title
stringlengths 1
200
⌀ | text
stringlengths 10
100k
| url
stringlengths 32
885
| authors
stringlengths 2
392
| timestamp
stringlengths 19
32
⌀ | tags
stringlengths 6
263
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Why We Should Not Ban Liquor During ECQ | Unlike countries like South Africa and even Greenland, the Philippines is not technically under a total liquor ban during this COVID-19 crisis. However, it feels like it is. When President Duterte imposed the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ, or a nicer way of saying “lockdown”) for Luzon on March 16 amid the threat of the pandemic, the actual guidelines do not include a call for a total liquor ban.
But many Local Government Units (LGUs) have enacted local ordinances to carry out liquor bans. And like dominoes, provinces and Metro Manila cities follow.
While Visayas and Mindanao were not included in the quarantine, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, the designated spokesperson of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management for the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), said these regions outside of Luzon can also impose ECQ as necessary. And, sure enough, almost every province implemented their own ECQ following the same guidelines as announced for Luzon. Almost immediately after the ECQ announcement, the Cebu City government imposed a liquor ban on March 16.
In Metro Manila, liquor bans were not immediately imposed. But it took just a week or after the ECQ was implemented for some of the capital region’s 17 cities to tighten things up. Mandaluyong and Parañaque were among the earliest cities to enforce liquor bans, making their announcements on March 23. They were followed soon by Quezon City, Pasig, and Valenzuela. By the end of March, almost every city — except Makati, Taguig, Malabon, Marikina, Navotas, and Pasay — were implementing liquor bans. But Marikina, Navotas, and Pasay caved in eventually by April. By mid-April, cities nationwide — from Baguio, Legazpi, and Cebu, to Bacolod, Davao, and Cagayan de Oro — were all under liquor bans, easily covering 95% of our population in my humble estimate. This is a bit weird given that even our Muslim neighboring countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, both also in the midst of combating COVID-19, have not imposed liquor bans.
LIQUOR BAN JUSTIFICATION
When a country like South Africa, which is among the top 10 wine producing countries in the world, imposed a liquor ban on its populace during this COVID-19 crisis, something must be really crucial to make this tough decision. Even South African Breweries (SAB), owned by the multinational Anheuser-Busch InBev group (of Budweiser and Michelob), which enjoyed a San Miguel-like beer monopoly in South Africa, ceased operations during this liquor ban. Beer is the overwhelming preferred liquor in the country, followed by wine. Thousands of jobs, and of course the drinking lifestyles, were affected by the ban considering that South Africa is also among the world’s highest per capita consumer of liquor. South African research showed that a significant percentage of these liquor consumers are known to be binge drinkers and severe alcoholics.
President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the outbreak of COVID-19 in South Africa as a State of National Disaster by early March and then a lockdown, which included a liquor ban, by March 27. Many of the reasons cited were health- and social distancing-related, like consumption of liquor affects one’s immune system, and that alcohol reduces a person’s ability to exercise social distancing and follow the personal hygiene measures necessary to limit the spread of person to person virus transmission.
But a more convincing argument being emphasized, especially by healthcare workers, is that hospitals normally have to attend to liquor-related abuses, including car accidents, domestic violence, stabbings, gunshots, and alcohol poisoning. With an alcohol ban, the emergency rooms freed up at least 25% of their capacity that were otherwise given to liquor-related victims. While I do not see this as being the case in the Philippines, if we at all have statics similar to the South African finding, one thing is for sure, our health care is also very vulnerable as that of South Africa is, and every hospital bed and every health care personnel should be attending to COVID-19 and other health emergencies, and not those induced by liquor.
REQUEST TO LIFT LIQUOR RESTRICTIONS
There are liquor bans and there is liquor restriction. The latter is more serious as manufacturing plants of non-essential products, among which liquor products have been classified, have to shut down too. The tiny window of liquor commerce in Taguig, Makati, and Malabon, can dry up soon if no new liquor production nor new liquor importation come through from the strict restrictions during this ECQ.
The problem with this window is it allows those with liquor businesses based in Makati, Taguig and perhaps in Malabon to continue to thrive, almost unfairly against all the other companies based in cities outside of these three outliers. Actually many of these traders are selling off their oldest inventory at good margins given the lack of competition from other cities and other traders.
I am also not surprised that many people attempt to cross city borders to buy liquor, or use Lalamove or Grab to do this maneuver. Finally, I am even tempted to say it appeared elitist that Makati and Taguig, arguably the two most expensive local cities to live in, have no liquor bans. I strongly believe that if any of these three cities can discipline themselves when it comes to liquor abuse during ECQ, then all cities could do so too.
But now, the liquor manufacturers are also crying for help. It took a month after the ECQ was imposed before the Center for Alcohol Research and Development (CARD) Foundation Inc., whose members are composed of the largest liquor companies in the country, from Ginebra San Miguel and Emperador Distillers to the Lucio Tan Group, sent a letter, dated April 16 to Secretary Ramon Lopez of the Department of Trade Industry requesting for the lifting of liquor restrictions, including liquor bans. As CARD Chairman Gerard Tee eloquently explained in his two-page letter and I quote here from his second to the last paragraph: “As already said, the Alcohol Beverage Industry bears already the agony of declining market demand due to the imposition of high excise taxes on alcohol. We are pleading to let us thrive as a business, by allowing our products to exist in the market, with the same freedom of trade given to other goods and products. We plead that you take into consideration the plight of our workers and the benefit that our industry provides to our nation’s economy. It bears stressing, even with pain of being called redundant, that the sale of our alcoholic beverages is not an illegal undertaking, not deserving of the prohibition and total ban imposed by the Government. Allow us a means to survive amidst the already difficult situation we are in.”
Just last January, Republic Act 11467 was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte, raising excise taxes on liquor products. While the business argument will always be a very strong case, as a regular responsible drinker, I feel that alcohol consumption can really calm the nerves, especially when we are dealing with so much stress (social and financial) and a lot of uncertainty. In the US, liquor sales were up in high double-digits during the last week of March.
Unfortunately, like in the case of South Africa’s liquor ban concerns, there will be Filipinos who will abuse alcohol and break ECQ protocols, and thus the worry is really warranted.
MODEST SUGGESTION ON HOW WE LIFT THE LIQUOR BAN
When I read the news that the Philippine National Police declared that the crime rate in the country has gone down over 50% since the ECQ, the statistics included cities with and without liquor bans. I do not think crime reduction was any different in Makati than in Quezon City, which means the ECQ works to deter crime, and may have nothing to do with alcohol. The key is for responsible alcohol consumption. As mentioned also in the CARD Foundation letter to the DTI, and I quote another portion which summed up my belief: “… alcohol consumption can be taken in moderation by responsible individuals of the society who are accustomed to drinking alcohol.”
In the same letter, CARD actually suggested a Partial Ban on Sale and Purchase of Alcoholic Beverages, which CARD equated to a ‘restriction of time that alcohol can be sold.’ I agree with this, but I want to add another equally important provision, a limit to alcohol purchases. It can be likened to airline duty free restrictions of ONLY two bottles of liquor, or only 1.5 liters of alcohol. The time restriction, say from noon to 4 p.m., plus a 1.5L total purchase ceiling per ECQ pass holder, would probably make more sense initially. But this one, if approved, should be implemented in all cities, including Makati, Taguig and Malabon. Again, for fairness and equality, all cities should follow the same rules and guidelines.
The author is a member of the UK-based Circle of Wine Writers (CWW). For comments, inquiries, wine event coverage, wine consultancy and other wine related concerns, please e-mail him at [email protected]. | https://medium.com/@winetrainingcamp/why-we-should-not-ban-liquor-during-ecq-cba960f78dcf | ['Wine Training Camp'] | 2020-08-05 09:51:53.413000+00:00 | ['Ecq', 'Wine Industry', 'Wine', 'Liquor Ban'] |
Five amazing anime series with Dragons in it. | Many of us love to see anime where dragons involve. Today I decided to make a list of anime series where dragons are the mainframe. These anime series are all about dragons. I personally love dragons anime, many of you’ll think it is a childish thing to watch but trust me you won’t regret it you watch it.
This is the list for those who actually love to see dragons in action and loves the stories of dragons. And also if you are not a fan of dragons you are welcome to try them anyway, I’m pretty much sure you won’t get disappointed.
I have already watched all of it, so I’ll be sharing my personal thoughts on it. I liked them all, and I think this anime series will also amaze you.
The Dragon Prince
The first one on the list is The Dragon Prince. I really loved it, the story, the adventure, the animation of this series. I really loved everything about it. No matter you are children or an adults, you are gonna love it. Dragon Prince is an epic anime series where you will get to see Elf’s, Dragons, Humans, and many other creatures and species.
The story of this anime is simple, between Dragons, Elf’s, and Humans, dragons are considered to be the noblest being. However, Elf’s and Dragons hate humans because humans practice dark magic. The word is divided into two parts. On one side lives, Elf’s and other side live humans. And Dragons lives in the middle of the two parts so that human can’t interfere with Elves.
Nonetheless, humans always tried to get a hands-on dragon egg to practice back magic things. It is a pretty cool story of Elfs, humans, and dragons together.
Drifting Dragon
Another dragon anime for the Dragon lovers. This anime series is all about dragon they hunt dragons, sell the dragons flesh. Drifting dragon is an anime series where dragons are the king of the sky they rule the sky. It is a story of the crew of the airship. The airship name is Queen Zaza, the crew of this airship hunts dragon and sell its flesh to the local market. Dragon flesh is considered to be the most expensive and delicious.
My first impression of this anime wasn’t really good I meant when I saw its poster I thought it’s not gonna be a good one. However, once I started watching it I really enjoyed all the adventures. Not just any regular adventure it was in the sky they really did a good job with the animation and how quickly changed the weather in the sky. They don’t have any life security up there in the sky. Moreover, Queen Zaza wasn’t even a new airship so they had to go through all the manuals. It was really fascinating to watch.
Wakfu
I’m kinda a fan of Wakfu. This one of my favorite anime series. I really love adventure series. And Wakfu is full of adventure and actions. It has so many characters and the story of this anime is fascinating. It has all the twisting stories. In case you don’t have any idea about Wakfu let me give you a quick idea about it.
Basically, the story is about a young boy Yugo who went on many adventures with his friends. The purpose of his adventures is to save the world from evil threats. He fought many battles along with his friends during his adventure.
I don’t really want to spoil all the fun of this amazing anime series that why I won’t interpret anymore. And I highly recommend you watch it if you really want to see the dragons fight. It has so great action and as for the animation it is well delivered.
Dragons dogma
I have recently come across this series and since it has only seven episodes I watched it because I hadn’t had anything to watch. This anime is about a dragon destroying human village and kill them. However, dragons eat a particular human’s heart and grant them a wish to hate him and kill him. A heartless human who’s heart was eaten by a dragon is called arisen.
Arisen sets off on a journey to kill the Dragon however during his journey he fought many battles and these battles made him more inhuman.
I think this anime has a great message when I watched it I realized we humans have many flows and we commit deadly sins. This anime series shows all the seven deadly sins that humans commit without realizing it.
Fairy tail
I’m pretty sure everyone knows about this fantastic anime series where MC is a dragon slayer. Fairly tail is an amazing series with great story and animation not to mention the fantastic action. This is one of the anime series which is loved by everyone I don’t have to say anything about it since it’s already so popular but if you haven’t watched it and you also happen to be looking for anime with dragons in it then you should definitely watch fairy tail.
It has so many fantastic characters each having their own motives in life. I love anime with long stories and more twists. The longer the anime the more fun there. | https://medium.com/@nayeemz/five-amazing-anime-series-with-dragons-in-it-ec5715e1ed58 | [] | 2020-12-21 08:21:07.821000+00:00 | ['Animemux', 'The Dragon Prince', 'Anime Series', 'Anime', 'Dragons Dogma'] |
Series | 2 | Fundamental Computer | 01. The basic operations performed by a computer are
Click Here
A. arithmetic operation
B. logical operations
C. storage and relative
D. all of the above 02. UNIVAC is
A. Universal array computer
B. Universal automatic computer
C. Unique automatic computer
D. Unvalue automatic computer
03. The two major types of computer chips are
A. external memory chip
B. primary memory chip
C. microprocessor chip
D. both B and C 04. Machine language is
A. machine dependent
B. difficult to program
C. error prone
D. all of the above 05. Modern computers are very reliable but they are not
A. fast
B. powerful
C. infallible
D. cheap
06. A byte consists of
A. 1 bit
B. 4 bits
C. 8 bits
D. 16 bits
07. What is the date when Babbage conceived Analytical engine
A. 1642
B. 1837
C. 1880
D. 1850
08. Once you load the suitable program and provide required data , computer does not need human intervention. This feature is known as
A. accuracy
B. reliability
C. versatility
D. automatic 09. What is a brand
A. The name of company that made computers
B. The name of a product a company gives to identify its product in market
C. A name of class to indicate all similar products from different companies
D. All of the above
10. The term Gigabyte refers to
A. 1024 bytes
B. 1024 kilobytes
C. 1024 megabytes
D. 1024 gigabyte
11. Which year was UK’s premier computing event started A. 1980
B. 1985
C. 1986
D. 1987
12. which of the following is the first computer to use stored program concept
A. UNIVAC
B. ENIAC
C. EDSAC
D. None Of Above
13. what is required when more than one person uses a central computer at the same time
A. light pen
B. Mouse
C. digitizer
D. Terminal 14. A compiler is a translating program which
A. Translate instructions of a high level language into machine language
B. Translate entire source program into machine language program
C. it is not involved in programs execution
D. all of the above 15. Which of the following statement is valid
A. Lady Augusta is a first programmer
B. ADA is the daughter of Lord Byron a Famous English poet
C. ADA is a programming language developed by us defense
D. All of the above 16. When was Pascaline invented
A. 1617
B. 1620
C. 1642
D. 1837
17. The difference between memory and storage is that memory is — — and storage is — — A. Temporary , permanent
B. Permanent ,Temporary
C. Slow, Fast
D. All of the above
18. Algorithm and flowchart help us to
A. know the memory capacity
B. identify the base of a number system
C. direct the output to a printer
D. specify the problem completely and clearly 19. Which statement is valid about computer program
A. it is understood by a computer
B. it is understood by programmer
C. it is understood user
D. both A and B 20. Nepal brought a computer for Census of 2028 BS .This computer was of
A. first generation
B. second generation
C. 3rd Generation
D. 4th generation
21. The word processing task associated with changing the appearance of a document is
A. editing
B. writing
C. formatting
D. all of the above
22. What are the three decision making operation performed by the ALU of a computer ?
A. greater than
B. less than
C. equal to
D. All of the above 23. Multi user systems provide cost saving for small business because they use a single Processing Unit to link several
A. personal computers
B. workstations
C. Dumb terminals
D. mainframes
24. Which of the following is used a primary storage device ? A. Magnetic drum
B. hard disc
C. floppy
D. all of the above
25. Where as a computer mouse moves over the table surface , the trackball is A. Stationary
B. Difficult to move
C. Dragged
D. Moved in small steps
Read Series-01 : Click here | https://medium.com/@sarkariselectjob/series-2-fundamental-computer-a6d2ec8df1dd | ['Sarkari Select'] | 2020-12-26 08:37:18.448000+00:00 | ['Computer Vision', 'Internet', 'Computers', 'Computer Science', 'IoT'] |
Go On Girl, Take a Bite! | Go On Girl, Take a Bite!
A Poem
I was in the Garden.
The Snake was in the Tree.
Eat.
Forbidden knowledge.
Then came the curse.
Two seeds.
Enmity.
Bruised Head.
Bruised Heel.
Work, sweat, toil, and bleed.
What has this curse done to my ancestry?
Lowly Woman, like the snake, under His feet.
What must I do?
Eat?
The Earth craves Blood, but no longer innocently.
Sacrifice is His way, not Hers.
Her blood flows freely.
She bleeds with the moon, and the snake sheds her skin.
We are One.
I went back.
Deep.
I held her heel.
Healed her head.
Ssssssssss…
She speaks to me.
Magic words.
Mystery. | https://medium.com/spelled/go-on-girl-take-a-bite-d0af053ec29c | ['Jessi Roman'] | 2019-10-19 16:36:25.533000+00:00 | ['Religion', 'Spirituality', 'Spirituality And Women', 'Poetry', 'Women'] |
Nesting Doll | Photo by Opsa, via Pixabay
Painted smile you give.
Keeper of lost dreams faded.
All broken in sea-salted tears.
