite honestly one of the most challenging aspects of getting a job.
Even after wading through years of college or months of boot camp, you still have to triumph over the interview process before you can start earning that sweet money.
I gathered a list of my favorite resources that have helped me immensely in the past with interviewing for jobs. I hope this helps you! | https://medium.com/better-programming/7-fantastic-resources-for-tech-interview-prep-607df806584e | ['Michael Vinh Xuan Thanh'] | 2020-07-02 20:27:24.094000+00:00 | ['Coding', 'Programming', 'Interview', 'Software Development', 'Startup'] |
Splitting a string column and getting unique values and frequency in Python | Splitting a string column and getting unique values and frequency in Python
With two methods: For loop and Counter container
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
What the problem and target are:
In order to simplify the problem, I take out two columns from my working file which is a Stackoverflow yearly Survey file, as below:
You can download the file from StackOverflow survey 2017, use the survey_results_public.csv file, and extract two columns: Respondent and CousinEducation to test the following codes.
My target is to get unique values for the column CousinEducation. The data in this column is a string type, separated by semi-column, but how many items (or semi-columns) in one row is none-fixed. I will introduce two methods to do it. Let’s start the journey.
Have a look at the data:
Import the library, read the file, and check the size of the file as below:
Have a look at how the data looks like, with value_counts method, which is a very common method to deal with categorical data.
Very good. It groups according to the answers of CousinEducation, but still they are still far away from what I want. Let’s rename “index” into method and CousinEducation into count to make it much more meaningful.
Method1: use for loop and list(set())
Separate the column from the string using split, and the result is as follows.
Let’s check the type. Making sure the data type can help me to take the right actions, especially, when I am not so sure.
2. Create a list including all of the items, which is separated by semi-column
Use the following code:
Now how df1 looks like:
Great! We get much closer. Now search for the method of getting unique values.
3. Get the unique values
As you know, df1 is a list. We use list(set()) to get the unique value from df1:
It seems that there are some leading spaces for the same content, now delete the space.
Now we need to get a unique value again, use the same method: list_3=list(set(list_2)).
Great! We get unique values.
Everything goes well, let’s write it into a function to make it modularization.
Let’s have a test:
Super, it gets the unique values!
Now let’s try the second method.
Method 2: use of Counter container
Counter is a container that keeps track of how many times equivalent values are added. The value can be accessed by dictionary API.
First, import the library:
2. Instead of use for loop, we use Concatenate strings in the Series/Index with a given separator at the beginning.
3. The next two steps: split the string and replace the space as before.
4. Now use Counter container which keeps track of how many times equivalent values are added.
5. Use keys() to get the unique values
The result is:
6. The most exciting way is that we can get the unique list and the frequency through method most_common().
By given i=13, most_common() method will get a list as follows:
7. Now change the list into DataFrame.
8. Let’s modulize it.
The result is:
Now you can see the evolution of the data.
Lesson learned:
In order to get the unique text from the Dataframe which includes multiple texts separated by semi-column, two methods are introduced here:
Method1:
Use two for loops to get the list Use list(set()) to get the unique value from the list Use strip() to delete the leading or trailing spaces for the string in the list
Method2:
Use Counter to get the container Use keys() method to get unique values Use most_common() method to get the unique values and frequency
Feel free to choose the one you prefer. Of course, you can replace the separator in your situation. With the unique values, depending on your question, you can do a lot of further analysis.
Thanks for your reading and happy coding. | https://towardsdatascience.com/splitting-the-text-column-and-getting-unique-values-in-python-367a9548d085 | ['Xue Wang'] | 2020-12-12 09:15:54.293000+00:00 | ['Data Wrangling', 'Python', 'Split Testing'] |
CBD and Driving | A version of this story first appeared at driving.ca
New Study Finds that CBD and Driving Do Mix. But Is It Legal? — LPC
According to a new study by the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics at the University of Sydney, CBD and driving do mix. “Consuming CBD does not impair driving performance, and THC only provides mild impairment for up to four hours,” the study found. Testing involved strains in which THC was most prevalent (and consumed in doses high enough to cause intoxication); another with mostly CBD; a third with both THC and CBD; and a placebo pot, used as a control.
“There were no significant differences between CBD-dominant cannabis and placebo,” the study’s authors wrote.
But does that make using CBD and driving legal in Canada?
According to one Toronto lawyer, it’s unclear. Testing won’t find CBD unless someone specifically tests for the compound. The lawyer states that happens legally at that point is “one of the many complications still remaining.” (However, it is clear that THC and driving is illegal. That being said, cannabis impairment has already faced legal challenges.)
The study finding that cannabis only impairs for four hours is interesting. Many workplaces including “safety sensitive” positions including airline pilots ban cannabis use for 30 days before duty. If the results of this study are true, it could mean new standards.
Still, if CBD and driving does mix, it gives hope to those who use it.
Click here to view full story at d | https://medium.com/@licensedproducers/cbd-and-driving-bdf448e202f0 | ['Licensed Producers'] | 2020-12-16 14:04:58.341000+00:00 | ['Cannabis', 'Cannabisintheworkplace', 'Cannabisimpairment'] |
arcaderm-serum | Arcaderm Serum:-[Updated 2019] Natural Skin care Serum
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For more details:-https://cities-localgov.com/arcaderm-serum/ | https://medium.com/@maxcolliny/arcaderm-serum-7cabfa7585c8 | [] | 2019-10-17 05:37:13.939000+00:00 | ['Skincare'] |
The Reason We Might Never Get Along | The Reason We Might Never Get Along
Are we past the point of connection?
Photo by Jennifer Griffin on Unsplash
This week’s Vice Presidential debate ended with a question from Brecklynn Brown, an 8th grade student from Utah. Her question urged both candidates to claim responsibility for polarization in the U.S.
“When I watch the news, all I see is arguing between Democrats and Republicans. When I watch the news, all I see is citizen fighting against citizen. When I watch the news, all I see is two candidates from opposing parties try to tear each other down. If our leaders can’t get along, how are our citizens supposed to get along?”
She ended with a request for leadership that would inspire unity among Americans:
“Your examples could make all the difference to bring us together.”
Brown’s question offered both candidates an opportunity to step away from political platforms and agendas. It gave space for the candidates to be vulnerable, to take a risk, to admit fault, or even to make some awkward and timid acknowledgement of goodness in the opponent.
It feels scandalous to imagine.
Would Pence agree that the Trump administration could do better to fight against racial injustice America?
Is it possible that Harris would search for something she admired in Pence? Even if it were just the color of his tie? | https://medium.com/indian-thoughts/the-reason-we-might-never-get-along-6fda47583a72 | ['Luke Brennan'] | 2020-10-17 21:29:36.530000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'Nonviolence', 'Election 2020', 'Elections', 'Life'] |
VA Seeks to Deny Care to Veterans at Significant Risk of Suicide | September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and with an unconscionable suicide rate of nearly 20 veterans per day, it is hard to conceive of a greater priority for the Department of Veterans Affairs. In its latest report on the subject, the VA found that veterans enrolled in VA mental health treatment are at a much lower risk of dying by suicide than those receiving non-VA treatment. As a result of these findings, the VA vowed to create “universal strategies [which] aim to reach all Veterans.”
Yet, the VA recently proposed regulations which seek to exclude hundreds of thousands of veterans from VA care due to minor infractions in their military record. If finalized, these veterans — many of whom have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) — will be denied mental health treatment by the VA and will be at greater risk of suicide.
Congress never intended to leave these veterans out in the cold. When drafting the 1944 G.I. Bill, Congress defined the term “veteran” as those who served on active duty and were discharged “under conditions other than dishonorable.” Only those who meet this definition are entitled to VA benefits. In drafting that definition, the legislative record shows Congress intended to exclude only veterans whose misconduct would have, or did, result in a Dishonorable Discharge — the most severe punitive discharge status which requires a General Court Martial criminal conviction.
However, today, the VA regularly denies VA care to veterans for minor misconduct and the new regulations could make it even harder for these veterans to get the treatment they need. Currently, the VA rejects 90% of eligibility claims from veterans with less than honorable, or “bad paper”, discharges, including three out of four combat veterans with PTSD. At Swords to Plowshares, we have represented hundreds of veterans with bad paper discharges in their VA eligibility cases. While each client’s story is unique, in many ways they are all the same. The veteran enters the service hoping to be part of something greater than themselves, follow in a parent’s footsteps, or begin a military career. Then, at some point on active duty, something terrible happens. They experience combat. They are raped. They witness something horrific. And their brain and their body do exactly what they are designed to do to help them survive.
What does this look like? They develop hypervigilance, mood dysregulation, sleep disturbance. The panic becomes overwhelming, and they flee or they suppress it with alcohol or marijuana. The motivation they once had to excel, and the pride they once had in their military service diminishes. These symptoms of PTSD constitute misconduct that can get someone kicked out of the military. Of the service members who are clinically diagnosed with PTSD or TBI while on active duty, nearly a quarter of them are separated with a discharge status that effectively renders them ineligible for VA care. Marine Corps veterans with PTSD are eleven times more likely to have a bad paper discharge than those without PTSD.
Furthermore, veterans of color are at greater risk of being issued a bad paper discharge. Black Airman and Black Soldiers are 71% and 61% more likely respectively to face Court Martial and non-judicial punishment than their white comrades. This increases their chances of having a discharge status that would preclude them from obtaining VA healthcare.
Five years ago, Swords to Plowshares and the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) petitioned the VA to revise it regulations to match Congress’s intent. Two months ago, the VA finally responded, but the proposed regulations still presume bad paper veterans to be ineligible for treatment. Under the proposed rules, a veteran could be denied VA benefits for showing up late to work twice during a four-year enlistment. While Congress intended those with felony-level criminal convictions to be barred, the VA seeks to exclude veterans for misconduct that could still warrant an Honorable discharge. This is an overreach of the VA’s statutory authority and is, frankly, terrible policy given the higher rate of suicide among veterans with bad paper discharges.
Thankfully, the VA’s proposed regulations are not yet final. Swords and NVLSP, along with many other veterans advocates, submitted public comment criticizing the VA’s proposal and asking the VA to create a more just, inclusive system. The VA now has an opportunity to respond to these comments and finalize regulations that could succeed in significantly reducing veteran suicide.
Let’s hope they seize it — veterans’ lives depend on it.
____________
Maureen “Mo” Siedor directs Swords to Plowshares’ Legal Services Unit which provides assistance and legal representation to homeless and low-income veterans on their veterans’ benefits and military discharge upgrade cases. | https://medium.com/@vetshelpingvets/va-seeks-to-deny-care-to-veterans-at-significant-risk-of-suicide-a2b06b436fa8 | ['Swords To Plowshares'] | 2020-09-21 16:57:39.062000+00:00 | ['Veterans', 'Mental Health', 'Suicide Prevention', 'Veterans Affairs', 'PTSD'] |
The Fate Takes its Turn | She was walking down the dark street of the town at midnight alone. Her gait was slow; she was trembling and murmuring something slowly. It looked like she was sad and drunk. I stopped my car, I was curious to know her narrative. She was immensely attractive and her face was shining like a star in extreme shadows.
I stepped towards her; she was unaware of my influx. Holding her hand I said: ‘what are you doing here? It’s around 12:30 and this is not safe.’ She glanced at me with her gorgeous eyes and fell unconsciously. In meantime a man with light complexion and a middle-aged woman came up to me. They grasped the young lady from my arms cruelly and departed. I didn’t say anything nor did I follow them because I thought they would know her and she is safer with them. More than two weeks were gone by, but the attractiveness of the girl’s eyes remained in my thoughts. I was thinking about her too much and I fell in love with her thought, her eyes, and her beauty.
I and I alone were going through this phase of love, that girl didn’t even look at me for a while. I don’t even know who she was, what her name was or anything like that.
That day I realized, love is a pure feeling that can rise with just a glimpse of the one who is made for you. But I, I was sad and depressed because I had no idea what the divinity had planned for me.
My friend who was aware of all the feelings that I was going through, said: ‘why are you so disappointed, go in the search of the one whom you had presented your heart in just one glance’.
I laughed and then sighed at once ‘how could I look out for her when I don’t know anything about her.’ ‘Keep faith in deity’ he replied. It touched my heart.
Next day I made up my mind to go that place and ask nearby about that girl, but wait a second; what to ask? I don’t know anything. Name, address or nothing. But I will.
I went to that street; a couple of people were passing by the street so I decided to ask them about her. A man was standing out of a house, I said him: ‘Hello Mr. I am Danielle I wanted to ask you something.’ ‘Yes, please you may’ he said. ‘It’s about a month I saw a girl here in your street she was drunk and wandering here. If you know about her please tell me.’ ‘No here’s no such girl you are on the wrong address boy’ he said angrily. ‘I’m sorry sir, please don’t get angry on me I’m sorry I wasted your time. It’s okay thank you very much.’
The very while I was just about to go on a woman screamed ‘she ran again, she ran! Catch her.’ The man closed the door in a fit of fury.
I was still standing there and examining the situation, all of a sudden that man and two other with him opened the door sat in their car and set off with high speed. In intervening time I saw that middle-aged woman coming out of that house. She didn’t see me and she started to look for someone. Something clicked in my mind, what if the girl that ran is the same girl I’m searching for. I couldn’t figure out what’s happening. With so many thoughts coming to mind I sat in the car and moved on towards my home. I was driving but I was busy thinking about that girl, suddenly my car got hit by a motorbike.
When I opened my eyes I was in hospital. I was okay but my head got injured a bit. The nurse told me that a girl took me here and she’s at the reception; filling the form. I thought to thank her before she would go, I walked to the reception slowly but she was gone. I came back to bed and lied there. Someone opened the door, and I was astonished to see that girl I was searching from many days on my door. I was as happy as the prince who found his Cinderella.
She came in and said: ‘I took you here but I forgot my purse here, I am sorry to disturb you.’ I was silently gazing her, she took her purse and moved towards the door. I called: ‘hey, what’s your name? I was searching for you from many days.’ ‘For me? Why? I don’t know you and I think you also don’t know me’ she answered. I told her everything that happened between her and me. She was quiet. ‘Now if you believe me and trust me please tell me why you were there? And who were the people that took you back?’ She started to tell her story.
“I am Sarah Williams. A group of three men and a woman kidnapped me from my village; they took me here and treated me as a slave. That night the son of one of the men offered me a glass of juice and said: ‘you work all the day here and nobody takes care of you. Please drink it you’ll feel good.’ I thought he is a nice guy and drank the juice. He had mixed some drug in that juice. He thought now I would be unconscious, and came close to me, he tried to touch me inappropriately. He was also drunk he started to beat me up when I tried to resist. For self-defense I hit him hard with a vase that was put aside. He fell on the floor; I was so afraid that I ran up from the house. I don’t remember anything that happened with me after escaping the house. But when I got awake I was again in that house. They all beat me up again. And today as well when the woman was beating me I hit her hard and ran from backside of the house.”
I was shocked. “What? That was you? You escaped from the house? I was outside your house in search of you when you escaped. I can’t believe this”
She was as shocked as I was. I never thought I would meet her here like that. She was so pretty and she was talking to me. She was in front of me. I was really happy. I made her trust me. I promised not only to her but also to myself. ‘She was my fate. I will take care of her’.
That day I realized that disappointment is a sin. Divinity has better plans for us than we think. Sarah and I went to her village, there we got married and are now living in a healthy and happy relationship. | https://medium.com/@afifa.hanif24/the-fate-takes-its-turn-741c3ebc2697 | ['Afifa Hanif'] | 2020-12-25 05:38:47.653000+00:00 | ['Short Story', 'Fantasy', 'Destiny', 'Fiction', 'Fate'] |
Guardianship vs. Adoption — How They Differ and Why They Are Both Good Options | People often don’t understand the difference between guardianship and adoption. But whatever side of the situation you’re on, know that guardianship does not make you a parent. All that you need to know about guardianship is:
What is a guardian , and why you shouldn’t be scared to be in this position;
, and why you shouldn’t be scared to be in this position; The different types of guardianships; And
of guardianships; And Guardianship vs. adoption — what are the main differences between them.
What is a Guardian?
When someone cannot care for their personal or financial needs because of age, disease, or disability, the court can appoint a guardian. These guardians do not take the place of a parent and are not supposed to be permanent. Often, they are selected to get someone’s life back on track, whether it is the individual themselves or their parent.
Guardianships are in place to protect adults with severe disabilities, a hospital stay, or any impairment that affects their decision-making. Guardianship can also be required to safeguard a minor.
When the court appoints a guardian, they grant the guardian the legal right to act for that person, make decisions about and for them, and make decisions about their property.
To prepare guardians for their responsibilities, they must complete an orientation program and training programs. There are also other resources along the way. Remember, everything that a court does is in the child and adult’s best interest. The court wouldn’t just leave the guardian hanging.
Types of Guardianships
There are two types of guardians: guardianship of a person and guardianship of property.
Guardianship of the person makes the guardian responsible for caring for the person and making personal decisions.
Guardianship of the property makes the guardian responsible for managing the assets and finances of the person they are a guardian of. They also have control over the guardianship estate. They are required to attempt to preserve the person’s property and act for the benefit and welfare of the person. Guardians have a fiduciary duty to the adult or minor they are the guardian of.
The court may permit one person to be both guardian of the person and the property, or two different people can serve in each role.
Guardianship vs. Adoption
It may not be easy to understand how someone can be a guardian without ownership over the child. So, it’s super easy to get these two confused. In essence, guardianship is situational, and adoption isn’t.
Once the adoption is finalized, adoptive parents are now the child’s legal parents for the rest of their lives. Parents will always have the first say over their child, provided everything is going alright in their lives.
In both cases, you can elect to provide for and help the child or the adopted adult.
Here is a direct comparison of adoption vs. guardianship:
Adoption
Severs the legal rights of the biological parents. You are the child’s legal parents, and no one can change that.
Permanent.
Kids can inherit from parents.
Birthparent doesn’t pay child support.
Guardianship
Biological parents still have rights. Guardians are there for a big decision, or until the situation that the person is in gets resolved.
Temporary.
Guardians must stipulate inheritances in their will.
The parent may be required to provide child support.
In both cases, the child has people who love them and want to help. The only difference is the length of time the child will be under their eye. In either case, it isn’t easy to navigate the paperwork on your own.
We’re here to help. Give JC Law a call to discuss your options. A free initial consultation into your situation to adopt or be a guardian are available. | https://medium.com/maryland-legal-guides-for-family-and-domestic-law/guardianship-vs-adoption-dc7a39fb0444 | ['Matthew Mccutcheon'] | 2021-06-08 15:30:39.778000+00:00 | ['Guardianship', 'Adoption', 'Family Law', 'FAQ'] |
How Smart Boards Help Us Learn | Recent years have seen an increasing demand for Smartboards in schools due to its interactive and engaging nature. They enable multiple students to add their inputs using touch simultaneously or by connecting additional devices wirelessly. Smart boards benefit the classroom with access to unlimited information via the internet, which is filtered by the teacher to suit the class and its learning objectives. Digital classrooms have been found to increase attention and reduce absenteeism among students and here’s why.
The Language of Technology
There is no doubt that the younger generation is highly driven by technology. Even in classrooms, senior students often find it convenient to take notes on laptops, make online submissions and prefer downloading e-books over taking notes on paper and buying physical textbooks. Keeping in mind how technology attracts even children below 10 years of age, using the available technologies could be advantageous as it is a language every child today understands. Smart boards utilize a child’s natural affinity to hi-tech and impart knowledge in fun and interesting ways. It incorporates writing, drawing and a form of play which engages and challenges students.
Smart Boards as a Visual Aid
Smart boards make use of interactive videos and images that present visual information in compact and fun ways. Visual learning is an effective method because visual stimuli are processed by our brains 60,000 times faster than text. Numerous studies on memory have found that images leave a lasting imprint on people, which helps them to recall information more accurately but also to retain the information over longer periods of time. Thus, audio-visual aids grab the attention by incorporating music, voice modulation and graphics, thereby maintaining the students’ interest and curiosity to learn.
Caters to Each Child’s Requirement
The students in every class are characterized by individual differences. While some students are quick in grasping concepts, others may find it hard to concentrate during a lecture and would require additional support. These smart boards use different forms of media, which impacts the child’s sensory inputs and allow each child to interact with it at different levels. Teachers can track the performance of each student and give personal feedback even for classroom activities as the entire data gets saved on the computer.
Low Maintenance
While the initial cost of purchase or set up may be high, smart boards require less maintenance when compared to blackboards. There are no hassles of buying a regular supply of chalks or dusters, and the boards do not require daily cleaning. One is simply required to touch the screen in order to interact with the modules.
Smart boards have benefited classroom teaching by increasing student engagement and created a learning environment where students learn through interacting with each other. Studies show that using smart boards increase comprehension skills, improve test scores and equip students with skills essential in today’s technology-dominated world. They are thus a useful teaching tool with several benefits for young learners.
Written by: Devika Bharany, Team TEGS | https://medium.com/tegs/how-smart-boards-help-us-learn-4102cbc0e726 | ['The Education Growth Summit'] | 2019-08-23 12:50:18.887000+00:00 | ['Children', 'Tegs', 'Learning', 'Smart Boards', 'Education'] |
The Importance of Iconography in Catholic Catechesis | When you hear the term ‘church art’ or ‘church aesthetics’, what are some images that pop up in your mind? For those of us in the Latin Catholic rite, the predominant rite of the Catholic Church, it’s fairly simple: stained glass, fancy arcs, beautiful altars, statues of the saints, maybe the Stations of the Cross, etc. Outside of our own churches, we can think of all the beautiful paintings lining the walls of Italy’s museums and point to them for great examples of Catholic artwork. There is little doubt of their value as sacred art- an overlapping theological term - but is it the definitive type of art of the Church?
A form of sacred art that is less known among Latin Catholics is the icon. An icon (from the Greek eikón) is a type of religious artwork, usually a two-dimensional painting on wood, that is common in religious devotion. While icons are most frequently associated with Eastern Christianity — the Eastern Orthodox churches, the Eastern Catholic churches, and the Oriental Orthodox churches — they are not completely uncommon in the Latin Church. Icons are different in many ways from Latin Catholic art from the middle ages; one important difference is the key set of rules an iconographer must follow to ensure great symbolism in his icons.
Notably, icons have traditionally served as sacramentals, defined by the Church as “sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments”, in the Divine Liturgy and lesser religious devotions, and there is rich theology behind each and every icon that often gets ignored.
The concept of the Biblia pauperum — the Bible of the Poor — correlates with one use of iconography: religious education for the illiterate. While western incorporation of the Biblia pauperum often involves events in the Bible, icons commonly depict Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the saints, angels, and prophets, but some focus on Biblical scenes. Yes, we can walk into a Melkite or Byzantine Catholic parish and marvel at the beautiful icons, but it is important to realize that they are more than just artwork.
Christ Pantokrator (Christ All-Powerful from Greek), oldest surviving Pantokrator icon from the sixth century
The Christ Pantokrator is an excellent example to introduce iconography as it is one of the oldest known and most recognizable icons. This icon is particularly rich with symbolism in its theology and thus serves as catechesis — the teaching and instruction of the true faith.
Upon admiring this icon for the first time, would you expect there to be a lesson about the Hypostatic Union, the Christological dogma that Jesus is 100% human and 100% divine? The Pantokrator emerged after the ecumenical councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon that affirmed the Hypostatic Union, among other elements of Christology. From the viewer’s angle, the left side of Christ represents His divinity: His hand stretching outwards, always symbolizing a blessing, the stern eye and intense colors. The right side (viewer’s angle) represents His humanity, as signified by a thick and embroidered Gospel book, lighter colors, and His hair swept behind His shoulder. The icon is jarring not only in its intensity — the living God staring at us — but in its asymmetry.
Dual composites of Christ Pantokrator
The above icon shows dual composites that help to reveal more of the complexity behind a seemingly simple icon. One important feature of every icon that is seen directly here is the use of halos around the heads of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the saints, angels, and prophets. The symbolism here is fairly straightforward: the triumph of light, brought into the world by Jesus Christ, and the great holiness of whoever is depicted in the icon.
One additional icon that represents the important catechetical value of this type of sacred art is Andrei Rublev’s 15th century The Trinity:
Andrei Rublev, The Trinity
The most famous Russian icon, The Trinity (also known as The Hospitality of Abraham) portrays the scene from Genesis 18:1–8 where three angels visited Abraham at the Oak of Mamre. This icon also represents the Holy Trinity and portrays one of the first direct examples of the Trinity in Scripture. But what is it about the Trinity that makes the dogma something personal and relevant to Christian spirituality? The icon dives into the dynamic and loving nature of the Trinity that governs all of our prayers and, essentially, the mission of the Church. The choice of colors depicts the fullness of the Trinity, in divine truth, revelation, and love, and the manna on the white table represents the Eucharist. But this icon is deeply personal and intimate, as the Eucharistic sacrifice is, because the seat at the table closest to the viewer is open with the manna also closest to us. For those who could not read the scriptures and the foundational documents of Christian doctrine in Russia icons like The Trinity were instrumental in catechesis.
What is the importance of visual catechesis in contemporary times? If most people are literate and the Bible is widely available through print and the Internet, then should icons and other types of sacred art still be used when instructing others in the faith? What purpose do they serve, if any?
There are many arguments in favor of using icons in catechesis in modern times, but two principal ones are that they aid with living out the faith in practice, not just in education, and they lift up the eyes and the soul to God as the center of our lives when used in devotion.
Icons often look abstract and odd because Byzantine artwork is very different from the Renaissance artwork that is standard in the west. But there is no denying that icons are not well-done works of art. Iconographers are subject to strict codes, not solely in terms of how to paint and portray important aspects of the saint or Christ, but even in how they pray. Monks with a vocation to iconography do not produce icons for the artistic pursuit in itself, but they do it out of prayer and undergo intense prayer and fasting because the icon is more than just mere artwork when it is a sacramental. It is not so much the monk painting an icon, but God guiding his hands in production.
Religious instruction that only focuses on doctrine and magisterial teaching is not religious instruction at all. We learn about teachings and divine revelation of the Holy Spirit through the catechism. But we learn about how to be Christians and live out the fullness of the Catholic faith outside of the classroom. As iconographers are intense in their work and seek not to serve themselves (most icons go unsigned), the call to live an intense lifestyle devoted to Jesus Christ must be matched with intense prayer and contemplation, which icons aid us with.
Humans learn by art and by the visual input. Jesus Christ did not become incarnate through audio alone or through a hologram. God revealed Himself in Jesus Christ for our salvation, conquering death for us. We are made in God’s image. Reading Scripture and theological texts is spiritually fruitful, but what will excite the faith if our only source of faith is through small print? A full theological instruction will educate Catholics on why they should be Catholic and show them how to be Catholic; they go hand-in-hand, and using icons for prayer, meditation and contemplation of these ‘windows to heaven’ is necessary.
St. John Damascene writes, “Previously God, who has neither a body nor a face, absolutely could not be represented by an image. But now that he has made himself visible in the flesh and has lived with men, I can make an image of what I have seen of God . . . and contemplate the glory of the Lord, his face unveiled.” To avoid being armchair Catholics, we must grow our faith in the Lord and adore His glory that is showcased in the fruits of the monastics since the 3rd century.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains,
Sacred art is true and beautiful when its form corresponds to its particular vocation: evoking and glorifying, in faith and adoration, the transcendent mystery of God — the surpassing invisible beauty of truth and love visible in Christ, who “reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature,” in whom “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” This spiritual beauty of God is reflected in the most holy Virgin Mother of God, the angels, and saints. Genuine sacred art draws man to adoration, to prayer, and to the love of God, Creator and Savior, the Holy One and Sanctifier — (CCC 2502)
The use of icons in the Mass, whether Novus Ordo or Tridentine, is never seen. However, icons are prominent in the Divine Liturgy of Eastern churches. A big difference between Roman and Greek churches is the altar; the iconostasis is a crucial part of devotion in Eastern Christianity, separating the eucharistic sanctuary from the nave (central part of the church). A wall of icons, the iconostasis is nothing short of stunning and rightly guides the heart and soul to heaven as they concentrate on the absolute glory of God in His Son, the Christ, and the saints who have built up the Church.
The iconostas in Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Winnipeg, MB
The Mass, or the Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine rite, is heaven on earth. For the faithful to view Mass this way, instead of a mere Sunday outing, there must be something aesthetically grabbing in the center (and good CCD catechists, among other factors). In church architecture, every complex detail of a church guides the mind towards things above in the heavens. The Eucharistic sacrifice, the climax and heart of the Mass, occurs in the Eucharistic sanctuary, at the altar and around the altar. In liturgical context, icons are invaluable for preparing the soul to receive Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and to prepare for the life of the world to come. And even in private religious devotion outside Mass, icons are necessary to contemplate on God’s glory and raise our senses up to this glory. Icons are also important in preaching the Gospel, as words and images illuminate each other.
The Second Council of Nicaea explains:
We declare that we preserve intact all the written and unwritten traditions of the Church which have been entrusted to us. One of these traditions consists in the production of representational artwork, which accords with the history of the preaching of the Gospel. For it confirms that the incarnation of the Word of God was real and not imaginary, and to our benefit as well, for realities that illustrate each other undoubtedly reflect each other’s meaning — (COD 111)
To venerate the sacred art of icons is not to violate God’s command and commit idolatry, as the heresy of iconoclasm falsely clung to, but it is to serve God, enhance the faith, and preach the Gospel of the Incarnation and Christ’s army of saints to the masses. As Catholics, we have many differences from the Eastern Orthodox church and glorifying the sacred icons should not force us to convert, but for the sake of our Church and growing the Kingdom of Heaven, it is worthwhile to preserve this ancient practice and enhance our devotions to God in the fullness of the Holy Trinity. | https://medium.com/catholicism-coffee/the-importance-of-iconography-in-catholic-catechesis-catholicismcoffee-a926b075eac0 | ['Aidan Mcintosh'] | 2021-03-24 05:57:08.921000+00:00 | ['Catholic', 'Christianity', 'Art', 'Prayer', 'Religion'] |
【職場日常】設計主管的第一週待辦事項 | Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more
Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore | https://medium.com/design-ubuntu/new-manager-first-week-aeff23651005 | ['Mark Liang'] | 2020-12-21 16:28:07.594000+00:00 | ['Manager', 'New Career', 'Learning', 'Workplace', 'To Do List'] |
Digitally transformed logistics industry driven by technological innovation | In an undeniably constant economy speed and timing are vital. It may sound clear however the ramifications for supply chains, coordinations and the transportation business are immense. Proficiency, advancement, speed and timing have consistently been vital in coordinations and transportation. Today, in the midst of a scope of quickening advancements and in an inexorably computerized climate where computerized changes are influencing the following upset of industry, known as Industry 4.0, it is much more so. In this review we investigate the principle challenges with respect to digitization and computerized change in transportation and coordinations and, unavoidably, the advanced production network.
Dealing with a business in the computerized period requires an inside and out digitization cycle to stay aware of the most recent innovative progressions in the business. There is no uncertainty that innovation has significant problematic consequences for production network and coordinations tasks. Be that as it may, how precisely are the business chiefs feeling about receiving innovation and beginning to digitize their business? What are their top tech needs? What are the advantages and disadvantages of computerized change weighed by the production network and coordinations heads?
Digitalization is disturbing the manner in which organizations oversee and smooth out their tasks. An assortment of advances have just positively influenced the coordinations and inventory network scene. Impending improvements in 5G innovation, man-made consciousness, blockchain, and distributed computing will just prompt further change of the business. With these achievements, customary production network techniques will at this point don’t do the trick. To stay serious in this unique climate, organizations need to grasp the computerized change of their production network and business activities.
As indicated by tech organization DiLX, the vast majority of the uniqueness among potential and genuine increases from inventory network digitization can be clarified by innovation holes and the executives decisions. Innovation holes have happened on the grounds that progresses in production network advances followed off after an underlying explosion of development. This yielded innovations that empowered organizations to smooth out routine exercises, grow the capacities of specific frameworks, and improve logical practices. Important however these innovations have been, they didn’t play out the modern capacities that change store network the board. It possesses taken some energy for innovation developments to aggregate and combine into new contributions. Since better computerized arrangements have opened up, organizations can make more prominent enhancements in store network execution.
The innovations are unique, contingent upon the specific ‘movement’ (bundling isn’t equivalent to real transportation or outskirt strategy the board, to give some examples) yet they all share one component practically speaking: the attention is mostly on information and data. Information and investigation are vital to accelerate measures, offer perceivability to accomplices and clients, digitize esteem chains and, in a setting of advanced change, think of new plans of action. In many sub portions of transportation and coordinations, it’ about disturbing or being upset with information and data at the center.
Taking advantage of that lucky break, nonetheless, has demonstrated shockingly hard for some organizations. A typical blunder is to ignore operational changes that would let an organization exploit computerized innovations. One significant medical care organization overhauled its undertaking asset arranging (ERP) framework, with the point of switching a decrease in inventory network administration levels. However its administration levels kept on dropping — until it improved cycles, for example, request determining. Fixing activities without creating corresponding innovation upgrades can be similarly tricky. At an enormous buyer merchandise organization, inventory network administration improved quickly following a progression of operational changes, yet before long returned to its unique level in light of the fact that the advancements weren’t set up to help the new activities.