Never fall out…
Accepting goodbye.
Nesting doll
You there still.
Instead, you are stoic.
Never to hear a tiny sound.
In peace, you let go. | https://medium.com/coffee-house-writers/nesting-doll-e605a1975d8c | ['Jessica Niziolek'] | 2019-09-23 13:01:02.135000+00:00 | ['Peace', 'Acceptance', 'Nesting', 'Dolls', 'Let Go'] |
DeepSec 2020 Online Training: Mobile Security Testing Guide Hands-On — Sven Schleier & Ryan Teoh | This online course teaches you how to analyse Android and iOS apps for security vulnerabilities, by going through the different phases of testing, including dynamic testing, static analysis and reverse engineering. Sven and Ryan will share their experience and many small tips and tricks to attack mobile apps.
We asked Sven and Ryan a few more questions about their training.
Please tell us the top 5 facts about your training.
Learn a holistic methodology for testing the security of mobile apps
A full Penetration Test against iOS apps can also be done on non-jailbroken devices!
Learn how to bypass Anti-Frida security controls in a mobile app with Frida
Focus on hands-on exercises during the training with vulnerable apps build by the trainers
You just need to have a laptop (no Android or iOS devices are needed) and be curious to figure out how to attack mobile apps
How did you come up with it? Was there something like an initial spark that set your mind on creating this training?
Sven was part of the initial team that was taking over the OWASP Mobile Security Testing Guide (MSTG) and created the OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS) project in 2016. In a great community effort over the years we were able to achieve OWASP Flagship status and both projects are referenced in various standards, like NIST in the US and mobile payment standards in the EU and have become the industry standard for mobile security. Ryan supported the project in the early stage and has a passion for mobile security and reverse engineering and is sharing his knowledge with the community.
We created many vulnerable mobile apps together as part of our research and due to the vast amount of content and knowledge we gained, we experimented with pro-bono training for the security community in Singapore. One thing led to the other and we delivered the training at OWASP AppSec US 2018 in San Jose. Over the years we made many iterations over the content and delivered this training in various countries around the globe and are looking forward to doing it virtually for DeepSec in November this year.
Why do you think this is an important topic?
Web application penetration testing has matured over the years and a common methodology has been adopted by the wider community. Whereas according to our experience, we learnt that mobile penetration testing was often mistaken to be similar to Web penetration testing skills. However the threat landscape, test methodology and exploitation technique are different.
To name a few, there are additional hardware features such as biometric authentication (Touch and Face ID), remote procedure calls between mobile apps and the usage of Deeplinks that may introduce a gaping hole in your application. Moreover, security controls like Jailbreak detection or SSL Pinning that can complicate your usual security testing approach.
Also, some known vulnerabilities from the web app pen testing world are only partly or not applicable to mobile apps. If a mobile app doesn’t have a WebView, then a JavaScript payload of a Cross-Site-Scripting will never be rendered and executed. Also, Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) is something that cannot easily be exploited in a mobile app.
As mobile technology is evolving, mobile security is taking its shape, there will be a lot of missed opportunity and inaccurate evaluation if the usual web penetration testing approach were taken. A lot of things can be mapped from Web App to Mobile App testing, but you need to understand the differences to test it the right way and also understand the risk tied to the vulnerabilities, so you can communicate the potential impact accordingly to the teams and customers.
Is there something you want everybody to know — some good advice for our readers maybe?
If you are about to start in mobile app penetration testing, the best advice is to get your hands dirty. The approach that you are applying for attacking other technologies is also applicable for mobile apps. Which means:
Build an App (understand it)
Attack it (break it)
This is how you usually learn it the best and you are also getting used to the developer toolchain which also helps during analysis of mobile apps.
If you are a pure breaker, download one of the many vulnerable apps that are already available. A summary can be found here: https://github.com/OWASP/owasp-mstg/blob/master/Document/0x08-Testing-Tools.md#vulnerable-applications
If you are interested in one specific test case, like for example analysis of sensitive data in iOS Apps, just go to the OWASP Mobile Security Testing Guide (MSTG) ( https://mobile-security.gitbook.io/mobile-security-testing-guide/) and read through it and apply it to your scenario. As with everything in life, practice is key!
Otherwise, these are some other resources we personally love to learn from:
Another way is to just go for one of the various bug bounty programs out there. Many times it’s also applicable for mobile apps.
A prediction for the future — what do you think will be the next innovations or future downfalls when it comes to your field of expertise / the topic of your training in particular?
Mobile Apps are omnipresent nowadays and many start-ups and even big enterprises follow the “mobile first” approach and we have a zoo of various frameworks and programming languages out there to produce mobile apps. This creates a lot of complexity through various code bases, not only for the developers, but also for the security researchers and testers.
To reduce this complexity some companies are experimenting with Progressive Web Apps or PWA’s. These are web apps running in a webview but are able to use some of the native features of the mobile phone, like push notifications. So we might see a shift to more PWA’s in the future, as companies also want to avoid the 30% cut in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. This will definitely be an interesting topic in the next years and if PWAs are becoming more successful than the testing would become more similar to a web app penetration test again.
Another topic would be around testing. It will be interesting to see if testing will be possible on a macOS device in the upcoming years, due to the recent introduction of the Apple Silicon. As the Apple Silicon is ARM64 based, the CPU architecture becomes now the same as on iOS devices. This would be the foundation to allow installing and running IPA files and even apps from the App Store on macOS.
Another trend we are anticipating is a stronger focus on privacy-related vulnerabilities. We have seen that the general public has been more educated with privacy. Android and Apple are gradually granularizing the permissions of applications and Apple’s recent pro-privacy policy to advertisement tracking. These are great wins but changes on the Operating Systems are usually slow and monumental. We anticipate that data collection will continue to happen, as it’s also part of the business model for many app creators and companies and we have seen third-party SDK or libraries to collect data without the knowledge of developers and users. It will be no surprise to see a demand in identifying app components that may violate personal privacy, and we will include this as part of our mobile security course in the future.
Sven made several stops at big consultant companies and small boutique firms in Germany and Singapore and became specialised in Application Security. Besides his day job Sven is one of the core project leaders and authors of the OWASP Mobile Security Testing Guide (MSTG) and OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS) and has created the OWASP Mobile Hacking Playground. Sven is giving talks and workshops about Mobile Security worldwide to different audiences, ranging from developers to students and penetration testers.
Ryan Teoh (OSCE, OSCP, CRT) is a Security Engineer with a strong focus on Mobile Security. He spends a considerable amount of time in iOS kernel exploitation, contributing to the iOS security testing chapter and the iOS Crackmes which are part of the OWASP Mobile Security Testing Guide. That aside, he is active on both private and public bug bounty programs and has successfully bagged several critical mobile security bugs. Ryan is a strong believer in knowledge sharing initiated a security blog on top of facilitating workshops to security engineers, developers and students about mobile security, dynamic instrumentation and reverse engineering of mobile applications. | https://medium.com/@deepsec/deepsec-2020-online-training-mobile-security-testing-guide-hands-on-sven-schleier-ryan-teoh-ccf3307169fc | ['Deepsec Conference'] | 2020-09-24 12:59:15.321000+00:00 | ['Android', 'Mobile Apps', 'Information Security', 'iOS', 'Deepsec'] |
Revamp Your Morning Routine | Revamp Your Morning Routine
With schedules thrown off, now is the best time to try a new routine
Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash
The world is in quarantine and everyone’s normal routine has been completely upturned. People are working from home, avoiding public spaces, social distancing, and hoarding toilet paper. It’s a strange time for us all, but it’s in our best interest to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
With schedules thrown off and mornings opening up without a commute, we aren’t sure how to handle the changes.
But now is the perfect time to revamp your morning routine. Without an hour-long commute in the morning and afternoon, I’ve gotten two hours back in my day to focus on my health and getting things done around my home.
If you’ve been looking to try a new morning routine, now is the best time to adjust. There’s no pressure to be out the door in time so you can play around with new habits and try new ideas. Here are some great ideas to revamp your morning routine.
Get up on time
Without that hour commute, it’s really tempting for me to stay in bed just a little longer. To keep myself on task before work officially starts, I’m still getting up at the same time. It will help the transition when I’m able to return to normal working hours but it also keeps me on task in the morning. I still have an extra hour to work on the things I want.
First task
Typically, my trick to getting out of bed is having a project I really want to work on first thing. Usually that’s writing. It helps get me up before the sun and keeps me focused until it’s time to leave for work.
Now that I don’t have that hour commute, I’ve switched up my first task. Since I have some time and would much rather keep my evenings open, I’ve moved my workout to the morning again. Right now with some nagging injuries it means I just go for a 30+ minute walk around the neighborhood (pending weather) but I’ve pushed my writing to my second task.
Getting movement while stuck in a quarantine is crucial. Look up ways to get some exercise during the day. You can always run up and down the stairs every hour, get some squats in without being judged by coworkers, walk your backyard/driveway/apartment parking lot, or find some quick YouTube workouts to do in the morning.
Declutter
It sucks to be stuck at home but even more so when you’re forced to stay inside a cluttered space. If you’re trying to work from home and your desk, space, or home is messy, you’re going to be distracted — or tempted to clean all the time! Now that you have some morning time back, consider adding a quick five minute decluttering session. It will help you clear your workspace and get focus back into your day.
Meditate or journal
It’s times like these that we realize how much of our lives we take for granted. Consider adding some gratitude to your morning routine through meditation or journaling. I’ve been focusing my evening journal time toward gratitude and using the morning to meditate and focus for the day. Having some positives to remind yourself that you’ll get through this is great for your mental health and keeping your spirits up and prepared for the day.
Family time
For those of us quarantined with kids or family, use the extra time in the morning to bond with each other. Play a quick game, talk with each other, catch up on some conversation, and just grow as a family. I’m thankful for some extra play time with the cats before they take their day-long naps (I’m very jealous of their lives). It helps relieve some stress and calms me down before the day is full of calls and telework. | https://medium.com/the-winter-writer/revamp-your-morning-routine-2164b58f369c | ['Laura Winter'] | 2020-03-18 15:12:38.938000+00:00 | ['Morning Routines', 'Lifestyle', 'Mindfulness', 'Routine', 'Morning'] |
Roku Streambar review: A very good streamer inside a pretty good soundbar | The diminutive Roku Streambar is not one of the world’s great soundbars, but there’s plenty of value packed into its 2.4 x 14 x 4.2-inch enclosure (HxWxD) for the audience that Roku is targeting. The Roku Streambar not only sounds better than the speakers built into most TVs—including some of the higher-end models—it also features Roku’s 4K HDR streaming hardware and operating system.
Our cord-cutting expert, Jared Newman, just reviewed the new-for-2020 Roku Ultra for us, so I’ll focus primarily on the Streambar’s audio experience here.
If you’re of a mind to, you can expand the Streambar with Roku’s wireless subwoofer and surround channels—although doing so will take your initial $130 investment north of $500—at which point you’re probably not Roku’s target audience and should consider buying a higher-end speaker instead. But if you want to start small now and expand over time, the option is there. That can’t be said of most audio products in this price range.
This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best soundbars, where you’ll find reviews of competing products, plus a buyer’s guide to the features you should consider when shopping for this type of product. Michael Brown / IDG The Roku Streambar has two front-firing 1.9-inch drivers, and one at each end set at oblique angles to widen the speaker’s sound stage.
[ Further reading: The best soundbars ] Mentioned in this article Roku Ultra (2020) Read TechHive's reviewMSRP $99.99See it The Streambar’s cabinet is fabricated from a blend of neutral-sounding polycarbonate and ABS plastic and is wrapped in black fabric on the front and sides. Its top is covered with a rubbery soft-touch surface without any buttons. The Roku logo on the front of the speaker is considerately painted black and doesn’t draw much attention to itself.
Two of the Streambar’s four full-range drivers are mounted in the face of the enclosure, and the other two are mounted at oblique angles in the left and right end caps, an arrangement that endows this soundbar with a wide soundstage that belies its size. The 1.9-inch (48mm) paper cone drivers feature neodymium magnets, and each one is powered by a discrete Class D amplifier producing 8 watts RMS each (total output of 32 watts RMS or 64 watts peak power).
Around back you’ll find the typical inputs and outputs, leading with HDMI 2.0 with support for ARC (audio return channel), HDR10, and HGL high dynamic range information pass-through (but not Dolby Vision); an optical digital audio (Toslink) input; and a USB 2.0 port that can be used to access music and video files stored on a USB drive (more on that later). Another use for the USB port is to plug in an optional ethernet adapter if you have weak Wi-Fi, but are blessed with ethernet cable in your walls. (Speaking of Wi-Fi, the Streambar has a relatively quick 802.11ac adapter onboard.)
[ Further reading: TechHive’s top picks in smart TVs ]Finally, there’s a barrel-type power connection. Roku uses an inline power brick—death to wall warts!—and provides enough electrical cable to reach a two-prong outlet up to 7 feet away. Most people will set the Streambar in front of their TV, but the cabinet is outfitted with a pair of M6 x 8mm threaded mounts if you choose to hang the 2.4-pound speaker on the wall beneath your TV. Roku doesn’t sell a mount of its own, but you’ll have no problem finding compatible third-party options.
Michael Brown / IDG The Roku Streambar provides (left to right) Toslink optical digital input, HDMI with ARC, and a USB port for streaming from local storage.
The Streambar has no analog audio inputs or outputs, which leaves Roku’s wireless sub as your only choice if you want bass reinforcement. There’s a Bluetooth 5.0 radio onboard, so you can stream music from your smartphone or tablet, but Roku has apps for all the most popular music-streaming services—including Spotify, Tidal, Pandora, and Amazon Music—so I think most people will stream music over Wi-Fi. But if you have a favorite service for which there is no app—Qobuz, for instance—Bluetooth provides the means.
The speaker comes with Roku’s voice remote, so you can use voice commands to search for content to watch, music to listen to, and to control the speaker in general. Ask for a specific song or artist, though, and Roku defaults to streaming from Pandora. When I spoke to the remote and said “Play ‘Dire Straits’ on Spotify,” this message appeared onscreen: “Sorry, music requests are not yet available on Spotify.” I got the same response when I asked to play music on Tidal. The remote can also turn your TV on and off and control its volume (including mute). It doesn’t have a headphone jack for private listening, like Roku’s top-of-the-line remote does, but you can stream audio from the speaker to the Roku app on your smartphone and listen with wireless headphones.
The remote is just the right size for the average-sized hand, and it puts the most commonly used navigation and transport buttons within thumb’s reach. My review unit had four buttons dedicated to Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and Sling respectively. In my house, only that last button is wasted (because they can’t be remapped in software). The buttons for volume up, down, and mute are also each to reach, although they are on the right-hand edge of the remote versus its face. Again, you can read Jared’s review of the Roku Ultra for a deeper dive into the Roku remote.
Michael Brown / IDG Roku’s remote can also control your TV’s volume and power, but those advertising buttons will be useless if you don’t subscribe to those services—they can’t be reprogrammed.
Playing local media filesGiven the seemingly infinite universe of entertainment available for streaming, playing content from local or network storage just doesn’t have the appeal that it once did. But I’m glad Roku continues to provide the option, even if it doesn’t excel at it. The Streambar can act as a UPnP client and it supports all the mainstream container and file types you could want, including ALAC, FLAC, MKV, MP3, MP4, PCM, and WAV. It is limited, however, to a maximum of 24-bit audio at a 48kHz sampling rate (it has enough onboard processing power to downconvert as necessary).
Mentioned in this article Roku TV Wireless Speakers Read TechHive's review$199.99MSRP $199.99See iton Roku Using the Roku Media Player app, I had no problem playing 16-bit, 44kHz FLAC audio files from a USB hard drive, and I was able to use the same app to stream similar files over my Wi-Fi connection while connected to a TwonkyMedia server on a WD MyCloud Mirror NAS box. I didn’t have the same luck when the speaker connected to a Plex media server on the same box. The same files I used with TwonkyMedia appeared in the Roku Media Player as MP3s, and I experienced audible dropouts every two seconds. I’m not sure if the server or the client app was trying to do the real-time transcoding, but it was failing.
Michael Brown / IDG A FLAC file streaming over Wi-Fi via TwonkyMedia server.