Medium-sized organizations can’t bear the cost of shortcoming or botched business chances. More often than not, these inadequacies come from ineffectively oversaw supply chains. The dangers related with the consistently changing client requests is gigantic for antiquated inventory network frameworks. From multiple points of view, the accomplishment of SMBs relies upon effectively dealing with these cycles. Digitization gives apparatuses to improve the whole pattern of business activities through smoothed out correspondence and joint effort. Cycles that were once ruined by the restrictions of simple inventory network frameworks are being modernized rapidly. Exploiting these devices can assist your organization with getting items to the market quick.
The correct way to deal with digitizing supply chains incorporates reasonable driving edge advancements with patched up activities. Numerous directors will be comfortable with the fundamental change approach: setting up a dream for the future production network, evaluating the production network’s present status, and building up a change guide. In a computerized change, this methodology has some new highlights. The vision will require a mix of no-second thoughts upgrades just as more theoretical changes that can be sought after over the long run. The appraisal needs to think about whether activities and innovation are adequately incorporated, and whether the organization has the ability methodology and hierarchical structure that will support development and consistent improvement. Moreover, the change guide will have compacted time spans, given the simplicity with which the most recent advanced arrangements can be scaled up. In this article, we offer Presidents and senior chief’s further insight concerning each progression, with models indicating how computerized changes work practically speaking.
In the end a large number of these models are basic reasons why, as organizations, we’re so partial to enormous information and in this setting absolutely quick information and information examination, conveyed by releasing man-made consciousness and intellectual figuring on arrangements of information which we need to time endless things right and even in a prescient manner as we do with prescient investigation. Organizations don’t need information. They need perceivability and dashboards to be quick and opportune as they probably am aware its key in the present advanced change economy and acknowledge it won’t change at any point in the near future, well in actuality. Furthermore, it is the same in coordinations, transportation and supply chains.
In an inexorably digitized world and considering the current economic situations of pandemic effect, an opportunity to act and leave on your advanced excursion is presently. By digitizing your coordinations and inventory network work processes, you will mechanize tasks, increment consumer loyalty through hyper-personalization, and lift business efficiency. These are a couple of the critical advantages of business change. | https://medium.com/@cedricjohn150/digitally-transformed-logistics-industry-driven-by-technological-innovation-ffeab0ec2971 | ['John Cedric'] | 2020-12-17 08:44:15.854000+00:00 | ['Supply Chain', 'Digital Transformation', 'Supply Chain Management', 'Technology', 'Logistics'] |
What I’m Grateful for This Year | Most of us can agree that 2020 has not exactly been kind to us. It has definitely been an extremely tough year filled with moments that left us feeling drained in every way possible Let us be honest, by the time May swung around, we were pretty much done with 2020. By this time it felt like 2020 continued to give us knock-out punches long after we had already passed out. Many people lost their jobs, lost family and friends because of COVID-19 and the world as we knew it toppled over with no warning. In the midst of all these things, I realized as much as 2020 took a lot, it also gave just a little back. This year, I am learning to appreciate the little and focus on that. Here are the things I am grateful for this year.
HEALTH
This year made me appreciate my health more than ever. I never realized how important it is for me to remain as healthy as possible so I can take care of my family and friends. Normally I did just the bare minimum and carried on with my day. I am grateful that my family and I are healthy and that we are all doing our part in taking care of each other. I came to understand that it is not enough to only think about my health, but that of my neighbors and a million other people I have never met. I am thankful that I am healthy because everyone around me did all they can to keep it that way It saddened me that many people lost their loved ones this year due to the pandemic. Health is indeed wealth and I am never taking it for granted again.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS
In a time where the world was so uncertain, I am glad that my family still remained my rock. The lockdown allowed me to have many wonderful moments with my close family. Being unable to leave the house and staying together was stressful but it was the first time in a long time I got to really be present in the moment with my family. Normally, we would be running off to work, social events and living very separate lives with only periodical check-ins. This year, I got to spend more time with my dad and with my daughter. There was no schedule and rush to get anywhere. In the end, I feel like I have a new appreciation for my family and we were able to understand each other more. Being forced to quarantine together was no easy feat, but I am glad that I have been blessed enough to have people to survive with during a lockdown, it would not have been fun if I was alone. I was also able to have meaningful and real conversations with friends through social media. It was amazing seeing how my friends were always willing to help each other. If it was not for my friends and family, I think my mental health would have suffered so much this year.
THE LOCKDOWN
This may sound weird, but if I am being real, the lockdown had a silver-lining for me. There have been things that I have always wanted to do but never had the time because I was too tired from other obligations. During the lockdown, I was able to find time to do some of these things. I also got the time to reflect and try out things that I never thought I would ever do. It felt like the calm during the storm and I am grateful that I learnt new hobbies and rediscovered myself. I actually had enough time to simply read a book from cover to cover. In general, the lockdown gave me a chance to slow down, breathe and re-evaluate how I view life. I realize it is more than just hustling and the struggle. I appreciate that it gave me time to understand I need to enjoy the journey as well.
BTS
Yes, I am grateful I discovered BTS during the pandemic. They played a major role in my mental health as well. I find all their music and all they are — refreshing. The more I researched about them, the more I fell in love with them. Their content is just so wholesome and funny. I find myself smiling more and just enjoying their various videos. I got to make new #BTSArmy friends from different parts of the world because of them. It made me realize how music can heal and bring people together. It also taught me that no matter where we are from, we are all human, we all have the same fears and joy. We are all going through something and we can be there for each other if we only try. I feel inspired that music is actually being used to help the world.
TECHNOLOGY
I cannot imagine how tough this pandemic would have been on us if we had no internet. Technology has really helped me to stay in contact with my distant family and friends. The fact that I could connect with them with just a touch of a button gave me some peace of mind. If I had to wait for weeks to hear from them through a letter like back in the old days, I would have suffered from a lot of anxiety. I also would not be able to work because my job literally depends on the internet. Technology has been a great source of comfort and made me feel close to my relatives even though I couldn’t be there in person. I am definitely glad I was born in this era.
Hopefully things will look up and we will be able to get back to a semblance of normal soon. I know people have really had a tough time but I hope they can focus on the few good things they have experienced this year. My grandmother always says, “As long as you are alive, there is a blessing.” We will get through this and I hope we can all go for drinks and reminisce about 2020 in a few years to com . As for me , I am already planning on how I will tell my grandkids about surviving the pandemic. | https://medium.com/matthews-place/what-im-grateful-for-this-year-f9f340f66a4b | [] | 2020-12-07 18:34:07.854000+00:00 | ['Gratitude', 'Coronavirus', 'Bts', '2020', 'Social Media'] |
Interview with Mouloud Benzadi, author of ‘Beyond the Blue Horizon” | Interview with Mouloud Benzadi, author of ‘Beyond the Blue Horizon”
M. Benzadi:
"I live in the west and what I can see and hear here is completely different from what my colleagues can see and hear in the East. I can certainly make a positive impact."
□ By Dr Jernail Singh Anand
Mouloud Benzadi, is a British Algerian author, translator and a former member of the (Algerian Arab Writers’ Union), based in the UK.
Publications:
- (Beyond the Blue Horizon), novel
- (Angelina, a Girl from Austria), novel
- (Tears and Lessons), novel
- (Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs English - Arabic), dictionary
- (Al-Zaad Dictionary of Arabic Synonyms), dictionary in more than 600 pages
Some of his English quotes can be found on quotes websites, Goodreads, blogs and books.
21 CENTURY CRITICAL THOUGHTA DIALOGUE WITH POST - MODERN VOICES
JSA: For whom the Pen rolls?
MB: The Pen rolls to express feelings and emotions inside. It can be admiring somebody or beauty, love for a woman or for life itself, or to express joy anger, frustration, sadness and pain. It can also be to express thoughts, defend universal values and share one’s experiences with the others. It is certainly dedicated to those who can read it and appreciate it. But many writings can also target general public. Most writings are destined to live for a limited period of time and a few of them will hold on and live in the hearts of people for generations and will remain there for anyone who would, over time, open the page.
JSA: What tempts you to write?
MB: Writing helps me reflect on my experiences, life, the universe around me, share my knowledge and experiences with the others and stimulate interest or action from them. As a reader, I benefit from the books which I read. Similarly, I believe that, as an author, I can also benefit the reader through my own experience and ideas shaped mainly in the British Isles. I live in the west and what I can see and hear here is completely different from what my colleagues can see and hear in the East. I can certainly make a positive impact.
JSA: What makes a work truly excellent and immortal too?
MB: Prose and poetry must express an ingenious imagination that is not within the reach of all humans. The ideas that the work expresses play an important part in that. They have to appeal to all people in all generations. Therefore, no wonder most successful books are those that promote common universal values that readers can appreciate through all generations. Great works require a great deal of attention and care. Today, authors rush to publish a book or more each year and they do not care that much about quality. How can such works become immortal?! Unlike these works realized in record time, and which can be copies of one another with nothing new, a full 17 years were needed for French immortal book (Les Misérables) to be completed and finally published in 1862. What makes Victor Hugo different from the authors of our era? Victor Hugo did not write to please a couple of judges and win a Literary Award and he was not interested in quantity. I believe that we should all learn from him and from other great authors who had a big impact in the world of literature.
JSA: What type of a sensibility is required for excellence in poetry?
MB: For excellence in poetry, we need an excellent perception of both our inner world and the surrounding world. We also need to be able to ask relevant questions and find logical answers that the reader can accept. It also requires good skills and an ability to express feelings and emotions which might be hard to put down in words.
JSA: How do you react to the great mass of literary writing on and off face book? Rather than excellence, these people focus on quantity, and some people write simply to gain a place in Record Books. Don’t you think they give the go by to excellence of thought and execution?
MB: Search for quantity instead of quality in literary works is one of the features of this era, which should be remembered as the “Literary Award Period”. The greatest and most influential authors and poets in history all wrote with freedom and spontaneity and they all wrote for the public. Today, authors and poets are more interested in pleasing Prize committees and winning literary prizes than winning the hearts of the readers and future generations.
I may have a different view about social media based on my own experience. In my opinion, social media provided opportunities for many marginalized pens to display their skills and reach large audiences. They would not have achieved this without social media in a literary scene controlled by dominant famous pens. Famous authors can afford to publish and distribute their works. They can also have them translated and subsequently can reach audiences around the world. New authors do not have such privileges. Fortunately, social media have made it easier for them to reach wider audiences across the world. I personally benefited from this. Thanks to social media, my English quotes reached all continents and they can be found today on well-known websites such as wisefamousquotes.com. But, I strongly believe that we should focus our efforts on quality not quantity and we should aim to impress wider audiences in the world not literary reward committees made up of a couple of judges. My advice for the authors and poets is “When you write, aim to please wider audiences instead of an Award Committee. A committee is a drop in the ocean whereas the audience is the entire ocean. Do not be content with a drop in the ocean. Go for the entire ocean”.
JSA: People think poetry is a remote art. Not every body’s cup of tea even to understand, because a poet, while writing, sometimes goes abstract, and his metaphors are too much for ordinary intelligence. How can we blend the two: excellence and understandability of the poem?
MB: Some poets believe that good poetry is poetry that contains difficult and complex phrases, which is a misconception. In my opinion, the poet can always write beautiful and interesting poetry in a simple way that facilitates understanding. The poet can combine good work with simplicity. Nowadays, people are busy with images, sounds, new gadgets and social media, and they do not have time or patience to read long or complicated literature. Research shows that 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are processed in the brain at 60,000 times the speed of text. Therefore, if we want our writings to compete with imagery, we have to adapt to the new reality and try to attract the audience with nice and simple literature.
JSA: These days, too much focus is placed on printing of books, like Coffee Table books, with tempting titles. The visual poetry helps in grasping the meaning faster. But don’t you think a poet should be capable of creating images through his words? In the past, the masters had no such visual dimensions. Their poems created the magic. Today, I find that magic missing although there is a great supply of gloss and clutter. How do you react to it?
MB: Absolutely! “A picture is worth a thousand words”. I recently published an article in a top UK-based Arabic newspaper about the impact of imagery. I concluded from my research that human beings by nature respond better to visual information compared to written texts. Our brains have the ability to absorb images and videos more quickly than written texts. 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual and visuals are processed in the brain at 60,000 times the speed of text. Poetry is best enjoyed when the words are combined with images and beautiful sounds.
JSA: Where the poet tries to suppress his instincts, and is not free to say what he wants to say, he turns to metaphors and imagery. Do you think this suppression adds to the beauty of his art?
MB: Imagery and metaphor are important in poetry. They contribute to the excellence of poems and they help poets to explain ideas, describe objects and actions in a different way (that isn’t literally true, but helps catch the attention and imagination of the reader). I personally cannot imagine poetry without eye-catching imagery and metaphor.
JSA: Times have an inverse relationship with poetry. Best poetry tumbles out in the worst of times. If literary creation has fallen, or its quality has gone down, is it because the poet has chosen conformity to disobedience and free will?
MB: Not at all. I would not blame the poet. I would rather blame Literary Awards which have diverted attention from poetry. The novel takes it all. It has been the focus of attention. In the Arab world, more and more poets are quitting poetry and turning to novel-writing, driven by dreams of winning Literary Awards!
Poetry can easily regain its place in the future, if it gets the support it needs from the world organizations and if it gets its share of prestigious Awards. | https://medium.com/@mouloudb13/interview-with-mouloud-benzadi-author-of-beyond-the-blue-horizon-94a530b66f3b | ['Author Mouloud Benzadi'] | 2021-05-02 11:08:14.106000+00:00 | ['Literature', 'Novelists', 'United Kingdom', 'Authors', 'Interview'] |
How Strategy Can Deliver Today | Part-1
As a Strategy & Innovation professional for over 16 years and as founder & CEO of Ranzar Consulting, an Innovation & Growth Strategy consulting firm, I’ve often been surprised at how companies view strategy today. I’ve developed strategic plans for Fortune 50 companies and I’ve advised a number of companies on their strategic growth options and through all of that, there’s one thought that’s always bothered me; traditional strategic management is ill-equipped to make sense of tomorrow.
By no means am I disregarding the body of knowledge on strategic management that’s been growing since the 1960’s. But the fundamental problem is that we’re not living in the 1960’s or the ‘70’s, ‘80’s ‘90’s even the 2000's.
For the practice of strategy to deliver today, it needs to be supplemented, even replaced by some of the modern tools & frameworks, and not just from the field of strategy itself but also from related & adjacent fields such as Innovation.
The problem with strategy today
If strategy is the pursuit of a desired future state, we’re not doing a very good job of it. Good strategy must, first & foremost, present a set of choices. Generally (and this is the first & last time I will use this word), the way strategic planning is done today, is an exercise in backward looking wishful thinking. Burdened with data. And it doesn’t present the company or the leadership with choices. Strategy today is mostly a ways to reach an end and in that sense, we confuse tactics with strategy.
Where does it go wrong?
Strategic thinking comes in the way of getting S#!t done.
The external pressures (market, investor, competitor) mean that early-stage companies don’t have the time for the meta-physical type of thinking that good strategic rigor demands. I’m yet to come across a zoned-out founder pondering the meaning of life while the “platform burns”.
And for big companies, well, we attended this company wide all hands, virtually of course (because of COVID, we didn’t get to go to the fancy off site for an all-expenses paid vacation), and we got this glossy, colorful pinup with energetic inspirational slogans that looks suspiciously like the Parthenon in Greece (the previous year’s one must still be there under all the food delivery menus pinned up on my desk). Big Co. executive will tactically execute this strategy now, which is to say, I’m going to do what I did last year and the year before because admitting it’s not working is career suicide. And, also because I’m not the “what’s the meaning of life” kind of person and am an action oriented individual, I only understand bullet points, each with its own Gantt chart, thank you very much.
We plan for a world without turbulence
Strategic management really came into its own during the mid-20th century when the likes of Peter Drucker & Michael Porter turned the spotlight to what’s happening outside of the organization as a way to understand and make sense of the world. And while still very useful, my problem with these tools & frameworks such as the 5-forces and Value Chain Analysis, is that they provide a snapshot-in-time analyses. They’re not prescriptive. And they certainly don’t account for the way the world is today. All these tools & frameworks solved for a degree of operating stability which isn’t available today. It wasn’t wrong to think, at that time, that tomorrow will look a lot like today.
Even today, most strategic planning solves for a stable world. We assume, no, hope, that tomorrow will look a lot like today. Even when we have the benefit of hindsight to tell us that today looks nothing like yesterday.
It’s much harder to plan for turbulence & uncertainty and so we plan for stability.
After all, scenario planning should take care of uncertainty. And agile. We’re an agile, ambidextrous, innovative, entrepreneurial company with the committed, inspirational leadership that’s the envy of all.
Except we’re not.
We’ll be well served in our endeavor to make a little sense of tomorrow if we agree that knowing what we don’t know, should be equally important in our planning as knowing what we do know.
Data analytics disguised as strategy
Because W. Edwards Deming said, “ Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion” and because powerpoint has so many fancy charts options now, the world of data is where we must dwell. And I must show everyone the neat tricks I learnt in Tableau.
By no means am I discrediting the importance of data and data analytics. But mistaking data analytics for strategy is an easy trap to fall into. Good strategy combines a good amount of creative reimagination along with hard data. It’s that creative reimagination that we’re incentivized out of and that’s so hard to hold onto in the daily humdrum of corporate life.
The fear of the unknown keeps us tethered to historical data. But data needs to tell a story. The future is unknown. Historical & other data can suggest a way forward but you need the creative reimagination of a story (actually multiple stories because the future is not a single point in time, it’s a range of possibilities), to add the layer & context needed to drive change. No amount of industry analysis & competitive benchmarking will tell you what needs to be done. They’re great for what they are; context.
Good strategy advice is inaccessible
Forced to recommit to strategy when things aren’t going well, companies have two options, build their strategy capability or look outside for help. Hiring for strategy is tricky. For many founder-led scaling and maturing companies, strategic decisions lie squarely with the founder and maybe a small set of individuals. But the pressures of staying viable for a small company means that strategy doesn’t get the kind of rigor it needs. In my experience, the initial set of assumptions on which the founder built the company, continue to drive strategic decisions even if those assumptions are well past their due date. But it’s expensive and time consuming to change. (In large companies, this is called “transformation”). At some point, when the company transforms from founder led to a professionally managed company, the company could hire for strategy. But even then, it’s mostly seen as a one-time activity, to be done every 3–4 years or when needed. That’s one reason why strategy is clubbed with other functions like marketing or finance, because it hasn’t earned its place in the organization hierarchy yet. Without a formal, institutionalized strategy function, strategy will always remain episodic and not produce the desired results & impact.
Companies can look outside for strategy advice of course. The global strategy consulting industry is projected to touch $91.4B by 2025 and apart from the established global powerhouses, there are a number of smaller, niche strategy consulting firms that companies could turn to. When considering bringing on board a consulting firm, companies are looking for 4 things,
1. Information — The data and analyses that take the client’s world, industry, and market position and make sense of it.
2. Expertise — An experienced operator’s perspective on a problem and the different ways that it can be solved.
3. Insight — The rigorous, analytical application of expertise to come up with insights that will help the company succeed.
4. Execution — The roadmap to choosing and implementing the changes to be made.
(Source: CBInsights)
The strategy consulting industry itself is getting disrupted by smaller, niche players offering unbundled services such as experts-on-demand (GLG), or market research (Nielsen & others), and the internet has democratized information which means we could turn to any number of frameworks, tools & data and not have to rely on the big consulting powerhouses for this kind of information & expertise.
The problem with this is that most companies can’t afford consulting firms. Unless you’re willing to sign multi-year, multi-million-dollar retainerships, the kind of consulting services offered by the big consulting firms is not an option. And going it by yourself is expensive in terms of time (where do you begin and how do you make sense of all the different tools & frameworks out there?).
Now what?
Strategic management isn’t going anywhere and entrepreneurial zeal and the hurry to “get S#!t done” only strengthens the case for considered, purposeful growth. Unintended growth of the kind we’re used to seeing from the startups that have turned into unicorns in the past few years, has consequences. If you’re chasing every new, shiny object in the name of growth, it can be an expensive proposition. And you’ll always be playing catch up with your capabilities.
In Part-2, I will look at how the practice of Strategy needs to evolve to stay relevant. | https://medium.com/@pawan0688/how-strategy-can-deliver-today-7f5ab7abea51 | ['Pawanjit Singh'] | 2020-12-08 05:58:34.866000+00:00 | ['Strategic Planning', 'Consulting', 'Strategy', 'Strategic Thinking', 'Innovation'] |
Blockchain Report — 4/27/2018 | Summary: Barclays Creates ISDA Standard For Blockchain Derivatives; IBM Created A Blockchain For Jewelry; Malta Approves Cryptocurrency And Blockchain Bills
Barclays And Goldman Sachs Create ISDA Standard For Blockchain Derivatives
Barclays Logo
According to Coindesk, there is still a fundamental issue with blockchains and smart contracts — the lack of solid standardization for companies. As of right now, different distributed ledger technologies (DLT)have a variety of different formats that they store data. This makes it difficult to gain an advantage from a DLT.
Blockchain evangelists are hoping that an industry-wide standardization occurs for DLTs, regardless of the DLT or which blockchain the data is stored in.
One such standardization was proposed by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) last year in May, called the common domain model (CDM). The CDM has support from different blockchain startups including R3 and Axoni. Another prominent backer of the CDM is the U.K. bank Barclays.
A member from CTO office at Barclays said, “what we haven’t yet seen is adoption of common standards by the [blockchain] industry… what we ultimately need in the derivatives space is multiple market infrastructures, including multiple clearing houses, adopting a common standard for data formats, reference data, transactional data, and business processes.”
Barclays estimates significant cost savings to the derivatives market by adopting CDM. It’s projected to save $2.5 billion in annual costs and provide 25% efficiency gains.
IBM Created A Blockchain To Verify The Jewelry Supply Chain
IBM Logo
According to Tech Crunch, IBM has been working on a variety of different enterprise projects using blockchain technology. Recently they offered a project called TrustChain, a blockchain that can verify the place of origin of jewelry by following the supply chain of the item from the mine to the store.
Trustchain is built on top of IBM blockchain technology and involves a number of different companies for each step of the supply chain. For example, Asahi Refining is involved as a precious metals refiner, as well as Helzberg Diamonds which is a U.S. jewelry retailer.
The general manager of blockchain services at IBM said,
“[TrustChain is] the first end-to-end industry capability on blockchain that has its core in trust… if there is a dispute, instead of calling and following back through the process in a more manual way, you can click on a trusted chain, and you’re able to see what happened immediately. That reduces the number of steps in the process.”
TrustChain would be a permissioned blockchain, meaning that only certain people are allowed to participate in the blockchain and everybody on the blockchain has to agree to bring on a new member.
Malta Approves Three Bills To Provide Legal Certainty For Blockchain And Cryptocurrency Businesses
According to Independent, Malta’s cabinet approved three legal bills which were presented to parliament for its first reading. The three bills were the Malta Digital Innovation Authority Bill, the Technology Arrangments and Services Bill, and the Virtual Financial Assets Bill.
The purpose of these bills is to provide legal certainty for businesses and individuals that are looking to get involved in distributed ledger technologies such as cryptocurrencies and the blockchain.
Malta’s Parliamentary Secretary for the Digital Economy Silvio Schrembri said the following about blockchain and cryptocurrencies:
“Nowadays we are operating within an environment that is not regulated. I can understand the reluctance of banks not to open up accounts in this type of industry. I strongly believe that once these laws will be enacted, this will answer a lot of questions especially when it comes to Anti Money-Laundering and KYC issues.”
Schrembri also mentioned an overwhelming positive response to the bills by cryptocurrency exchanges, asset managers, and market makers who would be included under the bills. Malta also received constructive and positive feedback from individuals affected under the bill. | https://medium.com/blockchain-report/ico-watchdog-daily-crypto-4-27-2018-dfccb052bfb5 | ['Shaun Newsum'] | 2018-05-15 19:01:06.709000+00:00 | ['Blockchain', 'News', 'Malta', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Bitcoin'] |
BigQuery Encryption Functions — Part I: Data deletion/retention with Crypto Shredding | There are a number of features that set BigQuery apart from other data warehouses — large-scale streaming ingest, automatic data archival without performance penalties, and integrated machine learning functions are just a few. Most recently, we released BigQuery encryption functions which enable a broad and important set of abilities, including what we’ll discuss today: data deletion and retention using crypto-shredding.
Why might you want to delete data from BigQuery? Many businesses operate within regulations around data retention — for example, GDPR’s “right to be forgotten” clause which stipulates that a user’s data should be deleted when requested. More specifically, what we’d like to accomplish is this scenario:
User data is stored in multiple BigQuery tables A compliance requirement states that a specific user’s data should be deleted from all tables upon request
So let’s quickly review two common patterns that let you delete data from BigQuery:
DML Delete
Traditionally, this simple and well-known pattern enables you to delete rows of data. The following DELETE query example comes from a very useful blog my colleague wrote on performing large scale mutations in BigQuery:
The idea here is very simple: use a delete DML statement to remove a range of rows that matches a specific condition.
Create or replace a table
This pattern is also very simple: we’re just recreating the table from the result of the same table. In this case, we’re replacing the table by filtering the rows we are required to delete. And since the operation is atomic, we’ll never have a case where the replace operation causes inconsistent results.
For the majority of use cases, the two approaches above should suffice. However, given the initial scenario in which the user’s data spans multiple tables, we need to apply the above delete patterns to multiple tables. This can be inconvenient, error prone, or cause security concerns, particularly if our delete operation fails to delete from some tables but not from all. It’s also potentially less cost-effective if the delete operation is running on a large dataset.
One approach that allows us to delete data from all tables at once is crypto-shredding. This technique helps us delete specific data from all tables via the following steps:
Your encryption and decryption keys are created using BigQuery encryption functions. Your data is encrypted using that encryption key. Your decryption key is stored safely and is leveraged for decryption. Once the data in question is deleted, its decryption key is also deleted. The following example demonstrates the steps above using BigQuery encryption functions.
First, we create a table that has a unique key per user.
Next, we’ll use the keys created in the previous step to encrypt and store the user’s email address.
The critical step is to ensure that all user data, in whichever table, is encrypted using that user’s individual key. In order to query the encrypted table, we’ll use the AEAD.DECRYPT_STRING() function.
Now if we want to delete a user from our system, we simply delete the encryption key for that specific user.
Let’s summarize what happened here:
Note: Although they’re out of scope for the purposes of this post, you’ll need to address some considerations when applying this pattern: garbage collection of unusable encrypted data after key deletion, key rotation, and the impact to read queries, for example.
Encrypting data in BigQuery allowed us to quickly delete all of a user’s data by deleting the encryption key (since we can never decrypt the user’s data without it). But let’s take this a step further: what if you want to ensure data is deleted not only in BigQuery but anywhere where data is stored in your data processing pipeline?
In the next blog post, we’ll walk you through an example where you can apply crypto-shredding across all of your data processing components by encrypting data outside of BigQuery, and yet be able to decrypt data after it lands in BigQuery. For the time being I would love to hear from you: pdeyhim@ on Twitter. Also check out this clever trick using BigQuery encryption functions from our developer advocate Felipe Hoffa: does my account have access to BigQuery | https://medium.com/google-cloud/bigquery-encryption-functions-part-i-data-deletion-retention-with-crypto-shredding-7085ecf6e53f | ['Parviz Deyhim'] | 2019-05-28 22:08:38.845000+00:00 | ['Bigquery', 'Encryption'] |
Challenges in the marketing ecosystem… | … and what to do about them
Last week, I spoke to a group of students at U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business about challenges brands face throughout the marketing ecosystem and how my agency, Traction, is helping clients address them. I was invited to speak by Professor Bill Pearcewho has been a C-level marketer at little places like Taco Bell, Del Monte and P&G. Students take Bill’s class because they want to learn from the best, so it was sincerely an honor to be invited to share my point of view.
Bill asked me to speak about challenges marketers face and how my agency is helping them with marketing-driven growth. I decided to address the entire marketing ecosystem.
Marketers face so many challenges today, it’s hard to know where to begin. Not only are brands facing challenges in their own organizations and with changing consumer behavior, but there is chaos in the ranks of the publishers, platforms and agencies that provide the connective tissue between the two.
So, let’s take a look at them all.
Marketers in the hot seat
As I recently wrote in Ad Age, CMOs are dropping like flies. Turnover is at an all time high. In some sectors, it’s astounding. In a six-month period last year, a jaw-dropping 48% of the top 30 retailers had a change of marketing leadership. The most recent report released last week by Russell Reynolds Associates showed that 74% of new CMO hires come from outside the company.
That’s just another way of saying, CEOs don’t believe the people who work for them now can do the job.
When Russell Reynolds interviewed a group of CEOs and CMOs, they identified eight distinct factors from misaligned expectations to changing consumer behavior to new skill sets, but really they all pointed back to one thing: the Rise of Digital.
There are certainly many sophisticated digital marketers out there, like Traction’s client, Mike Ballard from Lenovo who recently described what he sees as the biggest marketing challenge of 2017:
I think one of the biggest challenges for marketers in 2017 will be to make sure their messages are personally relevant. This means innovating to actually communicate with consumers on a one-to-one basis, instead of one-to-many. It means knowing who your customer base is, which part of your audience you’re trying to reach, and crafting the messaging that will speak to them most directly and powerfully.
But from the C-Suite, the problem is significantly more meta. Since the financial collapse in 2009, CMOs are under increasingly greater pressure to deliver a quantifiable ROI on every dollar of marketing expenditure. And very often, that ROI is equated to short-term attributable sales.
This is screwed up for two simple reasons:
Professor Bill once told me that when he was a CMO, when his staff asked him for budget for something, he would ask them, “What attitude, perception or behavior are you trying to change?” No answer? No budget. Today, there is plenty of focus on specific behavior changes (i.e. did your customer buy something today?), but almost none on the attitudes and perceptions that reside in your customer’s mind. The science of attribution is directional at best. In the course of a month, you might see a billboard, a TV spot, a banner ad, a comment your buddy from high school makes on Facebook all for the same brand… and maybe you buy something from that brand in three months. Do you really think you can accurately assign a percentage impact value to that sale for each of those touchpoints? Come on.
Therein lies the False Promise of Digital. When digital came to the fore, there was an insinuated oath: the infamous John Wanamaker quote, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half,” will be put to rest! From now on, you will be able to know exactly how much money you get back for every dollar you spend on advertising!
But you won’t spend money on half the things you should.
Case in point: up to 90% of sales in some categories are influenced by the web, while 80% of those sales are made some time later at a brick and mortar store.
If you only invest in the things you can prove, you’re missing out on many of the things you need to be doing. If you only invest in short-term sales, it’s like pouring water into sand.
And I’ve got news for you — the long-term is only a year away.
But that’s only one part of the Marketer’s Dilemma. Let’s turn our attention to…
Consumers evolving like Usain Bolt
It’s no surprise that the relationship people have with brands, media and technology is changing really, really fast. They are constantly connected, have more options, less patience, and less tolerance for advertising. In fact, the entire way people interact with brands has fundamentally changed.
Take a look at this diagram from Forrester Research on the “marketing funnel.” In Figure 1–1 (the good old days) it was a simple and foolproof tool marketers could use to plan their investments. In Figure 1–2 (now), it is a chaotic mess.
As an agency, we advise clients to make sure they take pains to understand the customer journey. We do workshops. Observe customers. Use empathy. And whiteboard pens.
It’s by no means a linear path, but by plotting out the legs of that journey we can understand what it is that we need to accomplish and measure what really matters.
Publishers gasping for breath
Meanwhile, the media is in a state of turmoil. “Publishers” is the blanket term ad folks use to describe all the places we pay money to in order to reach their audiences (our customers). As I wrote last week, even the Super Bowl, the holy grail of advertising reach, has reached its peak in the face of this ever-growing demand for quantifiable ROI.
Online, it gets even worse. Sure, online ad spend keeps growing. Great news if your name is Mark Zuckerberg or Sergei Brin. If you’re anyone else, however, your slice of pie is getting smaller. No whipped cream for you. You’re likely to be desperate to keep your business afloat and will do whatever it takes to make a buck.
Which brings us to ad tech…
Ad tech has been a f-cking disaster
First of all, it’s a chaotic mess. This diagram is called the LUMAscape. It became a meme in digital advertising circles when it came out a few years ago because it represents what a chaotic mess digital advertising is.
How marketers are supposed to make sense of this mess and know which partners they should work with is beyond me? They hire agencies like mine, in part, to help them make sense of it all.
And they need to. The promise of ad tech is to eliminate waste and allow us to better target our customers. Those are great things, but because of the Wild West environment that ad tech has grown up in, their implementation has been disastrous. Even Google has come out saying that up to 56% of online ads are never seen by humans due to issues of fraud and viewability.
This has prompted marketers to lose their shit. Just last week, Marc Pritchard, CMO of Proctor & Gamble, told the industry that he would no longer pay for ads that aren’t seen by humans. That prompted one outdoor advertising group to install this billboard outside of his office in Cincinatti.
Realness. What a competitive advantage.
Agency holding companies are like wobbling drunkards
Those aren’t my words (I wish they were). Those are the words of Dan Weiden at the Ad Age Small Agency Summit about 2 years ago.
Big agencies are desperate. The model that they’ve made their money on are under scrutiny and pressure for the first time. They’ve responded by being sneaky in an effort to hold onto — or even increase margins.
The cloak of big agency transparency was lifted last year when they Association of National Advertisers came out with a scathing and now infamous report. It showed that big agencies and their holding companies were guilty of hidden mark-ups (sometimes 50% or more!), kickbacks, and rampant incidents of agencies placing media that the holding company owned over what was right for the client.
Meanwhile, Sir Martin Sorrell, the CEO of WPP, the biggest holding company of them all, had a salary of over $100 million last year.
But now that this behavior has been exposed, the holding companies are in even bigger trouble and the gravy train may run off the tracks. Publicis (another holding company) just reduced their projected amount of revenue from digital for 2017 by $1.5 BILLIONbecause of less than expected performance from digital. Ouch.
This is one of the reasons that brands are creating their own agencies in-house. You can see from the chart below that the number of brands with in-house teams rose from 42% to 58% between 2008 and 2013. Today, that number is likely closer to 80%.
Another reason for that shift is simply the proliferation of digital assets that now need to be created. For a small time, agencies had a money grab where they cashed in by doing commoditized work. But like any business, if an agency is not creating value with the services they offer, they’re ultimately going to lose that business.
Another challenge many agencies are facing is the shift to project-based work. Because clients have in-house teams, they are moving away from retainer-based agency support to more project-based relationships. If you look at the two sets of bars to the right in the chart below, you’ll see a 25% increase in the percentage of brands billing more than 60% of their work on a project-basis.
For agencies that are accustomed to large retainer relationships, the inherent inconsistency of project-based work makes it harder to maintain staff and margins.
New challenges present new opportunities
The dynamics of the marketing landscape have changed, but the challenges I’ve discussed above represent new opportunities to create real value. As the CEO of a leading independent agency, I’m actually very excited about the clarity that is starting to emerge about how agencies can really help CMOs solve challenges they simply cannot address on their own.
Bill asked me to share with his students what my agency is doing to help fuel marketing driven growth amidst these challenges. Here are some of the key areas of focus that address the parts of the ecosystems I’ve outlined above:
Focus on client needs. This may sound simple, but I think it is something that is often overlooked by agencies. At Traction, we have created laddered goals for every employee and team that lead up to three pillars that we believe will ultimately define our success. These pillars are Thriving People, Great Work, and Client Success. A core goal for every employee in the agency is to operate with a clear understanding of what KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and KBOs (Key Business Objectives) matter to the client. Sometimes we’re able to influence them, sometimes we aren’t, but fundamentally we believe that if our team’s bonuses are influenced by making sure our clients maximize theirs, we’ll wind up with happy clients. Focus on customer needs. Advertising is getting harder, but brand love still matters. This is why more and more brands are looking at their customer experience as a driver of brand affection. In fact, in a recent Gartner study, 89% of brands said they anticipate differentiating primarily on the basis of customer experience. That’s up from 38% four years earlier — a sea change. The problem is that despite the anticipation, a great many of those brands have no plan in place to actualize that CX improvement. We have expertise in bringing together psychology and technology to design such experiences, and we are bringing that to bear to help brands succeed. This is a big area of focus for our agency. Focus on media integration. Traction grew up as a creative agency, but we have made investments over the past three years to establish a tightly integrated media practice. We believe that brands needs get beyond simply counting impressions and back to making them. The activation of a creative idea is critical to its success. This means the right partnerships with the right publishers and platforms to maximize the impact of our work. Focus on insight. The marketing world has been going gaga over data for the past several years, but here’s a little secret: data-driven creative has a tendency to suck. Insight-driven creative happens to be incredibly power — so we’ve invested in marketing intelligence tools like Resonate that surface real insight into people’s values, not just their online behaviors or demographics.
At its core, this focus on value to customers is where we focus because it’s where we bring value to our clients. The fight for people’s attention is too fierce. Brands have to go to market with experiences and content that people actually want to consume, or they will simply be ignored.
It all starts and ends with the customer. That’s where brands will ultimately find the solutions to their challenges — and so will all the players in between. | https://medium.com/digital-vault/challenges-in-the-marketing-ecosystem-106f1b16fd3f | ['Adam Kleinberg'] | 2017-02-20 18:49:16.051000+00:00 | ['Agency', 'CMO', 'Marketing', 'Advertising', 'Digital Marketing'] |
11/11/2019: Battle over DACA arrives at the Supreme Court | On the Agenda
AAPI NATION — 2019 ELECTION RECAP: Last week’s general and municipal elections in 19 states ushered in a new wave of AAPI lawmakers, according to the nonpartisan groups APIAVote and AIPAICS. Here are a few highlights and results…
BREAKING — AFFIRMATIVE ACTION MEASURE APPEARS TO FAIL IN WASHINGTON STATE: Washingtonians have narrowly rejected Referendum 88, which would have ended a two-decade ban on the use of affirmative action as a factor in public employment, contracting, and public education. The measure had faced significant opposition from Chinese immigrant activists while Gary Locke, the only Chinese American to serve as a state governor, campaigned to overturn the ban. Read more.
VIRGINIA AAPIS HAND DEMS CONTROL OF STATE GOVERNMENT: A wave of support from newly-engaged Korean and Indian voters helped to deliver the Virginia statehouse to the Democratic Party for the first time in a generation. The critical political realignment in the state coincided with another historic win, as Ghazala Hashmi became the first Muslim woman elected to the Virginia state Senate. Read more.
WU REELECTED TO BOSTON CITY COUNCIL: Incumbent Michelle Wu coasted to victory as Boston voters elected a city council dominated by progressive women and people of color — fueling further speculation about a possible 2021 mayoral run. Read more.
SEATTLE’S SAWANT PREVAILS IN BLOW TO AMAZON: Incumbent Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant declared victory in a tight race that pitted her against Amazon, Seattle’s largest private employer. Read more.
PHILADELPHIA’S OH SCRATCHES OUT SURPRISE VICTORY: Philadelphia’s only Republican at-large councilman, incumbent David Oh, narrowly won re-election after defying his party and building a coalition of AAPIs and small business owners. Read more.
NEW MEXICO’S MIYAGISHIMA CLINCHES FOURTH TERM: Ken Miyagishima won a fourth term as mayor of Las Cruces, New Mexico, extending his distinction as one of the longest-serving Asian Americans in history to lead a U.S. city. Read more.
VOTERS PUT HMONG WOMAN ON ST. PAUL CITY COUNCIL: 24-year-old community organizer Nelsie Yang became the first Hmong woman elected to the St. Paul City Council, winning a seat that had not been open for more than two decades. Read more.
PYAKUREL MAKES HISTORY IN OHIO COUNCIL RACE: A former refugee, Bhuwan Pyakurel, became the country’s first Nepali-Bhutanese elected official after securing a spot on the Reynoldsburg City Council. Read more.
MASSACHUSETTS CITY ELECTS TWO CAMBODIANS: Lowell, Massachusetts elected two Cambodian Americans to its city council — marking the first time two Cambodians have served simultaneously. Read more.
OTHER NOTABLE RACES: San Francisco’s Paul Miyamoto became the first Asian American sheriff in California; 50-year-old Tae Chong became the first Asian American to serve on the Portland City Council; Democratic councilman Arvin Amatorio became the second Filipino American mayor of Bergenfield, New Jersey; Camden County Freeholder Susan Shin Angulo was elected the first Korean American mayor of Cherry Hill, New Jersey; San Francisco school board incumbent and mayoral appointee Jenny Lam held on to her seat. | https://medium.com/yappie/11-11-2019-battle-over-daca-arrives-at-the-supreme-court-54094e4612f | ['The Yappie'] | 2019-11-16 02:47:48.482000+00:00 | ['Politics', 'Issue', 'Asian American', '2020 Presidential Race', 'DACA'] |
Must-Have Instagram Creator Tools for Influencers | Best Content Creation Tools for Instagram-
There are tons of creator tools for Instagram available on the internet. Few of these tools also come as applications to make them more user-friendly and downloadable on mobile phones. Some of these apps are available for free and few require a minimal membership charge to use.
To help make Instagram account management easier for you, we at Hobo.Video have shortlisted some content creation and optimization tools that can help you save time and make more meaningful content. These tools can also help you increase your effectiveness and land you collaboration with brands of your dream.
· Top photo editing and design tools
One of the important aspects of being an influencer is creating visually appealing posts for your Instagram page. This can be achieved by using photo editing applications that would help you refine any photo that you take, or with some graphic design tools that will help you create stunning visuals to improve your brand image. Few of the top design and photo editing tools include-
Photo by Szabo Viktor on Unsplash
1. Canva-
Canva is the easiest application that anyone could access. You don’t need to have any knowledge about editing and graphic designing to be able to use this tool. Canva provides many templates, images, backgrounds and effects to create a perfect design for your content. Whether it is for Instagram stories or posts, you can create amazing banners by superimposing images, texts and graphics on a template background to attract your audience’s attention.
Canva is a free tool for image design with premium $1 pay-per-use graphics. You can avail animation and transparent background services with a monthly $12 Canva Pro subscription.
2. Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Express
Adobe Photoshop is a powerful image editing tool that comes with a variety of features to enhance pictures or develop exciting visuals. Adobe has now launched Photoshop Express for mobile phones. Photoshop Express is a user-friendly mobile application that does not have all features as the desktop version of photoshop but contains handy tools like blemish remover, and a lot of preset filter options to enhance your photos.
3. VSCO
VSCO is essentially part social media platform and part photo editing application. It has an in-depth suite of high-quality photo filters that can take your mobile photo editing skills to a new level. The premium plan contains thousands of customized, high-quality filters for only $19.99 per annum subscription fee. | https://medium.com/@hobovideo/must-have-instagram-creator-tools-for-influencers-5877b3db5835 | [] | 2021-02-12 17:07:20.840000+00:00 | ['Instagram', 'Instagram Marketing', 'Creator Toolkit', 'Influencer Marketing', 'Influencer Marketing Tips'] |
Emily in Paris: Asian Women I Know Aren’t Like Mindy Chen | SPOILER ALERT
Emily in Paris: Asian Women I Know Aren’t Like Mindy Chen
This Asian character might as well be played by a White actress — it would make no difference.
Source: Stephenie Branchu / Netflix — Emily and Mindy in “Emily in Paris”
Bored on a Sunday afternoon, I decided to check out the currently trending Netflix show “Emily in Paris” after reading mixed reviews about it. I was warned about all the stereotypes and (French) cliches by a Guardian critic, but it didn’t hit me fully until I was introduced to the character Mindy Chen.
If you haven’t seen “Emily in Paris,” it’s a story about Emily, an American woman who moves to Paris to take up a Marketing job. Not long after her arrival, she befriends Mindy, a Chinese-Korean woman who is a nanny and used to study in the States.
There are many questionable things about Emily, but I’ll leave her for the American viewers. This article will discuss Mindy Chen and other Asian characters on the show from my perspective as an Asian person who grew up in Vietnam and moved to London for study and know plenty of others who have similar backgrounds to Mindy’s.
The Mindy character has a cliche rich kid backstory: She runs away from her loaded family in Shanghai to be a nanny in Paris as she doesn’t want to live the life her parents plan out for her.
To mix things up a little bit, the show creators give Mindy a musical talent — which, I guess, is because Ashley Park playing Mindy has a background in Broadway. They also make her half-Korean instead of full-on Chinese — though I’m not sure what the intention of this is as Mindy comes across as much more American-born than Asian-born, let alone specifically Korean or Chinese or a mixture of both.
Source: The Observer — Peik Lin and Rachel Chu in “Crazy Rich Asians”
She reminds me of Peik Lin from Crazy Rich Asians. Peik Lin was portrayed by Awkwafina, whose performance was criticised for being attached to Black culture and is not an accurate representation of Asian people, especially those born and grow up in Asia.
Both Peik Lin (in the movie) and Mindy Chen are the Asian best friends who come from rich families and exist to encourage the main character to go out of her comfort zone. Mindy, in particular, gives morally questionable relationship advice to Emily throughout the show and, as a result, makes the American lead seem more coy and sensible in comparison.
As a relationship writer, I wanted to stop these characters at many points during the show and give them some urgent coaching sessions because, welp, they make horrible relationship decisions and are such bad friends and colleagues — there’s no likable character.
For this reason, I lost interest quickly halfway through, yet I continued to watch till the end of the season in case I might miss some crucial materials for this article. Lo and behold, later in the season, Mindy Chen meets up with her Shanghai friends at a club where these ladies act like they have absolutely no human control — I couldn’t relate to any of it. | https://ellengau.medium.com/emily-in-paris-asian-women-i-know-arent-like-mindy-chen-6228e63da333 | ['Ellen Nguyen'] | 2020-12-30 00:03:11.792000+00:00 | ['Emily In Paris', 'TV Shows', 'Life', 'Culture', 'Asian American'] |
BL Thai Drama 2020 (Gen Y The Series) Episode 6 「ENGSUB」 (Channel 3 Drama Series) | Episode 6 | In the world of Y, many relationships might happen from imagination but how many times does that relationship comes from the real world?
Watch On ►► http://dadangkoprol.dplaytv.net/tv/112908-1-6
Show Info
Network: Thailand Channel 3 (2020 — now)
Schedule: Wednesdays at 22:50 (30 min)
Status: Running
Language: Thai
Show Type: Scripted
Genres: Drama Romance
TELEVISION 👾
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👾 OVERVIEW 👾
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Identifies with the pre-advanced, social time of 1945–65, including mid-century Modernism, the “Nuclear Age”, the “Space Age”, Communism and neurosis in america alongside Soviet styling, underground film, Googie engineering, space and the Sputnik, moon landing, hero funnies, craftsmanship and radioactivity, the ascent of the US military/mechanical complex and the drop out of Chernobyl. Socialist simple atompunk can be an extreme lost world. The Fallout arrangement of PC games is a fabulous case of atompunk. | https://medium.com/@da-dan-g-k-opr-o-l-07/bl-thai-drama-2020-gen-y-the-series-episode-6-engsub-channel-3-drama-series-ba730ff8444d | ['Ronald B. West'] | 2020-12-16 18:27:42.995000+00:00 | ['Romance', 'Drama', 'Gay'] |
Enjoyment is defined as, “the state or process of taking pleasure in something.” | Enjoyment is defined as, “the state or process of taking pleasure in something.” Everyone in the world receives pleasure from various commodities and activities. Specifically, I enjoy entertaining people. My name is Austin Widmer and I am majoring in Filmmaking at Montclair State University. I truly love to bring a sense of a desired emotion to one. For instance, I enjoy making people laugh, while I also enjoy helping them out. However they wish to feel, I hope to portray through the use of entertainment. In addition, I enjoy traveling to new places and seeing how other people live. I really like picking up on people’s mannerisms and little motifs they carry out throughout their everyday lives. I attempt to replicate these mannerisms and use them in my own way throughout life.
I am good at coming up with unique stories and some voice over narrations. I have written a couple short films and other projects in the past. In those films, I like adding voice overs when appropriate and believe some of my voices are decent. I am also good at memorization; therefore, I like being placed in acting positions. I was always capable of memorizing all my notes the night before an exam, as well as lines in a script. I am not amazing at these listed attributes, but I hope to perfect them.
There are a plentiful amount of jobs I could get paid to do, yet obtaining those professions are sometimes difficult to do. I can get paid to become a script writer. If I was hired by a company or organization, I could possibly write for them. Also, writing my own movies would be ideal, but it’s a stretch. I can get paid as an actor, yet many actors do not make what they’re looking to receive. If I really worked on voice overs, I could get paid as a narrator or some profession with voices. I could audition for SNL and start there working on projects. Honestly right now, any of these options would be ideal.
The world is always needing more talent, entertainment, and storytellers. I could and wish to participate in all of these. I can give stories and write them for the world throughout a means of entertainment. I would want to be part of some of the films I write or help develop. I can give myself an empty role that needs to be filled. The world needs to open back up again once a vaccine is released. I hope that I can be a large part of this entertainment for the world. I will use my skills from the second paragraph to perform what I enjoy. Thus, getting paid to do what you love is all I am looking for. I believe the world needs all of us, we just have to give it our all.
This image is the title of a film I am currently working on: | https://medium.com/@widmera1/enjoyment-is-defined-as-the-state-or-process-of-taking-pleasure-in-something-cdef9b9fcdc5 | ['Austin Widmer'] | 2020-12-13 01:09:01.601000+00:00 | ['Goals', 'Filmmaking', 'Future'] |
How To Figure Out What Genre To Write In | What genre should you write in? Thriller books sell a lot of copies. So does science fiction, romance and even erotic fiction books.
A few years ago, a book marketing expert told me self-published authors earn a good living writing in these genres.
I wanted to earn a good living from writing books too.
So I spent a couple of months trying to write a thriller book that I could sell. I got up early every morning to work on it. And I hated it.
The process felt a lot more like work than anything enjoyable, and I couldn’t get the story right, let alone finish it.
I felt like I’d never become an author.
1. Are you writing the truth?
Robert McKee is a screenwriting guru that film companies like Pixar call when they have problems with their scripts. He’s also the author of the popular book every writer should read: Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting.
A couple of years ago, he gave a storytelling conference in a hotel in Sligo, in the West of Ireland.
At the end of the conference, I got a chance to meet McKee. They say you should never meet your heroes, and I was a little nervous.
I thanked him for his talk and then asked, “How does a writer figure out what to write about?”
Suffice to say, I didn’t elaborate on my attempt to write lousy thrillers or erotic fiction.
He took a copy of Story from me and autographed the first page of it with this piece of advice,
“Write the truth.”
I didn’t think much about how to apply it for a couple of weeks until I started writing thrillers again.
2. What books are in your library?
One morning, I got frustrated with the manuscript for my thriller and ripped it up. I was nowhere near the end.
I turned around and looked at my bookshelf. My bookshelf was full of business books, biographies, memoirs, and books about creativity and even some self-help.
I wasn’t reading any thriller books or much science fiction or erotic fiction. And yet, for some reason, I was trying to write those types of stories. Instead of writing my personal truth, I was in it for the money.
It was no wonder I felt blocked and miserable.
So I started writing non-fiction about problems I had at work and in my business. I started writing personal essays about creativity, fitness and parenting. I found writing my form of the truth, like McKee advised, felt much easier and more enjoyable.
So, if you’re feeling blocked or frustrated, consider what type of books fill your bookshelf or Kindle library.
Writing what you love to read will help you find ideas for your next project.
What’s more, because you’ve already read a lot of these books, you understand the conventions of the genre. So you know what readers expect.
3. Are you mindful of your influences?
Conflicting advice alert!
When you’re in the middle of a creative project, be careful of reading too many contemporary books about a similar topic.
What you read informs what you write.
Even if you don’t consciously set out to plagiarize, the ideas and stories you read will seep into your subconscious and will influence your work.
Sometimes it’s best to approach a creative project with a blank slate.
Your influences include books, music, television shows, people you talk to and blog or other writers you read or follow.
If you’re worried about inadvertently taking on a contemporary writer’s voice, consider cultivating older influences. Instead of reading something new, review the bestseller lists from 50 or 60 years ago, or classics out of copyright.
You may find an interesting idea or angle for your book or story that other contemporary writers have forgotten.
On the other hand, if you spent a lot of time reading books that were published today or yesterday, you’re more likely to regurgitate somebody else’s ideas.
Deciding what to write about is a big question for every writer.
Sure, you can write to market and knock out a thriller, romance or science-fiction book. But the happiest writers focus on revealing a personal truth. It’s hard and worthwhile work.
So, what’s your truth? | https://bryanjcollins.medium.com/how-to-finally-figure-out-what-genre-to-write-in-ed4d497463a9 | ['Bryan Collins'] | 2020-08-11 19:36:25.861000+00:00 | ['Motivation', 'Writing', 'Life', 'Writing Tips', 'Creativity'] |
How to Design Your Dream Home Entertainment Space | How to Design Your Dream Home Entertainment Space — Even if you know NOTHING About Technology
Shown: Bowers & Wilkins Speakers and McIntosh Amplification
AUDIO
When designing your home entertainment space, you need to build around your audio because audio is what creates emotion. It does not matter how impressive your display is — if you have poor audio, you will not be able to immerse yourself into what you’re watching.
The Number of Speakers
The number of speakers you choose depends on your room’s layout. In a 7.1.4 setup, you will have:
Three Speakers up front
Two Speakers in the back
Two Speakers to the side
Four In-Ceiling Speakers
And One Subwoofer
Not every room can accommodate this many speakers, but sometimes having less is actually more. There are many different speaker configurations you can have. In the following photograph, you see two (2) Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series Floor Standing Speakers and one (1) 700 Series Center Channel.
The above photo shows you a 3.0 channel setup, which creates an incredible audio experience that lets you separate the stereo sounds from the dialogue. And if your space allows it, then I highly recommend adding in a subwoofer so that your audio can have more body and depth:
I typically recommend two subwoofers so that you can stabilize the pressure in the room and evenly feel intense moments all throughout. If you don’t have a subwoofer, your audio will feel as though it is missing something because none of the low frequency vibes are being properly expressed.
TYPES OF SPEAKERS
When designing your space, you have to determine whether you would like to go with architectural speakers, floor standing speakers, bookshelf, or a mixture of all these.
Architectural
Architectural speakers are designed to go in the ceilings and/or walls of your space. If you have pets or kids, then you will appreciate that architectural speakers clean up your floorspace. You won’t have to worry about guests putting food and drinks on top of them or knocking them over.
Architectural speakers are also fantastic when it comes to uniting the various rooms of your house together to create a distributed audio experience.
This way, you can listen to music in every area of your home. Because you have speakers in all the areas you spend the most time in, this means that you will not have to play the music at a very loud volume in order to hear it. You can have guests over and let the music play at an enjoyable volume as you converse.
Some architectural speakers can even blend into your space so seamlessly that they are considered invisible; therefore, you can hear the sound without seeing any of it!
Floor Standing Speakers
Floor standing speakers are beautiful powerhouses of audio performance. They are often designed with special cabinetry made of wood and other hard materials in order to reduce resonances.
Source:
These speakers are also often seen as furniture pieces that add greater style to your home. When you have people over, they will absolutely comment on your speaker set up. If you have the space to accommodate floor standing speakers, then they are a fantastic way to bring your audio experience to the next level.
Bookshelf Speakers
And when space is limited, or if you want something that has a smaller profile, then you may go with bookshelf speakers. Bookshelf speakers, just like their floor standing counterparts, often come in different colors and finishes, so you can find something that complements your space.
PROCESSORS & AMPLIFICATION
When designing your entertainment space, please make sure that you have the proper processors and amplification for your speakers.
Processors
The processor, also known as the preamp, deals with all the decoding and processing of audio and video being fed into your system through different inputs and sources such as CD’s, DVD’s, and Blu-ray Disc Players. Choosing the right processor will have a dramatic effect on technologies such as 4K Ultra High Definition, 3D Audio, and High Dynamic Range (HDR).
Amplifiers
Processors connect to amplifiers so that your entertainment technologies can be integrated with your speakers as the the best sound possible. By choosing the right amplifier, you will increase the lifespan of your speakers, protect them from damage, and hear them as they were intended to be heard.
As new technologies come into existence, you may need to upgrade your processor; however, your amplifiers are here to stay forever. The number of speakers an amplifier can power is dependent on the amplifier you choose. For stereo listening, where you only have two speakers connected, you can go with a two channel Stereo Amplifier.
MC152 Amplifier shown with C47 Preamplifier (replaced by C49), MCT450 SACD/CD Transport (replaced by MCT500), and XR50 Speakers in Red Walnut. Source:https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/amplifiers/MC152
However, for home theater applications, you may need to choose an amplifier that can provide up to seven channels of audio or more.
Audio Video (A/V) Receivers
Even though separate processors and amplifiers are the best way to go, they tend to also drive up the cost on your home entertainment system. To save money, you can go with Audio/Video Receivers which integrate both the processor and amplifier into one body.
A/V Receivers are designed with different classifications and power spectrums. A good rule of thumb is that at your receiver should cost at least 1/3rd the price of your speakers. That way, you are not underpowering them. For example, if your speakers cost $5,000, then your a/v receiver should cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $1700. This way, you can ensure that you are getting the best sound possible while also ensuring the longevity of the speakers.
SPEAKER WIRE & CABLES
High-quality speaker wire makes a considerable difference in your audio. You can have the greatest processor, amplifier, and speakers in the world, but the quality of the audio that comes out of your setup can be impacted by poor quality speaker wire. Choose speaker wire with solid metals, smooth surfaces, noise dissipation technologies, and optimal geometry so that your audio is heard in its purest form.
Today, you are going to want to go with cables that are 8K ready, transfer up to 48Gbps bandwidth, and have eARC, which sends sound from your television to your soundbar or a/v receiver.
ACOUSTICS
You also need to consider how well your room was designed for acoustics. A room can introduce lots of sound reflections and noise artifacts when you listen to music or watch movies. Acoustic treatments help you to reduce these reflections and artifacts so that you can have the best sound experience possible.
In the photo above, you see a series of acoustic panels adorn the walls. They were selected carefully to match the color and style of the room while still offering the proper acoustic treatments so that you can enjoy your content the way it was meant to be enjoyed.
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES
Now that you have chosen the number and type of speakers for your home entertainment space, along with the proper processors, amplifiers, and cables, you are ready to choose your Display Technology.
Televisions
Televisions will provide you the best picture, and they are fantastic for spaces that will share other kinds of activity. If you go with a big screen television, then that can certainly be the focal point of your home theater space. Most televisions will go up to 85".
Projectors
If you want the largest viewing surface possible, one that exceeds 90", then you may want to go with a projector. If you go with a 4K projector that has the proper brightness (lumens) for your space, then you can optimize your viewing experience.
Screens
It is incredibly important that you choose a screen that reflects light and captures the best image possible. Different screens have different textures and applications.
Some screens allow you to hide speakers right behind them while still allowing the sound to permeate their fabric.
It all depends on what you are looking to accomplish. I highly recommend you partner up with someone who specializes in entertainment space design to help you select the appropriate screen for your space.
LIGHTING & AMBIANCE
To really get that cinematic feel, you can even sync your lights up to the action you see on the big screen.
CONTROL
So, now you have a processor, an amplifier, a television/projector, perhaps a motorized screen, lighting, a Blu-ray player, an Apple TV, and you have sound throughout your home. How do you control it all?
When designing your system, you need to make sure that you keep control in mind. You do not want to use individual remote controls to operate all your equipment, so it is a good idea to use one singular remote control that is programmed to operate everything. This makes it easier for you, your family, and your guests to enjoy your entertainment space!
CONCLUSION
If you want to create an incredible home entertainment space, you need to make sure you follow these design fundamentals. Of course, there is a lot more to learn than what I could express in this article; however, now you have a starting point.
Your next steps are to go into each of these individual categories and learn more about the universe of audio and video design. You’re going to learn about power, impedance, total harmonic distortion, and so much more. | https://medium.com/@avplans/how-to-design-your-dream-home-entertainment-space-even-if-you-know-nothing-about-technology-90fec6e98a6d | ['Numair Qureshi'] | 2021-09-09 20:51:11.603000+00:00 | ['Surround Sound', 'Audiovisual', 'Speakers', 'Luxury', 'Home Theater'] |
Business Plan For Programmers | What is it? What should it contain? And why it’s crucial to learn how to write it?
Preparing a business plan is vital and it can help you to create your own business from scratch. Because preparing a business plan is not being taught in technical specializations, we’ll outline for programmers, software developers, and engineers to help plan their own business. Here are the details.
What is a business plan?
The business plan is a document about how the whole business will be established. They include estimations, timelines, budgets, and plans with precisely realistic and detailed forms for investors to evaluate. If you don’t write your business plan for investors, then, it’d be written for the top management about goals, means of accomplishing them, and their timeline to complete these plans. So, it’s a document about the business goals, how they will be completed, and what their timelines are with an organizational chart.
How to prepare a business plan?
A business plan should be precise, realistic and every detail included in all their charts and estimations. Even more, it should be clean and simple enough to be understood by the investors or top management to convince them to make an investment in your startup or setting goals for your current business. They’re being prepared with a Gantt chart, organizational chart, responsibility assignment matrix, and personnel information. And all these details should be written formally to present to top management and investors.
And why knowing to prepare a business plan is crucial?
Knowing to prepare a business plan could save you a lot of time to build your company in its earliest stages. Even more, it could help you get your preferred mean of financing to your startup or an established company. Moreover, it could help you on your way to the top management if you work at a low ending position in a large corporation.
So, preparing a business plan could give you an upper hand in executive positions and finding appropriate means of financing for your business to expand.
According to you, why programmers need to learn to write a business plan? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below. | https://medium.com/dev-genius/business-plan-for-programmers-164fa4484f8a | ['Ata Tekeli'] | 2020-12-15 09:20:48.630000+00:00 | ['Business Plan', 'Coding', 'Programming', 'Business'] |
Pathways for the United States and Vietnam to Establish a Strategic Partnership by 2020 | Thi Bich Tran, Visiting Fellow at the East-West Center in Washington explains that “President Trump’s America First foreign policy has raised questions about the trajectory of the U.S.-Vietnamese comprehensive partnership.”
The United States and Vietnam, former enemies, have transformed relations into a partnership since rapprochement in 1995. Moving away from their twentieth-century enmity, the two sides reached a breakthrough in relations with the establishment of a comprehensive partnership in 2013. A further step was taken in 2017 when a joint statement was issued for enhancing the comprehensive partnership. The next step should be establishing a strategic partnership by 2020.
The foundation of the relationship between the United States and Vietnam comprises more than strategic considerations. It is deeply emotional, as people from both sides have worked together to address war legacies — including the search for personnel missing in action — long before the restoration of the diplomatic relations. Former veterans of the Vietnam War such as the late Senator John McCain — who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for five years — have played an important role in the two countries’ reconciliation process and subsequent friendship
A common concern about China’s aggressiveness in the South China Sea has further facilitated the growth of U.S.-Vietnam relations. Washington and Hanoi share deep concern about Beijing’s land reclamation and the militarization of artificial islands. For Vietnam, China’s expansive claim has directly challenged its sovereignty and national interests. For the United States, China’s actions in the South China Sea not only challenge freedom of navigation — on which the economies of the United States and its Indo-Pacific allies largely depend — but also demonstrate China as a “revisionist power.” Hanoi needs external help to enhance its maritime capability, and helping Vietnam is in the strategic and economic interests of the United States. Therefore, the two sides have come together at quick pace.
The 2013 joint statement on the establishment of the United States-Vietnam comprehensive partnership and the 2017 joint statement for enhancing the comprehensive partnership clearly reflect the development of bilateral relations. Among the nine areas of cooperation, bilateral defense and security cooperation is worth noting. In the 2013 statement, defense and security cooperation ranks number seven (in written order) with a focus on search-and-rescue activities and non-traditional security matters. In the 2017 joint statement, defense and security cooperation moves up to number three in the list with a focus on maritime security.
Despite all the progress made in bilateral relations, President Trump’s America First foreign policy has raised questions about the trajectory of the U.S.-Vietnamese comprehensive partnership. On his first day in office, the president withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), of which Vietnam was a member. The Trump administration also prioritizes fair and reciprocal trade, and Vietnam runs a significant trade surplus with the United States. Given these changes on the part of Washington, will the United States continue to pay attention to the South China Sea disputes and provide support and assistance to Vietnam?
Despite difficulties on the trade side of bilateral relations, other aspects of United States-Vietnam cooperation have continued under the Trump administration. The Department of State has consistently provided funding for post-war demining in Vietnam. The Department of Defense’s decision to join the remediation of Agent Orange (dioxin) in 2019 was an important development, providing more funding for Vietnam. The Maritime Security Initiative (MSI), which aims to help Southeast Asian countries — including Vietnam — strengthen their maritime domain awareness capabilities, remains intact. Politically, the two countries have frequent meetings and delegation exchanges. The United States has even sent an aircraft carrier to visit Vietnam-the first time since the end of the Vietnam War.
The Vietnamese government has indicated that a strategic partnership with Washington is its objective. If so, what are the hindrances in upgrading the partnership to a strategic level? Politically, Vietnam’s Communist Party (VCP) fears regime change. Hanoi therefore hopes to get support and assistance from external powers without interference in its internal affairs. However, while Washington wants to help Hanoi improve its maritime capability, it also puts pressure on the latter’s human rights conditions. Since the Obama administration committed to conclude the TPP in its joint statement with Hanoi, the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the agreement has negatively affected Vietnam’s trust in the United States. It will also be difficult to achieve a strategic partnership amidst US pressure on trade. Meanwhile, defense and security cooperation — despite noticeable improvements — has not grown as fast as U.S. expectations, but at a pace comfortable to Vietnam. One of the main reasons for Hanoi’s cautions is that it does not want to alienate China, with which it shares a long border, complicated history, and similar political ideology. Moreover, the fact that Vietnam does not have enough personnel who speak English to conduct joint exercises and training with their American counterparts has proven to be a capacity problem in enhancing bilateral defense cooperation.