Movie soundtracks on the Roku StreambarI connected the Roku Streambar to the ARC input on a Samsung One Connect breakout box that was connected in turn to 55-inch Samsung Q7F QLED TV. In addition to streaming content from various services, including Netflix and Amazon, I also played the 4K UHD Blu-ray disc of Mad Max: Fury Road on a Cambridge Audio CXUHD Blu-ray player. I’m more accustomed to listening to a full 5.1-channel surround system with an Onkyo A/V receiver, Klipsch reference-series towers and satellites, and a vintage Boston Acoustics subwoofer, so I didn’t have the highest expectations for this tiny soundbar.
To set a more reasonable bar, I cleansed my sonic palette, so to speak, by first watching about half the movie using just the speakers built into the TV. Samsung does a great good job with TV audio, given the thin chassis its engineers must deal with; in fact, I’ve found the audio on this TV superior to several low-priced soundbars. That wasn’t the case here. Although the Streambar is outfitted with just four full-range drivers, it is capable of decoding Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks and doing meaningfully things with it. You’ll never mistake this speaker’s impressively wide soundstage for true surround sound, but it did a good job filling my 13 x 19 x 9-foot (WxLxH) home theater with the movie’s music and sound effects.
What I found lacking, no surprise, was bass response. The scenes in which Immortan Joe’s War Boys pound the massive truck-mounted kettle drums while in pursuit of Furiosa just didn’t have the same impact, for lack of a better term. Enabling “bass boost” in the Streambar’s sound mode setting helped (your other choices are “normal,” “reduce bass,” and “bass off”), but there’s only so much a 1.9-inch driver can do.
Michael Brown / IDG The Roku Streambar provides several options for processing soundtracks, including two that enhance voices.
If you watch TV or listen to music late at night and don’t want to disturb other people in the house, there’s a “night” mode that suppresses the higher frequencies that travel longer distances. A “leveling” feature, meanwhile, can be turned on to clamp down on sudden increases in volume, such as often happens with commercial breaks. Those features are effective in their missions, but I left them turned off during my review.
As is increasingly popular, Roku also offers settings designed to make dialog and other types of speech more intelligible. “Speech clarity” boosts the frequency ranges in which human voices reside by a little or a lot (the third setting is off). And if you’re watching streamed content, I can also recommend enabling the feature that displays closed captions whenever you rewind a scene (you can also enable closed captions full time, of course, but that’s much more intrusive).
Unfortunately, the user interface doesn’t allow you to make any of these changes while you’re listening to music. You must exit out of the app, navigate to settings, make your adjustments, and then navigate back to the app you were using—hoping that you’ll be able to remember what the speaker sounded like before you tweaked it.
Listening to music on the Roku StreambarThere’s some interesting audio processing going on under the Streambar’s hood. All four of its drivers and amplifiers are identical, but they don’t sound that way when you listen to them up close. Playing the track “Wildfire” from the Mandolin Orange album Blindfaller, the vocals and bass were routed in stereo to the front left and right drivers, but the higher-frequency sounds of the drummer’s cymbals and the signature mandolins emerged from the drivers mounted in the end caps, resulting in the same broad sound stage that I noticed with movie soundtracks.
But without the distraction of action on the screen, my ears paid much more attention to the Streambar’s audio shortcomings. Singer-songwriter Andrew Marlin’s vocals came across with just enough distortion as to be slightly grating on the ears. It’s not something you’d notice if you’re just playing the speaker for background music, but you’d grow fatigued after long sessions of critical listening.
Michael Brown / IDG Spotify’s user interface on the Roku Streambar.
Bottom lineIf you’re in the market for both a media streamer and a soundbar, but you’re working with a tight budget, the Roku Streambar is excellent on the first count and very good on the second. It’s not quite as good at streaming as the Roku Ultra (which supports Dolby Vision as well as Dolby Atmos, and it has an ethernet port, a remote finder, two programmable buttons and a headphone jack on its remote, and even headphones in the box).
On the audio front, there are better-sounding soundbars in this price range, but none that incorporate a full-fledged media streamer. It’s a great combination for your second and third TVs, a TV in a vacation house or an RV, or anywhere else you’ll willing to compromise just a bit on audio performance in the name of savings and convenience.
Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details. | https://medium.com/@Mary49371543/roku-streambar-review-a-very-good-streamer-inside-a-pretty-good-soundbar-3f32e7bb15f7 | [] | 2020-10-27 19:47:07.877000+00:00 | ['Mobile', 'Headphones', 'Gear', 'Cutting'] |
The Daily Edge: An Expensive US Dollar Loses Its Shine Even As Risk Deteriorates | The Daily Edge is authored by Ivan Delgado, Head of Market Research at Global Prime. The purpose of this content is to provide an assessment of market conditions. The report takes an in-depth look on market dynamics, factoring in fundamentals, technicals, inter-market, futures and options, in order to determine daily biases and assist one’s decisions on a regular basis. Feel free to follow Ivan on Twitter & Youtube.
Summary — Dec 18, 2018
The lay of the land in the US equity space went from bad to worse on Monday, as the S&P 500 imploded by falling over 2% and in the process, the old Nov-Dec range is now being stared from the rear mirror. As per the US Dollar, it finally saw an intraday move in alignment with its expensive macro valuation, and rather than appreciating in a treacherous risk aversion context, it followed equities lower in locksteps as the rush to go ‘cash’ accelerated.
There was an absence of fresh macro drivers. Even if we had had a clear catalyst, that focus would soon be fading as on the back of everyone’s mind is this week’s FOMC meeting, which is going to set out the outlook for monetary policy heading into 2019. Will the Fed err on the side of caution by sounding more dovish? Judging by imp vols, it’s going to be a wild ride…
Looking at Monday’s data, it was a bitter/sweet day for the likes of European fundamentals, as the final EU CPI reading undershot below the ECB mandate of 2% by a small margin (1.9% in Nov), while the imports/exports activity out of the Eurozone offered signs of optimism as strong activity continues. The reading raises the risk of retaliation by the US Trump administration, who won’t be too delighted on the widening EU-US trade surplus. Meanwhile, fundamentals out of the US were simply bitter (housing, manufacturing).
Today, all eyes will be fixated in the German IFO. Remember, fundamentals out of Europe matter more than ever, as the ECB has shifted from expansionary auto-pilot policies into a more data-dependent stance.
Brace yourself for what looks set to be another bumpy ride as it looks like the S&P 500 may find fresh selling. When factoring in the spike in option ‘Put’ premiums in the benchmark index, the increase in sell-side volume + open interest, or a VIX borderline of 25.00, these are all indications that warrant a high degree of prudence as the picture is really ugly out there.
In this type of environment, the likes of the Japanese Yen (25 delta RR higher) and gold are set to benefit. The Euro performance will be subject, in part, to the release of the German IFO, even if judging by the high interest to buy low delta options at the extremes of the range, impl vol, and the CoT, all suggest the pair should continue to exhibit a rotational profile. Watch any potential breakout in EUR/JPY as it may lead to a directional acceleration.
Lastly, today’s shout out goes to Miad Kasravi, who goes by the handle @ZFXtrading in Twitter. Miad is the Founder of www.speculatorstrading.com. I discovered him back in August. He is an active commentator on the #fintwit community and someone you should follow.
Market Drivers
Equity bears are blaring the trumpet after finally achieving a solid close sub 2,600.00 in the S&P 500 in a move driven by substantial sell volume.
UK PM Theresa May confirms that the next Brexit meaningful vote will take place during the third week of January. As the conundrum stands, there doesn’t seem to be an easy way out as the EU pledges that the deal on the table is the only one possible.
Italy looks to be on track to reach some type of compromise with the European Council in its 2019 budget after last week’s revisions. The coalition government has reportedly finally agreed on the figures and contents and the new draft sent to the EU. Italian yields trade stable.
France’s Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire is set to convene with his EU counterparts to discuss the country’s budget deficit, which is aimed to be as close to the 3% limit as possible. The German vs French yield spread still communicates high unrest by bond traders.
Ahead of the FOMC later in the week, President Trump continues to attack the independence of the Fed with a Tweet that read “It is incredible that with a very strong dollar and virtually no inflation, the outside world blowing up around us, Paris is burning and China way down, the Fed is even considering yet another interest rate hike. Take the Victory!” .
Fundamentals
After ticking up since mid-2018, the latest revision to the EU CPI for Nov y/y undershot at 1.9%, which is below the ECB’s mandate of 2%. This development can’t possibly be a positive input for a Central Bank that must reconcile a slow down in growth and depressed price pressures.
to the EU CPI for Nov y/y undershot at 1.9%, which is below the ECB’s mandate of 2%. This development can’t possibly be a positive input for a Central Bank that must reconcile a slow down in growth and depressed price pressures. The tendency of lower trade surpluses in the EU continues for the month of October after figures revealed a paltry reading of 12.5b vs 14.2b exp. However, it occurs on the back of a fresh spike in both imports and exports, which is a solid sign of healthy trading activity. The trade surplus with the US expanded to 114.8b euros as of year-to-Oct 2018 vs 96.1b euros during the same period in 2017. These figures run the risk of worsening the trade narrative via US President Trump. Find out the details in the Eurostats website.
website. In the US, the NY Empire State Manuf index came downbeat at 10.9 vs 20.1, the lowest reading since July 2017. Could this be more than just a one-off anecdote? The US continues to sail through a late business cycle and this type of data may suggest the first cracks within the context of a still solid economic status. The data tends to be a leading indicator of economic health and market conditions. The 6 month forward estimates still came quite optimistic.
came downbeat at 10.9 vs 20.1, the lowest reading since July 2017. Could this be more than just a one-off anecdote? The US continues to sail through a late business cycle and this type of data may suggest the first cracks within the context of a still solid economic status. The data tends to be a leading indicator of economic health and market conditions. The 6 month forward estimates still came quite optimistic. The NAHB Housing Market index in the US dropped by 4 points to 56. Above 50 still indicates a favorable outlook on home sales, mainly over concerns over housing affordability. Since peaking in January this year, it’s been a one-way street down for the indicator.
Events Ahead
A key release for today is the German IFO Business Climate, expected to come worse-than-expected at 101.8 vs 102 prior. After a bleep higher in August, the index has accumulated 4 consecutive months of declines, which is not a good augur. This release will be critical to assess the current economic health in Germany and wider EU economic conditions. We are in an environment in which the ECB has transitioned into a data-dependent mode, hence it’s in economic indicators of this caliber that the Central Bank will be basing its monetary policy decisions heading into 2019. The backdrop of slower growth in the EU poses risks.
Out of the US, we will get an update in housing stats in the form of building permits and housing starts. Both indicators tend to be strongly correlated. Market economists are calling for a stable number compared to the previous month’s readings.
Risk Model
An ugly picture after our prop risk-weighted index (RWI) lost nearly 4% of its value overnight. The sell-off in US equities, the extension lower in US yields came combined with a weaker US Dollar.
Access the chart via Tradingview
The whole financial world has been keeping an eye on the make-or-break level of 2,600.00 in the S&P 500. We had a first go that failed last week, but with Monday’s resolution below, it’s now off to the races for further declines unless the Fed can come to the rescue by stopping the bleeding.
Note, the S&P 500 is a market running an implied volatility (VIX) of nearly 25.00 points, which would always increase the risk of directional moves amid the absence of gamma scalping on the edges of key levels. The close near the lows of the day at 2,560.00, the collapse in the HYG (junk bonds) all seem to indicate that there might be more pain ahead for risk assets.
The sell-off in US yields does not carry the same substance as equities, judging by the volume out of the 10-year US bonds (ZN contract). If we factor in that the instrument is resting at a macro support around the 2.85% vicinity, I anticipate that any further pressure on high beta assets should emanate from follow through sell-side bets in equities.
Forex Majors
EUR/USD — Unattractive Levels to Engage in Buy Campaigns
Access the chart via Tradingview
If we only had to base our trading decision on the divergence between the pricing of the pair and its true valuation via the German vs US yield spread, we’d be talking about a Euro worth 1.16–1.17usd. Especially with the Italian premium also coming down big time in recent weeks. This is precisely the thesis that has made me, and still does, make me a Euro buyer sub 1.13. My long was filled at 1.1290.
You can find last week’s explanation of my bullish views in this video.
However, there are obvious impending factors that should limit any recovery above the 1.14–1.1450 mark until the FOMC, and we are getting much closer to these levels now, which implies that being a Euro buyer heading into Tuesday carries significantly higher risks.
The disastrous French PMI last Friday, accompanied by the clear deterioration in the EU manufacturing indexes, poses significant risks for the ECB to keep its rate hike commitment in 2019.
As a result of the heightened concerns out of France, the German vs French yield spread has come into strong focus as the new barometer to measure economic risks in France and in the EU. The levels it trades at still casts a long shadow for the Euro to gain any momentum outside its range.
For the next 24h, the pair still faces the risk of supply dynamics to kick in as it retests the origin of the mark-down in prices from last Friday (area highlighted in blue). Note, it’s also finding further confluence by coming into contact with the 3rd test of a descending trendline. Additionally, the recovery off the lows does not carry sufficient volume activity.
GBP/USD — Short-Term Recovery Amid Macro Selling
Access the chart via Tradingview
With the high-stakes of a Brexit meaningful vote put on the back burner until January, the Sterling has been trading as an expression of USD performance, as the magenta line (DXY) exhibits. Judging by the new cycle high in the UK vs US yield spread, there should only be one way to engage in this market, and that’s to the upside. However, that’d be preposterous to say the least, as we must contend with the political risk swing emanating from the Brexit negotiations, which makes trading the Pound intraday incredibly challenging as algo-led gyrations become the norm.
If we take a step back, however, we can observe the forest with more clarity. The weekly has confirmed a key breakout through 1.27, and that should precisely be taken as the most macro signal to approach the Sterling. In other words, we have transitioned into a technically bearish phase for an ultimate target of 1.2140 based on a simple 100% projection target. What this means is that any re-test of 1.2680–2700–2720, where I’ve marked the areas of most liquidity, offer selling opportunities. In the hourly, the constructive upcycle phase is still active, which makes the prospects of further upside in the next 24h a short-term technically conducive outcome.
USD/JPY — Sellers Catching Up With Macro Reality
Access the chart via Tradingview
After the $81b inflows into US Money Market funds last week, which kept the pair anchored, short-term buyers have finally been slapped with a reality check. As I’ve reiterated, the strength in the pair was always meant to be temporary amid the huge macro divergence with our risk-weighted index (in red) and the US vs JP yield spread (both highly correlated).
Moreover, yesterday’s study of the latest CoT positioning reflected an upside run mainly driven by a removal of liquidity with large specs not participating in the move up. On the daily, we still remain in a range between 112.30 and 114.00, however, the last failure to test 114.00 opens the doors for a retest of 112.30 and it this level fails to hold, a breakout of the daily range may ensue. This scenario may well play out upon the outcome of the FOMC later this week. Any precipitous attempt ahead of the high-risk event may see a market aiming to play a rotational role back into the mean.
For now, the hourly chart suggests selling on strength as the ideal strategy. The only caveat is that at current levels, only momentum and fast algo-led strategies may capitalize on enough risk-reward plays. If you are a swing trader, I’d much rather for the rate to at least pay 113.00 up towards 113.20 to start considering sell-side business intraday. Remember, I always mark the areas where I expect the highest concentration of liquidity.
AUD/USD — Trades Into Macro Support, Risk-Off May Weight
Access the chart via Tradingview
The Aussie is a market trapped in small ranges, lacking sufficient interest. By analyzing the weekly chart, the outlook is far from promising, after back-to-back bearish price action (engulfing bar + long tail rejecting higher liquidity levels). Technically, it places the risks to the downside.
But, this week is all about the FOMC, therefore, it will soon be time to press the reset button and reassess the valuation of the Aussie based on the Fed outcome. The correlations one can obtain via the Yuan, Hang Seng and the Aussie vs US yield spread do promote a relief rally of sorts.
On the downside, sellers would be trading straight into a massive support area at 0.7160 (previous daily swing high), which has already held last week’s impulsive sell-off.
Meanwhile, any recovery in the Aussie finds nearby intervals of liquidity which makes any higher adjustments in the rate a slow grind technically wise. As one can notice in the hourly chart, 0.7180 is a clear example, having contained any attempts to explore higher levels of liquidity.
Futures — Open Interest & Volumes
The preponderance of evidence to stay short equities just keeps piling up. The CME data confirms that Monday’s breakout in the S&P 500 carries the largest jump in open interest in quite some time, after an increase of over 135k+ contracts. The Japanese Yen also saw richer liquidity even if the volume was lower-than-expected. The rest of asset classes monitored exhibited poor liquidity, with moves characterized by a removal of liquidity.