United States-Vietnam relations might attain a strategic-level status if the two sides can address the problems above. Washington has committed to respecting Hanoi’s political system and should continue this commitment. Despite the call from other countries, due to domestic political constraints, the United States is unlikely to rejoin the TPP (now called the Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership) in the near future. Thus, increasing American investment to Vietnam should be the focus of bilateral economic ties. Vietnam might benefit from the U.S.-China trade war as some U.S. as well as Chinese businesses are considering relocating to Vietnam. However, one of the main U.S. concerns is Vietnam’s cyber law, which requires the stationing of internet servers on Vietnam’s soil. Thus, Vietnam should consider changing the law to attract foreign investment. To deepen defense ties, Vietnam should allow more U.S. military ships to visit and participate in joint exercises. The United States also should offer more training to Vietnamese military personnel.
The trajectory of the United States-Vietnam partnership largely depends on the U.S. approach in deepening the relationship, China’s actions in the South China Sea, and Vietnam’s improvement of its human rights record. However, it is widely said that the Trump administration is downplaying the promotion of democracy and human rights in its foreign policy. Moreover, Hanoi’s position in international affairs will be significantly enhanced in 2020. On June 7th, 2019 Vietnam was selected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council to serve during the 2020–2021 term. Hanoi will also be ASEAN’s chair during the same year. In addition, 2020 is the 25th anniversary of the normalization of the U.S.-Vietnam relations. These factors might make it an auspicious year to upgrade U.S.-Vietnam bilateral ties to a strategic partnership to help shape the Asia-Pacific regional order. | https://medium.com/asia-pacific-bulletin/pathways-for-the-united-states-and-vietnam-to-establish-a-strategic-partnership-by-2020-99f2ea48b6d0 | ['East-West Center In Washington'] | 2019-06-19 20:29:17.603000+00:00 | ['Strategy', 'Asia', 'Vietnam', 'Foreign Policy'] |
How civic tech volunteers should engage government staff | If you’re a civic tech volunteer, does the following story sound familiar?
I was meeting with a city employee to talk about simplifying the city’s reservations system for city-owned plazas, meeting rooms, etc. We chatted, I immediately saw an opportunity to improve things, and I said I’d follow up with her in a week or two with more specifics.
“Great!” she said. “See you never.”
Taken aback, I asked her what she meant. She half-smiled and said, “I’ve seen three of you guys come up here over the past 10 years with ideas to solve all my problems, and nothing ever changes.”
Credit: Code for San Francisco
I had a few encounters like that before I took the hint and realized I wasn’t God’s gift to civic product management. Since then, I’ve seen civic tech projects succeed and fail from the perspective of a volunteer (as captain of Code for San Francisco) and since 2015 as a product manager in government. I hope sharing this perspective will help like-minded civic tech volunteers to work more constructively with government staff.
First, put yourself in the govvie’s shoes
When you’re reaching out to someone, think about their context. It’s really important and will probably determine whether you’re successful or not.
Your govvie may have been doing their job a long time and been asked exactly the same questions you’re asking… by someone else… a few times. Your job is to expect that they don’t think you’re for real and earn their trust. Your brilliant idea? Your govvie may or may not have thought of it already. Or they have their own idea. Turns out it doesn’t matter. Don’t walk in there and start talking like you have all the answers. It’s condescending and annoying. Instead, listen and take notes like there’s no tomorrow. If you’re lucky, you’ll get stories and insider knowledge that’s worth its weight in civic tech volunteer gold. How was your day? Long? Yeah. Turns out your govvie, working to help your city, had a long day, too… every day for the past 15 years. So when 6:30pm on Wednesday rolls around and you’re excitedly kicking off your evening of civic hacking, they’re probably settling down to spend time with their family or justifiably relaxing after a day wrapped in red tape.
Just keep all that in mind as you wait for a response to your initial email outreach.
Requesting permission to approach
All right! You’re ready to talk to someone!
Do your homework
No really. Do it. A little research goes a long way. Maybe one of the other civic tech volunteers wrote up a little documentation about how the city government is organized. Maybe Wikipedia has something. Maybe the city has done the documentation itself! (Hint hint — budget books or even a budget website.) Most importantly, you’ll ask better questions. Govvies respond better when the questions show you care enough to do basic research. “Err… the Parking Clerk is in the Transportation Department, right?”
Check your urgency at the door
Guess what someone who has worked at the Parking Clerk for 24 years is feeling. I have no idea. But it’s far, far away from “I need to move fast or the world will end”. Govvies may have been in their jobs longer than you’ve been alive. Their timeframe of reference may be very different from yours. If you set your expectations properly, choose not to rush someone, and listen attentively, that patience will work out in your favor. Govvies will see you’re not trying to be a smart alec, steal their job, or criticize them. They may even choose to make your project their sole focus for a while.
[update — thanks amenity!] Checking your urgency doesn’t apply only to pushing your idea — it also applies to creating something sustainable. In my experience, the bulk of the costs / troubles with software comes after you launch. Helping your govvie to maintain their new toys after you leave means you’ll always have an insider to help you navigate the system.
r-e-s,p-E-c-t
Let’s say you design logos. How long have you been doing that? Six years? Great. Imagine that someone random reached out to you, told you about their 60-days-of-doodling sketchbook, and pitched you on switching to their new way of designing logos. Or imagine they told you that your way of designing logos wasn’t what a true human-centered Agilista practicing Xtreme Scrum-ban would do. What would you say? If you’re feeling charitable, you might say “Ok… are you sure you have any idea what you’re talking about?” If you’re feeling like a normal human being, you’d tell them to f*** off.
Instead, what if someone came to you and said, “You work on logos, right? I’m really interested in that. Can you share your experiences with me?” What would you say? You’d probably be more willing to start talking.
Credit: Jesse Biroscak and the City of Boston budget analysts
On a related note, don’t assume a government employee is going to be some luddite using an abacus who doesn’t want to change anything. That’s a stereotype that in my experience is rarely true. I’ve worked with 35-year veterans who were super-excited to replace their bulletin board with a 50” digital screen and an RSS feed because it’s a better service experience for constituents. Some of my favorite govvies have worked with MS-DOS tax software since 1982 and been stuck wishing for a (now deprecated) upgrade since the fall of the Soviet Union. Sure, some govvies aren’t tech savvy…but if you walk in with the attitude that they are the problem to be solved, you’ll put them on the defensive. Don’t let their door hit you on the way out.
Listen like your life (or at least your project) depended on it
Since you are coming in knowing next to nothing about an area of government work, it’s best to ask an open-ended question that gets someone talking and focus 100% on how fascinating what they’re saying is to you.
“How does this all work, anyways?”
Oh, and take some notes, too. It keeps you focused on what your govvie is saying, it shows professionalism, and it serves as documentation for volunteers picking up the project (or something related) later on.
Remember that this govvie is giving you insider knowledge of government bureaucracy. You and I both know that’s exactly what you’re looking for: little nuggets of improvable operational inefficiency, opportunities to open and visualize data to display never-before-seen trends affecting thousands of people, or perhaps just the chance to digitize a popular paper form.
They are giving you insider knowledge of government bureaucracy… and you and I both know that’s what you’re looking for: little nuggets of improvable operational inefficiency.
The only way to get those tidbits is to have someone on the inside tell you. It’s hard to hear what someone else is saying if you’re already speaking. So listen carefully and learn what they find to be annoying or stupid. Then ask them how they would fix it. Oh? Their solution requires a way to scrape PDFs? Oh! Oh! You know how to do that. Now’s your chance to…
Deliver
Deliver for them. Deliver for them because they’re the best thing since sliced bread in your opinion. Don’t over-promise and under-deliver. Just deliver. They’re a celebrity in your world. That celebrity just asked you to get them a Perrier. Deliver it to them on a silver platter with an optional slice of lemon. Put your own ideas on really cold ice and deliver whatever they need. Your goal is to gain trust, and you get MAJOR trust points if you’re exclusively a helpful person. Soon they’ll be asking you for your ideas and you’ll finally get to build-a-thing.
Jesse. You’re a liar. That didn’t work.
Hold up. Did you REALLY listen? If not, stop whining. Stop trying to save the world by yourself and learn how to listen. Ask a friend, “Am I a good listener?” If you interrupt them, you’re not. If you spent your conversation with the govvie waiting for the chance to tell them what your revolutionary idea is, then you missed the point. If you actually listened, you can probably be flexible, patient, and persistent, too. Thank you for being awesome! That said, there are some unknowns that come with engaging a govvie. It’s possible they’re just not that into you, they’re legitimately busy, or they don’t use email (I wish I was joking here). You may need to put this meaty problem you want to sink your teeth into aside for the moment. That’s ok! The nice thing about being a civic tech volunteer is that there’s no shortage of problems to work on. Hooray for tons of work to do… I think… right?
The hard thing about hard things®
Changing a system designed to be slow-ish moving and resilient to rapid change is… hard. Hard things are, in the words of bhorowitz… difficult. Set your expectations properly (don’t expect attempts 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 to work at all). With a positive attitude and drive to make government better, you won’t be deterred by the people you will inevitably meet telling you:
“It won’t work.” Translation: I don’t want to change my comfortable and established habits.
“It’s illegal / We aren’t allowed to do that.” These are often myths that may have been facts once, but have since changed. They are perpetuated by people who don’t ask, “Have you verified that fact?”
Pro tip: Make friends with a creative City lawyer. Some of them are absolutely stoked to improve how government works.
“That’s just how things are, so give up — stop trying.” This is a time when you’ll need a supportive group around you. Someone just asked you to give up. What do you do? Things don’t change overnight, and you shouldn’t expect them to.
Hint: Don’t give up. Persist! Just keep showing up and delivering whatever you promised.
That’s it. Rinse, repeat.
Let’s do more of this.
I have a feeling a lot of people have govvie or civic tech stories they want to share, but they don’t write about them. If you want to get something about civic tech out to the world, let me know! We’ll asynchronously and iteratively collaborate — no Xtreme Scrum-ban required. | https://medium.com/code-for-america/https-medium-com-jbiroscak-how-civic-tech-volunteers-should-engage-government-staff-d3a9f8eed3bd | ['Jesse Biroscak'] | 2017-06-23 21:10:56.440000+00:00 | ['Civictech', 'Govtech', 'Civic Tech Network', 'Code For America', 'Human Centered Design'] |
How to log a Node.js API in an Express.js app with Mongoose plugins | This tutorial will require prior knowledge of the mongoose Object Relational Mapping (ORM) technique
Introduction
As your application grows, logging becomes a crucial part to keep track of everything. It is especially important for debugging purposes.
Nowadays there are already logging modules available at npm. These modules can store logs in a file in different formats, or levels. We are going to discuss the API logging in your Node.js Express app using the popular ORM Mongoose.
So how you would create a Mongoose plugin that will do logging for you in a cleaner way and make API logging easy?
What is a plugin in Mongoose?
In Mongoose, schemas are pluggable. A plugin is like a function that you can use in your schema and reuse again and again over schema instances.
Mongoose also provides global plugins which you can use for all schemas. For example, we are going to write a plugin that will create a diff of two jsons and write to mongodb .
Step 1: Creating a Basic Log Schema Model
Let’s create a basic log schema with the following six properties:
Action: As per its name, this will be a course of action of the API whether it is create update delete or something else.
As per its name, this will be a course of action of the API whether it is or something else. Category: API category. For example doctors and patients. It is more like a class.
API category. For example doctors and patients. It is more like a class. CreatedBy: User who is using the API or invoked it.
User who is using the API or invoked it. Message: Here you can include any kind of message you want to show that will make sense or help during debugging.
Here you can include any kind of message you want to show that will make sense or help during debugging. Diff: This is the main property which will have the diff of two JSONs
You can add more fields if you want that make sense for your own application. A schema can be changed and upgraded according to requirements.
Here is our model: models/log.js
const mongoose = require('mongoose') const Schema = mongoose.Schema const { ObjectId } = Schema const LogSchema = new Schema({ action: { type: String, required: true }, category: { type: String, required: true }, createdBy: { type: ObjectId, ref: 'Account', required: true }, message: { type: String, required: true }, diff: { type: Schema.Types.Mixed }, },{ timestamps: { createdAt: 'createdAt', updatedAt: 'updatedAt' }, }) LogSchema.index({ action: 1, category: 1 }) module.exports = mongoose.model('Log', LogSchema)
Step 2: Write a function to get the difference between 2 JSONs
So the next step is that you need a reusable function that will create a diff of two JSONs on the fly.
Let's call it diff.js
const _ = require('lodash') exports.getDiff = (curr, prev) => { function changes(object, base) { return _.transform(object, (result, value, key) => { if (!_.isEqual(value, base[key])) result[key] = (_.isObject(value) && _.isObject(base[key])) ? changes(value, base[key]) : value }) } return changes(curr, prev) }
I have used lodash , which is a popular library, to provide the same functionality.
Let's break down the above function and see what's going on:
_.transform: It’s an alternative to .reduce for arrays. Basically, it will iterate over your object keys and values . It provides an accumulator which is the first argument. result is the accumulator and it is mutable.
It’s an alternative to for arrays. Basically, it will iterate over your object and . It provides an which is the first argument. is the accumulator and it is mutable. _.isEqual: Performs a deep comparison between two values to determine if they are equivalent.
isEqual: This method supports comparing arrays, array buffers, booleans, date objects, error objects, maps, numbers, Object objects, regexes, sets, strings, symbols, and typed arrays. Object objects are compared by their own, not inherited, enumerable properties. Functions and DOM nodes are compared by strict equality, i.e. === .
Here we are iterating over each object property and value and comparing it with our old/prev object.
If the value of the current object is not equal to a value of the same property in the previous object: base[key] and if that value is the object itself, we call the function changes recursively until it gets a value which will be finally stored in result as result[key] = value .
Step3: Create a plugin to use diff and save it to database
Now we need to keep track of the previous document in the database and create a diff before saving to mongodb .
const _ = require('lodash') const LogSchema = require('../models/log')
const { getDiff } = require('../utils/diff') const plugin = function (schema) { schema.post('init', doc => { doc._original = doc.toObject({transform: false}) }) schema.pre('save', function (next) { if (this.isNew) { next() }else { this._diff = getDiff(this, this._original) next() } })
schema.methods.log = function (data) { data.diff = { before: this._original, after: this._diff, } return LogSchema.create(data) } } module.exports = plugin
In Mongoose, there are different hooks available. For now, we need to use the init and save methods available on the schema.
this.isNew() : If you are creating the new document then just return next() middleware.
In schema.post('init') toObject() :
doc._original = doc.toObject({transform: false})
Mongoose Model s inherit from Document s, which have a toObject() method. It will convert a document into an Object() and transform:false is for not allowing to transform the return object.
Step 4: Usage — How to use in express.js API
In your main server.js or app.js :
Initialise a global plugin so that it will be available for all schemas. You can also use it for a particular schema by initializing it in the schema model.
const mongoose = require('mongoose') mongoose.plugin(require('./app/utils/diff-plugin'))
Here is a basic example of user update API:
const User = require('../models/user') exports.updateUser = (req, res, next) => { return User.findById(req.params.id)
.then(user => {
if (!user) throw new Error('Target user does not exist. Failed to update.') const { name } = req.body if (name) user.name = name return user.save() })
.then(result => {
res.json(result)
return result
})
.catch(next)
.then(user => { if (user && typeof user.log === 'function') { const data = { action: 'update-user', category: 'users', createdBy: req.user.id, message: 'Updated user name', } return user.log(data) } }).catch(err => { console.log('Caught error while logging: ', err) }) }
Conclusion
In this tutorial, you learned how to create a Mongoose plugin and use it to log the changes in your API. You can do a lot more with plugins to build a robust node application.
Here are resources to learn more about Mongoose and plugin usage:
80/20 Guide to mongoose plugins: http://thecodebarbarian.com/2015/03/06/guide-to-mongoose-plugins
https://mongoosejs.com/docs/plugins.html
I hope you find this tutorial useful, feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Follow Shailesh Shekhawat to get notified whenever I published a new post.
Don’t hesitate to clap if you considered this a worthwhile read! | https://medium.com/free-code-camp/how-to-log-a-node-js-api-in-an-express-js-app-with-mongoose-plugins-efe32717b59 | ['Shailesh Shekhawat'] | 2019-02-21 00:20:15.080000+00:00 | ['Debugging', 'Developer', 'JavaScript', 'Mongodb', 'Nodejs'] |
Export ke CSV cuma Pakai Vanilla JS | Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more
Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore | https://medium.com/belajar-ngeweb-id/export-ke-csv-cuma-pakai-vanilla-js-370e7fd6d9fd | ['Riyan Satria'] | 2020-12-11 05:29:00.664000+00:00 | ['Javascript Tips', 'Rekayasa Perangkat Lunak', 'JavaScript', 'Pemrograman', 'Javascript Indonesia'] |
Eye Detection Using Python in Colab | CODE:
Uploading cascade files:
2.Uploading the image:
3.We need to import some packages: numpy , cv2 , matplotlib .
4.A path to access cascade classifier:
5.To display the image we uploaded:
6.Method to create rectangle when eye is detected, here 7 is the width of the rectangle and (x,y),(x+w,y+h),(255,0,0) is the RGB value of the outline of the rectangle.
7.The final output:
You can access the cascade files and the code from my Github.
https://github.com/AMULYA-SRKL/EYE-DETECTION | https://medium.com/@amulyalokeshwari22/eye-detection-using-python-in-colab-ac48f7014242 | [] | 2020-12-30 15:50:29.182000+00:00 | ['Object Detection', 'Python', 'Opencv', 'Colab'] |
Everything is Negotiable: A Guide to Getting What We Want. | Everything Is Negotiable, the Five Tactics to Get What You Want in Life, Love and Work.
A recent study found that 60% of women have never negotiated with an employer over pay and 72% would rather leave their employer to get a salary increase than negotiate. Reasons behind avoiding negotiations include believing accomplishments and efforts will be noticed and rewarded without having to ask, feeling more comfortable negotiating for others as opposed to themselves, fear of how they will be perceived and being labeled as too ambitious.
We invited Dr. Meg Myers Morgan, author of Everything is Negotiable, to help VEST Members uncover the gender gap in negotiations and to coach us through how we can become more effective negotiators.
Here are the main takeaways.
Reframe the way you think about negotiations. Women often shy away from negotiating because they feel like they are tricking someone into something. Negotiation is not a zero sum game and it doesn’t mean you are manipulating someone for more than you deserve. Negotiating is leveraging your worth for something you value.
Set Ground Rules. To achieve the outcome you truly want, you will need Clarity + Motivation + Accountability (What + Why + How). Ask yourself: What is it that I need? Why do I need it? How am I going to get it?
Practice Dr. Myers Morgan Five Tactics to Get What You Want:
Don’t Confuse Your Wants. You are not going to achieve what you want in life if you aren’t certain what it is you want. Most people get wrapped up in the wants of others, in competing with others and, in comparing themselves to others, they lose sight of what they want. When it comes to life goals, don’t be confused about what you want. Unless it’s a haircut. It’s hard not to want the haircuts of others. Choose All That Apply. You’ve probably been told you have to make choices. You do, of course. But you’ve probably also been told that making choices means eliminating other great options. This makes no sense because the more choices you make in life, the more choices you are presented. Ever made the choice to order a coffee at Starbucks? Then you get the concept. Own the Terms. Ever have a date order your meal for you? Even if he or she orders what you wanted, you still feel weird, right? We give over our narrative to more than just weird dates, we give it over in life to our kids, parents, friends, spouses, etc. We let other people set our terms, often in small ways we don’t even notice. You not only have to set your own terms, you must constantly communicate those terms. And you’ll have the chicken, thank you very much. Never Give Your All. I’ll never understand where the concept “give it your all” came from. I’m guessing from a nurse in the delivery room. But by and large, very rarely do you need to give anything your all. Buying into the idea that you must give anything and everything your all is what is holding you back from taking on new challenges. Who wants to start a new career path or go back to college when they are in the middle of streaming House of Cards? But, if you know you don’t have to give any of those your all, then all of it is possible. Get Out of Your Way. More than anyone else, any schedule, any demand, and any obstacle, we are in our own way. Most of the time, we are in our heads thinking thoughts and dreaming up issues that will never come to be. Even if they do, there is no reward for having predicted the bad stuff, and no surefire way to ensure the good stuff. When it comes to getting what you want out of life, you’ll find the biggest thing standing in your way is you. So step aside. | https://medium.com/vest-her/everything-is-negotiable-a-womens-guide-to-getting-what-she-wants-8c373a805a24 | ['Erika Lucas'] | 2020-12-17 18:57:15.752000+00:00 | ['Gender Equality', 'Women In Business', 'Women', 'Women In Tech', 'Negotiation'] |
How to Watch Instagram Stories Without Being a Creep | In the four years since Instagram launched Stories, the video clips that display as small bubbles atop users’ feeds have become extremely popular. In January 2019, 500 million people posted or viewed Instagram Stories daily, up 66% from 2017, (Snapchat, by comparison, averaged 202 million daily users in 2019.)
Despite this popularity, the rules of how to properly use Instagram Stories are still up for debate.
Instagram Stories are fleeting, vanishing within 24 hours, à la Snapchat, and are generally posted with the expectation that they are captured and uploaded in the moment, without first being FaceTuned or Photoshopped. “As people are more aware that Instagram pictures were staged, there was a tension,” explains David Craig, a media professor at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and author of Social Media Entertainment: The New Intersection of Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Stories, he says, show that someone is spontaneous and communicative, helping them nurture the relationship between themselves and their communities. When Swedish communications researcher Marina Amâncio interviewed Instagram Story users, Sofia, a 21-year-old medical student, explained to her, “If I go to a party I want to remember, I’ll post a ’gram,” she said. “But for daily things, like food, I like to share that in Stories.”
Because of their spontaneous nature, Instagram Stories somehow feel more casual and intimate than the static posts on Instagram and other social media. Someone who’d never post a photo of their baby may have no qualms bouncing them around for an Insta Story, despite it being more revealing in terms of location and setting. Following an ex’s Instagram feed doesn’t seem that weird (sad maybe, but not weird), but watching their Instagram Stories can verge on creepy. This is amplified by the fact that with Instagram Stories, you can see who has viewed the content, not only who has commented or liked it.
When Amâncio tracked user data and habits of 25 Instagram Story users who were 20 to 27 years old, she found that each checked their account multiple times a day, and they all paid attention to who viewed their stories.
This visibility makes it easy to spot very specific behaviors that can be labeled creepy. There’s “orbiting,” where someone who’s ghosting you IRL starts viewing your feed on social. “Breadcrumbing” is when someone you’re vaguely interested in hearts or comments on your stories with no follow-through — a low-level catfish, essentially. A bunch of new terms will probably exist by the time this publishes. Visibility may also introduce a new paranoia about whether people can tell how much or how often you’ve viewed their content — for instance, whether your bubble of stories appears toward the beginning in their list of options to view. (An Instagram spokesperson assured me this is not the case, saying the algorithm considers timeliness, relationship, and “more.”)
In light of this new dynamic, more and more people are changing their settings to private — including influencers. Around 45% of all social media users have private accounts. Yup, I said influencers: Moist Buddha, a comedian and meme master, has 2.1 million followers on his private account (he accepted my request within 12 hours), as does Neat Mom, with 867,000 followers.
The term “private,” in this case, is used more loosely. It’s about being in the inner circle of an influencer’s fans. It takes your high school clique up a notch. If you’re allowed into the influencers’ (or the popular kids’) Insta accounts, you get to see their stories as and when they appear. If you miss them, there’s no going back: 24 hours later, they’ll be gone forever. Be there or be square, right?
“There’s a premium to be able to spend time [with a] creator in a private space,” Craig says. “If you can only see them on their broadest platform, it’s because you haven’t earned enough trust.” But is it really intimate when they have a million followers? Yes, Craig says, when you think about scale — if 3 billion people use social media, being part of the 1 million “inner circle” is still exclusive. “It’s not quite the same as real-world direct intimacy,” he explains. “It’s not a one-on-one dynamic. It’s an interactive, networked, and mediated relationship between creators and their community.”
Instagram influencers going private underscores that there really are no hard rules when it comes to viewing or posting content on the platform. But some things come up more often. Obviously, any type of harassing behavior is unwelcome. If someone claps or hearts your story, it’s considered polite to thank them. “I do a heart or thank them in a message (if I see they did it more than once),” wrote one Redditor. “Yep, almost always, a heart usually,” wrote another. (This isn’t necessary if your views are from Russian spambots.) And if you’re worried people will think you’re weird because you viewed their stories, Craig says it’s most likely only weird for you, because people usually want their stories to be viewed — it’s validation.
“Users need to make sense and meaning out of the content they share online,” wrote Amâncio, the researcher who studied how Instagram users viewed stories. “Through their own narratives, they place themselves in context to the world.” She believes the importance of Instagram Stories is about the real-time experience of an event, which is shared with viewers who want to experience the same. It’s a little narcissistic, but for people still defining their place in the world, seeing and being seen is incredibly important. | https://onezero.medium.com/how-to-watch-instagram-stories-without-being-a-creep-f412a7f51d03 | ['Zara Stone'] | 2019-12-19 06:31:01.507000+00:00 | ['Internet Culture', 'Social Media', 'Relationships', 'Digital Life', 'Instagram'] |
Mengulik Kisah Para ‘Lulusan Korona’ | We write just for you, FreshGrads! | https://medium.com/@freshgritproject/mengulik-kisah-para-lulusan-korona-9060f6f2e98c | ['Fresh Grit Project'] | 2020-12-11 05:16:24.400000+00:00 | ['Job Search', 'Fresh Graduate', 'Jobs'] |
The Valley of Headless Men | The National Park Reserve
The Nahanni River Valley forms the Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories. This large, nearly 12000 square mile (roughly 30,000 square kilometres) park contains some of the most breathtaking landscapes that Canada has to offer, including Mount Nirvana — the largest mountain in the Northwest Territories, many hot springs, whitewater rapids, and an incredible waterfall.
The Virginia Falls in the Nahanni Valley is a massive 295-foot drop (90m), and if you include the Sluice Box Rapids above the falls, it is more than twice the height of Niagra Falls. In the middle defiantly stands a large spike of rock, named Mason’s Rock. It is absolutely breathtaking.
“A tropical valley set in the midst of Arctic wastes,” one writer called it. “An evil, poisonous Shangri-La in the heart of the Yukon.”
The falls are so large that the mist it creates actually makes the perfect habitat for many species of rare orchid.
Good luck if you ever want to see the sights of the Nahanni Valley for yourself. There are no roads going to this park, the only way in is by floatplane or traveling up the river. Its isolation has kept the area pristine for thousands of years.
“Men vanish in that country… and down the river, they say it’s a damned good country to keep clear of.” — Advice given to a hopeful prospector.
The Nahanni Valley name comes from the indigenous Dene language for the area — Naha Dehe, meaning river of the land of the Naha people. The Dene people tell stories of hidden tropical gardens, mythical creatures, and ghosts haunting the valley.
“I once heard a Dehcho chief tell stories of an ancient giant of Gahnhthah (Rabbitkettle Hotsprings), who would cook his food in the springs,” says Joel Hibbard, owner of a guiding outfit in Nahanni Park
The Legend
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
The spectacular scenery of the Nahanni Valley stands in stark contrast to its sinister past that birthed its many myths and legends.
In 1904, brothers Willie and Frank McLeod decide to make an expedition to the isolated Nahanni Valley in search of gold. It was so difficult for anyone to get to, it should be a good place to prospect.
The brothers were right, that first trip netted them around 40 ounces of high-quality ore. It wasn’t long before the two brothers decided to make another trip into the valley. In 1905, the two brothers once again make the trek back to the Nahanni Valley.
That was the last anyone heard of Willie and Frank. So in 1908, another brother, Charlie McLeod, decides to journey to the valley to see if he can find any sign of his missing brothers.
On the bank of the Nahanni River, Charlie’s expedition found the bodies of his brothers. Both men had been decapitated, and their bodies left almost like a warning to anyone who dared take the Valley’s gold. One man had his arm reaching toward his gun, his blankets thrown over his brother as if he had lept suddenly from his bed. To this day, no one knows who or what killed the two brothers.
Legend has it that the Lost McLeod Mine, where the two brothers found their fortune, still remains hidden somewhere in the park.
Nine years later, in 1917, Martin Jorgenson heads to the Nahanni Valley lured by the promise of gold. And strike it rich he did. Martin sent word that he had found the mother load, but when other expeditions went into the area, they found Martin’s cabin burned to the ground. Martin himself was apparently shot from a distance, and all that was left of him was a headless skeleton. There was no sign of the gold he had found.
Virginia Falls. Photo Public Domain
Strange deaths and mysterious disappearances abound in the Nahanni Valley. In 1931 Phil Powers' cabin in the Nahanni burned down. RCMP said that the fire was caused by a faulty stovepipe, but people have been skeptical of that explanation. First, as an experienced prospector, Phil knew how to route the stovepipe so it didn't touch the timbers in the roof making it unlikely he would make that mistake. Second, the fire burned so hotly, there wasn't much left of the cabin or of poor Phil Powers. If the roof was on fire, you would think the roof would have eventually collapsed, potentially suffocating the fire and there would be some larger burned logs left in the rubble.
Others have been murdered or have gone missing in the valley. An outlaw known as the “Yukon Fisher” was found dead, along the same river that the McLeod’s bodies were found years earlier. Somewhere in the valley lies the remains of Anne Laferte. She wandered away from a hunting party in 1926 and disappeared into the bush. Months later she was seen climbing a hill nearly naked. The viewer thought she was possessed by the devil and refused to follow her.
Bill Epier and his partner Joe Mulholland disappeared on the Nahanni River in 1936. A partner of Mulholland’s spent years searching for them without success. All that was found of them was their burned down cabin.
With all of these murders and missing people, there is no wonder that the valley has many stories of ghostly prospectors still looking to strike it rich. In one of the steep canyons called Deadman’s Valley, the wind ceaselessly howls an eerie wail, leading explorers to believe there was some kind of vengeful spirit nearby.
The Nahanni Valley has some of the most breathtaking scenery that you can find in Canada. Its isolation and lack of ways to get to the park means the area will stay just as it has for the last few thousand years. If you go to take in some of the best Canada has to offer:
Protip: If you find any gold, just leave it where it is. | https://chameleontruecrimestories.com/the-valley-of-headless-men-e249a493efed | ['Liam Hall'] | 2020-11-30 18:39:55.088000+00:00 | ['Murder', 'Canada', 'History', 'Parks', 'Gold'] |
LOL — Issue 26 | I reproduced a poem that I’d written An Ode To Cockroaches on an Instagram post where she’d written a photo poem Ode To Spiders
She messaged me and shared me this poem, saying that she went batshit crazy after she read this. This poem is so confrontational and intense, with the roaches reference, it will make you shudder and awe. | https://medium.com/lol-weekly-list-of-lit/lol-issue-26-d54b0a7bd214 | ['Arihant Verma'] | 2017-08-23 05:51:08.828000+00:00 | ['Storytelling', 'Poetry', 'Writing', 'Pornography', 'Lolissue'] |
Share state between screens with custom navigators in React Navigation | I’ve been using React Navigation in my React Native projects lately and liking it a lot. It has all of the features I’ve needed and is relatively straight forward to work with out of the box. If you’re here you‘ve probably been working with it too, so I’m going to assume a basic working knowledge of both React Navigation and React Native.
Recently I ran into an annoying issue that took me a while to solve — the need to share of state between related screens in a navigator. In this instance, I had a StackNavigator with a number of screens that all operated on the same data.
This was a challenge because React Navigation doesn’t, by default, expose most of the navigators you’re creating as components that could be used directly in markup, so there is no obvious way to pass a state object down as a prop to child screens. A basic React Navigation implementation might look something like this:
In the above example MainTabNavigator is a React component, but explicitly rendering it is an anti-pattern/common mistake. By default, the only navigator that gets directly exposed to the markup is the root component AppContainer which is rendered in App.js .
So what if you wanted to go about sharing some state between all of the child screens of your MainTabNavigator ?
You could manage that state wherever you render your AppContainer , but that might be very far removed from where your navigator actually resides.
Alternatively you could add a state management library like Redux or MobX, but that might be overkill and/or introduce unnecessary complexity.
Fortunately there is a third solution, which is to create a custom navigator. The custom navigator imports the built-in navigator and renders it as a normal component to which you can add additional props as needed.
The implementation of the custom navigator is actually fairly straight forward, but the details were spread across the documentation in a way that made it difficult for me to figure out what I needed to do.
The full code for this project is on GitHub. It is a simplified version of the default Tabs app created with expo init via the Expo CLI, and all it does is keep track how many times a user has switched tabs.
The steps below assume you’ve started from a basic React Native app using React Navigation with a structure like the BasicReactNavigationSetup in the snippet above.
Step one
Create the custom navigator. At its most basic, this component needs to do two things.
It needs to assign itself a router. It needs to import and render the built-in navigator component.
First let’s set up a router to tell React Navigation how this custom navigator will function.