* By tracking open interest, we can gauge the addition or removal of liquidity in a market. Since open interest involves the total number of outstanding contracts in a particular instrument, we can therefore accept as true that an increase in open interest means there is more liquidity available, in other words, participants are adding business by opening new positions. On the contrary, if a market sees a decrease in open interest, it means that liquidity is shrinking. Similarly, an increase in volume expresses higher activity or commitment to participate in a particular direction, while the opposite means a lower involvement in participation, which tends to ultimately lead to exhaustion.
Options — 25 Delta RR & Vols
There are quite a few developments that immediately jumped at me when crunching today’s 25 delta risk reversals and vols. The options market has turned less bearish on EUR/USD as reflected by the 10% increase in the 25 delta risk reversal, which is a normal dynamic following the pair’s recovery. The same picture can be observed via the USD/JPY changes. The pair that shows a major change in the pricing of calls vs puts is the Aussie, with the market now demanding a higher premium to buy calls. The percentage change is very significant and it harbingers potential upside ahead.
How about the Canadian Dollar? Despite its rise, the options market has lowered the cost of buying calls, which would not occur unless the expectations for higher upside were downgraded. Another instrument that screams trouble ahead is the S&P 500, with the premium to buy puts going through the roof, while at the same time, the implied volatility (ATM strike) has jumped in accordance. It continues to communicate that option traders are betting for lower targets ahead in the ES.
Source: http://cmegroup.quikstrike.net (RR settles are available ~1am UK).
* The 25-delta risk reversal is the result of calculating the vol of the 25 delta call and discount the vol of the 25 delta put. A positive risk reversal (calls vol greater than puts) implies a ‘positively’ skewed distribution, in other words, an underperformance of longs via spot. The analysis of the 25-delta risk reversals, when combined with different time measures of implied volatility, allows us to factor in more clues about a potential direction. If the day to day pricing of calls — puts increases while there is an anticipation of greater vol, it tends to be a bullish signal to expect higher spot prices.
Options — Ratio Imp/Hist Vol
By analyzing the ratio of implied / historical vol levels, up to 1 month forward, the markets that run the risks of trading slippier based on the current values include the NZD/USD, EUR/JPY and Gold. I obviously ignore the perky Sterling, which continues to trade with vol levels of its own. Notice, the EUR/USD, USD/JPY, AUD/USD run slimmer chances of seeing protracted directional movements as the low ratios from 2 weeks forward still indicate plenty of gamma scalping present.
* If implied vol is below historical vol, represented by a ratio < 1% in the table above, the market tends to seek equilibrium by being long vega (volatility) via the buying of options. This is when gamma scalping is most present to keep positions delta neutral, which tends to result in markets more trappy/rotational. On the contrary, if implied vol is above historical vol, represented by a ratio > 1%, we are faced with a market that carries more unlimited risks given the increased activity to sell expensive volatility (puts), hence why it tends to result in a more directional market profile when breaks occur. The sellers of puts must hedge their risk by selling on bearish breakouts and vice versa.
Bonus Insights- What Are You Missing?
I’ve been pointing out for a while that the ratio of implied vs historical vol continues to run dangerously high in EUR/JPY. Besides, Monday’s price action, with a long tail rejection to the upside heralds danger ahead for a retest of the range low. It could get ugly below 127.70 on short vega strategies hedging, which may set into motion a cascade of induced selling.
The ING Economics Team has put together this visual in which it breaks down the camp where each Fed member stands. The radar still seems to point towards a slight risk of the Fed not sounding as dovish as some market pundits expect. While the US economy faces more headwinds heading into 2019, further rate hikes continue to exhibit enough backing, which is predicated on the fact that the economic activity in the US continues to be fairly strong.
In this weekend’s ANZ research report, the economics team highlights as the chart of the week the tighter liquidity that is set to contribute to a more challenging environment for risk appetite in 2019.
As the ANZ Economics Team notes: “A more cautious outlook for the Fed and a likely pause in rate hikes should cap bond yields in the US and New Zealand. However, the US market could become a more important source of market volatility. When US rates were exceptionally low, investors sought yield from other assets. This proved to be a boon for credit, with debt issuance high around the world. Moving forward, the backdrop for credit markets looks less appealing. The corporate leverage cycle is advanced, while global liquidity is expected to diminish as central bank balance sheets continue to contract. Funding markets look set to be tighter, with the risk of wider spreads.”
In its latest research report, Morgan Stanley highlights Monday’s Euro Summit. From a macro level, this meeting sets a positive precedent, as it found the principles of an agreement to achieve deeper fiscal integration in the Euro area while strengthening the European Stability Mechanism. Arguably, if more progress is made in this front over the months ahead, the Euro area could be better prepared to cope with future financial or debt crises.
Today’s Twitter Shoutout
Miad Kasravi, who goes by the handle @ZFXtrading in Twitter, is an avid trader and founder of www.speculatorstrading.com. I had the pleasure to jump on a couple of calls with Miad earlier this year and I can frankly say he is a very passionate trader. You will find his tweets on all things financial markets, tends to be very switched on, and I like the fact that he resorts to the study of volume and Intermarket studies to rationalize his decisions.
Like What You See?
Soon you will be able to subscribe to receive ‘the daily edge’. In the meantime, feel free to follow Ivan on Twitter.
Important Footnotes | https://globalprimeforex.medium.com/the-daily-edge-an-expensive-us-dollar-loses-its-shine-even-as-risk-deteriorates-f5d9f479730c | ['Global Prime Forex'] | 2018-12-18 06:08:42.843000+00:00 | ['Economics'] |
Checking The Assumptions For Linear Regression | In this post I will talk about the assumptions for linear regression. Some must be checked before modeling begins. Others need to be checked afterward using the residuals obtained from training. It is important to check all of the assumptions for a model because failing to do so can lead to unreliable results in the real world, even if the performance metrics from evaluation on the testing set are great.
The first assumption is that the feature variables being modeled have a linear relationship with the target variable. This means that as one feature variable increases, the target variable responds by either increasing or decreasing. The second assumption is that there is little to no multicollinearity between feature variables. Multicollinearity is when the features have strong linear relationships with one another. To test linear relationships you can use scatter plots. Another way is to use a correlation heatmap. This can be done using pandas and seaborn. Pandas has a method to turn a data frame into a matrix of correlation values and seaborn has a plot that color codes the values to visualize the matrix. It is best to use absolute values of the correlation coefficient because in this case it doesn’t matter if the correlation is positive or negative. Avoid using features that have a correlation with each other higher than 0.6. Here is a code example.
import pandas as pd
import seaborn as sns # dataset
df = pd.read_csv('data.csv') # correlation matrix
matrix = abs(df.corr()) # heatmap
sns.heatmap(matrix)
If the data meets the above assumptions go ahead and model with the data. Save the residuals (errors) from the training set and use these to test the other assumptions.
The first assumption for the errors is that they are normally distributed. To check for this you can use QQ-plots or simply use a histogram. If the errors are not normal then the model’s performance can not be predicted reliably. This could be caused by bad data. Try removing outliers from the data and removing any features that are imbalanced.
The second assumption for the errors is that they have homoscedasticity. This means that the variance of the errors does not change with the value of the target variable. For instance if a regression model had a low error for predicting values that lie between 100 and 200, but had very high error for values that lie between 400 and 500, that would make the model unreliable. In order to check for this make a scatter plot and plot the residuals against the true target value. Then draw a horizontal line at zero where the errors should be centered. If the plot is a straight bar then the data has homoscedasticity. However if the data forms a cone then it does not. To fix this problem try applying transformations to different variables such as a logarithmic transformation. This can improve performance. Here is a code example and a picture showing residuals with homoscedasticity. | https://medium.com/@datascience-george/checking-the-assumptions-for-linear-regression-85698f188d4 | ['Datascience George'] | 2020-12-07 03:19:26.082000+00:00 | ['Statistics', 'Data Science', 'Regression'] |
For individuals who are self hired or have a task without a fitness advantages shopping for medical… | Why You Should Buy Health Insurance?
For individuals who are self hired or have a task without a fitness advantages shopping for medical insurance is a superb idea. If you’ve got got medical insurance you may cowl your self and your family. In case you do not have it, you are taking a risk. You actually need to get medical insurance if you be afflicted by continual fitness situations and also you want normal fitness care. If you’re one of these healthful individuals who do not be afflicted by whatever, you’re fortunate however but you want to shop for medical insurance as it covers injuries and whatever else that would show up to you. Imagine some thing occurs and you don’t have any medical insurance, then you may ought to pay large payments for clinical care.
You can without difficulty keep away from all that via way of means of selecting one of the many moderately priced plans to be had to humans with distinct fitness needs.
If you hop on line you’ll see how smooth it’s miles to shop for medical health insurance. All it takes is to go to this website- ehealthinsurance.com and test the sampling of prices from distinct medical health insurance companies primarily based totally on gender, age and smoking records. You can get prices for individuals, couples, households or even small groups. After that you’ll get all of the insurers' gives displayed with anticipated month-to-month charges listed. You also can examine the blessings the authentic insurers offer. In case you keep in mind your self a wholesome person, it’s miles first-rate in an effort to get the plans with the better deductibles and co-can pay that have a decrease month-to-month top rate. If you be afflicted by a continual infection like asthma, then I might advocate you went for a plan with a decrease deductible. This is what you need to keep in mind cautiously earlier than you make a decision to shop for medical health insurance.
If you need to make sure your self and your own circle of relatives then you definitely’ve were given best one choice and that is to shop for medical health insurance. If you aren’t precisely certain what to do and you’re a chunk confused, then why now no longer do some studies first. Check the webweb page of the Agency for Health Care coverage and Research at www.ahcpr.gov and locate the answers. When you’ve got already selected the first-rate coverage for you, then you definitely need to whole a fitness records questionnaire. You will should pay a small utility rate and offer the fitness facts that’s required. Once you do that you’ll should wait in order that your utility is reviewed after which you could have your real top rate determined. Applying for and shopping for medical health insurance on line isn’t always a tough process, so provide it a try. If you’ve got got any questions, there may be customer service body of workers to be had. Don’t hesitate any more, simply do it, purchase medical health insurance. | https://medium.com/@didukno/for-individuals-who-are-self-hired-or-have-a-task-without-a-fitness-advantages-shopping-for-medical-f912138480ee | [] | 2020-12-19 17:23:31.085000+00:00 | ['Health', 'Health Insurance', 'Mental Health', 'Insurance', 'Healthcare'] |
@genesislopezofficial - womenlotusstyle - Medium | Welcome to Women Lotus Style! This channel is interested in female (fashion, beauty and fitness ) Here you will find a lot of interesting stuff! | https://medium.com/@womenlotusstyle/genesis-lopez-episode-6-genesislopezofficial-97f2ff29cab4 | [] | 2020-12-17 10:15:00.871000+00:00 | ['Fashion', 'Womens Health', 'Women In Business', 'Women Fashion', 'Women'] |
Scandal Proves It’s High Time for Academia To Change | HIGHER ED LEADERSHIP
Scandal Proves It’s High Time for Academia To Change
Salacious report on Big Ten provost highlights need for changes in faculty evaluation and promotions
Photo by Tobias Rademacher on Unsplash
On July 31, 2020, the University of Michigan released an independently produced 88-page report detailing the sexual misconduct of its recently dismissed provost, Martin Philbert. It wasn’t pretty.
The report, compiled by the WilmerHale law firm, indicates that Philbert had, among other things, engaged in sexual relationships with multiple female employees — often women in the same department during overlapping time periods. His behavior began as inappropriate flirtation early in his academic career at the university and escalated over time. By the time his escapades were uncovered, he’d had sex with six women in his employ, sexually harassed many others, solicited or taken explicit photos of paramours (stored on his university devices), engaged in sexual activity in his office regularly, and threatened to destroy careers of women who indicated they would report his behavior.
It’s worth noting that most of the women harassed, solicited, and abused by Philbert were staff, not faculty.
How could this happen? Easy. The academic system is set up in a way that enables faculty to abuse power, manipulate subordinates, and nurture narcissism.
A speedy, undeterred rise to power
Philbert arrived at the University of Michigan in 1995 as an assistant professor of toxicology in the the School of Public Health. By 2004, he was a full professor and associate dean for research for the school (an administrative position often seen as a stepping stone for ambitious faculty). Six years later, he became dean of the School of Public Health.
In 2017, he became provost for the university — a position of enormous power. A provost acts as the chief academic officer of the university and has responsibility for academic and budgetary affairs across campus, working closely with the university president.
While there had been complaints about Philbert dating back to 2003 and throughout his University of Michigan career about inappropriate behavior, women declined to participate in investigations because they were afraid of repercussions. Ann Arbor, after all, is a small town, and well-funded faculty considered to be rising stars are not to be trifled with.
With no formal investigations completed, the complaints were not considered by fellow faculty as part of Philbert’s evaluation for roles of increasing responsibility (and power).
A flawed system
Academic institutions rely on a muddled system for advancing faculty. Junior faculty must produce a varying combination of publications, teaching experience, and grant funding to be promoted to senior faculty positions (which confer valuable tenure benefits, including “lifetime employment”). Every university has a different version of the process, but most rely almost solely on scholarly accomplishments and evaluation by fellow faculty.
Once promoted, most faculty have little or no acumen for managing the business aspects of their research or (later, if promoted further) department, and they rely on staff to manage these aspects. Many have never had any leadership or personnel management training.
They advance and take on increasingly responsible leadership roles with their sole qualification being academic or research excellence.
A caste system
By the nature of university funding and structure, faculty hold substantially more power than staff. Faculty are seen as the stars who bring in research dollars — the lifeblood of research-focused universities. And many have huge egos that demand subservience by non-“lettered” staff members who are mere mortals.
The culture of Faculty First is toxic.
The Philbert case is a microcosm of a larger problem. The power differential between faculty and staff enables sexual misconduct and other abuses of staff.
In researching this story, I spoke with several employees from universities. One seasoned manager at a Big Ten school recounted how she had been publicly humiliated by a faculty member after pushing back on a directive. She was subjected to ongoing vindictive behavior and then held back professionally with no recourse. A senior administrator of the department pressured her to “let it go.” Another staff person told me how his career was derailed following a dust-up with a senior faculty member at another university. He was unable to find another position in the university and had to leave, as his professional reputation had been destroyed.
Senior faculty hold significant power. Staff have none. Unless and until this power differential is diminished, abuses will continue.
It’s time to change the way faculty are evaluated
The narcissism, abuse of power, and manipulation displayed by Philbert are often the very traits rewarded by academia’s structure and longstanding faculty-focused culture. Faculty at many universities are promoted because they are great researchers or, perhaps more importantly, well funded by grants, not because they are effective managers or attuned to the needs of a larger organization, let alone fellow team members. Focusing on their pet, niche work — not staff development, team collaboration, or interpersonal skills — is what brings them success. Inward focus is rewarded, not outward.
Philbert, like others, preyed on staff (not faculty) because he fully understood that there are no effective safeguards for staff. He held all the power in the relationships. He also knew that staff have no voice in faculty evaluation or promotion, thereby making them expendable and powerless.
As we absorb the horror of the Philbert report and its implications, now is the time to pursue measures to counteract the opportunity for abusive faculty behavior, both sexual and other forms of abuse.
These five changes would change the dynamics
Here are five changes academic institutions should adopt to address this issue:
Require leadership training for all faculty. Develop programs to promote people management skills that engender respect and equal treatment for staff. Don’t allow faculty to advance to an administrative role without solid, proven leadership, demonstrated respectful treatment of others, and interpersonal skills.
Develop programs to promote people management skills that engender respect and equal treatment for staff. Don’t allow faculty to advance to an administrative role without solid, proven leadership, demonstrated respectful treatment of others, and interpersonal skills. Create safe reporting practices for staff to register complaints about faculty misconduct. These procedures must ensure job security, protection, and anonymity for those who report. And the reports must be made part of future evaluations of the faculty implicated.
These procedures must ensure job security, protection, and anonymity for those who report. And the reports must be made part of future evaluations of the faculty implicated. Solicit and incorporate feedback from staff in faculty evaluations. Faculty are largely siloed. Staff usually work much more closely with faculty than fellow faculty or deans and have a unique perspective on their performance, skills, and deficiencies. Their insight goes well beyond funding levels and number of publications. They have a much better concept of how the faculty person would perform at a higher level.
Faculty are largely siloed. Staff usually work much more closely with faculty than fellow faculty or deans and have a unique perspective on their performance, skills, and deficiencies. Their insight goes well beyond funding levels and number of publications. They have a much better concept of how the faculty person would perform at a higher level. Reduce the weight of individual academic and research accomplishments and increase the weight of team accomplishments in evaluations and promotion consideration.
in evaluations and promotion consideration. Compensate and reward staff as legitimate team members who contribute greatly to faculty academic and research success. Professional staff should be treated as equals to faculty; increased compensation and recognition would make that guiding principle completely clear to everyone.
Without a doubt, the University of Michigan will pay a hefty price — financial and reputational— for Philbert’s exploits. Only a serious reckoning of the way faculty are trained, evaluated, and rewarded will prevent similar damage to other universities. | https://medium.com/discourse/scandal-proves-its-high-time-for-academia-to-change-44da65439c90 | ['Tina L. Smith'] | 2020-08-12 22:06:12.576000+00:00 | ['USA', 'Higher Education', 'Culture', 'Scandal', 'Leadership'] |
DAY 3: ART+TECH FESTIVAL 2020 『 JOYNT 』 | DAY 3: ART+TECH FESTIVAL 2020 『 JOYNT 』
Join the ART+TECH Festival Day 3 with a workshop and two live events!
11:30am (PST) — Workshop — Build Your Being in Spark AR
11:30am (PST) — Live Event — modV Audio Visual Live Performance
03:00pm (PST) — Live Event — Festival Grounds Opening
For existing『 Live Events 』+ 『All Pass 』Ticket Holders:
Check your email with your password protected access list of events.
For any question or support, connect with us and the community on Discord.
BUILD YOUR BEING IN SPARK AR
Sunday, December 13th @ 11:30AM PST (check your timezone)
Bring your best face forward in augmented reality! In this beginners course, we’re building our best selves in Spark AR, an augmented reality tool by Facebook. No coding is necessary — we’ll be using features within Spark AR like the facetracker, facemesh, 3D models, animation, and patches. Come with your creative spirit, you will emerge from this course in your final form.
Or get the ALL ACCESS pass to CODAME ART+TECH Festival 2020 #JOYNT for 10 days of Workshops, Live Events, and Anytime Experiences!
MODV AUDIO VISUAL LIVE PERFORMANCE
Sunday, Dec 13, 2020, 11:30am PST (check your timezone)
Sam (aka 2xAA) and Tim (aka NERDDISCO) are working on the open source visuals software called modV to use the power of the web to bring fine visuals to everyone. When they are doing a live performance, 2xAA is doing music using his Game Boys and NERDDISCO is using some shaders from Shadertoy in modV to generate visuals based on the music from 2xAA. They want to show that everyone can use modV for their shows.
Part of the 10th annual CODAME ART+TECH Festival (included in the Festival Pass and All Access Pass)
FESTIVAL GROUNDS OPENING
Sunday 12/13 (2020) 3:00 PM PST (check your timezone)
Experience the art of CODAME ART+TECH Festival 2020『 JOYNT 』in a playful, game-like, multiplayer environment. Built in New Art City, a virtual exhibition space with a focus on copresence and native web technology.
Join the Zoom to where d0n.xyz and Yiyue Chen will share their inspirations and learnings from building New Art City and the Festival Grounds architecture. Lisa Kolb will share her initial vision to create a Festival Ground environment to house the Art+Tech experiences she curated for the Festival.
Part of the 10th annual CODAME ART+TECH Festival (included in the Festival Pass and All Access Pass)
💟 👾 💜 👾 💟
JOYNT = Connect + Create + Celebrate
Let’s JOYNT forces to nurture Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion within the art and tech community!
Artists are innovators and producers of creative and extraordinary ideas and visions. Experiencing art and artistic processes is an important opportunity for learning and exploration. Even more so, collaborative art is a transformational force to strengthen the community and enhance well-being. CODAME invites you to become an active participant at our Festival where you can connect, create, and celebrate with our Artists.
💟 👾 💜 👾 💟
CODAME is a member of Intersection for the Arts a non profit 501(c)(3) organization. All proceeds will be split with the participating artists.
Thank you for your support for ART 💜 TECH !!! Code of Conduct for all attendees. | https://medium.com/codame-art-tech/day-3-art-tech-festival-2020-joynt-d11757e7409 | [] | 2020-12-13 04:25:14.625000+00:00 | ['Workshop', 'Augmented Reality', 'Technology', 'Art', 'Festivals'] |
3 Secrets to success | 3 Secrets to success
What successful people do differently, and you don’t? Why you perceive others are fortunate and you are not. The thing is, you had the same opportunities as others had. But you never made it clear to yourself and to others, so you did not grab the opportunity.
The meaning of success is different for everyone, for some success might be financial, for some emotional, it may be spiritual for someone, etc. Whatever you desire and want in your lives, if you can achieve it you consider yourself successful, but how many of us know what we want in our life?
I will tell you the secret steps to success, and if you follow them diligently nobody can stop you from reaching your desired state in life.
Energy: It is an ultimate Power
The first key to success is ENERGY. I have yet to find a single successful person on this earth, who lacks this major ingredient for success.
I can talk of all the success mantras and tools to make you live a bold and successful life, but if you mess up your energy, you can get nowhere. You will be in no position to work towards your desired life. If you don’t know how to have high energy levels, no form of motivational talks, books, videos, blogs, etc. will help in your life.
Who wants to be with an individual or a leader who has little energy? Nobody does... Then do you think people will listen to you when you are at a low energy level? We all love to be with individuals who have positive energy around them.
Positive energy gives you the momentum to drive towards your desired way of life. It inspires every cell in your body to perform towards excellence. Whereas negative energy will not let you do anything and won’t let you move towards your desired state. Work daily towards building up energy and become the instruments so you can tap into the proper frequency and energy to achieve the maximum. Things that help to build up energy are regular exercise, proper diet, reading excellent material for at least thirty minutes a day, keeping yourself hydrated, and meditation. It is as important to take care of the energy-depleting sources as it is working up for building positive energy.
Factors that rob our energy
Our internal communication: Words have tremendous power. What we say to ourselves has a direct impact on us and determines how we communicate with others. If we assert we are nobody, we will be nobody. If we assert we can accomplish anything, we will achieve anything; limitations are only in our minds.
Our thoughts: As soon as you get up from the bed, thoughts pour into your mind. if you concentrate on constructive thoughts, you will have significant energy and you will look forward to having a beautiful day. But, if you allow the negative thoughts to get entertained in your mind, immediately your energy will deplete and you will find everything wrong in the same beautiful morning. You will not be in any mood to get up from the bed and live those another awesome 24 hrs that God has gifted you. It’s up to you how you use that precious gift from God.
“You Wake up in the morning and lo! Your purse is magically filled with twenty – four hours of un-manufactured tissue of the universe of your life. It is yours. It is the most precious of your possessions. No one can take it from you. It is un-stealable. And no one receives either more or less than you receive.”
Arnold Bennett
Most of us think what goes into our minds or the emotional states we get into are because of the outside world and we don’t control it. But the truth is you can control your thoughts and hence the emotions these thoughts generate. By taking control over the actions or responses you give to those thoughts. If you’re depressed, you created and produced that show of depression in your mind with a series of actions or inactions. If you say you are elated, you created that too.
Emotions are energy in motion, so whatever emotions you have, you don’t catch them from somewhere you create them internally through specific mental and physical actions; you create those momentums or motions to feel bad and be in a lower energy level. To be depressed and deplete your energy, you need to perform certain actions; talk to yourself in a certain tone of voice, lie, or sit in a certain physical posture.
“The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.”
Tony Robbins
How can we break the pattern of thoughts and change the state, hence our energy levels?
Because of this Covid situation, some have lost their jobs, some have lost their businesses or their earnings have plummeted, leading them to depression and no energy to look forward to something great in their lives. Even I have had to stop my business operations as the hospitality industry is the most impacted one. But then I thought; what I have now and realized that I have plenty of time in my hand and it has been years since I have upgraded my knowledge and invested in myself. Then I started reading the books and attended a few training sessions to help myself, and I could see the blessing in disguise. I could attend the seminars and workshops of the topmost international speakers sitting at my home, which would not have been possible otherwise.
It shifted my state from negative to positive, and now I dared to write a book and start my blogs. The situations and events happen, only how we perceive them and assign meaning to them generates feelings and emotions in our mind and body. But we can control how we respond and take actions, change our state of mind from negative to positive. For me, I could have sulked in the situation, but I rose above it by taking action. Sometimes we feel things are not in our hands and we get negative and lose our productivity. Before you allow that negative energy to build up and rob you of your desired life, take action, and break the pattern.
Break the pattern of the negative state and low energy by:
1. Just get up from the place, stand in an upright position, and bring a gigantic smile on your face and be in that position for at least 1 minute. You can’t have negative thoughts when you are standing upright in a superman position.
2. Play your favorite motivational music or a dancing number jump and dance for a few minutes. Your pattern of thoughts will break and your energy level will shift.
3. Fix a place in your home where you will never allow the negative thoughts to creep in, do your most productive work there so that negativity has no room when you work at that place.
By understanding the importance of energy and working towards building it up and not allowing the sources to rob you of the energy, you can be sure of building up momentum towards the success and life you want.
In the next blog, we will discuss the next very important step towards success and these are FOCUS and MASSIVE ACTIONS. Looking forward to seeing you again in a week. Till then work on building up energy and momentum towards success. | https://medium.com/@joamindconcept/3-secrets-to-success-ccd82514af0b | ['Amit Arora'] | 2020-12-23 09:40:12.970000+00:00 | ['Successful', 'Life', 'Motivation', 'Power', 'Energy'] |
Trump Administration Expands Anti-LGBTQ+ License to Discriminate | With just over a month left in office, the Trump administration has made a last ditch effort to rollback nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ Americans.
The US Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs quietly issued a final rule on Monday, allowing federal contractors to discriminate against LGBTQ+ employees under the guise of religious freedom.
Initially proposed in 2019, the new rule expands religious exemptions to nondiscrimination protections for faith-based contractors and for-profit companies who may “prefer” employees of a certain religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Previously, the rule only applied to faith-based non-profit organizations.
The new rule seeks to provide a “clearer interpretation” of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Former President Barack Obama signed an executive order in 2014, adding sexual orientation and gender identity to this list of protected classes.
The rule also blatantly contradicts Bostock v. Clayton County, which effectively prohibits workplace discrimination for LGBTQ+ workers.
In a summary of the final rule, the Department of Labor cited the Supreme Court cases Burwell v. Hobby Lobby and Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, both of which allowed businesses to discriminate against employees and consumers under the guise of religious freedom.
“Religious organizations should not have to fear that acceptance of a federal contract or subcontract will require them to abandon their religious character or identity,” Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia said in a statement on Monday. Scalia is the son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who once compared gay people to murderers and animal abusers.
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have promptly condemned the new rule and chastised the Trump administration, highlighting the impact it could have on LGBTQ+ people, women, and religious minorities.
“This action by the administration is blatantly offensive, unnecessary and simply unacceptable, which is further compounded by the fact that they are attempting to jam it through a lame duck session,” Alphonso David, the President of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement.
“Since taking office, the administration has worked around the clock to dehumanize and demean LGBTQ+ people all while misrepresenting the law to justify creating a license to discriminate against people including on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.”
With just 43 days left in office, Trump is spending his remaining time as president weaponizing religious freedom and using it as a license to discriminate against anyone who does not adhere to or abide by a certain standard of beliefs. After four years of rolling back basic rights and protections for LGBTQ+ people, this is just his administration’s latest and hopefully final attempt to make queer and trans people feel unwelcome and unsafe in the US.
While this new rule is a clear attack on the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized people and should be treated as the threat that it is, President-elect Joe Biden will likely repeal it shortly after his inauguration in January.
Biden has already committed himself to being a “partner” to LGBTQ+ Americans, promising to sign the Equality Act in his first 100 days in office, which would essentially ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. And while there is no way to guarantee exactly what Biden will do once he takes office, for once there is hope. | https://medium.com/an-injustice/trump-administration-expands-anti-lgbtq-license-to-discriminate-a60b19a62531 | ['Catherine Caruso'] | 2020-12-10 01:11:14.551000+00:00 | ['Justice', 'Equality', 'Politics', 'LGBTQ', 'Society'] |
She’s The One | Juice wrld
Da-la, la-la-la-la, la-la, yeah
Ooh-ooh, ooh, ooh
Wake up from a dream
She’s my ever-everything
I need her more than anything
She’s my tranquility (uh)
I can’t go to sleep
Without her next to me
So I’m sure she’s the one for me (me, uh)
Trapped in my head, she has the key
She walks me to her bed, I can’t wait to see the freaky things
She does to me
All her old niggas, they are under me
But back to you, baby, you’re a Picasso piece
Yes, indeed, you’re lovely and I can’t help it
Follow me through the hell and the storm
Honestly, feel like I’ve been here before
Probably visited here in my dreams
I came here looking for you
’Cause I know that you’re all I need
Wake up from a dream
She’s my ever-everything
I need her more than anything
She’s my tranquility (uh)
I can’t go to sleep
Without her next to me
So I’m sure she’s the one for me (me)
Baby, you’re the champ (uh)
Got you soakin’ when I’m in it, it’s way more than damp
You got so fuckin’ wet I had to build a dam
Talk about good romance
Baby, looky, looky (looky, looky)
I’ma eat you like studio cookies, oh
You ain’t dealin’ with a rookie (rookie)
But I’m fresher than a fuckin’ rookie, oh
You be in Jersey like you Snookie (Snookie, Snookie)
But I know you really came from Philadelph’
Just like Meek Milly, oh, got my Gucci sweats on
Tryna feel it through the pants, through the drawers
Fuck her good, she sleep it off
Wake up from a dream
She’s my ever-everything
I need her more than anything
She’s my tranquility (uh)
I can’t go to sleep
Without her next to me
So I’m sure she’s the one for me (me) | https://medium.com/@20jose.h.cruz/shes-the-one-a93d261b47ac | ['Everything Is A Fantasy'] | 2019-04-02 00:37:45.569000+00:00 | ['Lyrics', 'Songs', 'Love', 'Juice Wrld'] |
Typing $ZSH plugin sets — loadable on $SHELL -l and reloadable on LAMP stack reinvigorate; I think… | Typing $ZSH plugin sets — loadable on $SHELL -l and reloadable on LAMP stack reinvigorate; I think it’s appropriate to state that TSDB based web development is CERN intact, meaning that 2LL can be applied in this scale as well, like e.g. openTSDB.
In this way, adding up to tens of loaded $SHELL lines is a Christmas present — in general — to the stakeholders, who are fed only by bread in UK, like PHP field recruiters — the learning, running laptop is itself signifying business entity on web products like e-commerce platforms and e-loans stores; whereas business developer — the owner — can be relaxed setting up Atom themes and watching TV moves.
Even USA — US MCA — army is relentless and mercifully aimless — though helpful, if they know what they mean. The best laptop is not a technologically impeaching instrument, if it’s missing target market and the target market itself is invigorating the perception of society masses by its denominated laptop, which is solely business stance.
Business economics aims not to criteria averted mechanics, like mechatronics or turbulent molecular biology. The Christian values are not themselves the savior in terms TSDB business initiative — private mechanics. It collides firstly with CERN anti-protons, then with physics of Einstein — light speed etc. The muses are more glad to see Merry Christmas greetings rather than investigate and get former Soviet Union Lada fixed. | https://medium.com/@pbrilius/typing-zsh-plugin-sets-loadable-on-shell-l-and-reloadable-on-lamp-stack-reinvigorate-i-think-8a4fa21ab1fd | ['Povilas Brilius'] | 2020-12-26 19:13:53.353000+00:00 | ['Zend', 'Slim', 'Web 2 0', 'Merry Christmas', 'PHP'] |
Rheumatology Therapeutics Market Trends and Forecast | Rheumatology Therapeutics Market is expected to value over USD 52.9 billion by 2027 end and register a CAGR of xx% from the forecast period 2020–2027.
FutureWise research has revealed a report that analyzes Rheumatology Therapeutics Market trends that shall have an effect on the market growth. The report includes elaborated data on SWOT analysis, profit, market share, and regional analysis of this market. This report offers competitive landscape insights on the key market players of this market.
As per the analysis done by our analysts, the Rheumatology Therapeutics Market is anticipated to attain substantial growth over the forecast period. The report explains that the market is expected to register a remarkable rate of growth by the forecast period. This report provides data associated with valuation that’s presently held by this market in its business and it additionally lists the market segmentation alongside the growth opportunities present in this business vertical.