Routers define a component’s navigation state, and they allow the developer to define paths and actions that can be handled. — React Navigation
There is a pre-existing TabRouter in the MainTabNavigator and that is what we should use for our custom navigator. All of the paths and actions are already defined, and it will provide the same behavior as if we were using MainTabNavigator on its own.
Second we need to render MainTabNavigation while ensuring that it maintains access to the navigation property.
In the above snippet, we effectively cut off our MainTabNavigator from React Navigations navigation object, and our app will throw an error if we try to run it. We can fix that by explicitly assigning navigation to MainTabNavigator
If you prefer, you could accomplish the same thing by instead wrapping MainTabNavigator with the withNavigation HOC.
Step Two
Set up your state and pass some props.
We’ll update the custom navigator to create a counter that will track how many times tabs have been switched, and a method that increments the counter. We will pass both of these to MainTabNavigator as props so that any child screen can display the counter and trigger the increment when tabs are switched.
The gotcha here is that the props can not be assigned directly on MainTabNavigator . In order for them to be correctly passed down to the screens they must be assigned via screenProps .
Step Three
Properties assigned via screenProps can now accessed from any screen that is a child of MainTabNavigator .
We can use these to create a basic screen component that will display the number of times tabs have been switched, and trigger the increment function when tabbing to a new screen.
Thanks!
I hope you found this writeup useful. It’s the first piece I’ve published here, and I would welcome any thoughts on the content or suggestions for improvement! | https://medium.com/@benjaminwfox/share-state-between-screens-with-custom-navigators-in-react-navigation-62a34e3c7f97 | ['Ben Fox'] | 2021-06-15 03:14:36.663000+00:00 | ['First Post', 'JavaScript', 'React Native', 'Tutorial', 'React Navigation'] |
Clarivate Plc Honors UNDIP as an Innovative Academic Institution in Southeast and South Asia | An international institution committed to accelerating the pace of innovation, Clarivate Plc, has named Diponegoro University (UNDIP) as one of the most innovative academic institutions in Southeast and South Asia in 2020.
Similar awards were also given to the University of Brunei Darussalam (Brunei Darussalam), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (India), National University of Malaysia (Malaysia), Cebu Technological University (Philippines), Singapore National University of Singapore (Singapore), and Hanoi University of Science and Technology (Vietnam).
The award is only given to one institution in each country. Thus, Undip is the only university in Indonesia to have received the South and South East Asia Innovation Award 2020 from Clarivate Plc.
Clarivate was founded in 2016, previously being the Intellectual Property and Science division of Thomson Reuters. Clarivate became an independent company after the acquisition of Thomson Reuters Intellectual Property and Science Business.
Undip Rector, Prof. Dr. Yos Johan Utama SH MHum expressed his gratitude for the appreciation of international institutions for the progress of the Undip academic community. “We are grateful for the awards from external parties. However, it should be noted that this is not Undip’s main objective,” stated by him on Wednesday, December 23, 2020.
According to Prof. Yos, many indicators are used as benchmarks for the achievement of the institution he leads. Including indicators that are relevant in Undip’s position as a PTN BH (Legal Entity State University). However, it is recognized that external appreciation can be an internal measure of work.
List of recipients of the 2020 South and South East Asia Innovation Award from Clarivate:
Academic Institutions
Government Research Organizations
Corporations
Corporations
Emerging Corporations. Source: https://clarivate.com/news/clarivate-recognizes-most-influential-innovators-at-south-and-south-east-asia-innovation-forum/
Apart from higher education institutions, innovation awards are also given to government-owned research institutions. The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) was listed as the recipient of the Southeast and South Asia Innovation Award from Clarivate Plc in 2020.
Meanwhile from India, there is the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, then the Malaysian Palm Oil Board Malaysia, the Singapore Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Vietnam.
For the corporate category, PT Pertamina is one of the companies in Southeast and South Asia to receive awards for its innovation in 2020. Several companies that received similar awards were Petronas from Malaysia, Sivantos Group from Singapore, MAS Holdings from Sri Lanka, Siam Cement Group from Thailand, and Viettel Group from Vietnam.
The award, which was given in the third week of November 2020 was held in conjunction with the Innovation Forum which brought together leaders from the academic sector, government, and industry in Southeast and South Asia to share experiences in transforming and accelerating the pace of innovation. President of IP Group Clarivate Plc, Jeff Roy, said his institution was very happy to be able to host a forum for regional leaders and experts who have dedicated their lives to innovation.
“We are committed to increasing creating, protecting (copyright works), and advancing innovation. Bringing together innovators from academia with government and industry will keep innovation growing and have a positive impact on social, economic, and technological life, “said Jeff Roy as published on claverate.com.
According to him, the award was given after monitoring and analysis of the volume of patents, the volume of citations, the success of patents, and their global capabilities. The patent data used are from the Derwent World Patents Index ™ (DWPI) and the Derwent Patent Citations Index ™ (DPCI), which are the most comprehensive patent information database management agencies in the world.
There are at least 235 universities, government research institutes, and corporations in Southeast and South Asia identified as innovators. From that result, Clarivate gave innovation awards to 28 institutions in the top positions.
The Innovation Forum, which was held virtually by Clarivate, was opened by the CEO of NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant. In his oration, Amitabh revealed how the Indian Government’s commitment to encouraging research and innovation, and how to protect intellectual property. “India is pushing up R&D spending substantially. The Indian government also applies patent rights and strict contract rules to increase the confidence of innovators,” he said.
To read the original article: click here. | https://medium.com/@devitahs/clarivate-plc-honors-undip-as-an-innovative-academic-institution-in-southeast-and-south-asia-86f6131709cc | ['Devita Salsabila'] | 2020-12-27 11:23:54.316000+00:00 | ['Undipsemarang', 'Indonesia', 'Southeast Asia', 'Universitas Diponegoro', 'Undip'] |
10 Useful Money Tips For Newlyweds | Hi everyone, thank you for coming back to my blog. I hope you found my last blog interesting and useful, where I covered ‘6 Common Money Beliefs That Aren’t True’.
In today’s blog I’m going to cover some money tips for newlyweds. Getting married is a happy and exciting time, but one of the issues that can quickly put a damper on the positive energy, though, is money. Financial issues can create a lot of stress and even animosity. Ideally, you’ve already had a lot of communication regarding your finances. If you haven’t, a little prevention isn’t a bad idea.
It can be much nicer to discuss the topic of money before it becomes necessary and tensions are high, so be proactive.
Here are some helpful money money tips for newlyweds:
1. Agree on a set of financial rules and goals
Work together to establish a few rules around your finances. Will you pay your own, previously established debts? Will bills be split evenly, or will the person with the greater salary pay more?
· When you share a vision of the future, it’s much easier to get along.
2. Create two wills
You’ll both need a will, but if you already have one, speak with an solicitor and have it modified, ensuring that you’re taking care of each other.
3. Put all your financial cards on the table
Do you have a credit card with a £10,000 balance you’ve kept from your significant other? Will it take 20 years to pay off your student loans? Let your spouse know what’s going on and ask them to return the favour.
4. Control your expenses
Just because you’re splitting the rent and the utilities doesn’t mean you should spend your excess funds foolishly.
· Take advantage of your extra cash and maximise your contributions to your investment accounts. Invest rather than spend. You might even consider saving one salary and living on the other.
5. Talk about extended family financial issues
If one of your siblings wants to borrow £1,000, how will you handle that as a couple? If your spouse’s mum needs a new roof, will you chip in? Your respective families may handle these matters very differently, therefore it is important to have a conversation.
6. Update your beneficiaries
You’ll probably want to list your spouse on your life insurance, retirement accounts, and several other accounts and policies.
7. Create a budget together
You’ll find out a lot about your partner’s spending habits by creating a budget together. A budget sets limits and expectations.
· An effective budget is an important part of a bright financial future.
8. Decide on a banking structure
One joint account or two separate accounts? Maybe you prefer a mixture of joint and separate accounts. There is no right answer, just be sure you’re both on the same page.
9. Choose one person to pay the bills and schedule regular meetings to go over bills
Choose one person to be responsible for paying all the bills and have a weekly meeting to go over the bills and ensure they’re all being paid on time.
Once you get into the habit of doing this, you can make this monthly.
10. Decide on a limit for purchases that don’t require collaboration
Your spouse probably won’t mind if you stop on the way home from work and purchase a chocolate bar without a family meeting, but stop and buy a £20,000 car and you might create a little friction. | https://medium.com/@easypeasymoney/10-useful-money-tips-for-newlyweds-3a62963fc9e3 | ['Kalpen Patel'] | 2021-05-07 10:25:09.894000+00:00 | ['Money Mindset', 'Money Management', 'Newlyweds', 'Newlyweds Money', 'Money'] |
Blithe, | Blithe,
I really love this poem. As I am autistic, I experience the world with such great sensation and amplitude at times it is unbearable, yet ar the same time, It is an experience of indescribable intense beauty, as I experience life and Sensory Information in such an intense way.
It was interesting that you mentioned the amygdala as that is one part of me that is so dysfunctional that it creates anxiety of the most highest level tolerable by a human being, and still be able to stay alive
In a way it almost seems as if someone with Autism wrote this poem. Are you by any chance diagnosed with any form of Autism?
Thank you for your words...
Sincerely,
Keira Fulton-Lees
Artfully Autistic Advocate for Autism
Creator, Editor, Write, for the Medium Publication:
ArtfullyAutistic – The Beauty of Autism Within the Written Word, Music, and the Visual Arts | https://medium.com/@keira-leda-lees/blithe-fff49f75e27d | ['Keira Fulton-Lees'] | 2020-12-06 06:28:01.872000+00:00 | ['Autism', 'Sensory', 'Sensory Processing', 'Sensory Overload', 'Poetry'] |
Josh Nelson’s dreamy ‘Discoveries’ provides relief from stagnant world | Inspired by the futuristic worlds found in Jules Verne and H.G. Wells’ novels, pianist/composer Josh Nelson carries the imagery sonically in the surreal “Discoveries” album. CREDIT: Ariel Lapidus and Emmanuel Tavares
Review first appeared in Examiner May 13, 2014.
“…some of the melodic and thematic material that I developed on this record literally came from dream states…I travel a lot, and often am running on little or no sleep. Some of the most interesting ideas that I think manifested on this record came from that sleepy frame of mind…dreamlike, curious, tired but still actively thinking… Sometimes I find when you think you’re not going to come up with any good ideas, that’s when you do! Random times of inspiration.” –Josh Nelson, Blogcritics Music by Jordan Richardson, September 25, 2011
It takes a lot to stand out in a band backing a charismatic jazz vocalist like Sara Gazarek. But that’s just what pianist Josh Nelson did — both in her recent solo album, Blossom & Bee, and a slew of performance concerts on the West Coast.
As a solo artist himself, Nelson does something special with melody that very few can. He artfully takes a pleasant refrain and transforms it into a dreamy soundtrack full of imaginative and unpredictable variations. Everything in Nelson’s recent solo release, Discoveries, sounds as if the listener got dropped in the middle of his never-ending dream.
As soon as Nelson’s first track “Atma-Krandana” launches, the world of bills, lists, and appointments fades into black, and there’s a building, startling, mesmerizing dream sequence of color, tone, texture, and blissful release. This track in particular releases with a hypnotic flow dipping into classical, smooth jazz, and world musical styles. Listening to the melody lift and separate, cascade and fall together is similar to the feeling one gets laying in bed after a hard day’s work, drifting in and out of various stages of REM.
L.A. artist Josh Nelson took inspiration from his favorite sci-fi authors, Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, as well as his favorite artist in some of his favorite works, Herbie Hancock’s “Speak Like A Child” and “The Prisoner,” for his fifth and most successful recording effort. “This record was definitely inspired by some of my childhood and ongoing obsessions with early sci-fi steampunk imagery that comes out of Jules Verne’s writing, H.G. Wells’ writings and movies like The Time Machine, which is based on Wells’ book, and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, based on Verne’s book. And I’m trying to manifest all that stuff into basically a jazz record, more or less.”
The personnel on this jazz record (Larry Koonse, Dave Robaire, Dan Schnelle, Dontae Winslow, Alan Ferber, Brian Walsh, Vanessa Robaire) is nothing short of inspired. The cauldron of horns, bouncing off light and dark, grays and blues, like two birds tangled in each other’s wings falling from the skies, only to come together with angelic cries (Vanessa Robaire), guitar (Larry Koonse) and piano (all Nelson)… absolute heaven. Hats off to trumpeter Dontae Winslow and trombonist Alan Ferber. Such is the their theme throughout.
Herbie Hancock’s “The Prisoner” — specifically “I Have A Dream” — is all over the fifth and title track, with strong, strident Tijuana Brass Band horn plays. Nelson spreads out and takes his time really putting a signature flourish over this easygoing, tumbling piece. That’s the twist to this composer/arranger; no matter what he’s playing, whether it’s up front and solo or in the background, he’s got a flamboyant panache to every proceeding. The flickering embers of Koonse’s guitar licks really complete the package.
“Tesla Coil” changes the dance completely with just Nelson rampaging on the piano, twisting his virtual villainous mustache and showing off his chops and virtuosity, with quick-silver speed, schizophrenic tempo, notes flying, falling over themselves, a prelude to deeper meaning.
If “Tesla Coil” preludes deeper meaning, “Jogging Day” completely exudes it. There is so much going on musically, from the deceptively loping straightforward horn opening to the casual, almost random introduction of complex, intricate instrumentation that seems to get lost in permutations of slumber, arousal, and changing, abrupt dreamscapes. A doorbell segues into a trumpet propulsion, keys hinting at impending shifts with sharp, curvatures, a bass tries to feel its way, Bran Walsh’s “rich and full” bass clarinet smoothes the edges… hard to believe this song came from a real jog on Long Beach.
“The driving eighth-note rhythm emerged from my jogging pace and tempo that day,” Nelson affirmed. “And I thought it would be a nice addition for Alan Ferber to arrange it. He’s an amazing musician and does some great writing and arranging for his own nonet, so he ended up putting some of his magic on it with the orchestration of the horns, which I really enjoyed.”
When Josh Nelson isn’t backing stars like Natalie Cole, or colleagues like bassist Pat Senatore, guitarist Anthony Wilson, and trombonist Alan Ferber’s ensemble, he’s squeezing in performances of his own with music and video highlighting those dreamy sequences off “Discoveries.” A recent Josh Nelson Discovery session at Studio City’s Vitello’s proved to be a rousing success. Sara Gazarek’s husband provided video to sound. | https://carolbanksweber.medium.com/josh-nelsons-dreamy-discoveries-provides-relief-from-stagnant-world-90086516c85e | ['Carol Banks Weber'] | 2018-09-27 09:09:39.190000+00:00 | ['Josh Nelson', 'Album Review', 'Jazz', 'Larry Golding', 'Music'] |
Take Alexa in the car with Amazon’s Echo Auto for just $20 | You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great (Zig Ziglar) | https://medium.com/@ray34270796/take-alexa-in-the-car-with-amazons-echo-auto-for-just-20-46c03616204a | [] | 2020-12-25 00:25:51.667000+00:00 | ['Surveillance', 'Consumer Electronics', 'Connected Home'] |
Don’t over-plan your Data Visualization | Implementing basic functionality and the first speed bump
I like to start my design by implementing basic functionality. The zooms, pans, sliders — the more general they are, the more likely I am to include them in the first step. In my map, the first two things that I wanted to include were the drag and zoom behaviors. I structured them
wind_map = { const svg = d3.create('svg')
.attr('viewBox', [0, 0, width, height])
.attr("fill", "none")
const map = svg.append("g")
.attr("id", "map")
.call(d3.drag()
.on("start", dragstarted)
.on("drag", dragged)
.on("end", dragend)) //...
}
With dragstarted() , dragged() and dragend() as helper functions responsible for behavior at the start, during, and at the end of the drag event. But it quickly came to my attention that the default behavior of d3.drag() allows dragging in all directions. In the case of the globe, it was possible to change the roll, pitch, and yaw of the globe and turn the globe to the position where the North is not facing top of the visualization. See what I mean on the gif below.
Diverging from the North facing the top of the visualization is hardly ever justified.
Such functionality would introduce unnecessary confusion and distraction. I stopped this by setting the rotation around y axis (or, in more detail, setting the Euler rotation angle γ to 0).
I implemented the zooming behavior with d3.zoom() , using the same structure as the dragging behavior. I added one more call that used zoomstarted() , zoomed() and zoomend() helper function to implement behavior at the start, during, and at the and of the zoom.
map.call(d3.zoom()
.scaleExtent([400, 1000])
.on("start", zoomstarted)
.on("zoom", zoomed)
.on("end", zoomend))
As soon as the zoom was present on the chart, it became clear that it will have to be tweaked too. The default d3.zoom() allows for dragging during the zoom. It looked as a redundant distraction, that was quickly fixed with the deletion of a couple of lines.
With a globe that could be zoomed and dragged around, I was ready to move to the next stage.
The basic functionality is ready.
Getting the data
To get started on the wind overlay that will introduce the color to the wind map, I needed the data. Getting the data file with the data was easy, but extracting it was not.
On the website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), you can find a Global Forecast System. It gives a forecast for a range of parameters (such as temperature, cloudiness, wind strength and direction) for any place on Earth.
The data is packed into a GRIB format which is quite tricky to work with. It encodes values for 2-dimensional data on an equally spaced grid. For example, a GRIB file for temperature with a 1-degree resolution would give the temperature for:
(0⁰E, 0⁰N), (1⁰E, 0⁰N),… (180⁰E, 0⁰N), (179⁰W, 0⁰N),… (2⁰W, 0⁰N), (1⁰W, 0⁰N)
(0⁰E, 1⁰N), (1⁰E, 1⁰N),… (180⁰E, 1⁰N), (179⁰W, 1⁰N),… (2⁰W, 1⁰N), (1⁰W, 1⁰N)
(0⁰E, 2⁰N), (1⁰E, 2⁰N),… (180⁰E, 2⁰N), (179⁰W, 2⁰N),… (2⁰W, 2⁰N), (1⁰W, 2⁰N)
...
But what makes GRIB files difficult to work with is that they are encoded in binary. Unless you use a separate program or a library to decode it, there is no way to make sense out of the raw GRIB file. This, in turn, introduces a need for a backend decoding and serving decoded GRIB files.
At first, I was planning on making my visualization automatically download the most recent GFS data from the NOAA website, but the complexity of dealing with GRIB files using only JavaScript cooled down my excitement. I decided to use a static JSON file with the wind data from 2014-01-31T00:00:00.000Z . Why this particular date? It looks like a busy day with a lot of little weather systems going around the planet.
Creating the color scale
At first glance, the original color scale from earth.nullschool.net is built from two parts:
The first part starting with blue and ending with pink is a mirrored Sinebow Scale that ending on magenta. The second part is magenta that has its alpha gradually increased until reaching white.
The color scale used on the original visualization
I had a peek at the Github repo of the Wind Map and I was able to find that a lot of logic behind the color scales is hardcoded. I jumped into creating my own color scales and I ended up with three different versions:
The basic, quick and dirty scale using the default d3.interpolateSinebow . It essentially ignores the magenta-to-white portion of the color scale.
The accurate color scale where I used my own Sinebow Interpolator. It is as close as it gets to the original implementation.
The efficient color scale that uses my own Sinebow Interpolator. It is essentially a list of hardcoded if statements. I was hoping to achieve better efficiency when generating a wind overlay with this kind of color scale.
With the color scales ready, there was nothing else left to do other than getting started with the color (generating wind overlay).
First attempt to add the wind overlay
I ended up going through 2 failed attempts to efficiently add colors to the wind map before finding the 3rd one that I ended up using. Each of the three approaches worked, but the first two weren’t efficient enough, and they made the visualization look choppy and unappealing.
The first attempt was a quick and dirty scan through all the pixels on the chart. I would check whether the pixel was in the visualization. If it was, I would look up its coordinates, estimate the wind strength at that point using Bilinear Interpolation, look up the color, and finally plot the pixel. The process could be described in the following pseudocode:
for x in range(0, width):
for y in range(0, height):
flag1 = check_if_x_and_y_is_in_projection(x, y) if not flag1:
color = black longitude, latitude = calculate_coordinates(x, y) wind_strength = calculate_wind_strength(longitude, latitude) color = color_scale(wind_strength)
This worked, but the rendering was taking ages. Generating the layer during the zoom or drag was simply impossible and it had to be turned off. Even using the super-efficient color scale would not help. You can see the delays in real-time on the gif below:
Generating the wind overlay is inefficient
I tried to figure out how Cameron Beccario was capable of implementing his wind overlay using a very similar approach and yet have it run efficiently. I wasn’t able to get to the root of it, but one thing that I noticed was that he would look up every other pixel (therefore reducing the time needed to render by half).
I did not want to be forced to turn the colors off when dragging or zooming. I knew that there must be a way to achieve it and I moved to the next step.
Second attempt to add the wind overlay using raster reprojection on Canvas
The logic behind this one was to generate a 2D wind overlay once and save it as an image. Then, on an update, I would call raster reprojection — that is transforming a map encoded in raster image (like .jpeg or .png ) to a different map projection (in our case, the orthographic globe).
The assumption here was that the reprojecting of an image would be less computationally heavy than regenerating. This turned out to be true. But still not quick enough to allow smooth dragging and zooming. You can see the choppiness yourself on the quick prototype below: | https://towardsdatascience.com/dont-over-plan-your-data-visualization-737c7330d80f | ['Oskar Kocol'] | 2020-07-12 23:25:15.709000+00:00 | ['D3js', 'Maps', 'Visualization', 'Editors Pick', 'Data Visualization'] |
The Divorced Mom Chronicles | The Divorced Mom Chronicles
Day 4 — “In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.” — Sir Francis Bacon
©2020 Divina Grey
Day 4
I cried all night and fell asleep with my glasses on. I cried in the morning intermittently when the kids weren’t around or when I wasn’t distracting myself with making them pancakes.
I sent text messages to my husband through my anguish and tears, trying to explain how much he has hurt me.
I took the kids to the park, where I caught a break from the reality of my disintegrating marriage and dissipating family life.
I felt the warmth of the sun shining on my face.
I looked up at the blue sky and saw it smiling through the redwoods at me.
Even though I cried a lot today, there was more time between breakdowns than there was yesterday.
I’ll take it.
I’ll take it one day, one paragraph, and one ray of hope at a time.
I’m utterly broken.
(But not so broken that I can’t see the sun shining through to the other side.) | https://medium.com/heart-affairs/the-divorced-mom-chronicles-32375a3c3258 | ['Divina Grey'] | 2021-01-03 22:01:05.556000+00:00 | ['Divorce', 'Writing', 'Self Improvement', 'Parenting', 'Life'] |
Increase Your Hotel Sales with First-Party Data | How To Use Your First-Party Data
First-party data is vital for marketing . You can use guests’ data to understand their preferences, re-market to them, and capture more accurate information.
. You can use guests’ data to understand their preferences, re-market to them, and capture more accurate information. Use the data to map your customer journey . Know what steps they take and the order in which they take them to identify your strengths and weaknesses . If a lot of potential guests opt-out of communication at the same time, this touchpoint may need improvement to encourage conversion.
. Know what steps they take and the order in which they take them to your and . If a lot of potential guests opt-out of communication at the same time, this touchpoint may need improvement to encourage conversion. Once the customer journey is mapped, you can use it to create an individual view of the customer instead of a generalized profile.
Nils Scheers recommends:
First-party data can be used to segment your customers and target them at the right time, in the right way, and with the right message instead of sending out mass emails that are relevant to no one.
Being transparent about the data you collect and giving guests access to their data, creates trust. Remind them they can change their preferences and personal details, giving you more accurate information, but also allowing them to control the information they want to give you. It not only helps guests, but it saves time for staff, reduces human error, and it saves costs.
Here is what Nils Scheers at THYNK has to say about that:
While it may be perceived as a risk to invest in technology, any company that stands behind their product will not be afraid to show you their solution and will let you try it for a couple of months at no cost.
With third-party cookies moving away, first-party data is going to be a bigger issue, and having the right technology to help you is key.
First-party data is vital for your hotel and finding the right system that can help with this, is crucial. | https://medium.com/@thynk-cloud/increase-your-hotel-sales-with-first-party-data-ee2d38e8f0b4 | [] | 2021-12-13 10:46:31.655000+00:00 | ['Hotel', 'Data', 'Hospitality', 'Sales', 'First Party Data'] |
Deep dive into seaborn : meet the datasets | To demonstrate seaborn and its powerfull plotting functions, it is convenient to have sample datasets quickly available to plot. For this, seaborn provides a simple interface to load dataset into pandas dataframes.
List datasets
As of today (16/12/2020, seaborn v0.11), seaborn provides 18 datasets that are stored in a dedicated github repository :
In addition to browsing the seaborn-data repo, you can get the list of available datasets directly from python using the get_datasets_names function. When called, it will return a list of strings containing the names of the datasets:
Each item in this list maps to a dataset on the repo : for example, the dataset named `iris` maps to the `iris.csv` file.
Load datasets
Now that you know what are the datasets available, let’s load them !
For this, simply use the sns.load_dataset method on a dataset. For example sns.load_dataset('iris’) will load the iris dataset into a pandas Dataframe. From then, we can start playing with the dataset :
Caching the datasets
As the seaborn datasets are stored online, you need an internet connection both to get the list of available datasets (using get_datasets_names ) and load the datasets (using load_dataset ).
Well, at least the first time.
In order to avoid having to download the same data over and over, seaborn will by default store the datasets (or “cache”) in a data_home folder : by default seaborn will store the datasets in ~/seaborn-data . Alternatively, seaborn will try to store data in the path given by the SEABORN_DATA environment variable if defined.
All this happens because the load_dataset function is called with cache=True by default. This way, when a dataset has been downloaded from the online repo with load_dataset , seaborn will save the dataset in this folder, and later will directly load the data from this folder.
Another possibility to access the datasets is to manually download them from the github repo, and store them in a folder of your choice. You can then use the data_home parameter of load_dataset . For example :
To locate the default data_home folder used by seaborn, use the get_data_home function :
Extending your local seaborn data home
Of course, you can also add any other dataset in your data_home folder, and then use the seaborn interface to load them. To match specific datasets (in terms of separator, indexes), you can pass kwargs to load_dataset that will be used by pandas to read the data.
Wrap up
In this article, we saw :
where the datasets are stored online : in a dedicated github repo at https://github.com/mwaskom/seaborn-data
how to list the available datasets : using sns.get_datasets_names()
how to load the dataset : using sns.load_dataset
where the datasets are cached : by default in ~/seaborn-data or the path given by the SEABORN_DATA environment variable. This happens because load_dataset is called with cache=True by default.
or the path given by the environment variable. This happens because is called with by default. how you can define and use a local dataset folder, called data_home in seaborn : place your data in a folder and use sns.load_dataset with a data_home argument.
If you liked this, checkout my article about seaborn’s palettes : | https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/deep-dive-into-seaborn-meet-the-datasets-8d08755a320b | ['Yoann Mocquin'] | 2020-12-22 14:17:33.438000+00:00 | ['Data', 'Plot', 'Python', 'Seaborn'] |
Phase 3: Beta is Online! | The mechanics are quite simple, but there is a well-designed plot behind it.
Gen2's will start to go on missions with this phase.
Gen1's will continue to produce for now. Production is already more profitable.
The entry price level to the game reduced dramatically. Just one Gen2 will suffice.
PAGM
Which characters should go on quests?
We recommend all players to go on quests with characters of Rare or higher rarity, as Unit Converter device will arrive shortly. We expect Common and Uncommon characters to be converted quickly after their arrive.
Unit Converter Details
This device will do two types of conversions; Scientist and Soldier
In the Scientist transformation, regardless of the rarity of the Avaxtar that enters the Unit Converter, a standard scientist will appear at the exit. Whether you convert common or legend, the output will be exactly the same. The only difference will be the difference between the amount of $DGC needed to convert Common and the amount of $DGC required to convert Legend. That’s why we think Common and Uncommon Avaxtars will go through this transformation. Maybe Rare from time to time.
On the other hand, the rarity type does not effected by the transformation for Soldiers. Common will be converted to Common Soldier, Legend will be converted to Legend Soldier. In addition, new Soldier will gain a new soldier quality according to the transformation.
Quests
Missions take 12–48 hours.
A player can only do 4 missions simultaneously.
You support Avaxtar who goes to each mission with items and this determines the chance of success.
Items shorten mission time.
If you are successful at the end of the task, you will receive the entire award.
If it fails, there is a number we call Fail Multiplier, it is less than 1. The reward is multiplied by this number and you get a partial reward.
If you are successful in the missions that give lootbox, you get Enchanced box, if you fail, you get Standard Box. Of course, the rarities of the items that come out of them are different.
Before some missions, you have to do other missions. It offers a story flow.
Some FAQ on Quests
Beta Period
In Beta Process:
Quests will not consume ENXT during the beta.
We have added some bonus missions which you can earn $ENXT and $DGC by successing on them.
Labs and Machines haven’t arrived yet, so PAGM’s $ENXT consumption dynamic doesn’t come into play either.
The most important features of Phase 3 are:
It is now sufficient to just buy a Gen2 to enter the game.
We hope that it will increase the number of players rapidly.
Items and Tools are available on the market.
What will the Scientist do?
Machines in the lab can be upgraded to Level 20. One Scientist is required for each level. When you use it, the machine rises by 1 level and that Scientist does not come out of the machine anymore.
ENXT Generator
ENXT Generator
DGC Generator
DGC Generator
Unit Converter
Unit Converter
Three basic devices. A total of 60 Scientists are required to reach the top level (20). 1000 users, 60.000 Scientists by the time of writing. Avaxtars’ Gen2 inflation ends here.
However, rare and higher characters will go to quests and level up, making them Scientists doesn’t make sense. As said before, at some point, there will be a Gen2 problem in the market :)
When PAGM devices return to Gen2 production, DGC will be scarce.
The wheels of the economy will turn in a constant supply-demand balance.
As for PvP mechanics, soldiers will be deployed for continuous defense and attack.
About Avaxtars
Avaxtars is a browser-based blockchain game which is using NFTs as game assets and has its own Tokenomics. Avaxtars was launched on March 31, 2021 and continues to grow by creating a large community. | https://medium.com/@avaxtars/phase-3-beta-is-online-c0d87827585b | [] | 2021-12-30 18:40:46.556000+00:00 | ['Metaverse', 'Gamefi', 'Avaxtars', 'Play2earn', 'Avalanche'] |
Introduction to XCode for iOS. Always wanted to build an app? Didn’t… | Always wanted to build an app? Didn’t know how? Me neither, until I took some online courses and found that it’s not that hard (to build a simple app). You can too, follow this guide and get familiarized with XCode.
I’m currently a Flatiron School student in their Immersive Web Dev Program and learning Swift on Sundays with App Brewery through Udemy so I know very well that learning how to develop can be intimidating. In this post, there won’t be any coding. We’ll focus on getting you set up and familiar with the numerous XCode panels.
Let’s get you situated!
Install the latest version of XCode here. You will need at least the second to latest version of macOS to use the latest version of XCode. Update your Mac here if necessary.
To avoid confusion
The following steps are demonstrated with XCode 10 running on macOS Mojave. Depending on how far into the future you are, the interface may or may not look exactly the same.
Let’s goo!!!!!
Rules
Anything circled in green means click.
Two green circles means double click.
Green arrow means click and drag.
Anything circled in yellow means take a look.
Description text always refers to the image above.
Create new project | https://robghchen.medium.com/build-your-very-first-ios-app-3573b66ffa99 | ['Robert Chen'] | 2020-11-07 15:08:53.356000+00:00 | ['iOS', 'Tutorial', 'App Development', 'Beginner', 'Guides And Tutorials'] |
The Last Recordings | Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more
Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore | https://medium.com/scribe/the-last-recordings-dea729433819 | ['Samantha Lazar'] | 2020-12-18 13:42:42.512000+00:00 | ['Mourning', 'Life', 'Loss', 'Poetry', 'Death'] |
Blockchain Decentralization: The Rise of Women’s Sports and how it can help the fight for equality | Serena Williams is now one of the most recognised sporting names in the world. The successes that she has accrued would make any sportsman jealous. She is fortunate that the women that have come and gone before her fought for equal prize money and she is able to generate the same level of commercial success received by male players such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Prize money equality is a topic we will cover more in a future article to our blog posts but it is worth mentioning how tennis has finally caught up in the fight for equality.
In terms of recognition, equality in tennis is fairly recent. Martina Navratilova is the most successful grand slam tennis player in the whole of the Open Era, yet barely gets mentioned when discussing ‘the greats’. Even in the last decade, before Andy Murray won Wimbledon, the media would say that no British player has won Wimbledon in the Open Era and the last to win Wimbledon was Fred Perry. This isn’t true, in 1977, the Queens Silver Jubilee, Virginia Wade shocked the world as she triumphed and became the first British tennis player to win Wimbledon. The media did not recognize the level of the women’s game and men’s game being the same and often Wade’s incredible achievement gets ignored.