The report analyzes market segmentation forecast By Drug Class, By Disease Indication, By Distribution Channel, By Region, and Rheumatology Therapeutics Market. This report provides elaborated insights on the profit of the market, in-depth SWOT analysis of market trends, key players in conjunction with regional analysis of this market.
Request a Sample Report@ https://www.futurewiseresearch.com/request-sample.aspx?id=10805&page=requestsample
Regional Analysis
The regional outlook of the Rheumatology Therapeutics Market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa
This report delivers data points regarding the projected rate of growth registered by this market in each region during the forecast period.
Key Market Players:
Some of the key market players of this market are Takeda Pharmaceutical, Sanofi, Genentech, Inc., Novartis AG, Janssen Biotech, Inc., Amgen, Inc., AbbVie, Inc., Pfizer, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Merck & Co., Inc.
(Note: For acomplete list of key players, please visit the report page)
FutureWise Key Takeaways:
Provides data of growth prospects of the market, SWOT analysis, key market trends, and key information points touching market growth throughout the forecast period
Competitive Landscape:
Tier one players — key market players accounting for a significant market share
Tier two players
Rapidly growing players
New Entrants
Competitive Landscape of this report will cover complete company profile, along with the production graph, merchandise offerings, and revenue accounted for by every key player profiled in this report
It additionally, provides the data points of value trends and the gross margins of each manufacturer, in accompanying the market share held by key players within the forecast period.
Browse Corresponding Healthcare Market Research Reports & Consulting
· Real-Time E-Healthcare System Market is forecasted to value over USD xx billion by 2027 end and register a CAGR of xx% from the forecast period 2020–2027. FutureWise Market Research has instantiated a report that provides an intricate analysis of Real-Time E-Healthcare System Market trends that shall affect the overall market growth.
· Red Biotechnology Market is forecasted to value over USD 512 billion by 2027 end at a CAGR of over 6% during the forecast period 2020 to 2027. FutureWise Market Research has instantiated a report that provides an intricate analysis of Red Biotechnology Market trends that shall affect the overall market growth.
· Risk-based Monitoring Software Market is forecasted to value over USD 600 million by 2027 end with a CAGR of over 13% during the forecast period 2020 to 2027. Increasing efficiency and cost of risk-based monitoring solutions, growing investments by governments for bolstering clinical trials owing to its rising demand are some of the key factors driving the risk-based monitoring software market growth.
Objectives of the Study:
· To offer report with an entire analysis on the Rheumatology Therapeutics Market By Drug Class, By Disease Indication, By Distribution Channel, and By Region
· To cater comprehensive data and data-points on factors impacting the expansion of the market (drivers, opportunities, and industry-specific restraints)
· To analyze and forecast micro-markets and additionally the scope of the market
· To predict the market forecast, size and share, in key regions — North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa
· To record and evaluate competitive landscape — product launches, mergers and expansions, and technological advancements within the market
Table of Content:
1. Market Introduction and Overview
2. Market Scope, Trends and Competitive Landscape
3. Market Segmentation
4. Regional Analysis
5. Key Market Players
6. Global and Regional Market Share
7. Covid-19 Impact
8. Key Takeaways and Data Points
Some of the key queries addressed in this report are:
1. Key factors influencing the market growth?
2. Anticipated growth-rate of the market throughout the forecast period?
3. Market size value in 2020?
4. What is the expected market size by 2027?
5. Which region holds the biggest market share?
Flexible Delivery Model:
We have a flexible delivery model where you’ll be able to suggest changes within the scope/table of content on the basis of your requirement
Free customization services on the acquisition of any license Type of report.
You can directly share your customization requests to: [email protected]
FutureWise Research:
Contact Person: Vinay T.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: UK: +44 1416289353 | US: +1 3477094931 | https://medium.com/@marketinsight92/rheumatology-therapeutics-market-trends-and-forecast-7a9b6c3520e2 | ['Market Insight'] | 2021-12-31 09:00:52.220000+00:00 | ['Market Research Reports', 'Market Research', 'Market Share', 'Rheumatology Therapeutics', 'Market Research Analysis'] |
The 1st TrustNote Fans receiving $TFans Reward! | Dear Community, we are so excited to announce TrustNote community wallet gets its formal name — TrustNote Fusion Wallet! It is a name come from the community, decided by the community, and will serve for the community!
One week ago, we initiated a vote on Twitter to get everyone’s feedback on the naming of the community wallet. We are so happy to see new proposals were raised by community members. We would like to thank you all for participating in the vote, especially a big thank you to @BlocklessMonstr who proposed the name of ‘Fusion Wallet’, which received a majority of votes (17 out of 34) from the community!
Fusion Wallet, it is such a creative name and totally represents the mission of our community supported wallet, it will fuse and melt all the development by our community and bring us a powerful and flexible wallet.
TrustNote is a reward-based community and we value all the contributions made by the community. This time, we will do more than ever before, rather than the $TTT rewards, we will also send $TFans token to @BlocklessMonstr, as the recognition to his contribution!
Please join me to congratulate @BlocklessMonstr, he just earned a 5,000 $TTT and 5,000 $TFans reward for his smart idea on the Fusion Wallet!
About TFans token
TFans is TRC-20 token issued on the TrustNote network (mainnet) by TrustNote foundation. Having TFans means people have a chance to get more income revenue from TrustNote foundation’s mining revenue, also will have the opportunity to be elected in the community management role. We hope everyone can feel what we do is to develop for our community and to create real value for everyone.
@BlocklessMonstr, congratulations again and thank everyone for your participation!
To know more about the TFans token , please read The Introduction Of TFans and TrustNote Software Developers Incentive Program from our blog. | https://medium.com/ringnetwork/trustnote-fusion-wallet-and-our-first-ttt-tfans-reward-d99dbf0f47ce | ['Sunny Liu'] | 2018-10-26 08:14:08.066000+00:00 | ['Announcements', 'Token', 'Rewards', 'Blockchain Technology', 'Bitcoin Wallet'] |
Redlands Measure G: The Facts About Traffic Congestion | Well, I would love to see an interview with anyone who believes that Measure G will reduce traffic congestion in Redlands since I can’t find any support for it. That misinformation makes me question all the “Facts” related to the “Yes on Measure G” campaign. My view of traffic congestion related to Measure G follows.
The decades of studies alluded to only apply to existent high-density urban areas before adding mass transit. Appropriate examples in Southern California are the LA Metro Purple Line nine-mile extension to Westwood or the Gold Line 12-mile extension to Montclair. People already live in these built-out areas, and new mass transit offers an alternative to travel by car. As a result, these projects may take vehicles off the road during standard commuting times.
City on Measure G — Increased Traffic is Likely
However, those examples are not appropriate to Redlands. The Redlands Planning Department estimates that the passage of Measure G could result in 5,000 to 6,000 more people living in the Transit Villages Planning Area. And the City of Redlands web page of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Measure G discusses traffic in this manner. “Traffic impacts are unknown, but it is likely that traffic may increase.” In sum, the City confirms that increased traffic is likely.
Measure G Eliminates Traffic Levels of Service (LOS) Requirements
Regarding the purported myth that Measure G eliminates traffic congestion standards. The same City of Redlands FAQ page states, “Currently, street intersections with traffic levels of service (LOS) C must maintain that level of service. Measure G eliminates that requirement for intersections within the Transit Villages Planning Area.” That’s gobbledygook to anyone who’s not a traffic engineer. I’m not a traffic engineer either but I’ll do my best.
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and Level of Service (LOS)
Some people note that LOS is irrelevant since the State of California has been requiring the use of VMT for defining California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) impacts since Dec 2018. But, the new law still allows level of service (LOS) analysis for congestion management. (Reference) Since the topic is traffic congestion in downtown Redlands, LOS is still the correct metric.
The Highway Capacity Manual from the Transportation Research Board defines LOS. For arterial roads and signalized intersections it identifies traffic levels of service (LOS) from A to F as follows:
LOS A — Free flow with unimpeded maneuverability. Stopped delay at signalized intersections is minimal.
LOS B — Stable flow with slightly restricted maneuverability. Stopped delays are not bothersome. (slight delays)
LOS C — Stable flow with somewhat more restrictions in making mid-block lane changes than LOS B. Motorists will experience appreciable tension while driving. (acceptable delays)
LOS D — Approaching unstable flow where small increases in volume produce substantial increases in delay and decreases in speed. (tolerable delays)
LOS E — Unstable flow with significant intersection approach delays and low average speeds. (intolerable delays)
LOS F — Forced flow with extremely low speeds caused by intersection congestion, high delay, and adverse signal progression. (congested and queues fail to clear)
Visual representation of the six levels of service given letter designations A to F.
Measure G eliminates the requirement for LOS C (appreciable tension while driving) from developments within 782 acres (approx 2 miles x 1/2 mile) of the heart of Redlands. If anyone believed that Measure G would reduce traffic congestion, why was the requirement for LOS C removed?
To be fair, maintaining LOS C in the Transit Villages will probably be too expensive. But I’m afraid I have to disagree with Measure G in eliminating all LOS requirements in the Transit Villages. The Nebraska DOT objective in urban areas is LOS D. In contrast, Reston, VA accepts LOS E. It appears that the Redlands City Council has capitulated to LOS F (approaching gridlock).
Is Measure G a Well Thought Out Plan to Ease the Housing Crisis?
To be clear, I understand and agree with the need to start addressing sustainable development immediately and solving housing, traffic, and environmental issues for our children and grandchildren. Therefore, I’m all for the train and mixed-use “Transit Villages” taller than 35 feet. But I’m not for either without understanding and mitigating traffic congestion.
The State requirements for more housing makes it likely that the City of Redlands will be mandated to allow 4,487 more dwelling units within the city limits by 2025. (Reference) More dwelling units mean more traffic. I agree that mixed-use development near mass transit may result in less additional vehicle miles traveled in the region compared to the alternative of added housing scattered around the City. However, concentrating all the added housing and traffic in the urban center while eliminating traffic congestion requirements in that area isn’t a well thought out plan.
The following statement from the City’s FAQ, coupled with the elimination of traffic congestion requirements, doesn’t provide much reassurance. “The City will continue to evaluate the street network of the Transit Villages Planning Area with the review and adoption of the Transit Villages Specific Plan, and recommend improvements to the street network as necessary.” Traffic congestion shouldn’t be addressed in an ad hoc manner. Traffic is key infrastructure that should be considered early and holistically.
Increased Traffic is Likely and Measure G Will Remove LOS Requirements
In sum, the City of Redlands position on traffic congestion with Measure G is:
Traffic impacts are unknown, but an increase in traffic is likely .
. We’ll recommend street network improvements with the review and adoption of the Transit Villages Specific Plan.
with the review and adoption of the Transit Villages Specific Plan. For developers, Measure G will remove requirements to meet traffic Levels of Service (LOS).
More Traffic Congestion Downtown or More Traffic in the Outer Areas?
The City’s position, combined with the misleading “Yes on G” premise of reduced traffic congestion, makes me uneasy. I’d feel less apprehensive if the City had been more proactive in understanding and laying out the traffic implications for voters. For example, it would have been appropriate to communicate the situation as follows:
Yes on Measure G means more traffic congestion downtown. We’ll no longer hold developers to a level of service (LOS) requirement at street intersections. However, we will recommend street network improvements as the Transit Villages Specific Plan is reviewed and adopted.
No on Measure G means changing commercial and agricultural zoning to residential in the outer areas of Redlands. More traffic will occur in those areas. Developers will need to meet a LOS C requirement (acceptable delays) in the outer areas. Note: I can’t find the City’s assessment of traffic congestion in this case. I don’t know if the outer areas have sufficient existing capacity or not.
Where to Put New Housing in Redlands?
In sum, the City of Redlands should add new housing where existing and future infrastructure can support it. That probably means a combination of new housing downtown AND new housing in the outer areas. The City should have started with a traffic analysis of the Transit Villages area to determine how much new housing could be added without making traffic congestion intolerable. And then the remainder of new units to meet the state requirement would be rezoned in the outer areas of Redlands.
Some of the “Yes on G” claims cause me to apply the brakes.
Recommended Measure G Articles
- Redlands Cultural Battle On As Measure G Angles To Undo Growth Controls, San Bernardino County Sentinel
- With Measure G, Redlands Joins The Debate Over Housing And Transit-Oriented Development, KVCR
About Me
I’ve lived in Redlands for more than 30 years and hope to live here another 30 years. I care about the “Jewel of the Inland Empire.” I’m not a business owner, land developer, politician, government employee, or traffic engineer. | https://medium.com/@davescheirer/redlands-measure-g-the-facts-about-traffic-congestion-3898fe02c397 | ['Dave Scheirer'] | 2020-02-24 21:10:14.412000+00:00 | ['Measure G', 'Traffic', 'Redlands', 'Urban Planning'] |
Are These Fears Your True Feelings? | Keep returning to your natural state of Joy
If your mind is fabricating these fears, then you can observe and let them unfold without needing to chase them away.
If these are your real emotions, then allow them to move through you. Let it go where it needs to go, let it move through the layers of your emotional onion if you need to. There’s no need to add more thinking to the feeling.
Either way, you will still return to your natural state of Joy!
The more you return to feeling and expressing this Joy, the easier it is for you to feel right about being joyful. Keep wondering about feeling joyful for no reason.
You don’t have to justify to anyone why you feel joyful. Allow yourself to get used to feeling joy, even if you are not perfect and that your life is filled with problems you can’t solve yet. Allow that Joy to bubble naturally from your honest, true self.
I hope this is helpful to you. | https://medium.com/bingz-healing-light/are-these-fears-your-true-feelings-b1b776be3100 | ['Bingz Huang'] | 2020-08-27 15:17:15.057000+00:00 | ['Energy', 'Life', 'Mental Health', 'Advice', 'Life Lessons'] |
A Strategist’s Guide to Clinician Well-being in a Time of Crisis | Authors: Wesley W Palmer & Toomas H Truumees
As health care professionals across the globe face the continued onslaught of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, health care organizations must brace for the anticipated near and long term consequences for clinician well-being. Preventing a parallel crisis of clinician burnout will take careful planning and thoughtful allocation of resources.¹ ² However, strategic planning during a crisis is incredibly challenging for any organization — never mind one at the front lines of a pandemic. In this report, we outline principles of decision making and strategic execution that health care organizations must consider in addressing the near- and long-term mental health needs of their clinical work force.
I. Forecasting Outcomes
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has been described as a central health crisis of our generation,³ prior disasters scenarios offer grim insights into the pandemic’s impact on clinician well-being. Indeed, following the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak and the 2015 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, responding clinicians displayed higher rates of psychological distress, including fear, sleep problems, “numbness,” and survival guilt.⁴ And while most individuals are resilient enough to avoid clinical trauma responses, they can still experience subclinical symptoms that greatly impair their quality of life and result in professional burnout.⁴ These symptoms pose a danger not just to clinicians — whose rates of suicide exceed those of other professions⁵ ⁶ –but also to their patients.⁷ ⁸ ⁹ ¹⁰ ¹¹ ¹² ¹³
In a June, 2020 viewpoint, Shanafelt and colleagues published early insights into the anxieties facing health care professionals as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other issues, the authors cited anxieties related to finding necessary child care services during school closures and increased work hours.³ While this viewpoint was published over 6 months ago, it is unlikely these anxieties have eased in the current climate given the recurrent viral surges and lack of return to “normal” life.
II. Aiming to Fail Fast
Health care organizations have had to contend with significant operational and financial uncertainty as a result of the pandemic.¹⁴ ¹⁵ The challenges of modern-day decision making only amplify this uncertainty. As Day and Schoemaker have argued, modern organizations face pervasive information overload, which can compromise detection of critical signals and lead to confusion and diversion in decision making.¹⁶ To mitigate these risks, organizations must be able to “fail fast” in strategic planning. This requires them to rapidly develop, scale and evaluate programs in order to understand where limited resources can be allocated most effectively.¹⁴
However, “failing fast” with programs aimed at clinician well-being is incredibly challenging. The drivers of clinician well-being are multi-factorial¹⁷ and often require high effort, systems-level changes, such as reducing clerical burden for physicians.¹⁸ Changes of this magnitude take time and resources — both of which are limited in a crisis. Organizations must therefore rely on data to inform a selection of effective programs.
Unfortunately, there is a lack of robust data currently available to guide organizational responses to clinician well-being. A recent Cochrane review highlighted this point: in a systematic meta-analysis, the authors evaluated interventions for frontline health care professionals during or after a disease outbreak, epidemic or pandemic. They identified a lack of quantitative and qualitative evidence to support interventions that are beneficial to the resilience and mental health of these frontline workers.¹⁹
Without data to inform strategic planning, health care organizations must instead rely on research and improvement science to facilitate the rapid identification and scaling of effective interventions. In practice, however, this process is hindered by data collection. This is because organizations have traditionally assessed clinician well-being using survey and qualitative methods⁹ ²⁰ ²¹ — which rely on adequate participation from busy clinicians. Paradoxically, then, organizations are forced to make strategic decisions based on engagement from the very clinicians at highest risk of burnout.
This feedback mechanism is problematic for several reasons. Beyond the fact that professional burnout can be accompanied by exhaustion and disengagement — which can lead to selection and other sources of bias in data collection — these methods also functionally limit the timeliness of data, as leaders try to avoid “piling on” to clinicians’ schedules with additional tasks. In practice, this leads to stochastic assessments of clinician well-being that may be of questionable validity.
III. Dynamic Scanning
With insights into clinician well-being provided at a quarterly or annually cadence, how can a health care organization plan to effectively mitigate burnout and other symptoms of distress? The simple answer is it can’t — at least relying on traditional feedback mechanisms alone. Organizations must be willing to innovate beyond these methods to perform meaningful surveillance of clinician well-being at a systems level. And while data collected from clinicians through surveys, interviews, and focus groups are incredibly valuable, they are not sufficient in providing continuous signal detection and timely attention from leaders — critical tasks in any organization.²²
Increasingly, machine learning has emerged as a potential approach to this type of dynamic scanning. We recently explored this approach in our health care strategy consulting business through partnership with Receptiviti — a social psychology and data science technology platform that uses natural language processing, social psychology and artificial intelligence to drive business insights across a variety of industries. In collaboration with our firm, Adaptive Strategic Partners, Receptiviti recently developed a Healthcare Workers Wellness Index to test the viability of their software in trending clinician well-being.²³ The Healthcare Workers Wellness Index uses machine learning analysis of publicly-available data on Reddit, where self-identified doctors and nurses post daily submissions and comments in medical subreddits. Over the last several months, the platform’s language psychology algorithms assessed daily submissions and comments from thousands of self-identified doctors and nurses to understand their emotions and psychological wellbeing longitudinally across COVID-19. The platform also conducted comparative analyses with data from 2019, to study the impact of the pandemic.
The results from this proof-of-concept stage are staggering: in analyzing thousands of submissions from doctors and nurses, the Receptiviti platform identified a clear and progressive increase in signs of psychological distress over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to 2019. A particularly interesting trend was a steady decline in signs of analytical thinking, such as complex problem solving and higher order executive functioning.²³ These findings are congruent with anticipated trends in burnout among clinicians during the pandemic. However, unlike other data collection methods, machine learning can empirically quantify trends in real-time — offering crucial insights into the magnitude of these outcomes.
IV. Systematically Scanning for Early Indicators
Imagine a scenario in which clinical staff in a busy health care organization are routinely monitored for signs of burnout or psychological distress. If a disturbing signal is noticed within an individual clinician or team, organizational leaders can systematically deploy targeted resources to offer clinicians dynamic levels of support, and to reduce stressors. With this technology, programmatic interventions for well-being can be rapidly tested and scaled. Well-being can be trended longitudinally against other performance indicators to identify common predictors of burnout across patient care settings. Once identified, these predictors can be buttressed by targeted interventions to mitigate the risk of burnout.
This scenario may sound inconceivable in the current health care climate, but advances in machine learning and other technologies have made this a realistic scenario in the near term. Health care organizations must recognize this potential and plan to incorporate clinician well-being as a target for automated, systems-based improvement. This will require health care organizations to identify a systematic process for scanning for early indicators of clinician burnout — much like they have invested in trigger tool technologies to detect adverse patient safety events.²⁴ Afterall, clinician well-being is a systems issue that impacts all levels of a health care organization.⁷ It should thus be assessed and addressed with the same rigor and technology investments as other patient safety and quality indicators. It’s a strategy that is certain to succeed. | https://medium.com/@adaptivestrategic/a-strategists-guide-to-clinician-well-being-in-a-time-of-crisis-bfe74a2deef7 | ['Wesley Palmer'] | 2021-02-18 22:18:26.158000+00:00 | ['Healthcare', 'Covid 19', 'AI', 'Burnout', 'Doctors'] |
How Mobile Mesh Networks can Support Internet Affordability | How Mobile Mesh Networks can Support Internet Affordability
Load Sharing with Mobile Mesh Networks for Speed and Cost Savings
The world is dependent on connectivity, and data usage is growing. According to Ericsson’s latest mobility report, global smartphone traffic will increase 8X by 2022, and it would need a $500B investment in traditional infrastructure to maintain the status quo.
Despite data usage growing, the inability to afford a basic mobile internet connection remains a significant barrier for many. A new report from the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) shows that as little as 1 GB of mobile data is too expensive for billions of people. The report goes further to state that over “60% of countries have unaffordable internet.” With the predicted infrastructure investments needed to match growth, this isn’t set to change anytime soon.
Innovative solutions, such as mobile mesh networking, could help reduce consumer costs and decrease strain on the network to support growth.
Why are mobile internet plans so expensive?
Competition Level: The number of operating telcos in a region can have a massive impact on price for the consumer. Those operating within a monopoly are able to charge more for fewer services received. For example, in Ethiopia there is only one telco for the population of 100 million. This has led to prices for 1 GB of data to be set at more than 10% of the average Ethiopian’s monthly income according to the A4AI.
Infrastructure: The cost of building infrastructure is very expensive, even more so in particular geographies. For those in landlocked countries, the price increases due to the need to lease international transit capacity. For island nations, the need to deploy submarine cables for both domestic and international services adds to the price. For large regions, the cost of building infrastructure over a bigger land mass incurs additional costs.
Once built, the maintenance and running costs create added expenses. For example, in Canada cell phone networks cover two million square kilometers, and the cost of capital improvements is approximately $2.5 billion a year according to the National Post.
Population Density: In areas with lower population levels, such as rural communities, telcos do not make as much of a return on their infrastructure investment due to a lack of customers. In order to compensate for the disparity between rural and urban areas, the bill is passed to everyone equally, and the price increases because few are paying. In contrast, areas with a higher population density on the same land mass, such as in India vs the USA, would be able to charge lower fees.
What is mobile mesh networking?
Mobile mesh networks form by creating peer-to-peer (or device-to-device) connections between mobile phones or IoT (internet of things) devices. Connections form through Bluetooth, WiFi direct, and existing communications technologies.
Once a device connects to RightMesh, a mobile mesh networking platform , it can send messages, files, data, etc, without being connected or reliant on Internet Service Provider (ISPs) or mobile data plans. This is done through data ‘hopping’ securely, from device to device, without being made visible to anyone, until it reaches the recipient.
How data is sent through a local mesh.
How can mobile mesh networks decrease mobile internet costs?
In contrast to typical infrastructures, RightMesh allows people to connect directly to each other and only use the internet when it is needed rather than being connected to the internet at all times, thereby decreasing the end users’ usage.
The larger impact on cost savings would be to the Telcos themselves, which could in turn be passed along to consumers.
Telco cost savings would occur in two ways:
Decreased infrastructure costs: Mobile mesh networks, like RightMesh, use only the devices people already have — their cell phones — to form localized meshes. Therefore, the need for expensive ISPs, cell towers, or fiber networks could be reduced which would dramatically decrease maintenance and development costs.
For example, an area that may have required two towers to provide connectivity to a region may only need one due to the alleviation of pressure on the network by connecting people directly to each other. Load Sharing: RightMesh can decrease the amount of pressure on the network and increase connectivity in two ways:
The platform can function completely offline.
Data can hop through multiple paths to the Internet spreading the load across many connections simultaneously.
Imagine, for example, a group of students in the same classroom, in the process of sharing a study guide with one another. Wifi connectivity on campus is poor and it is taking a long time for the document to download. If one user wants to accelerate the study guide delivery time to their device, they could connect to the group’s local mesh and request the file. The file is transmitted locally and reassembled on the requester’s device, rather than going through WiFi.
Not only would this approach speed up content delivery, RightMesh believes it could save a significant amount of energy as well. The company is currently exploring options to fund research to measure the economic and environmental savings per device. Early research from the RightMesh engineering team calculates that if all 6.8B mobile phones in use in the world were using mesh technology to optimize connectivity, there could be upwards of $12.5B in annual cost savings as well as 156,400 GWh in energy savings (this is equivalent to 30 large hydroelectric dams and power generation stations).
The future of connectivity
With the lack of internet affordability for the majority of the global population and the growing dependence we have on connectivity, alternative innovations like mobile mesh networking need to be considered by telecommunication providers. Platforms like RightMesh have the potential to greatly reduce infrastructure and maintenance costs, decrease pressure on the network, and make connectivity more accessible to all. | https://medium.com/rightmesh/how-mobile-mesh-networks-can-support-internet-affordability-1fbb49e35546 | ['Amber Mclennan'] | 2019-04-11 00:03:38.827000+00:00 | ['Mesh Networking', 'Mesh Networks', 'Telecommunication', 'Internet', 'Move To Mesh'] |
Bored of using Bar charts? | Bored of using Bar charts?
Bar charts are one of the most used chart forms I use when presenting data insights at work. But I often feel like it gets a bit monotonous and repetitive especially when you need to present a lot of KPI’s on the same dashboard.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
Here are five different variations you can use to show data using bar charts.
1. Using rounded bars
I used this technique in one of my recent viz about F.R.I.E.N.D.S. tv series. The way it works is basically you provide two measure names to tableau and draw a line using those. It’s very similar to how a comet chart is drawn.
a. You start by drawing a normal bar chart by dragging dimensions to the columns shelf and measure to the rows shelf.
A normal Bar chart in Tableau(Image by Author)
b. Next add another measure on the rows shelf as min(0). It is basically a point at 0 and will act as the second point for drawing the line.
c. Now we need to change the chart type to Line.
Step 1c. Image by Author
d. Add Measure Names to path shelf, Measure Values to Rows shelf and move both measures to Measure Values Shelf as shown below.
e. Now, just adjust the size of the line and make it a little thicker. Adjust the axis if needed.
You are done! | https://towardsdatascience.com/bored-of-using-bar-charts-74e0b088979b | ['Isha Garg'] | 2021-07-27 14:36:27.865000+00:00 | ['Data Science', 'Tableau', 'Visualization', 'Charts', 'Data Visualization'] |
Agile discovery research at the ONS: a case study | People for Research have been working with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) since the end of 2017, recruiting users to take part in an exciting user research project with the goal to improve the access, findability and reusability of government statistics available across the GSS , the Government Statistical Service. This research project , currently in Alpha stage , is looking to understand how users use and interact with the data accessible on the GSS platform.
The findings of this initial research stage pinpoint the intentions, methods and problems identified by users of data and potential users of the GSS platform as part of their jobs, for example. These findings shared by participants working in the fields of economy, policy-making, business or charity, among others, will later define how the service will be improved and the next steps within the process.
Being able to interview the actual users of government-published data is essential for the ONS, as it provides real feedback and allows the researchers to identify the problems faced by users when trying to use platforms like GSS, as well as collect their suggestions to improve the service.
Discovery research: listening and observing
As part of the Alpha stage, the research team at the ONS have been focusing on telephone interviews, face-to-face interviews and observation sessions, as well as group workshops/focus groups. “All of these methods have allowed us to build knowledge about what users currently do and the issues they face,” says John Lewis, User Researcher at the Office for National Statistics, currently heading this research project and working closely with People for Research during the user sourcing stage.
The interviews and the group sessions have been essential to discuss why the participants need the data, which actions elicit the action of searching and using it, plus the goals and pains associated with finding and using government information.
As part of a recent Bristol-based meetup around the topic of user research and user-centred design, veteran web craftswoman Ajara I. Pfannenschmidt talked about the importance of ‘Creating space through silence — The art of listening in user research’ and listed six important things to do during a discovery research session:
• Forget your assumptions and ideas;
• Validate the contribution of the participant at the beginning;
• Listen from your “inner silence” space;
• Make the participants feel heard. Keep eye contact throughout;
• Be a present observer;
• Be aware of your body language. Be straight, open chest, both feet on the ground.
According to Leisa Reichelt, member of the GDS user research team, the discovery stage is meant to “discover people, not projects”. “If you want to deliver a service that really meets user needs, you need to understand what people are trying to do, and how they’re trying to do it, when they encounter your service. This means that research during discovery might seem ‘bigger’ than it needs to be for your specific project.”
Although the Alpha stage is exclusively about discovery research and mapping out the user journey, the research team at the ONS is confident about next steps: “the evidence and insights that we’ve got so far have allowed us to build our knowledge and start developing wireframes for usability testing”.
The importance of talking to the right users
Over the last seven years we have specialised in working on research about digital tools and services, in this time the spectrum of project types has grown, and the level of complexity increased. Although the brief provided by the ONS to guide us during this user recruitment project was straightforward, we were asked to recruit 12 participants that used government-published data as part of their work routine; this constituted a niche requirement according to our experience of previously recruiting this user group.
To accomplish our goal, we used a mix of methods and tools that included:
1. Emailing a portion of our database in London and Bristol
We selected the demographics that were likely to include the professionals that used data published by the government as part of their roles. This meant searching for people of working age, employed and working in specific industries such as business, law, healthcare or finance.
As part of our recruitment process, we tasked our dedicated Marketing team to plan how to approach these people via email, making sure that our content was clear enough without giving too much away about the project so not to lead the participants during the pre-screening stage.
The potentially suitable candidates then went though a thorough screening process on the phone with our recruitment team to not only confirm the veracity of their answers, but also their ability to communicate and talk about the topic of the research.
2. Free find
After analysing the first wave of pre-screened candidates coming from our database, our recruitment team proceeded to research potential new participants on LinkedIn, getting in touch with a number of hand-picked potential candidates that, once again, went through the screening process.
Free find is particularly useful when a first recruitment effort — in this case, our database — does not return the exact number of suitable participants or there is a need for more diversity when it comes to the industries the participants work in, for example.
Interestingly, in this case we were able to source most of the London participants from the database, but had to employ free find methods to find the right participants in Bristol. This could be explained by a number of factors, one of them being the fact that, for example, our London database includes more professionals working in relevant industries for this specific project.
According to John Lewis, the quality of the users that take part in discovery research is very important. “We need to make sure that we’re speaking to the right people — people that use government data, so that we can incorporate their real-life experiences and feedback into our decision making. If we couldn’t meet with the right participants, we wouldn’t have any evidence to base our work on.”
“PFR have been a great resource for my work, as it’s allowed me to ‘recruit’ participants in a short timeframe while I’m still building my own pool of users. From my first contact with PFR you’ve been really good at understanding what I’m looking for and why and have made it clear what you’ll be doing and have kept me up to date throughout the whole process. The participants themselves have met the brief that we discussed and I’m looking forward to the next lot of participants that I’ll be speaking to.”
First conclusions
Following the government guidelines on how to run an Alpha stage, now that the inception (composing a team and setting out goals) phase is closed and the iteration phase is ongoing (discovery research, wireframing, testing with users, etc.), the ONS research team expects to be able to analyse the first conclusions soon.
“You’ve got a bunch of preconceived ideas about what your project should be,” Leisa says, and “this is exactly why we do user research: to find out what people are doing now to solve their problem, understand what needs they have, and to understand how we can best help meet those needs. Then it’s time to work out what the project should be.”
According to John, so far the ONS research team hasn’t come across “any feedback that’s taken us by surprise, and most of the feedback we’ve had aligned with our assumptions, so we’ve been lucky in that respect.” However, this is still very early stages for the research team at the Office for National Statistics, and we hope to catch up with them at a later stage in the process to find out what the future holds for the Government Statistical Service.
For now, here are some bullet points if you’re planning to run your own agile discovery research project:
1. Set out goals and plan your research.
2. Go into the project free of bias, with the intent of listening to your users and allowing them to challenge your assumptions.
3. Make sure you find the right users to talk to, whether you recruit them yourself or work with a third-party recruitment agency like People for Research. This includes making sure you have a good mix of types of users, so the feedback is as diverse as possible.
4. Some researchers find it useful to record and organise their findings in a visual way, so consider creating a visual map of the users’ journey.
5. Talk to other user researchers and find out what works for them and what techniques they employ during agile research. Sharing is caring!