Even as recently as the 1990s, famous female tennis players were not recognised on their sporting achievements but more on the ‘way they looked’. Anna Kournikova became a ‘symbol’ of the sport and arguably one of the most famous names but this was not only based on her sporting success. Steffi Graf and other women at the time who were dominating the sport through achievement became undervalued and underappreciated due to world’s interest in the way female tennis stars were looking over their performances.
This seems to has swung advantage to equality, today the women’s games receives as much media coverage as the men’s and the female tennis players are getting the same level of publicity for their court achievements as ever before.
The Olympics has also helped women’s sport. The rising success of Team GB and Team USA in particular, has lead to a new generation of Olympic watching youngsters. They are watching all the sports equally and equestrian is getting as much media coverage as the athletic track events. This has led to a new fan base of sporting women from all over the globe, those who have as much interest seeing how Jessica Ennis-Hill would do as they would seeing Mo Farah. Those who care to see how well Rebecca Adlington would swim as well as Michael Phelps.
Bringing a new level of fans to the women’s games is the strongest tactic to help improve the equality of the sporting industry. Globatalentis a project that has arrived which will bring a next generation of fans to all sports by using blockchain decentralization. Globatalent provides everybody an opportunity to invest in their favourite sports stars and thus giving the athletes extra financial and moral support.
This can do wonders for the women’s game. Projects like Globatalent do not see a difference in the men’s game and the women’s game and thus helps us all in the fight for equality.
Using blockchain decentralization in the sports industry is a way of using cryptocurrency to securely and safely invest in the future athletes who may not necessarily have had a chance and also to these women who are not represented in the media as strongly as the men. It gives the fans the opportunity to invest in who they want and who they genuinely believe in. This is a powerful tool when used in treating the women’s game on an even playing field.
Blockchain decentralization allows fans from all over the world to invest in sports they may previously have never known about. This means that it will bring a whole level of new supporters to the women’s cricket teams, the women’s golfers and all other women’s sports that would never previously have had any exposure. Previous to blockchain decentralization, both men and women who would never previously have had the economic or financial support to stay and play within their chosen sport will now have more opportunity to.
This is exciting for the women’s game, this means that we are likely to see more women athletes breakthrough than ever before. As the women’s side of major sports is not as prominent as men’s, there is an even higher percentage of young female athletes who will give up before they had their chance to even get started. Blockchain decentralization will give the women a chance while also promoting the importance of their chosen sport. This means that all the women who would’ve previously quit at the first hurdle will continue within their sport and their sports will become even more competitive.
The world has come a long way since the Suffragettes but we are still far from a world of complete equality within the genders. In the sports industry, blockchain decentralization can definitely start the journey for a rise of new equality and prominence within the women’s game. A journey that the whole can world can be a part of.
Rob Spitz — Globatalent Press Manager
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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD9YH3-Stofoh0eXWxwVBnA | https://medium.com/globatalent/blockchain-decentralization-the-rise-of-womens-sports-and-how-it-can-help-the-fight-for-equality-611fd94fbf85 | [] | 2018-02-21 11:05:58.785000+00:00 | ['Investment', 'Blockchain Technology', 'Investing', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Decentralization'] |
How To Leverage OPN — Other’s People Network For Your Business | “The way of the world is meeting people through other people.” — Robert Kerrigen
Have you ever wondered why these social media platforms show you suggestions in order to connect with more people and broaden your reach? I am sure you must have experienced this on one or the other platform. Because these platforms know that the only way they can reach to more people is through other’s network and keep the loop going. Now, this blog is on how you can leverage these social platforms or rather network created by other people to your advantage in the field of entrepreneurship.
This concept is an effective way to grab the eyeballs of your selected audience towards your product/service which is the very first step in any kind of business in order to start getting the traction. Now, the secret of successful companies like Facebook, Airbnb, and Uber is right there in the open for all to see. They created unique networks but they rose to fame on the back of other people’s networks.
How did these companies explode into prominence? Facebook launched using Harvard’s network of students, Airbnb used Craigslist, and Uber relied on the network of smartphones in users’ pockets.
Startups following an “other people’s networks” strategy can experience rapid growth (rather than waiting for years to build momentum), but it requires a fundamental shift in mindset.
Growth hacking is simply smart marketing in a post-gatekeeper world. The Internet has demolished old barriers to entry, and anyone with a Wi-Fi connection has access to massive networks with billions of users. Anyone can become a publisher on WordPress, start selling their products directly on Amazon, or build a massive audience on YouTube.
A growth hacker’s job is to capitalize on these cheap methods of customer acquisition, retention, and referral and then automate systems that will continually fuel themselves to provide future returns. Basically, they’re looking for ways to use other people’s networks to accelerate growth.
Consumers today are very well connected, and each one is a mini media channel. If a consumer likes a product, he’ll tell his friends. That recommendation is amplified across the web and leaves a permanent record. When nurtured, a company’s customer base can become its most effective marketing medium.
How to Get Started Using OPN
Once you understand the growth-hacker mindset, using OPN is nothing mysterious. If you’re on LinkedIn, you’re already using the power of OPN.
Other people’s networks are all around us: email, Amazon, Google, Craigslist, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc. You can build an email list that allows you to reach hundreds of thousands of people with the click of a button at minimal cost. List your products on Amazon, and you’re in a marketplace where one of every three e-commerce transactions occurs. People are building multimillion-dollar businesses on YouTube through ads alone. This is OPN thinking.
The most lucrative tactics are changing constantly, but here are a few basic strategies I use:
Keep your budget zero (or really close to zero). Initially whenever you are starting don’t go with big budget. Try to find your right target audience on different social media platforms and today we have platform for every gender/age/culture. So the entry barrier is defied to start with. You can save a lot of money from investing in ads and other channels to reach to your audience. Add, add and add more value. Tapping into a network is intuitive to most people, but typically it comes from a mentality of “harvesting.” People today are all about leveraging their social network, but that won’t get you very far unless you want to pay for advertising. Instead, focus on adding value for those audiences. Forget about guessing the latest algorithm tweak, and learn what products and information people are searching for. Satisfy that demand. Sometimes it’s great content; sometimes it’s a particular product at a particular price.
Using OPN is an exciting and lucrative strategy for entrepreneurs, but it’s still business at its core. OPN can help you connect with more customers, but it’s up to you to make it large and meet their needs. | https://medium.com/@dahiyasachin30/how-to-leverage-opn-others-people-network-for-your-business-5718b76201e2 | ['Sachin Dahiya'] | 2020-12-22 17:26:53.415000+00:00 | ['Target Market', 'Socialnewtorking', 'Network', 'Startup Marketing', 'Growth Hacking'] |
Ionic & Felgo: App Development Framework Comparison | Cross-platform development is making a lot of noise in today’s dev world and there is a reason why. A shared codebase can save a lot of time if you want to target multiple platforms. There are several approaches for creating cross-platform applications. But which one is better? This time you will see the comparison of Ionic and Felgo.
Differences between Cross-Platform Frameworks
Before we start, let’s take a peek at the history of cross-platform development. In early cross-platform mobile app development times, apps were displayed in a WebView. A WebView is nothing more than a native browser window without any extra interface
The HTML engine of the browser took care of rendering all app elements. The idea was to create and run a web application with a native look and feel. This way developers could deploy to many platforms. The platform just had to provide the browser technology. This approach is still used by many frameworks, including Ionic.
On the other hand, a standard web app running inside a browser cannot access all the functionalities of a target device that a modern app needs. That is why tools like Cordova became popular. It provided a web-to-native bridge. The bridge granted access to functionalities like localization in a WebView. Ionic also provides such a bridge with Capacitor. But in reality, it is nothing more than the good old Cordova with some upgrades.
In summary, if you want to create an application using the Ionic framework, you will need to use a web technology stack: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Other frameworks, such as AngularJS or React, would also be useful to give the app the desired modern feel.
Hybrid Frameworks and Rendering with a WebView
Hybrid Frameworks, like Ionic, render their content within a WebView. This WebView is wrapped with APIs to access native device features.
However, this approach has some disadvantages like:
The performance of your app depends on the internal version of the WebView used in the targeted OS. This dependency can cause different behaviors and performance characteristics on different OS versions (e.g. Android 6.0 vs 9.0).
You will depend on Apple and Google to add features and improve the performance of the WebView.
There are features that depend on web engines like Webkit and CHromium for both iOS and Android. Some of the CSS fields supported by the JavaScript standard are an example of such a feature. It makes maintainability harder as you need to support multiple Webview browser versions and types.
Web renderers were designed to display websites or multimedia content in a browser. They do not render user interfaces & animations very efficiently. Because of that, performance is significantly slower compared to native apps.
The Felgo Approach
Let’s focus now on how Felgo handles cross-platform rendering. Qt with Felgo compiles real native applications without the need for a WebView. Felgo renders its UI elements with the Qt rendering engine built on C++ & OpenGL ES / Vulkan / Metal. This so-called “scene graph renderer” is optimized for performance. It also guarantees that the UI will look the same on any device & platform. Furthermore, it is also possible to keep your existing native iOS, Android, or C++ code. You can simply reuse your own native code with Felgo thanks to its architecture.
The core language behind Qt & Felgo is C++, which is famous for its performance and stability. However, it is not ideal for creating a modern UI and cutting-edge applications. So Qt introduced a new language called QML.
QML is a declarative language that lets you compose your UI as a tree of visual items, very similar to HTML. For adding application logic, QML relies on JavaScript. Developers can easily get started if they are familiar with these web technologies. Felgo comes with everything you need to build stunning applications in record time. To achieve native performance, all QML items actually translate to performant C++ components in the backend.
Your QML and JavaScript get executed and visualized by a highly optimized C++ renderer. Qt also compiles all components Just in Time (JIT) or Ahead of Time (AIT) if configured. This way, QML can achieve native performance.
Qt & Felgo not only allow you to develop cross-platform for iOS and Android. You can also run your applications on desktop, web and embedded systems.
Inside the Frameworks
The devil is in the details and that is why it’s crucial to take a look inside the architecture of both frameworks. Let’s start with Ionic. The browser renders your code and Ionic needs a bridge to access OS functionalities like a camera:
You have to rely on this bridge to access native features. It is not possible to build an application that directly uses these platform APIs.
But what about Felgo?
You won’t need any additional bridge to access the OS functionalities. You have direct access to all platform features with the native code in your application. This also includes the highly performant QML Engine, which is part of your Qt application:
This architecture ensures a consistent performance on all target platforms and devices.
Framework Business Potential
When considering business potential, there are some things to keep in mind. First is, of course, current staff experience.
When developing with Ionic, you need a team with quite a lot of knowledge about web app development. If they are lacking some of them, the training would take some time.
When considering Felgo, the main skill your team should have is knowledge of JavaScript, because QML is derived from it. As JS is one of the most popular programming languages, the probability that your fellow programmers have such ability is quite high. If you already work with programmers who have JavaScript knowledge then it’s easy to reuse their skills in the new Felgo project.
Another aspect to consider is the supported platforms. Apart from Web, Ionic supports only iOS and Android. With Felgo, you can deploy also to Windows, Mac, Linux, and embedded devices. The variety of platforms is much bigger when using Felgo.
Framework Documentation
Many developers consider documentation as one of the most important factors not only in terms of learning new technology but also in case of reducing the time of development. When creating the app, you will sooner or later bump into some issues that will require some additional knowledge. Documentation is the best place to look for it. If it is high quality, you will solve the problem in no time. Otherwise, you will struggle with scrolling through many pages and hope to find a detailed answer.
Both Felgo and Ionic offer great documentation, to browse APIs, examples and demos.
Learning Curve Comparison
When taking the first steps with Ionic, you need to learn quite a lot of technologies like HTML, Sassy CSS, and JavaScript. On top of that, you should also know a front-end framework like Angular. It uses Typescript language that you will also need to be familiar with. You might also use React to give the app the desired modern look and feel.
There’s a lot to learn if you aren’t an expert in web development but would like to create mobile apps with a cross-platform framework. Besides, Angular and React are not known for being easy to learn.
To learn Felgo, you need some QML skills and know JavaScript to write functions in QML. QML, due to its JSON-like notation, is very friendly for new users.
The gap between Ionic and Felgo’s necessary technology stack is rather big — especially if you are not specialized in any kind of web app technology.
To summarize, the learning curve of Ionic can be much steeper than Felgo’s. Especially when learning the chosen front-end JS framework at the same time.
Framework Pricing and Licensing
For personal usage or “low-budget” developers, both of the frameworks are free. If you’d like to include additional services and tools into your app, you can get professional plans to ensure that you get the most out of the solution. Felgo offers advanced features like analytics and push notifications. Whereas Ionic gives you more than 100 live updates per month in their paid licenses.
Hello World Mobile App Comparison
Architecture and functionalities are one thing. But learning a certain technology
simplicity and clarity are a completely different matter. How to compare these factors? It’s quite simple — let’s write a simple app!
Proceeding with Ionic, you can see at the beginning that creating logic and design will need two separate files for every page. You’ll also need to write the code in two different notations: HTML and TypeScript.
Now, let’s look at the Hello Word app written with Felgo:
Run this code on your iOS or Android device now, with Live Code Reloading
Here you can see how you can create the logic and design in the same QML file. This has a positive impact on the entry-level of technology. QML is also easier to read than HTML, with less syntax overhead. This especially matters when dealing with large projects where a single page can contain many objects.
At the same time, the application logic with TypeScript and QML are quite similar because both are based on JavaScript syntax.
Comparing Integrated Development Environments
When comparing frameworks, it is also worth taking a look at integrated development environments (IDE), and what they can offer you to make development more efficient.
Felgo isn’t just a framework for cross-platform development. It also offers a whole set of tools that you can use throughout the entire lifespan of the application. Felgo comes with the full featured Qt Creator IDE. You also have access to QML Hot Reload that lets you view edits of QML code in real-time. This feature comes with a tool called Felgo Live Server. It lets you deploy apps to multiple, real devices via a network. In the IDE, you have access to built-in documentation. Here you can find info about Felgo types as well as about all Qt classes. Once you write some code, you can use an integrated debugger and profiler to analyze your app’s execution flow.
In this matter, Ionic falls behind as it has no dedicated IDE. Thus, you need to rely on tools that are not fully adjusted to this framework.
With Felgo you also get access to Cloud Builds. This service allows you to build and release cross-platform applications to app stores like Apple Store and Google Play. You can integrate it with your code repository and CI/CD system, so you don’t need to do so manually on every platform. With Cloud Builds you don’t even need to have a MacBook to release iOS applications.
Cross-Platform Framework Comparison Overview:
What is the best cross-platform framework?
The answer to this question does not really exist — there is no silver bullet. Instead, you should ask “What framework is best for me and my project?”. Several factors can help you decide on a particular technology. To ease the decision-making process, you should ask yourself a few questions:
What programming language do you or your team have experience in? What are the requirements of your app? What tooling helps you to work more efficiently? What platforms do you want to support, now and also in the future? Do you have an existing code you want to reuse? Who can help me if I run into problems?
Every technology has its pros and cons and your use-case matters. If you are looking for a reliable, efficient, and easy-to-learn framework, you should definitely consider having a look at Felgo & Qt.
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3 Practical App Development Video Tutorials
Best Practices of Cross-Platform App Development on Mobile
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QML Hot Reload for Qt — Felgo | https://medium.com/the-innovation/ionic-felgo-app-development-framework-comparison-ba84de105a20 | ['Christian Feldbacher'] | 2020-07-08 10:16:51.360000+00:00 | ['Mobile App Development', 'Programming', 'Technology', 'Apps', 'Framework'] |
Post-COVID, Airlines are Likely to Compete for One Corporate Traveler at a Time | Editor’s Note: Cory Garner is the former head of Global Sales and Distribution Strategy at American Airlines who currently serves as a strategy consultant to airlines and an advisor to travel technology startups, including Journera. The last time he presaged a fundamental shift in airline distribution economics enabled by technology, it later evolved into NDC. We were naturally interested when he approached us with a 5,000 word opus laying out his views of how COVID will affect the next chapter of airline distribution.
Airlines use multiple tools to compete for corporate business, but COVID has rendered some account relationship-level tools moot for an extended period of time. At the same time, new approaches and technology can make competition for the end corporate traveler more efficient and effective.
Airlines which do not have a robust plan to compete for the end corporate traveler before post-COVID travel returns may lag their competitors in corporate recovery and find themselves playing catch up in the long term. The airlines’ shift toward traveler-level competition may pose a threat to TMCs and corporate travel managers, but could also present opportunities to those which lean into the change.
In this piece, I will walk through a primer of how airlines compete in “normal” times, the challenges presented by COVID and how airlines may react, and the implications for TMCs and corporate travel managers. (Note: For the sake of preserving keystrokes, I use the term “TMCs” to refer to any and all types of travel agencies which serve corporate customers of any kind.)
Primer: How Airlines Compete for Corporate Business in “Normal” Times
Airlines use competitive tools everywhere the customer’s choice of airline can be influenced:
At the Time of Transaction
Airlines sometimes offer upfront commissions and/or special discount fare programs which some TMCs mark up and remarket as if they were their own fare programs. Transactional commissions and pricing such as this can result in a preferential display in favor of the TMC’s preferred carrier.
Some airlines also offer standard discounts without market share commitments to smaller corporate customers and/or make on-the-fly private pricing available to any customer (e.g. via NDC-powered “continuous pricing”). These tools can also have the effect of making the airline’s flights float to the top of the display, but are generally outside the influence of the TMC.
Transactional tools such as these are most effective where the corporate traveler has some or complete discretion over the selection of airline and the airline’s network doesn’t make the choice obvious. Conversely, these tools are ineffective where a corporate travel manager’s policy forces the selection of a particular airline, the airline is way too small to win any business, or the airline is way too big to lose any business. In these situations, transactional tools are either duplicative, and therefore wasted money, or not enough to change the selection of airline, and therefore wasted effort.
In the TMC Relationship
Some airlines offer backend incentive programs which reward TMCs for delivering disproportionate market share. “Disproportionate market share” is commonly structured as a gap or index to the airline’s natural seat share of the TMC’s volume. In other cases, the TMC could be given an absolute revenue or passenger target to hit instead, but even these are generally set at levels which ensure that the TMC delivers disproportionate share to the airline.
Depending upon the TMC’s business model, the size of the backend incentives can be substantial. As a result, some TMCs have teams of experts which “revenue manage” their patchwork of backend incentive programs together with all other incentives. The ideal outcome for a TMC would be to earn backend incentives across all of its airline programs. However, to the extent the larger airlines and alliances are indeed setting up their backend incentive programs to pay only for disproportionate share above natural seat share, this is mathematically impossible. TMCs therefore must typically choose between the airlines and alliances they wish to support, often resulting in one or two big winners.
Some airlines also offer soft dollar benefits such as access to waiver and favors, special support desks, and joint marketing funds. Generally speaking, these tools make the airline easier to do business with and, consequently, easier to for the TMC to choose to support over other airlines. Soft dollar benefits can be the deciding factor between airlines if it is a close call for the TMC financially.
TMC relationship tools such as these are useful to airlines which are large enough to promise a significant payday for the TMC’s support, provided that the TMC can influence the airline selection of a substantial number of its clients. They are not as useful for smaller carriers, as supporting a smaller carrier could jeopardize the TMC’s payday from a much larger carrier. They are also not as useful in situations where the TMC has a very high percentage of “managed” corporate business which is already secured by the airline at the corporate account level.
In the Corporate Account Relationship
When you think about competing for corporate business, this is probably the first thing you think about. It is no secret that airlines negotiate directly with mid- to large-sized corporate accounts to secure disproportionate share in exchange for access to discounted fares. As with TMC backend incentives, airlines are interested in setting target share goals which exceed natural seat share at the corporate account level. In theory, the corporate account’s achievement of these goals is linked to continued access to the discounted inventory but you may hear different stories depending upon whom you ask.
Corporate accounts seek to maximize their contracted savings across the projected footprint of their company’s travel. Generally speaking, most corporate accounts can get the best outcome in the aggregate by consolidating their business with one or two large alliances with limited network overlap, leaving the third in the cold with less-than-natural seat share.
Also, as in TMC relationships, airlines make certain soft dollar benefits available to corporate customers at the account level. These can range from change fee, name change, or seat assignment fee waivers, to frequent flyer status allotments, and other lucrative waivers and favors. The airlines with which it is easiest to do business have an advantage at securing the primary and secondary positions in a corporate program.
As you may imagine, corporate account relationship tools are most useful to large airlines in situations where the corporate account is effective at achieving targeted share goals by influencing the airline selection of their traveler base. They typically do not work as well for smaller airlines, as corporate accounts may find it too difficult to deliver disproportionate share to their primary and secondary airlines if too much volume is given to the smaller players. Also, these tools do not work as well in situations where the corporate account does not have a mandated TMC and/or booking tool. This is a clear signal that corporate travelers have comparatively more discretion over airline selection.
In the Corporate Traveler Relationship
Airlines have of course marketed directly to the end traveler since their inception, with increasing sophistication and personalization over time. However, until recent years, it had been relatively unusual for airlines to market directly to end travelers in their role as corporate travelers. The idea that travelers can be segmented and spoken to according to their reason for travel — as opposed to according to their elite status — was somewhat novel prior to COVID and airlines were merely starting to scratch the surface.
Delta Air Lines has been the frontrunner in this space for several years with their Corporate Priority program. The end corporate traveler receives priority seating, priority boarding, and priority service recovery in the event of a flight disruption. Delta also recognizes corporate travelers as valued corporate customers in marketing communications, customer-facing communication channels, and even onboard in some cases with a flight attendant greeting. All of these give the end corporate traveler themselves a reason to choose Delta over another airline, all else being equal.
Influencing the airline preference of the end corporate traveler is useful to every airline in almost every situation. The ability of corporate travelers to choose an airline falls on wide continuum with lots of gray area. Properly motivated, some corporate travelers can navigate their way around even some of the stricter corporate travel policies which would otherwise dictate the choice of another carrier. The only situations in which influencing the corporate traveler matters less is where the airline’s abundance or lack of network makes the selection of airline obvious, or where the corporate account’s airline preference is mandated without exception.
The Challenges Presented by COVID
While clearly many things have changed during COVID — airline networks, partnerships, the elimination of change fees, traveler expectations and preferences, where and how work occurs, etc. — there are two factors which loom particularly large in the land of airline competition for corporate business:
1. There is nothing “natural” about natural seat share, and there won’t be for a long while.
Airline networks have been stripped down to a shadow of their former selves, and partially rebuilt to opportunistically capture leisure demand as it begins to rebound. The new normal does not yet exist and, ironically, we may need to see corporate travel fully return to its new levels and patterns before airline networks can be reshaped to serve it best. Only then will the balance of capacity between carriers be stable enough to decipher natural seat share at the TMC or corporate account level.
Until that time, the ability for airlines to efficiently and effectively use their primary relationship tools — i.e., TMC backend incentives and negotiated corporate discounts — has been almost completely eviscerated. It is nearly impossible to know, much less agree with TMCs or corporate accounts, what would constitute “fair” share performance and therefore it is also nearly impossible for an airline to know whether it is getting value for the money it invests. This is likely at least part of the reason why airlines are simply extending corporate discount agreements for now, and it is not much of a stretch to guess something similar may be happening with TMC backend incentives. Furthermore, the share targets included in all of these deals are likely outdated and practically unenforceable by the airlines. The discounts and incentives being offered are therefore largely unilateral exchanges of value with few strings attached…for now.
This means that, particularly before corporate travel returns to its new normal, individual corporate travelers may have greater degrees of latitude to fly with their airline of choice. The state of suspended animation in TMC and corporate contracts could create a kind of “Wild West” effect as market share commitments in outdated contracts become considered more and more meaningless, and therefore mostly ignored in practice if not in word, until such time as new contracts can be put in place. We might not see that happen until the industry sorts through a protracted cycle of simultaneous corporate RFPs, which is head-hurting to even think about.
2. The corporate traveler population post-COVID will not be filled with the same individuals traveling in the same pattern at the same frequency for the same reason.
Airlines have famously relaxed change fee and ticket validity rules for corporate tickets during COVID, but even more telling is how the large US-based airlines are also allowing multiple name changes without a fee (American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have published policies, and United Airlines has reportedly been doing the same). This is a clear admission of the obvious — the road warriors of pre-COVID times and the road warriors of post-COVID times may in large part be a totally different individuals.
According to a study by tClara and ARC, two-year road warrior attrition was 17–33 percent pre-COVID. During COVID, road warrior attrition may have accelerated, those that have not attritted may have totally different travel patterns, and new road warriors may arrive on the scene. According to the same study, in a normal year road warriors are only 10 percent of all business travelers but about half of corporate spend. The amount of churn that we may see among this set of travelers could mean a very large proportion of corporate revenue may be up for grabs when it returns.
What will drive returning corporate travelers’ choice of airline is also a bit of a mystery. COVID hit a giant, red reset button on customer preferences. Yes, travelers will value cleanliness but does anyone really know which cleanliness practices or sensory factors really drive customer preferences between carriers? Is it HEPA filters, a signature smell on the airplane, fogging versus comprehensive wipe-downs, brand associations with cleaning products, health panels, the presence of a Chief Health Officer, plexi glass, orderly boarding processes, blocking middle seats, avoiding connecting flights, a snazzy brand for the airline’s cleanliness program, or something else? We probably won’t have a lot of concrete insights into this until corporate travel returns.
Perhaps most interesting is that in many areas of life, customers have been put in a situation to change shopping patterns and product preferences. A McKinsey study found that three quarters of American customers have tried a new shopping behavior and most will continue the new shopping behavior post-COVID. We may be faced with a revamped set of corporate travelers who are ready to try something new, which is a risk to incumbents in markets where they have historically had very high share (e.g., United in Houston, American in Dallas, and Delta in Atlanta) and an opportunity for challengers in markets which have been more competitively balanced (e.g., New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and Chicago) as well as smaller carriers in general.
The airline which captures the individual corporate traveler’s first trip back may become the de facto incumbent in the traveler’s mind provided the airline meets the customer’s cleanliness expectations and delivers an overall product experience that makes them want to come back. Challenger airlines ought to feel invigorated by the opportunity and incumbent airlines ought to be watching their backs carefully.
How Airlines May React
Many airlines, and the larger ones in particular, find themselves in quite a conundrum. The TMC and corporate account relationship tools on which they have historically depended so heavily have been largely rendered moot, creating a “Great Void” until a reliable view of natural seat share returns. That could take quite a long period of time, possibly measured in years. Because nature abhors a vacuum, airlines are likely to adapt to the prolonged absence of these tools.
At a high level, their options are to exit existing corporate discount and TMC backend incentive agreements, continue extending the agreements already in place, or reallocate funds to the other tools which are still functioning. There is reason to believe that many airlines will ultimately do the latter, and I’ll explain the reasons why.
Simply exiting existing corporate discount and TMC backend incentive agreements might have some surface level appeal, particularly in times when cash is king for airlines. Since little corporate traffic has returned, airlines have a rare window to make big moves in an otherwise dicey area of their business to take chances. However, corporate accounts and TMCs have long memories. Big, selfish moves made now may have long term impacts which outweigh the short term cost savings.
Extending agreements as-is was a natural thing for airlines to do when nobody really knew how bad things would get or how long they would stay that way. Now, as travel begins to rebound, we are in a new phase when nobody will know for sure when the new normal has arrived. It builds account-level goodwill to continue providing deep discounts and high backend incentive payments without any contractual expectation for share performance, but when does the free ride end? It ends when the last airline realizes that their competitors have reallocated some of the funds formerly spent on corporate discounts and TMC backend incentives toward other competitive tools, and thus discovers it arrived too late to the new post-COVID competitive landscape.
Competitive pressures therefore dictate that at least some of the funds formerly earmarked for corporate discounts and TMC backend incentives will be redirected to either transactional tools or corporate traveler relationship tools. But which will it be? Likely a bit of both.
TMCs will push for the continued expansion of TMC-marketed private fare programs and upfront commissions across more markets and at higher costs. It’s hard to argue with their effectiveness. After all, the bulk of higher-end corporate travelers book through these channels. However, these programs have become increasingly expensive for airlines over the last few years, costing as much as 20 percent or more of revenue across an increasing number of markets and fare classes. Beyond the significant cost implications themselves, airlines are keenly aware that this acceleration in upfront discounts and commissions has only added fuel to the TMC consolidation fire. Transactional tools will undoubtedly be a piece of the puzzle but there are short and long term consequences that some airlines may wish to avoid.
The more sophisticated airlines are likely to adopt strategies which strike a balance between investment in account-level and traveler-level competitive tools. The scale of this shift could eventually be quite large, considering that airlines spend as much on commissions as they do on GDSs, sometimes orders of magnitude more…and this excludes the significant amount of investment airlines have historically made in negotiated corporate discounts. Any airline which is looking to emerge post-COVID as leaner and meaner will naturally look at smarter ways to deploy at least some of the funds formerly invested in account relationships. They may find that they can get a better ROI by marketing directly to corporate travelers.
Competing for the end corporate traveler is easier said than done, however. That is why we have seen so few airlines go down this path before, and even fewer do it well. Expect the carriers who go down this path to do so slowly, in incremental steps. These are some outward signs that may provide an indication that an airline has made the strategic leap:
1. They are communicating with customers in their role as corporate travelers.
This signal is more important than it sounds.
The responsibility for communicating with customers is commonly split between multiple departments within the airline and each views the customer through its own lens and with its own priorities. Marketing may be more focused on the market’s general perception of the brand, Loyalty may be more focused on engaging customers according to their present or prospective elite status, the eCommerce team may be more focused on encouraging customers to use the website or app, the Airport team may be more focused on minimizing transaction times at the check-in kiosk, and Sales may be more focused on how to drive airline selection according to the customer’s purpose of travel (e.g., corporate). All of these departments typically think of the “customer” as an individual except the Sales team, which more commonly thinks of the “customer” as an account or group of individuals.
When an airline chooses to message to an individual corporate traveler across multiple channels, it is an indication that some degree of alignment has occurred between all of these departments. Substantial resources — human, technical, and financial — have been allocated to the effort and it sits among the airline’s strategic priorities. It is also a sign that there has been alignment between departments at the most senior level that an individual traveler can be important simply because they are a corporate traveler, regardless of their elite status.
2. They become a participant in Journera.
An airline’s frequent flyer database is a really important source of information about its existing traveler base, which necessarily skews toward markets where the airline’s network is particularly strong. Its frequent flyer database, however, is inadequate at identifying prospective corporate travelers who are either entirely new to corporate travel or who have historically given their business to another airline. This customer visibility gap is especially pronounced in markets like New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, and many mid-sized “focus cities” like Austin, Nashville, and Raleigh-Durham where airline capacity has been more evenly split between multiple carriers.
Credit card and other loyalty partnerships can be an important avenue to close the customer visibility gap, and airlines will certainly lean on partners for this purpose. However, even these partners have customer visibility gaps as not all customers transact on their credit card network, hotel loyalty program, etc. Some partners are also hesitant to be seen as favoring one airline over another in certain circumstances. Not even Google has sufficiently comprehensive data, particularly as it relates to corporate travel, much of which is booked outside of Google’s view.
Airlines which participate in Journera can cast a wider net to close customer visibility gaps in the markets where there is the greatest competitive opportunity. Journera is an industry platform to which travel suppliers across many verticals securely contribute their itinerary information in real time at an individual customer level in a secure, privacy-compliant manner. What results is a fresh, comprehensive view of traveler activity from home to destination to back home again. Even in its infancy, Journera is already processing data for over 200 million travelers, 400 million itineraries, and billions of travel events along those journeys. As Journera gains steam, its travel dataset will be unmatched.
Journera can help airlines and their marketing partners identify not only which individuals are likely or confirmed corporate travelers but also whether the individual has shown any signals that they’ve begun planning corporate travel again, all in near-real-time. An airline which operates out of New York, for example, could work with a marketing partner via Journera to send a targeted elite status offer to prospective corporate travelers who’ve booked a hotel but not yet a flight to select destinations. Because of its targeted nature, this elite status offer could be a bit richer than any elite status qualification standards which apply to all travelers. Another airline which operates out of New York but does not participate in Journera may find that some of their formerly loyal corporate travelers never resurface, and they may have difficulty figuring out why they are lagging their competitors in corporate recovery.
An airline could work with a marketing partner of any kind so long as they are also a Journera participant. This could range from online marketers, to loyalty program partners, to other large companies both inside and outside of travel, to even the TMCs and corporate accounts themselves if they so choose. Journera makes this kind of targeting possible across any channel which has permission to communicate with the customer.
3. Their targeted corporate traveler offers vary in their value proposition or form.
Often with great precision, airline corporate discount agreements give more generous discounts only where the airline’s network is weaker and lower discounts where the airline’s network is stronger. By comparison, though, frequent flyer programs have taken a more cookie-cutter approach. Travelers in markets where the airline’s network is weaker are given the same elite status qualification standards as travelers in markets where the airline’s network is stronger, for example. Yes, there are targeted frequent flyer offers and status matches/exceptions given around the edges, but in general airline loyalty programs over-invest in their largest hubs and under-invest elsewhere.
Be on the lookout for this to change gradually as airlines get smarter at segmenting customers. Just as two companies which both have a location in New York might get different corporate discount levels depending upon which routes they fly both in-and-out of New York and elsewhere, so might two different corporate travelers in New York get two different targeted offers in the future based upon their anticipated travel patterns. This would be a natural side effect of the type of close, inter-departmental coordination described earlier as two selling strategies merge.
Targeted corporate traveler offers may also change over time or seemingly randomly. This could be a sign that the airline is experimenting with different motivators, means, or styles of communication to see which is most effective. And, as targeted airline offers produce higher ROIs, you may find that airlines eventually make the cookie-cutter qualification standards relatively more difficult over time.
Implications for TMCs and Corporate Travel Managers
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.” — Anonymous
As an unrepentant airline distribution hack, I am well aware that on the surface this sounds like an airline ploy to disintermediate both the TMC and corporate travel manager…perhaps even more so given the messenger. It really doesn’t have to be if everyone is willing to think about their roles a little differently.
Adapting to the new normal starts with these two admissions: (1) there is no such thing as natural seat share until such time post-COVID airline capacity stabilizes, which could take a while and (2) it is unreasonable to think that an airline is going to continue living up to its side of a performance-based agreement if its counterparty’s performance is undelivered or indecipherable. It is unlikely to be to your benefit to fight this change. At least part of the money formerly allocated to account relationship tools is therefore likely to be reallocated and it makes sense that it would be invested in competing for the corporate traveler, especially since most people believe that corporate recovery will be uneven and difficult to predict.
This doesn’t have to mean all bad news for TMCs and corporate travel managers.
If there are any universal truths in travel, one of them is that TMCs will always find a way to get paid. This case is no different. TMCs are clearly one of the biggest holders of relationships with individual corporate travelers and therefore likely among the most important channels to deliver timely, relevant offers. TMCs need to step up their electronic marketing game to help airline partners deliver targeted offers to returning corporate travelers, which obviously includes participating in Journera. They need to determine what their rate card should be, and ask the airline to pay for these offers out of their beneficial services funds. To the extent an airline wishes to eliminate or reduce its investment in the TMC’s backend incentive, the TMC can fight for as many of those dollars as it can to be reallocated to beneficial services, upfront commissions, and/or private fare programs.
For most corporate travel managers, the path of least resistance will be to ask TMCs for a cut of these marketing funds in exchange for granting them permission or other assistance to make these offers to travelers. Some corporate travel managers might be just crazy enough to want to take a crack at becoming a marketing channel for airlines. The more, the merrier! They will need to determine their rate card, set up their marketing channels, and sign up for Journera. The upside is that they would get to pocket all of the marketing funds (or, if they prefer, increased waivers and favors) for themselves, which would serve as a nice offset to potentially diminished discounts.
Finally, I will offer one more thing for TMCs and corporate travel managers to think about. The same Journera technology which can provide customer-level insights for marketing purposes can also be used to make the day of travel experience more seamless for travelers. To use an extreme example, a traveler which experiences a flight cancellation mid-journey which causes an unplanned overnight at a connecting hub could be prioritized for automatic booking by a preferred hotel and automatic rebooking by the airline — all instantaneously and without worry. Simpler examples might be automatically offering early check-in or late check-out depending upon a flight’s schedule or status, or automatically issuing mobile room keys to large groups of people upon confirmation of boarding their inbound flight. The technology has evolved to a point where TMCs and corporate travel managers can start inquiring about minimum service levels for operational cooperation between preferred suppliers, particularly if the preferred suppliers are asking for the TMC or corporate travel manager’s cooperation via Journera.
Conclusion
The COVID era has taken off the table the option for airlines to continue using pre-COVID competitive tools to compete for post-COVID corporate business. The good news for airlines is that technology has moved on over the last two years, data has become more comprehensive and granular, the channels for reaching individual corporate travelers have diversified, and customers’ minds are more open to trying new things. Competing for the end corporate traveler is now more possible than it was before and is becoming a competitive imperative for airlines.
Some may say that the role of TMCs and corporate travel managers will be challenged, but it doesn’t have to be that way if they lean into the change. They can participate in new flows of money and capitalize upon new technologies to drive material benefits for their travelers. | https://thejourney.journera.com/post-covid-airlines-are-likely-to-compete-for-one-corporate-traveler-at-a-time-fc0c76399917 | ['Cory Garner'] | 2021-03-30 14:26:58.925000+00:00 | ['Business Travel', 'Covid 19', 'Thoughts From Journera', 'Corporate Travel', 'Airlines'] |
Emitting Component Custom Events — VueJS Tutorial | Photo by Fatos Bytyqi on Unsplash
An important part of any Vue application is to take full advantage of Vue’s reactivity to pass data around an app. However, sometimes this may sometimes get a little confusing when it comes to handling multiple components, inheritance, and a bunch of other problems that always come up in development.
Hopefully, this quick article covers all of the bases to get you well on your way to becoming a master of custom events in Vue.js.
Why Emit Events
You may be asking yourself, “When would I need to do this?”. I don’t blame you. It’s difficult going through tutorials when you don’t know how it’s relevant to your projects.
Emitting events is very useful when using Vue’s best practices and trying to create modular components. If you want your parent component to be able to receive data from its child, a great way to do this is by using VueJS custom events.
For example, let’s say you have a popup component whose visibility is controlled by the parent. If we want to close the popup by clicking an exit button, we can emit an event from the child to the parent to tell it to hide the popup.
There are way more complicated use cases in which this fundamental skill is important, but it once you get the basics it’s pretty easy to see how it can apply to your project.
How Do We Even Do This?
Going back to the earlier example of a popup component, let’s say we have the following two components.
Popup.vue — this could be a verification form, login popup, anything really
<template>
<div class='popup'>
This is the popup
<div>Close</div>
</div>
</template>
<script>
</script>
Page.vue — this is just the parent container for this example
<template>
<div>
<popup v-show='popupOpen'></popup>
Hello World
</div>
</template> <script>
import Popup from '.Popup.vue' export default {
components: {
Popup
},
data () {
popupOpen: false
}
} </script>
As you can see, the popup is only visible on Page.vue when the popupOpen variable is true — however if we wanted to close the popup by clicking the button, it may get a little tricky to pass this information back to Page.vue this is where emitting custom events can come in.
All we have to do is add a few lines.
In Popup.vue — we have to add a method and call it when the button is clicked. The method will emit an event.
<template>
<div class='popup'>
This is the popup
<div @click='handleClick'>Close</div>
</div>
</template>
<script>
export default {
methods: {
handleClick: function () {
// can put fancier logic here, but we'll be simple
this.$emit('close')
}
}
}
</script>
Then, in Page.vue , we’ll have to listen for this event and handle it accordingly. This can be done by modifying the one line using the v-on modifier.
<popup v-show='popupOpen' v-on:close='popupOpen = false'></popup>
Getting a Little Fancy with It
Of course, this example is extremely simple and may even seem self explanatory. But there are way more advanced capabilities that can be done using VueJS custom events.
One common use for emitting VueJS events is to create a two way binding between properties. Thankfully, VueJS knows this and has created a shorthand for doing this.
Straight from the Vue docs. We have the following example in which we .
this.$emit('update:title', newTitle)
Then in the parent, we listen.
<text-document
v-bind:title="doc.title"
v-on:update:title="doc.title = $event" >
</text-document>
However, there is a shorthand that the brilliant Vue team added to simplify this command into one line.
<text-document v-bind.sync="doc"></text-document>
This is a great example of passing data back to the parent component, by calling this.$emit() with a second parameter, it is passed back to the parent under the variable name $event . This is useful because you can pass back Objects or any other data that you want.
Further Reading
As always, I’m a huge fan of using the VueJS docs — it’s some of the best written documentation for any programming framework out there. It’s definitely my go to resource for finding out more specifics and the ins-and-outs of the code syntax and options.
That’s it.
And five quick bullet points later — that’s it! This should definitely be enough to get you started in using one of Vue’s lesser utilized features. I hope you found this helpful, and as always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or even just want to say hi — just leave a reply or shoot me an email at [email protected]
Happy programming! | https://medium.com/javascript-in-plain-english/emitting-custom-events-vuejs-tutorial-2689390df096 | ['Matt Maribojoc'] | 2020-12-24 01:53:55.824000+00:00 | ['Vuejs', 'JavaScript', 'Programming', 'Coding', 'Web Development'] |
Ending Homelessness Together #5 — “Can’t We Make Them Go Away?” | I knew we were in trouble. When the director of parks was asked by a city councilmember, “What do you think we should do about homelessness?,” she answered, “Make them go away.” Where was the leadership? The councilmember was asking staff and the staff member was throwing up her hands.
Increasingly, there is a sense of frustration in communities that are impacted by growing numbers of people living without homes. People express the same feelings over and over: The housing is too expensive. If you can’t afford to live here you shouldn’t be here. There is not enough funding to support social programs. Police don’t do anything. Nonprofit providers only attract more homeless people. We can’t build or locate homeless people near my property, that’s not safe. We already spend too much money on “those people.” Can’t we just make them go away?
All of the concerns expressed are genuine, real, and understandable. People see a persistent problem, and it seems as though nothing works to solve it.
There is no answer to the question “what do we do about ‘the homeless’”. Because “the homeless” don’t exist. Each person without a home has a simple, straightforward, and very clear solution — they need a permanent home. As a social grouping, homeless people have thousands of reasons for their lack of housing that include economics, lack of family ties, mental health problems, or misuse of alcohol and other drugs, etc. What they all have in common, is they have no place to live. So, if you want to help homeless people, give them a place to live. To do this, we have to start seeing people without homes as members of our community who, for one reason or another, have not been able to be successful in our housing market.
Where more and more cities are stumbling is that they are looking for short term answers and quick fixes. There is nothing wrong with outreach, storage lockers, day centers, warming or cooling centers, shelters, or transitional housing per se. However, what is clearly wrong is the belief that any of these interventions solves the problem. If a person with an alcohol problem attends an AA meeting, are they sober? These partial efforts are VERY expensive, and without coordination, they don’t work.
Each of these efforts is an intervention toward the solution — housing. And, any city or county effort that isn’t establishing a clear pipeline into permanent housing is not actually trying to solve the problem — they are giving jobs and funding to providers. Then, we must ask, are the providers coordinating their actions toward permanent housing? Does each person they work with have a clear plan to become housed? If not, homelessness will persist and grow.
Permanent housing does not have to be new construction, or even within your city limits. Not all homeless people can or should live on their own in their own unit. Each person has different needs, capabilities, earning potential and resources. One size does not fit more than one person. But, each person MUST have a plan that includes where, how much they will pay, with whom, and when can they get there.
The most successful approach is a flexible one that treats each person as an individual who needs a home as fast as possible. Each day’s priority should be answering the question, “Where is my home?” Shelters and transitional housing can be a problem, because people start to feel too at home in them. So, that question has to still be asked every day. Choices are critical, because you can’t force someone home — it simply won’t work. This focus on individualized services is expensive — for the first couple of years, it’s about $20,000 per person above and beyond the cost of rent and other basic needs. But, what are the costs of repeated trips to the emergency room? What are the costs of police, lawyers, courts, and jails as people run around the punishment circle? What are the costs of lost business, neighborhood clean-ups, park clean-ups, and a feeling of a loss of safety and community? If you add it up, these costs far exceed $20,000 a year per person.
Let’s be clear. Finding a home takes time. Outreach, shelters and transitional housing allow someone to get off the streets during this time. Charitable efforts like food, clothing, sleeping bags, showers, and laundry make living each day more comfortable, humane, sanitary and safe. There is clearly a place for charity, social services, and process measures — but we can never lose sight of the goal for each and every person — finding a home. And, particularly in California, where we need 3.5 million more units by 2025, the task seems insurmountable. But, we have to remember, most people who are poor, most who have alcohol and drug problems, and most who have mental health issues are living in a home — what are they doing? What does this actual person in front of you need, to find a home, that these other people in a similar situation already have?
Where and why does it work? According to CalMatters, Atlanta and Houston have cut their homeless populations in half by bringing together all the agencies and creating standard tools and expectations. Santa Barbara’s SBACT is committing to taking 100 people off the streets in 2021 using a collective impact approach of bringing nonprofits, businesses, churches, government programs, volunteers, and leaders who are homeless themselves all rowing in the same direction. | https://medium.com/@flacksseedconsulting/ending-homelessness-together-5-cant-we-make-them-go-away-e84cfd385f15 | ['Chuck Flacks'] | 2020-12-09 00:30:11.145000+00:00 | ['Affordable Housing', 'Homelessness', 'Alcohol Addiction', 'Homeless', 'Mental Health'] |
Digital Cameras — A Caveman’s Guide | It was a lot of fun to go from having no clue how photographers produced images like this, to learning the process from content creators, to producing one myself.
This article will explain the very, very, very basics of using a digital camera, in the simplest terms possible.
There are 4 sections:
The Digital Camera The Settings Basic Accessories Lighting
The Digital Camera
The Camera
The thing that takes the photo. The digital ones do not use film. Photos are stored on a memory card.
The Canon Rebel line is a popular series of beginner digital cameras
Types of Digital Cameras
Digital cameras can be “Digital Single Lens Reflex” (DSLR) or Mirrorless. Each type has their pros and cons. A mirrorless may be easier for beginners as you can see on the screen what happens when you tinker with settings, which we’ll talk about later.
Camera Sensors
Camera have sensors in them. The sensor’s job is to convert light that enters it, into the images we see once we click the shutter button.
Sensors come in different sizes. We will come back to this later.
Brands
Some of the big brands are Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, Panasonic, and Fujifilm.
“What camera should buy?”
It doesn’t really matter. A bad photographer with an incredible camera will produce bad work. A skilled photographer with an inferior camera can produce excellent work. See this in action here:
My photograph could have been produced by a camera that costs 1/5th of my camera. Mine just has some bells and whistles.
The Settings
Shutter Speed
Shutter Speed determines how much time the sensor is exposed to the light coming into the camera.
It is measured in increments of seconds. Such as 1/1000 second, or 2 seconds.
A faster shutter speed will expose the sensor to less light. So the image produced will be darker. But it can “freeze” motion.
from erdinç ersoy
A slower shutter speed will expose the sensor to more light. So the image produced will be lighter. But it can also “blur” motion.
from Brayden Law
Aperture
Aperture determines an image’s depth of field. Let’s first talk about depth of field.
Depth of field can be shallow, or quite deep.
This is shallow depth of field:
from ionixpadayao
You can see the background is blurry. The truck is in focus. The “focal plane” is narrow.
This is a deeper depth of field:
from Mihis Alex
Almost everything is in focus.
Aperture is measured in these funny looking units: f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22 and f/32.
The lower the number on right side of the slash, the narrower the depth of field. The higher the number, the deeper the depth of field.
Where shutter speed adjusts how quickly the shutter is operating inside the camera, the aperture is adjusting how wide or closed the aperture blades inside the lens are.
It is kind of like squinting and opening your eyes. Where an aperture like f/1.4 would be wide open, and f/32 would quite narrow.
When a lens is capable of apertures like f1/2 and f1/4, that lens is called “fast”.
ISO
ISO is the camera’s sensitivity to light. It’s measured in units like ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO 3200, ISO 6400.
Different cameras have different ISO ranges.
A low ISO means the camera is not sensitive to light. You will need adequate light for the camera to pick up on what is in front of it.
A high ISO means the camera is sensitive to light. You will need less light for the camera to pick up on what is in front of it. Setting a higher ISO helps at night when there is less light but you still want to shoot a photo. But there is a tradeoff. When ISO is high, you are more likely to have photos with noise.
An exaggerated example from Digital Photography Live
Maybe you want noise, maybe you don’t. Maybe you need to boost ISO to compensate for low light outdoors and can live with grain. It is completely up to you.
Basic Accessories
Tripod
Holds your camera. Allows for slower shutter speed (so, longer exposures) because you don’t need to worry about your hands shaking your camera.
Batteries
Powers your camera
Camera bag
Holds your camera and lens(es)
Lighting
Flash unit
This can be a speedlite, which is one of those small lights that go on top of your camera.
Yongnuo YN560-II
Or a big one with a bulb in it.
Godox AD600 Pro
The bigger ones need to be mounted on a stand of some sort.
Light Stand
This is a stand you put your light on. You can put other things on it too.
Impact Heavy-Duty Light Stand
C Stand
C Stands are really flexible, versatile, heavy duty stands that mount whatever you want to mount.
They have infinite uses, which how their arms work. | https://medium.com/@yallcantspell/digital-cameras-a-cavemans-guide-94bfa713f147 | ['Abhra Biswas'] | 2020-11-22 02:27:11.978000+00:00 | ['Digital Camera', 'Photography', 'Beginners Guide', 'Cameras', 'Tutorial'] |
Together Apart: Nurturing Closeness Despite Separation | Six feet apart. Masked. Bubbled. Distanced. Grounded. Halted.
I, like most of us, have spent the past nine months living this way. And yet, so much has happened in my life — graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, births, deaths, a new job — all while being separated. In any other year, there would have been parties and joyful dinners, celebrations of life, and supportive coffee dates. But this year has given us unprecedented challenges, challenges that have tested us greatly because despite having to stay apart, we human beings crave connection.
It may seem strange to say that this year has become a year of connection — of closeness despite the separation — but for me, it has. This year has taught me how necessary it is to reach out and connect despite the separation.
Dare to connect despite the norms. There are few boundaries beyond the ones we create.
When our family Thanksgiving gathering at my cousin’s house was canceled, we hosted the biggest party ever by putting on a Zoom feast across three continents and five time zones. We saw old relatives we hadn’t heard from in years and met new ones who had just been born. We laughed, cried, and danced. We created new traditions.
When my son’s graduation performance was canceled, the kids each recorded their rendition of “The Best Day of My Life” (how ironic) on their own, which was painstakingly edited into a single track over the summer by a group of parents. Instead of watching the final video separately, we came together for a virtual live screening for what we realized later would be their last gathering as a class before heading out into the wide world of middle school.
We laughed, cried, and danced. We created new traditions.
When my new team at work felt isolated — some of us brand new to the company, some with long tenures — we gathered with video cameras on and our voices unmuted to share first challenges and then wins. Because there are no triumphs without difficulties, we came together and connected about our authentic struggles. We supported each other and experienced how good it felt to connect through both prosperity and adversity.
After losing nearly an entire department of researchers at my previous company, we banded together closer than ever before through an online group — sharing resources, celebrating highs and lows, through jokes, links, and the occasional live call. We shared breaking industry news and news about our personal lives. While we were disbanded through unfortunate layoffs, our bond feels now closer than ever. We realized that together we are stronger.
Because there are no triumphs without difficulties, we came together and connected about our authentic struggles.
And I’m learning more and more about the power of connection every day. Yesterday, on a sunny winter afternoon, I was on a walk with my children and parents. For the past eleven years, we’ve walked the same path, passing the incredible front yard of an artist who makes monster-size bunny rabbit sculptures (yes, really). Yesterday, my son decided to do something that none of us thought possible: he jumped into their yard and hugged the giant bunny. He beckoned for us all to join him, but of course, we couldn’t. Instead, we took a picture of all of us (masks on, pretending to put our arms around each other), marking the moment when he dared to connect despite the norms, and we all connected in the one way we had available to us. At least for now.
It is easy to lose touch with friends, family, and colleagues due to circumstances beyond our control, but through the unprecedented challenges the pandemic has thrown us, I’ve learned how easy it can be to reach out and connect despite separation. All it takes is recognition of our human need for connection and a desire to create closeness.
Even as we return to a brave new world in the coming year, know that there are few boundaries and limits beyond the ones we create.
With this in mind, I encourage you to find ways to find togetherness while being apart. Ask yourself who is your team, be it at work or in the community, and how can you nurture these connections? Are there people you’ve lost touch with that you want in your life? Ask yourself why you’ve become disconnected and then reach out. Rejoin a group you left. Initiate a live and honest conversation one-on-one. Maybe get in touch with an estranged friend, a distant relative, a long-lost coworker. Now is the time to reconnect and find the togetherness despite the distance.
While 2020 has been a superlative year in all ways, let’s commit to remaining connected while separated. Even as we return to a brave new world in the coming year, know that there are few boundaries and limits beyond the ones we create. Let’s stay together while apart so that when we are able to gather again, we’ll have become closer despite the distance. | https://medium.com/@etiennefang/together-apart-392e5d7b39cb | ['Etienne Fang'] | 2021-01-05 19:38:50.761000+00:00 | ['Team Building', 'Corporate Culture', 'Family', 'Community', 'Tech Culture'] |
Diagnosing Covid-19 in Tears | Covid-19 / Medicine
Diagnosing Covid-19 in Tears
A new study may seek to replace nasal swabs to diagnose coronavirus
Image by LhcCoutinho from Pixabay
Testing remains at the forefront in the fight against Covid-19.
Several pressures from politics to reliability and availability of of tests in the US have hampered the effort to test people for Covid-19. Early on, the roll out of testing in the US was criticized by many as experts as too slow to address the rise in cases. Even to date, the US falls short of the level of testing that many experts feel is needed to begin to contain the virus.
Beyond political pressures, Covid-19 tests themselves have come under scrutiny for failing to provide reliable results. Tests that detect antibodies against SARS-Cov-2 have shown limitations in reliability, and may provide people with a false sense of security. Even with these limitations, testing is still one of the most critical public health efforts in containing an outbreak. Researchers are continuing efforts to develop convenient and reliable tests for Covid-19.
By now, most people have seen images of current Covid-19 tests. Social media has been inundated with videos of people succumbing to the insertion of a long nasal swab into their nose. This swab is intended to go deep beyond the nasal cavity into the nasal pharynx, where respiratory viruses can be detected. These images, and people’s reactions to their own testing have left people with the impression that Covid-19 testing is uncomfortable at best, and painful at worst.
Public appetite and demand from the scientific community for reliable and convenient Covid-19 tests has pushed some researchers to look elsewhere in the body to detect the virus. Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School have turned their attention to the eyes, and in particular the tears to test for the virus. A team, lead by Opthalmologist Dr. Hossein Nazari have launched a study looking into using human tears as a possible test for Covid-19.
Why test tears for Covid-19?
Tears, produced by lacrimal glands deep within the eye socket, have a close anatomical relationship to the nasal cavity. Anyone who has shed tears in the time if sadness knows how quickly a runny nose follows tears. In fact, there is a physical structure that connects the tissue that lines the eye socket — called the conjunctiva — to the nasal cavity that allows for drainage of tears. Dr. Nazari’s team is investigating the idea that viruses can permeate the conjunctiva and be detected there. Their test would pull tears form the inner corner of the eye into a a microcapillary tube through capillary motion and use them to analyze for presence of SARS-CoV-2.
The test would rely on a technique commonly used in biomedical laboritories called real-time polymerase chain reaction or RT-PCR. This assay uses synthetic primers to amplify segments of the SARS-CoV-2 genome, which can be detected in real time to determine the presence and quantity of viral load in the body. RT-PCR assays have some documented shortcomings, but remains one of the most reliable techniques for detecting the presence of viral genetic material. | https://deadlywarbler.medium.com/diagnosing-covid-19-in-tears-5fcf09b434ba | ['Jesse Smith'] | 2020-06-26 16:50:34.984000+00:00 | ['Health', 'Medicine', 'Science', 'Covid 19', 'Technology'] |
Domestic | I
should
leave this place,
leave these bottles and their glass,
the anger, the threat,
leave the violence
No more fret
Yes,
yes I should
I should run fast
I should make an escape
I’ll grab my daughter and we’ll go
We’ll find a new place,
find a new home
together
away,
away from this place,
find a new space for us two
We will not be bothering you,
won’t be calling on you
won't be harmed —
We are through
me and you
Just me
Yes
That’s who,
that’s who I’ll be
I’ll just be me, you be you
She’s all I want, and happily
we’ll share our time alone
in a space of our own
No man to speak of
No man to throw
words that sear
and that burn
my heart,
home,
Me,
Her
our daughter
No, my daughter
she couldn’t be better —
She won’t be better until I go,
until I flee away from you
I’ll grab her and we’ll go
It’s right, she’ll know
But I’m still here,
frozen in fear
Frozen.
Here. | https://medium.com/literally-literary/domestic-c15260bd936c | ['Juliette Roanoke'] | 2019-10-15 23:01:42.816000+00:00 | ['Poetry', 'Relationships', 'This Happened To Me', 'Mental Health', 'Parenting'] |
Announcement #45 — Your favorite defi tokens are coming on Bitbns | Announcement #45 — Your favorite defi tokens are coming on Bitbns Bitbns Follow Nov 21 · 2 min read
Dear Users,
It’s been sometime since new tokens have gone live on Bitbns.
Now we are going on a token listing-spree in which we will list 7 new cryptocurrencies on our exchange within the next 15 days.
Here’s the complete list:
BAT: Basic Attention Token, or BAT, is the token that powers a new blockchain-based digital advertising platform designed to fairly reward users for their attention, while providing advertisers with a better return on their ad spend.
SNX: Synthetix is a derivatives liquidity protocol on Ethereum that enables the issuance and trading of synthetic assets.
UNI: Uniswap is a popular decentralized trading protocol, known for its role in facilitating automated trading of decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens.
YFI: Yearn finance is an aggregator service for decentralized finance (DeFi) investors, using automation to allow them to maximize profits from yield farming.
YFII: DFI MONEY, also known as YFII, is a fork of popular decentralized finance (DeFi) aggregator platform yearn finance (YFI).
YFV: The YFValue protocol aims to bring fairness, true value, and innovation to yield farming.
BANCOR: Bancor is an on-chain liquidity protocol that enables automated, decentralized exchange on Ethereum and across blockchains.
WBTC: Wrapped Bitcoin is a tokenized version of Bitcoin (BTC) that runs on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain.
We are bringing these tokens in INR market to strengthen bitbns INR market ecosystem. BNS investors will get multiple benefits from these listings.
Fixed Income Plans: Users will be able to enjoy upto 20% per annum fixed returns on these tokens.
Market price volatility will not affect your returns if you are investing 1000 UNI then you will get x% in form of UNI during your FIP maturity. Learn about FIP here: https://youtu.be/puvygqheJzY.
Deposit fee refund: We will refund 100% transaction fee that user’s pay whole transferring these coins to BitBns for the first time.
You just have to fill this form after transferring tokens: bit.ly/337fhGB.
Pay via BNS: You get to trade them at super low fees. Users have got over 32 million INR as fee refund by paying via BNS. Check fee refund slab at bitbns.com/fees.
Margin trade them. Few of those tokens would be added in margin trading with leverage.
Use stop limit with trail or bracket orders to ensure you have a superb trading experience .
Have more questions? Join our Bitbns Telegram community.
Till Then
Onwards and upwards
Team Bitbns | https://medium.com/bitbns/announcement-45-your-favorite-defi-tokens-are-coming-on-bitbns-726ba2ed68e3 | [] | 2020-11-21 17:37:30.482000+00:00 | ['Cryptocurrency', 'Crypto'] |
This is how a day in the live of Genaration-z in covid-19 lockdown | This is how a day in the live of Genaration-z in covid-19 lockdown Nathaniel Lewis ·Dec 27, 2020
Hour one) we wake you to the cold dark room and mave not to motivate you to do anything.
Hour two) you have just musterd up the will-power to move and get in the shower.
hour three) after you shower you get on your phone for a few hour's.
hour five) you get your daily phone call from all of your friends and you all sit and talk about nothing.
hour six) you got up and ate your first and most-likly last meal of the day you sit and talk to your friends.
hour seven) you go on your phone and talk to your best friend for the rest of the night
last hour) you get ready for bed and you think of how badly you want to see your friends.
sleep… | https://medium.com/@bynathanielreid/this-is-how-a-day-in-the-live-of-genaration-z-in-covid-19-lockdown-d65d0f9d9d84 | ['Nathaniel Lewis'] | 2020-12-27 05:31:15.117000+00:00 | ['Teenagers', 'Lifestyle', 'Friendship', 'Covid 19'] |
Confessions of an Obsolete Child Actor | Confessions of an Obsolete Child Actor
Being cast in ‘School of Rock’ was a defining moment in my life — for better or worse
Me, now. Photo: Sarah Elizabeth Larson
A few months ago, I was in hair and makeup for a feature with one of my castmates, a 12-year-old girl. She was on set with her mom and little brother. He was playing games on a phone while the mother and daughter ran lines together. When the mom stopped her kid mid-sentence to give her a line reading, I was instantly transported back to my youth. I felt bad for my castmate. I felt bad for my sisters, who spent years waiting in the car with my mom while I was in guitar lessons or at auditions. I felt bad for all the other kids in all the waiting rooms of all the auditions. Did any of us really want to be there?
Of course, I was there by choice that day — if you don’t count all the choices that led me to pursue acting in the first place. Back in 2003, I was cast as Katie in the film School of Rock. Katie was 10 years old, played bass guitar, and had about five lines that mostly consisted of one word each. I got to meet some of my idols, attend the MTV Movie Awards (hosted by America’s then-sweetheart Lindsay Lohan), and travel the world — all before I got my first period. Then, after my brief break from obscurity, I fell into the classic child actor pattern. I’ve spent the last 16 years of my life trying to be anything but “that girl from that thing” despite the blunt reality: No one even cares that much.
Me, age 10. Photo: Wendy Brown
Let me preface this by saying that I am absolutely grateful for the experience as a whole. For those who reach out to me expressing that School of Rock inspired them to pick up an instrument. For the femmes who let me know Katie was their first queer crush. (Does this make me a queer icon? If so, love that for me.) For all the opportunities that followed. And especially for my castmates, who I see as forever family. Nothing will ever diminish these factors. However, I do have some very complicated feelings about School of Rock, so let’s dive in, shall we?
From as early as I can remember, my parents told me I was “destined to be a star.” They were the textbook definition of toxic stage parents. They praised me and gave me all the validation and attention in the world. They spoiled me. They called me perfect and beautiful. They kept a journal of all the adorable and charming things I’d do and say. I started taking guitar lessons when I was four and became the family’s little prodigy, against my own will. It was expected that if I were to make an appearance at a family function, my guitar would be there, too. My mom would coach and critique me from the sidelines.
At school, I desperately wanted to be liked and to fit in. All of the kids in my class were either in dance or sports, so we had nothing in common. I was bullied immensely for being the “weird classical music girl,” and my only friends were my sisters and my guitar. When I was nine, I was on NPR’s From the Top, a radio show that showcased kids who played classical music. A few months later, a casting director reached out to my guitar teacher expressing interest in having me audition for Untitled Jack Black Project. I didn’t know what any of this meant. I was 10; all I really cared about was ice cream and having, I don’t know, one friend who wasn’t a blood relative or an inanimate object.
Initially, I read for the band manager role (which eventually went to Miranda Cosgrove—hey, sis) and played a few classical songs on guitar. For the callback, I was asked to “rock out.” My parents bought me a kid-sized electric guitar, and I played “American Woman” by Lenny Kravitz. I found out I’d booked it the next day. They told me I’d be playing a character they wrote specifically for me and that I’d be leaving in two days for New York, where I’d live in a hotel with my mom for four months. The idea that Mike White, Jack Black, and Richard Linklater saw something in me still blows my mind.
I got to live the Eloise fantasy I never knew I wanted. And then we wrapped.
While on set, I met 14 kids who were underdogs like me. We all fell in love with each other pretty much instantly, and our moms were a cast of their own (and honestly could have had a highly entertaining reality television show). To this day, we have a family text thread where we champion each other’s exciting lives.
On set, I was a walking panic attack. I would fuck up my lines; I would look into the camera and ruin takes. When I looked into that lens, what I saw was my entire family saying, “Don’t fuck this up for us,” and my bullies laughing at me and calling me weird. All this to say that off-screen, it was fun as hell. We’d have cast and crew karaoke parties and play Dance Dance Revolution between takes. I got to see Heather Headley and Adam Pascal in the original Broadway cast of Aida. I got to eat room service every night. I got to live the Eloise fantasy I never knew I wanted. And then we wrapped.
I went home to Chicago, and because kids are assholes, I was bullied even more when I came back to school. I’ll never forget one girl who came up to me and asked me to sign her lunch card, then tore it up and threw it in the trash in front of me. When we started the press tour, I was pulled out of school and got to be with my friends again. Upon seeing myself on the big screen at the premiere, I judged myself for being the tallest girl in the cast, for having bags under my eyes and weird teeth, for having a fat belly and no breasts. I started hating my body and developed an eating disorder.
I remember being pulled out of school to go to the Toronto International Film Festival (brag) when I was 11. At an afterparty, having snuck a sip of champagne and snacking on a cup of wasabi peas, I had the realization that I was no longer a kid. I had a job now, and my job was to book another big movie so I could pay my parents’ mortgage. Sometimes, I questioned whether I continued to act for myself or for them. My mom, despite having zero experience in the film industry, had by then taken on the role of my manager. She was always throwing in her unhelpful two cents when it came to my appearance. Neither of us really knew what we were doing. We’d drill lines together in the car on the way to auditions. She was more off-book than I was. She would futz with my hair and tug at my clothes in the lobby. If I did a good job at an audition, I’d get Panera; if I did a great job, I’d get Panera and a Frappuccino.
On message boards (what a time 2003 was), grown men would sexualize me, commenting, “The bassist is going to grow up to be hot” and “Can’t wait ’til she’s 18.” My mom would read the comments online for hours on end, relaying all of the negative ones to me. When I was in sixth grade, a strange man in a trench coat came to my school and tried to take photos of me, and absolutely nothing was done about it. For the first time, I felt unsafe existing. When my parents brought this to my school’s administration, the principal said, “I guess that’s the price of fame.” I was transferred to a smaller private school immediately. “What a relief,” I thought. “I can start fresh, leave the bullies and stalkers behind. I won’t even mention School of Rock. I can go back to being a kid.”
But every time I entered a new school, it would only take a few days before someone found out my secret. I went to three different high schools, and at each one, kids would scream School of Rock quotes at me in the halls. It was annoying and embarrassing. I constantly felt trapped. If I reacted to them positively, I was labeled a bragging snob. If I reacted negatively or ignored them, I was labeled a cold, ungrateful bitch. Every time someone brought up the movie, I didn’t think of my personal highlights, like meeting the Olsen twins or eating Kobe beef with Jack Black and my dad in Tokyo or being on Sharon Osbourne’s talk show. I thought of the girl ripping up my autograph in the cafeteria. I thought of the trench coat guy coming to my school. I thought of my mom reading the awful comments on the message boards, the bullying, and the shame of being sexualized as a 10-year-old.
From the age of 14, I used drugs, alcohol, sex, food, and self-harm to numb all of this pain. I’ve survived dozens of toxic relationships and three suicide attempts. I’m not saying all of this is because I played bass in a movie when I was a kid but because I spent over a decade terrified that I’d peaked at 10 years old.
Even recently, over half of the comments on my social media are from dudes who had a crush on the 10-year-old me (some of them are really gross, and I want to thank my friends who never hesitate to drag those goblins). Sometimes the comments are people asking me why I stopped acting, which fills me with rage. Actors are worth so much more than their IMDb credits.
Sometimes the idea of a TMZ headline reading “That one girl from School of Rock dead from overdose at 27” is all it takes to keep me from a relapse.
Today, I live in Los Angeles, where I work for a skin care company. I still act and perform. I’ve traveled the country as a stand-up comedian and performed in several plays, web series, indie feature films, and bands. I’ve been fortunate enough to be welcomed into Chicago’s theater and comedy scenes. I’ve competed on NBC’s Bring the Funny. And still, no credit or feat is as cool as the fact that I have been in recovery from alcoholism and addiction for two years (and frankly, it’s fucking hard to maintain sobriety, but sometimes the idea of a TMZ headline reading “That one girl from School of Rock dead from overdose at 27” is all it takes to keep me from a relapse).
I’m grateful that School of Rock happened. It’s a great film, and it was, to its core, a fun experience. I’m grateful for the fans who picked up an instrument because of us. And I’m even grateful to my parents; I recognize now that they have unresolved trauma of their own. They were simply doing their best, and unfortunately, their best resulted in some pain. But I get to recover from that pain every day, through therapy and self-reparenting.
To this day, I still get recognized randomly at airports and coffee shops. People ask if I’m “the girl from School of Rock.” For a long time, I used to say no and keep walking, but now that I’m in a better place emotionally, I humbly say yes. I no longer carry resentment for people who only know of me as “that girl from that thing.” I know deep within my bones that I’m so much more — and that’s good enough for me. | https://humanparts.medium.com/tales-of-an-obsolete-child-actor-92a120f08576 | ['Rivkah Reyes'] | 2020-04-13 22:22:57.294000+00:00 | ['Mental Health', 'Culture', 'Film', 'Self', 'Life Lessons'] |
The Data Behind Donations During the COVID-19 Pandemic | In early March, GoFundMe CEO Tim Cadogan wrote in a post that the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic “have tested humanity in ways most of us have never known.” Since then, the public has rallied around each other to provide unceasing support for friends, family members, and even strangers in need — all while navigating the pandemic firsthand.
To better understand the GoFundMe community’s ever-changing response to COVID-19, we are sharing data on pandemic-related fundraisers and donations over a six-month period. Here is what we learned:
Outpouring of global support
Between March 1 and August 31, 2020, the GoFundMe community responded to the widespread impact of the pandemic by raising over $625 million through over 9 million donations for frontline workers, small businesses, causes, organizations, and more. | https://medium.com/gofundme-stories/the-data-behind-donations-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-c40e0f690bfa | [] | 2020-09-24 15:19:03.582000+00:00 | ['Small Business', 'Gofundme', 'Covid 19', 'Gofundme Announcements', 'Fundraising'] |
Virtual Recovery and Connection | Convenience:
The most challenging part of going to meetings pre-COVID was the physical act of getting up, driving, and walking into the room. I allowed my anxiety to paralyze me at times, and I wouldn’t go. I usually relied on being with someone else to get myself to the meeting — going alone was frightening at times. It never failed, though, as soon as I walked out the doors, I felt relief, calm, and thankful that I went. I almost always get something from every meeting. Sometimes they are small lessons — sometimes there is a share that hits you right in your heart or opens your mind. Waking into my first meeting was one of the scariest moments of my life and the best decision I have ever made. I will always be thankful for the ‘White House’, who offered meetings all day, every day. I met people there that made me feel safe and loved. I never thought I would be able to get these feelings from a virtual meeting.
“Walking” into the virtual meeting was easy. There is nowhere you have to go except on your computer. You can sit at a desk, in your bed, on the deck outside. You can be on your phone in your car, at work, or in your house. You can dress up or be in your underwear if you’d like. All you need is an internet connection and a device, and you can go to any meeting across the world. It takes minimal effort to find a meeting (there is never a time that there isn’t a meeting), and you can find meetings of all different formats, groups, languages, and sizes. All of these things made getting into a meeting easier, I was in the comfort of my own home, and if it is terrible, you can always leave the meeting without having to feel the awkwardness of standing up and walking out the doors early while all eyes are on you.
I found my meetings by chance and by chance, I mean my higher power put them in front of me. The first day I decided I wanted to stop drinking was uncomfortable. I kept telling myself over and over not to go to the liquor store. After fighting with myself all night, a thought sparked — why not try out a virtual meeting? I had no reason not to, so I got on my laptop and googled “virtual AA lookup,” and I found an incredible resource: Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous. You can filter your search as narrowly as you’d like, and you can find a meeting that will fit what you are looking for. It is excellent for intersectionality, finding your people and your safe place. | https://medium.com/@allielowry/virtual-recovery-and-connection-87a9d0fe64a5 | ['Allie Lowry'] | 2020-12-20 02:15:42.025000+00:00 | ['Addiction', 'Self Improvement', 'Recovery', 'Alcoholism', 'Mental Health'] |
Trimester Project: Documenting Growth & Reflecting on Connections Using Sutori with Embedded Flipgrid Responses & Desmos Graphs #edtech #mathchat | My school has always administered exams in the first and third trimester (meaning that students usually are taking their trimester exam right about now). However, this year, we moved to a one exam model, which will be given at the end of trimester 2.
As I thought about what I would do to shift things without an exam, I asked myself what part of the exam period I thought brought the most value to my students’ learning. To me, the studying and synthesizing of material from the beginning of the school year, the organizing of information, and the focus on helping students make connections between the various units and topics is where the value lies. And so I decided to create a project for my students focused on these aspects.
Metacognition
Metacognition — “thinking about one’s thinking” — has been linked to improved learning outcomes. Research has shown that metacognition promotes deeper learning and affects whether students can transfer and apply their knowledge to new scenarios. Teachers can scaffold metacognition by asking students to explain their thought process. By asking, “how did you figure that out?” or “talk through your solution,” teachers can help students reflect on the process and tease out the strategies they chose to use in solving problems. What’s more, by providing opportunities for students to revise and analyze errors, teachers help students see more clearly how their thinking has improved and oftentimes allows them to see the solution differently.
Documenting Growth & Reflecting on Connections
The final trimester project I created asked students to use Sutori to “document their growth & reflect on connections in AP Calculus.” In the first trimester of AP Calculus, we have studied limits, derivatives, and begun applying properties of derivatives. This project allowed students to demonstrate their mastery of these sections by highlighting the connections they have been able to form between the “old” and “new” material.
All trimester long, we have been doing reflective activities — through Flipgrid posts, homework revisions, and in creating self-made study guides. In this project, students pulled together work they completed in the past and wrote reflective statements talking about why they chose to showcase this specific question and how their understanding of the topic has grown. | https://staceyroshan.medium.com/trimester-project-documenting-growth-reflecting-on-connections-using-sutori-with-embedded-4ae105ca5946 | ['Stacey Roshan'] | 2018-11-19 22:56:05.071000+00:00 | ['Technology', 'Education', 'Learning How To Learn', 'Mathematics Education', 'Edtech'] |
How to Write a Dynamite Pitch For Your Guest Post | How to Write a Dynamite Pitch For Your Guest Post
Get your words in front of thousands at lightning speed
Photo by Nainoa Shizuru on Unsplash
Do you want to be famous?
I’m not talking about being so famous you can’t go to the grocery store without a team of bodyguards. But if that’s what you want, more power to you!
I’m talking about credibility. You get that by being known as an authority in your niche. When you achieve that status, you become a go-to guide people turn to when they’re looking for the latest and best insights in the business you’re in.
Wouldn’t that be great?
Guest posting is a fantastic way to give your message the boost it needs.
So how do you approach an Influencer?
You might be thinking, “Who am I to ask the biggest blogger I know to let me write for them?”
What I’m about to say will encourage you and maybe even shock you.
It doesn’t matter who you are.
If you have a great idea for a post that will make an Influencer look good, they’ll be glad to hear it. And more importantly, if your idea lifts their audience to a higher level of performance, you’ll have your best shot ever of getting your foot in the door.
Just make sure it’s original, inspiring, and useful.
Here’s what most people do wrong.
If you want to get ignored, do this.
Talk about yourself. Focus on your own needs. Tell the Influencer that using her platform will really help your career take off.
She doesn’t care what you want.
What she cares about is her agenda.
Do you know what it is?
It’s easy to figure out.
Ask yourself why you read her blog every week. Think about some of the wins you got reading her posts. Are they inspiring? Useful? What is her writing style? Does she have a lot of other voices contributing to the conversation?
The more you know, the better your pitch will be.
Think about it. This blog is big and popular because the Blogger was intentional about it. She has a clear mission and she dedicates all her efforts to promoting it. She’s not going to let just anybody come in and blow it all. Writing for her is a privilege, not a God-given right.
Remember that, and you’ll be much more successful getting a guest spot.
Use This Template and You’ll Maximize Your Chances of Getting a Yes.
Make sure your pitch is short, friendly, and direct.
Influencers are busy. They probably have assistants reading their emails. And if you think your inbox is crowded, multiply that times a thousand for them.
So you’ve got to stand out.
First and always, follow the guidelines.
Most bloggers who accept guest posts will spell out what they want. They’ll tell you what topics they’re looking for, how long the posts should be, and what style of writing they publish.
I know sometimes it’s okay to break the rules when you write. Don’t make it these rules.
Rules are a screen as much as resumés are for job applicants. If you satisfy enough of the criteria, your submission won’t get tossed out. If you exceed what’s expected and offer something that wows them, you’re almost assured of getting a shot at a guest post.
Use a proven template to pitch.
We said before to make your pitch short, friendly, and direct.
Short means 3 paragraphs max. No more than 5–6 sentences total. Any longer and everything you did to make them happy before won’t mean a thing.
Line 1 — Compliment them.
Don’t be vague here. Tell them something specific, like,
“I loved your post last week on how to break bad habits for good. It was a game changer for me, helping me quit smoking after being hooked for 30 years.”
And be sure you’re honest here. If you can give them a specific example of how it helped, that’s much better than the generic phrase everyone uses:
I love your work.
So dig deep if you must, and be specific. It will make you stand out from the other form submissions they’re getting.
Line 2 — Make your proposal.
Do you see a gap you can fill with your wisdom? Is there a question in the comments somewhere that didn’t get answered well enough? Can you see something on the horizon in your industry that no one else is seeing or talking about yet?
Make your proposal in a sentence or two. Only make it longer if the guidelines specify that you should. The point here is that if you can capture your idea in one sentence, the rest of the writing will come a lot easier.
And more importantly, it will be laser-focused.
Be sure to make your proposal clear so the reader understands it as well as you do. In fact, it should be so clear that it can pass the test of a casual glance. Remember, the person who reads your email is busy. She won’t work to figure out what you meant. So be clear right from the start.
If you’re not sure its clear, ask your friends and colleagues if they understand what you want to write.
Line 3 — Thank them again.
This is simple courtesy. Tell them you appreciate their consideration and hope to hear from them. But even if you don’t, you’ll still be a fan.
That’s it.
What to do if it’s rejected.
Sometimes you might offer something they have enough of already.
That’s okay. Read the blog every time they publish something new. Go back as far as you can into the archives to see where they’ve gone over time. See what the blog owner is doing on Twitter.
This kind of research will help you more than anything. When you know what the Influencer really wants, you can use her own desires to gain a hearing.
After all, the best way to make a friend is to make that person feel important, right?
Now Do This
Find the biggest blog in your niche and offer to write something that compliments their mission. Once you get a yes, tell me about it.
If you’ve guest posted before, what strategy did you use to get a chance to write?
When you lift an Influencer’s audience, you lift yourself. That’s the only way you’ll ever grow your audience long term. | https://medium.com/writtenpersuasion/how-to-write-a-dynamite-pitch-for-your-guest-post-e49efaa9d9c | ['Frank Mckinley'] | 2018-08-08 11:11:11.361000+00:00 | ['Marketing', 'Personal Development', 'Creativity', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Writing'] |
Introduction to the Virtual Hostel, “The Wander Years” | Submission Guidelines
Photo by Tiago Aleixo on Unsplash
The Wander Years is a publication for all ages, ethnicities, genders, and personality types. Recollections can be recent or dug up from a distant past. They can be funny, sad, insightful, or inspiring. They can express fear, love, transformation, self-discovery, or education, as long as there’s a takeaway. What did you learn? How did you change? These questions should drive your narrative.
Traveling doesn’t always mean flying overseas. Maybe something crazy happened to you on your commute to work one day. In my eyes, that counts. We don’t all have the opportunity to travel long distances, especially right now. So don’t be afraid to get a little creative.
I’m not looking for research-based, how-to articles, or even advice pieces. These stories should read like a journal entry. I’m looking for first-hand, true events. Stories can be of any length, but I’d prefer them to be at least three minutes of reading time each.
Here are a few examples from the publication: | https://medium.com/illumination/introduction-to-the-wander-years-4a2c274e42de | ['Liv Mello'] | 2021-01-25 17:44:04.048000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Introduction', 'Publication', 'Community', 'This Happened To Me'] |
You Will Receive Criticism in the Comments — Here’s How to Handle it | You Will Receive Criticism in the Comments — Here’s How to Handle it
Writing for discourse, not dictatorship
Photo by Victoria Heath
It was a political piece. Some would say that I was asking for it. But nothing I had written was new. The only difference was that I was telling it through my eyes, embellished with anecdotes from my life. So you can imagine that I was quite surprised when my thoughts on the “Invisible America” keeping Trump in power were read and shared thousands of times.
The engagement was excellent. I received plenty of thoughtful comments that were beautifully articulated. The kinds of comments that make me fall in love with Medium time and time again. I was pointed in the direction of prose that would get me probing, theories that would get me thinking, and perspectives that promised to expand my mind. My contribution to the messy spheres of politics and society was far from perfect, but it provided a platform upon which conversations desperate to unfold could occur.
It wasn’t all daisies and rainbows, though. Peppered amongst the well-phrased, thought-provoking discourse from those treading boldly from all walks of life were aggressive notes left by those looking to start a fight, along with patronizing remarks from those who felt they knew me and my deserved place underfoot.
If you’ve never received harsh criticism before, it can feel somewhat akin to being bulldozed, flattening the foundation upon which you stand. No matter your level of expertise in the area, it’s instinctive to doubt yourself in the face of conflict about a point you believe to be true.
It’s very human of you to respond this way, but the criticism is likely to pack the most powerful of punches if it rocks the beliefs upon which you’ve modeled your life or framed your identity. Put plainly: it sucks being made to question our very beings; our egos don’t take to it particularly well.
We have a natural inclination toward loathing criticism directed at us, but this only becomes amplified amongst neurotic individuals that gravitate more toward the anxious end of the spectrum and are arguably more vulnerable. Did your parents criticize you when you were a child? That echoes later in life from peers.
But don’t let this put you off.
I live and work in academia. I wouldn’t call myself an academic per se; in fact, I detest much of the current academic structure and pretentiousness associated with it. But if there’s one thing that doing a PhD has exposed me to, it’s criticism and I’m grateful for it.
I’m a scientist and as such, I follow the scientific method. Science differs from other “belief systems”, if you will, in that it is self-correcting. As scientists, we strive to know the truth and put our hypotheses to the test with the most robust, rigorous experiments possible. We peer review each other’s work and make it our job to identify any holes, flaws, or ambiguity, aiming to present our best work for the collective good. We also welcome the evolution of ideas and innovation that, over time, expose many things as being incorrect.
This training has helped immensely in navigating negative comments on articles I’ve written over the years because it allows me to quickly distinguish between the good, the bad, and the ugly. I write primarily about science, health, writing, or personal stories, but I occasionally dabble in areas more prone to harsh critiques, such as complaints about the US, from my perspective as a British person living here.
Using a few questions I’ll share below, I’m able to discern between garbage and comments worth responding to. Whether you’re writing for academia, a platform like Medium, the news, or whatever else, here are my tips for navigating negative comments. | https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/you-will-receive-criticism-in-the-comments-heres-how-to-handle-it-968b5c4b0ec9 | ['Kat Kennedy'] | 2020-09-03 20:58:01.636000+00:00 | ['Mindfulness', 'Education', 'Self Improvement', 'Life Lessons', 'Writing'] |
Why We Should Make 2020 the Year of Resilience | What is Resilience?
According to Psychology, Resilience is our ability to cope during a crisis and come back stronger. Instead of letting adversity and challenges tear us down, we choose to face them, to heal, and to continue our course.
Some research suggests resilience has a genetic predisposition. The good news is that many of us are resilient in some capacity. Yes, some of us are naturally better at it than others, but I believe it can be learned as well. As with everything, genetics and environmental factors are always interacting in some capacity. The layman's term for this is Nature vs Nurture. Psychologists have often taken a stance on which affects our development more. That said, these days most agree that it’s a mix of both.
If you don’t think of yourself as resilient, well I’d like to argue you are more resilient than you think. Winnie the Pooh phrased it better than me though.
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” ~ Winnie the Pooh
And if you don’t believe that, well let’s look at ways you can improve your resilience by learning from others.
What Builds Resilience?
There are a lot of traits associated with people who are highly resilient. Here are a few ways to build your own resilience. And don’t worry, I’ll elaborate on each one with research.
Here are 4 traits that build resilience:
Internal Locus of Control
High Rates of Optimism
Social Support
Strong Moral Compass
Internal Locus of Control
The Locus of Control refers to the degree to which you believe you are in control of a situation. If you think all your problems are out of your control it would be external. If you see yourself as still in control it would be considered internal. Resilient people have an internal sense of control and that helps them perform better. This makes sense since feeling in control reduces anxiety and that makes adapting to a challenge easier.
High Rates of Optimism
Optimism is another trait that has some basis in our genes, and I’m sure I fall into this pool. My family has gone through some difficult times, but we have always been happy. Being more optimistic leads to more success when faced with challenges, as seen in this study on university students.
Social Support
Resilient people also look for emotional support in times of trouble. In this paper, they provide evidence that seeking social support leads to better psychological hardiness. A close social network is a key factor in reducing depression and coping with adversity.
Strong Moral Compass
Having a clear moral compass and internal belief system is another way to increase your resilience. In this study, having a strong moral compass and ethics was found in resilient people as well. This makes sense since decision-making would be easier if you follow your own beliefs on what is right and wrong. | https://medium.com/@victoriaafraser/why-we-should-make-2020-the-year-of-resilience-efcd56f05caa | ['Victoria A. Fraser'] | 2020-12-26 22:59:56.309000+00:00 | ['Opinion', 'Inspiration', 'Resilience', 'Psychology', 'Personal Development'] |
How You Can Support Local Artists & Creators During #COVID19 | The current state of precautions as the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the globe, is seeing a mass cancelling of events, gigs and other physical interactions due to safety measures. While we need to ensure everyone stays safe and prevents the spread of the virus any further, the repercussions on our creative community have been huge.
Live performances, gigs, meetups, festivals, workshops, local businesses, creative freelancers and other gig workers have been affected by these cancellations, which calls for a solution and a group effort to band together and #SupportLocalProjects
We want to highlight some clear ways in which you can access support for your own creative output, an artist or organisation that is doing it tough, or simply show your appreciation to this community during this time. Share the message with all those who need to hear it: we all can lean on each other and bring our elbows together in solidarity!
Support Local Artists via Streaming, Buying Merch or Sharing their Music/Art with your friends!
Check out your favourite local artists’ website to see if you can support them by buying a record or a t-shirt. Bandcamp is a great platform for artists to sell their music and merch online, and for fans to support them without buying a ticket to a show. They recently gave 100% of all proceeds back to artists for 24hrs but even with their regular fee, the artist will receive up to 85% of the purchase.
Run a Crowdfunding Campaign via Pozible!
We are always here to help creatives in setting up and getting the most out of a campaign to raise funds for a specific project or idea. Now is the time for artists to get creative and use their networks to raise funds. Is it just me, or is anyone else keen to hear what amazing albums/EPs/livestreams can come from #socialdistancing and not playing live gigs?!
Check out this newly-created website where you can register your gig or event that was cancelled and add it to the list of over 250k (and counting) live events that cannot go ahead. Plenty of resources for music industry and hospitality workers too!
This topic is one that will no doubt develop and become more normal as this situation unfolds. Currently, we are unsure as to how long the ban on live events will go on for so for artists looking to stream performances or offer fans a way of engaging with them, this is the next best thing.
A free and confidential counselling service specifically aimed at those working in the music or performing arts industries.
These are quite unprecedented times, and with so many cancelled events and bad news coming from major outlets it is important to take the time to look after your own mental health and those around you.
The Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance has put together a guide for workers in the industry that have been affected by cancelled jobs and where you stand.
Check out the Australian government website for a list of their resources for various different groups and situations.
| https://blog.pozible.com/how-you-can-support-local-artists-creators-during-covid19-730238f24e5e | ['Pozible Team'] | 2020-03-24 23:17:35.606000+00:00 | ['Covid 19', 'Artist', 'Initiatives', 'Crowdfunding', 'Musicians'] |
How to Have Extreme Discipline | 1. Less is more
Understood that more fulfillment comes from less desire. As you gradually and slowly build brick by brick on anything you find meaning in, you will start noticing that it gets harder and harder, especially if you are trying to build something beyond mediocrity. Prioritize and identify the key few things that are truly necessary for a sturdy foundation and the rest can be banished!
2. The Law of Compounding
This concept is very similar to what I have written in my previous section 2 years back on Focus & Willpower. To sum it up on how this ties in with discipline is that first you need to gradually grow into it, everything begins when you have the intention of just starting it. Like how -Nike quotes “Just Do IT!” but once you have began exerting the new habits you will start instilling it into the subconscious mind that you are striving towards an end goal by taking action and that will program your muscle memory to execute, execute & execute until it is seamlessly effortless.
3. Understand yourself
Sometimes the reason you are undisciplined goes down to your belief system, the principles you live by and how it was programmed. The simple fact is that, 99% of the population are just drifters…. gravitating towards the next gratification. Once you identify the core purpose of why you started and truly believe in the reason why you started is authentic to you. Well then discipline is very simple.
4. Sever the distractions
Out of sight, out of mind. Most of the time your brain is being taxed since the minute you wake up in the… what ever time you call morning. Well little do you know that sometimes just keeping a very straight and narrow path towards simplicity is your big key to discipline. Less things to manage equals more energy to focus on managing yourself and not letting things manage you.
5. Dopamine Detox
Man oh man, who would have brought up this idea. This is probably the biggest cure to the society we live in today, as we are being dragged from apps to apps, day to day from relationships, ideas to people. If you consume anything, I mean anything… even to the necessities like food. There is just so much sauce and options that fires neurons in our brains asking for more more! What we need to do is filter all inputs to the atoms, and what is really necessary shall stay, the rest shall perish. This my friend is the beginning to discipline.
6. Reward system
A reward system allows you to be discipline & stay discipline. The reason why you need to set a reward system is, because you will drift off the path since your brain is always firing neurons in search of the next “1’s” to satisfy the gratification, What you shall need is that you will know when to allow your brain to get the next inputted 1 by completing/ staying disciplined to your objective. aka the bone to the dog after rolling over. YAY!!!
7. Forgive & Forget
Take a minute and say to yourself that “what didn’t kill you makes you stranger.”Stranger? right ya got that off the Joker from Batman, but long story short is that you have to let go of all failures that has flowed into memory. End of the day it created you as you. So take it as a learning experience & evolve fammo.
8. The grass is not greener on the other side
Many people tell you these days the grass is greener on the other side. Or how half these social media “influencer” claim to portray. No lie, I was caught up in the whole trance myself, but nope it ain’t green on the other side. Matter in fact there is no damn grass, so what is left now… yes you guessed it DIRT! Ya you got just you as a gardener to plant the seeds and that is the first step, now how discipline is played into this role is you have to be consistently watering it accordingly, not to much — not to little. Just right, now do that again and again.. Again! Now that is just how one may be disciplined.
9. Routines
Have a very precise habitual system you can live by, title that as your “BiggerPIctureLifestyle” now I want you to reorganize yourself and make sure it is what you want. Once you start, it might be to late to turn around. Keep at it, follow the routine until it is programmed subconsciously.
10. “You either have a Milly Dolla or a Milly Excuses”
Title says it all so pick your poison. If money is the driving factor for you, then know no discipline equals no dinero. Just realize you working at a J-O-B is discipline written all over, but if you want to boss up. Then you channel that same disciplined energy into a different vehicle.
Hopes these 10 tips being disciplined inspired you to change for the better, good luck to all your goals and success. Next time you complete something impactful, remember a light whisper I stated in the distance “Good Job Executing Accordingly”
Leave a feedback below I would highly appreciate any constructive criticism, your opinion matters and let that be heard my friend. | https://medium.com/@biggerpicturelifestyle/how-to-have-extreme-discipline-21843e277915 | ['Jasper Newyen'] | 2020-12-09 17:21:48.248000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement', 'Discipline', 'Striving', 'Self Development', 'Blog'] |
THERE IS NO WINNING IN THE FARMER-HERDER CRISIS; WE ALL LOSE. | A case study of Wukari Local Government, Taraba-Nigeria
“The herders in Wukari were our neighbours before the crisis, but not any longer”. This was a statement made by a young man in Wukari Local Government of Taraba State, on the 12/11/2020.
According to Mr. Yohanna, who is a farmer in Wukari, and a confirmation from other people in the community, the farmer-herder crisis in Wukari began in 2013 and lasted intensively for one year, with several lives and farm produce lost.
Mr. Yohanna, who was a victim of the crisis, stated that when farmers are not in their farms, they get to lose only their farm produce. But if by chance a farmer happens to be in his or her farmland when herders come around, their lives are equally in danger.
Mr. Bako, who was also a victim of the crisis, from Benkinda area of Wukari, reported that their trouble with herders started when herders not only grazed on their farmlands, but also damaged yam tubbers without remorse and attacked farmers in their farms. That ignited anger and responses from farmers, in a bid to protect their lives and properties.
Image Credit: https://dailytrust.com/national-symposium-on-farmer-herder-crisis
As result of the crisis, and over the years, farming activities, business growth, education and the general livelihood of both indigines of Wukari and the herders have been grossly affected in not few ways.
In an interview with Mrs. Yakubu, she said, "I could not harvest my crops, because visiting my farm was risky. As a result of that, I lost everything and my family have been struggling so hard to survive. And I have not been able to bounce back completely". Her husband, who is also a farmer, confirmed that herders who lived in the community had to leave and remove their children from schools within the community, since the crisis began, and these herders are still not living anywhere close to the community.
Image: Mrs Yakubu
Furthermore, Mr. Gamsheya, a business man from Doruwa, in Wukari, reportedly said that the Wukari community flourished with much investors and traders from different parts of Nigeria, but before the crisis. Much houses and kiosks were burnt, farmlands were deserted, and so many traders left the community. To foster peace and avoid further loss of lives, farm produce and livestock, leaders of the Wukari community and the herders' group met to resolve the conflict, with delegates from the Taraba State government.
According to Mr. Gamsheya, leaders of both parties (farmers and herders) promised to reveal those from among them who will violate the resolution made. More so, the Taraba State Government deployed army men to the affected areas to help to avoid any clash and maintain peace.
However, while the crisis between herders and farmers in Wukari may seem to have stopped, the community has not yet known whole peace. According to Mr. Lazarus, who is also a farmer, his younger brother was affected in April, 2020. He said "My younger brother met them grazing on his farmland. He was alone and could do nothing, so he shouted, hoping someone would come around to help arrest the herdsman, but to no avail. And he was wounded".
According to Mr. Lazarus, herders are still causing harvoc to people’s farmlands in their absence. "We have cried", he said, but our farmlands still suffer loss. He continued, "What is happening now could ignite another crisis, and if the government does nothing remarkable to manage the situation, we would have no choice than to retaliate again.
In conclusion, the farmer-herder crisis is one whose root-cause is any form of harm done to properties belonging to farmers or herders. According to Mr. Yakubu, "farms don't move, only people do. And Cattles don't move without herders. I cannot touch your livestock until they come to my farm. We will have no crisis if we own-up to mistakes, apologize or pay for damages, as authorities have instructed". We can live together, happily again. | https://medium.com/@pannyword/there-is-no-winning-in-the-farmer-herder-crisis-we-all-lose-b6aeb097ff72 | ['Paninga Muiliya'] | 2020-12-10 10:03:07.390000+00:00 | ['United Nations', 'Crisis Management', 'Peacebuilding', 'Peace', 'Reporting'] |
Forecast Anomalies in Refrigeration with PySpark & Sensor-data | Model Selection
We had selected a sample of refrigeration systems with good data quality to assess different algorithms. Forecast MAPE on an average was around 4–6%, 2.5–4% & 3.5–5% for ARIMAX, BSTS and Prophet respectively. Usually we use accuracy measures for model selection but here we needed to consider other important factors as well.
In this case, the accuracy was as important as the execution time because we were handling daily forecasts of around half a million systems across ~3600 stores. As BSTS is dependent on MCMC sampling, so the run time was much higher than the rest with little improvement in accuracy. Hence, we dropped BSTS!
Another important aspect was to be able to provide a cause of the anomaly and not just the forecast. We do get a list of significant variables based on p-values in case of any model but it is dependent on whole training data and doesn’t focus on recent changes.
Prophet has a property called change-point detection, i.e., it allows the trend to change its direction through the course of time. Prophet detects change-points by first specifying a large number of potential change-points at which the rate is allowed to change. It then puts a sparse prior on the magnitudes of the rate changes (equivalent to L1 regularization) — this essentially means that Prophet has a large number of possible places where the rate can change, but will use as few of them as possible. More details here.
Light Blue:Actual, Dark Blue:Predicted, Black:Trend, Red:Favorable Temperature Band
In the above figure, the vertical black lines are the change-points in temperature. It’s useful as it helps in notifying about any sudden change in temperature pattern. By default, Prophet specifies 25 potential change-points which are uniformly placed in the first 80% of the time series. These hyper-parameters can be changed through n_changepoints and changepoint_range.
Pseudo code for model change-point in Python:
from fbprophet import Prophet
# df : dataframe consisting 'ds'(timestamp), 'y' and other exogenous variables
# future_df : dataframe consisting lagged feature variables for forecast
# features : list of features to be included in the model after multi-collinearity checks # create an expression instead of including each regressor separately all_fea = [str(".add_regressor('") + str(features[i]) + str("')") for i in range(0, len(features))]
all_fea = ''.join(all_fea) # No need to put seasonalities separately.
# Prophet detects the frequency of the data itself
# If the frequency is less than daily, then it includes daily & weekly seasonality automatically exp = str("Prophet(changepoint_prior_scale = 0.05, changepoint_range=0.8)") + all_fea + str(".fit(df)") # Fit & Predict model_prophet = eval(exp)
fcst_all = model_prophet.predict(future_df) # It will contain yhat, trend, seasonalities
We have used the same characteristic to detect potential feature which may be the cause of this sudden change. So, each of the features separately will go through the Prophet model and search for recent change-points.
Plot of one of the feature variables — Blue:Actual, Maroon:Trend
Whenever there’s any change in temperature pattern, we look for changes in the feature variables within a neighborhood of 2–3days and provide them as potential causes. Because of this in-built godly property, we chose Prophet over ARIMAX. | https://medium.com/walmartglobaltech/forecast-anomalies-in-refrigeration-with-pyspark-sensor-data-195f23ae24e2 | [] | 2021-08-04 05:41:02.447000+00:00 | ['Pyspark', 'Data Science', 'IoT', 'Forecasting', 'Machine Learning'] |
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