At the end of this discovery research stage, the team will have stories shared by participants that describe and fit in the overall user journey, useful metrics and awareness of the users’ needs (including accessibility requirements) that will allow them to plan for a potential Beta phase.
In the words of Leisa Reichelt, “doing user research to understand your users will help make sure you design the right thing, before you start worrying about designing it the right way.”
This blog was originally published on the People for Research website.
We want to keep in touch. Join our mailing list to receive our newsletter and/or our monthly round-up. | https://medium.com/dsgnrs/agile-discovery-research-at-the-ons-a-case-study-fce16055e3d0 | ['People For Research'] | 2020-02-24 12:52:09.879000+00:00 | ['User Experience Research', 'Design Research', 'User Research', 'Ux Case Study', 'UX'] |
Spring Boot Microservices — Developing Service Discovery | Spring Boot Microservices — Developing Service Discovery
In this article, we will learn an important patten in Microservices Architecture — Service Discovery. We will create a sample implementation based on Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, Netflix Eureka Server, and Netflix Zuul. This is the third part of our Spring Boot Microservices series.
Photo by David Torres on Unsplash
Many technologies are available to implement service discovery pattern in the Microservices world. This includes Netflix Eureka, Kubernetes, Istio, Consul and many other frameworks. With this article, I am trying to develop the understanding of this pattern with the basic implementation of it. The article is divided in following sections —
The need for Service Discovery
Microservices are dynamic in nature. This means multiple instances of a single Microservice will be co-existing. Most probably your instances will either have a different IP address or a different port or both. And the number of instances will be dynamic too. This brings up loads of questions —
How do I know the location of any Microservice instance?
How can I keep a track of all the instances?
How do I select a Microservice instance?
What happens if the Microservice instance goes down?
Let's understand the problem statement from a practical perspective. We already developed Product Catalog Service as part of the first exercise. Follow a similar approach to develop another Microservice — Shopping Cart Service. Let's implement addItem , the method responsible to add an item to the shopping cart.
This method needs to call the Product Catalog Service to get the product details. It will use this info to update other item attributes in the Shopping Cart. If you see the code below, we are passing the URL reference of Product Catalog Service.
We are assuming the URL ( http://localhost:8080/product/** ) to be constant but in reality, it is dynamic. All parts of it — be it hostname or the port .
Service Discovery comes to the rescue. This provides a mechanism that keeps track of all the services and their instances. All the Microservices register to it and keep updating their network information regularly.
An Illustration — Ecommerce Microservices registering to Discovery Server
The end to end solution has two prominent variations — Client-side Service Discovery and Server-side Service Discovery. We will discuss both these options in detail with the supporting examples.
Client-Side Service Discovery
The problem can be resolved by creating a Discovery Server where our microservices can register themselves. The discovery server will keep a track of all the instances, their hosts, ports, and health status. If a service needs to communicate with another service, it needs to get the instance info from this discovery server. Let's understand this through our example
All the instances of Product Catalog Service will register to the Discovery Server. If the shopping cart service needs to communicate to Product Catalog Service, it will first get its instances information from Discovery Server. Once the information is received, Shopping Cart Service can call the Product Catalog Service to get the product details. As a first step — Let's create the Discovery Server
Creating Discovery Server
Step 1: Go to spring initializer, add the dependency of Spring Cloud Eureka Server. This library is a wrapper over the Netflix OSS library. Download the archive and unpack it to your favorite location.
Step 2: Open the auto-generated java file — DiscoveryServerApplication.java and add the annotation @EnableEurekaServer to this class. This will ensure all the dependent beans for the eureka server are initialized.
@SpringBootApplication
@EnableEurekaServer public class DiscoveryServerApplication { public static void main(String[] args) {
SpringApplication.run(DiscoveryServerApplication.class, args);
} }
Step 3: By default, every Eureka server is also a Eureka client and requires (at least one) service URL to locate a peer. If you do not provide it, the service runs and works, but it fills your logs with a lot of noise about not being able to register with the peer. To avoid this noise and make our Discovery Server standalone, update src/main/resources/application.properties with the following property
server.port=8761 eureka.client.register-with-eureka=false
We are also setting the port to 8761 to avoid conflicts with other services.
Step 4: Run the maven command to start the discovery server mvn spring-boot:run and visit http://localhost:8761/. You will see something similar to —
Congratulations! Your discovery server is successfully started. Its time to register our Microservices.
Registering Microservices
We will extend the code of Product Catalog Service, developed as part of the very first exercise, to enable it, to communicate to the Discovery Server.
Step 1: Update pom.xml to include Spring Cloud Eureka Client dependency. As Spring Boot finds the library in the classpath, it registers automatically to the Eureka Server.
<project>
... <dependencies>
...
<dependency>
<groupId>org.springframework.cloud</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-cloud-starter-netflix-eureka-client</artifactId>
</dependency>
...
</dependencies>
<dependencyManagement>
<dependencies>
<dependency>
<groupId>org.springframework.cloud</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-cloud-dependencies</artifactId>
<version>${spring-cloud.version}</version>
<type>pom</type>
<scope>import</scope>
</dependency>
</dependencies>
</dependencyManagement>
... </project>
Step 2: Add src/main/resources/bootstrap.properties and the property as below. The discovery server will register the service with this name(id). All the services instances of the same service will be tagged with this.
spring.application.name=product_catalog
Step 3: Run the mvn command to start Product Catalog Service and visit eureka server page — http://localhost:8761/. You will see the entry of Product Catalog Service
Spring Boot is making life easier. With minimal change, we are able to implement our discovery server and the client. We are all set to see how the service interaction takes place.
Service Interaction
Shopping Cart Service is supposed to call the Product Catalog Service. Spring cloud discovery client helps in this communication. Similar to Product Catalog Service, include the discovery client library in Shopping Cart Service as well. Now we can use the client APIs to communicate with the Discovery Server. Let's modify our ShoppingCartService class.
We are calling the discovery server to get the instances for the “product_catalog” service. This is returning a list of instances. We are getting the service URL by picking up the first instance in the list. Once we get the URL, the rest of the code works with no change.
Here we are using Spring Discovery Client API which only returns registered instances. We need to implement the Load Balancing logic to get the most appropriate instance. Eureka also provides a native client API, which makes the call bit easier
InstanceInfo instance = discoveryClient.getNextServerFromEureka("product_catalog",false); String productCatalogUrl = instance.getHomePageUrl()+"/product/"+ item.getProductId();
Load balancing is also available through other more matured libraries like Feign,Robin, etc.
Challenges with Client-side service discovery
Load balancing is a must as the discovery server does not handle it automatically. But this adds up a new dependency on the client-side. Can we move this logic to the server-side and make our calls much simpler?
Server-Side Service Discovery
The picture looks a bit different with this option. It has the Discovery Server similar to the option above but the load balancing is not happening at the client side. We have a dedicated proxy server that takes care of this.
Server Side Discovery Illustration
In the above example, all the instances of Product Catalog Service register themselves with Discovery Server. When Shopping Cart Service needs to call Product Catalog Service, the call goes through the Proxy Server. The Proxy Server is responsible for two things
To route the requests
To do load-balancing
Let's implement this pattern for our use case. We have already built Discovery Server with, the client side option. We will be developing a proxy server based on Spring Boot, Spring Cloud Discovery Client, and Spring Cloud Netflix Zuul. Let's go to our one-stop shop — the Spring initializer. Add two dependencies — Spring Cloud Netflix Zuul and Spring Cloud Discovery Client. Generate the archive, download and unpack it to your favorite location.
Update ZuulServerApplication.java with @EnableZuulProxy and @EnableDiscoveryClient annotations. @EnableZuulProxy annotates the application to be the Zuul Proxy Server. @EnableDiscoveryClient makes the application as one of the discovery clients, which can communicate with the Discovery Server.
@SpringBootApplication
@EnableZuulProxy
@EnableDiscoveryClient public class ZuulServerApplication { public static void main(String[] args) {
SpringApplication.run(ZuulServerApplication.class, args);
} }
Update the src/main/resources/application.properties with the following entries
server.port=8762
spring.application.name=zuul-server
This first property tells to run the proxy server at port 8762 and the second property sets the service name. Our Discovery Client needs this property to register the service (proxy server) to the Discovery Server.
Add a new file — application.yml in src/main/resources/ . We are going to define routing behavior for the Product Catalog Service, in it.
zuul:
routes:
product:
path: /product_catalog/**
serviceId: product_catalog
With this definition, we are saying that when somebody calls the proxy server with the path /product/catalog/** , it should be redirected to product_catalog service. Product Catalog Service is registered with the Discovery Server with the id — product_catalog.
Start the Proxy Server — mvn spring-boot:run . Assuming the Discovery Server and Product Catalog Service are already running, you can access the product catalog service at — http://localhost:8762/product_catalog/product
As our other pieces are in place, let's see how the Shopping Cart Service is going to get product details. Update addItem in the ShoppingCartService as below.
We are using the proxy server URL now to connect to the Discovery Server. The Zuul based proxy server is doing the load balancing with the help of Netflix Ribbon. Spring recommends using Spring Cloud Load Balancer these days though in favor of Ribbon. If interested you can refer the guide to enable it here.
You can play around by starting multiple instances of Product Catalog Service with different ports. You can check the exact instance being called by calling actuator/env .
Comparison & Next Steps
Each of the options has its pros and cons. Client-side option is simpler but comes with an additional burden of load balancing. The load-balancing logic on the client-side is tightly coupled to the client service. If you have Microservices in different programming languages, you need to maintain consistent copies of it across all of them. This is quite a maintenance.
Server-side option resolves this issue but adds another moving part into the system. This adds another network hop in the end to end communication. Also, the proxy server needs to be highly available as this is the single entry point for all the microservices. It does make the client code simpler though, it just needs to refer the proxy server.
From a developer perspective, I would prefer a server-side option as it provides better maintainability on the development side.
We used the most basic frameworks to implement the service discovery pattern. Many new technologies have come up which can support the Service Discovery pattern along with other features. Kubernetes, Istio, Consul are some of the examples in this domain. If interested, do catch up with these technologies.
You can check the exercise on Kubernetes with Spring Boot Microservices in the 7th part of this series. | https://medium.com/an-idea/spring-boot-microservices-implementing-service-discovery-cfc98e49b74f | ['Lal Verma'] | 2020-09-29 17:14:09.041000+00:00 | ['Microservices', 'Microservice Architecture', 'Spring Cloud', 'Service Discovery', 'Spring Boot'] |
WRITING THROUGH | WRITING THROUGH
When Chaos Rules
Writing can be difficult.
The brain is full of mush.
Bits and pieces of thoughts and ideas
roll out onto the page.
anger…
frustration…
?
I start with the best intention.
Ideas seem solid and real.
But they get diluted and break apart.
like a leaky water balloon, the words
run into the crevices and folds of my brain,
partially dried and moldy,
they no longer fit.
Seasonal affective disorder,
depression,
anxiety…
like the fires, floods, blizzards,
that wreak havoc across the earth.
I need to stay aware
but lose focus.
Too much!
I am the Nightly News:
chaos selling debt and psych meds.
Sometimes
a thought appears
and gets swallowed by
worries and fears
that refuse to be uttered.
This is writing through a wilderness.
Persisting through storms of emotion.
Embracing the ugliness
and awaiting a light of hope.
Dana Sanford
2019 | https://medium.com/writing-heals/writing-through-71193116d2c6 | ['Dana Sanford'] | 2019-12-02 02:41:57.192000+00:00 | ['Depression', 'Poetry', 'Writing', 'Emotions', 'Persistence'] |
Should i learn C sharp in 2020? | Hello, my fellow readers!! Technology has undergone many changes throughout the years. For those who want to become developers ask this question quite often “Which language is worth learning it”? Let’s dive into together and know more about C#.
What is C#?
C#( pronounced as C sharp) is a general, purpose, modern,object-orientated language developed by Microsoft that runs on .NET framework. So, now you might be wondering what is .NET?
.NET is a free open source developer platform used for building many types of applications. With .NET, you can use multiple languages, editors, and libraries to build for web, mobile, desktop, games, and IoT.
Features of C#
· C# is a simple and modern language as it is based on the current trend.
· C# code doesn’t require a header file.
· C# supports all three OOP features.
· Syntax of C# is quite familiar with C, C++, or Java.
· C# has a rich library with many inbuilt functions for easy and fast development.
· C# supports all IDE’s and editors.
Why C# is among the most popular languages?
In-Demand Skill
C# is mainly used for game development using the Unity game engine, which is quite popular among the people. It is also the 3rd largest community on StackOverflow (which was built using C#) with more than 1.1 million topics.
.NET framework
The . NET framework provides increased application security as internet software is developed by ASP. When the turn comes of quality .NET framework presents additional versatile and flexible mobile applications.
The .NET framework makes arrangements quite simple for the development of the post.
Future marketability
Does C# have a future? Well, that’s a tricky question.
Yes, it is highly marketable and in demand as it can be used to create almost any type of desktop application and mobile application because of its simple syntax and high performance.
Conclusion:
To sum it up, C# remains the well-rooted language. It will give you great job stability and salaries that are on the higher end of the market.
C# has powerful tools with larger communities.
In whichever language you choose to develop in “First, solve the problem. Then, write the code.” — John Johnson.
Happy Coding ! Sharing is Caring (share with your friends and family.) | https://medium.com/@arunoday137/should-i-learn-c-sharp-in-2020-2741b31f42ac | ['Arunoday Singh'] | 2020-12-03 14:41:31.964000+00:00 | ['Website', 'C Sharp Programming', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Web Development', 'JavaScript'] |
3 ideas to remember your inner resilience in moments of challenge | Find the courage to keep showing up…especially when you really don’t feel like it.
It’s been a challenging year. It’s challenged us in different ways. How have you responded in these times of stress?
It’s easy to project our feelings of anger and frustration. If we haven’t experienced intense emotions like this before, then it can be tricky to understand what it feels like and/or know what to do with it.
Some people don’t want to deal with negative emotions and would rather them just go away. Others prefer to deal with it so that they can get to the root cause.
I’ve encountered certain situations recently where I was met with unexplained frustration and anger by a Customer Service Representative. It triggered previous negative emotions that I thought I had worked through. The other person was in an emotionally heightened situation of fear which translated into anger, I could feel those negative emotions intensely. I did my best to communicate the facts and without the emotion and I have to admit, it still triggered something within. It took courage for me to speak my truth in the midst of anger. It was apparent that the other person didn’t want to listen, as I kept repeating myself and felt defeated at times. I knew that I had to speak up for myself, even if the other person’s reaction was not ideal.
When someone else is visibly angry, it’s easy to react and spiral down. It takes continuous practice to remember that the situation isn’t personal and to remember that perhaps, there is something else going on internally within the other person. I know that it’s easier said than done in moments of intense challenges. All we can do is keep trying and working on ourselves to get a little better every time.
I had to keep reminding myself to stay as calm as possible and breathe. It’s definitely work-in-progress. Some times are better than others and I have to keep reminding myself that I am human. I know that in my heart, I did the best that I could do in that situation; so I have to keep reminding myself that it’s ok. | https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/3-ideas-to-remember-your-inner-resilience-in-moments-of-challenge-9bdcc867c95b | [] | 2021-03-22 23:39:40.922000+00:00 | ['Resilience', 'Pandemic', 'Courage', 'Mindset', 'Anger'] |
Ayyayo Song Lyrics in Telugu Tenglish And English Chaavu Kaburu Challaga Movie | Ayyayo Song Lyrics in Telugu Tenglish And English Chaavu Kaburu Challaga Movie chaitanya Mar 21·3 min read
Ayyayo Song Lyrics
Music: Jakes Bejoy
Directed: Koushik Pegallapati
Singer: Aditya Tadepalli
Starring: Kartikeya, LavanyaTripathi
Lyrics: Karunakar Adigarla
Does anyone who goes to the house of death and has a mindset fall in love? Does it also love a dead wife? If the husband is gone and the wife is crying in the hole .. even if you are crying .. if you are crying, you are still beautiful .. you are the mindless Basti child king who says that I like Andy.
Ayyayo Song Lyrics In Tenglish
Hayyayyayyo yemayyindhayyo praananike
Silipi sethabadaiayyindho
Hayyo hayyayyo yento yemmayo
Nee chethilo bujji bommaipoindho
Sitti siraaku purugu seethakokainattu
Rangula rekkala bathuke modhalaindhe
Mattilo puttina siguru marri chettainattu
Manasu aa mabbula dhaka egirellindhe
Samudhramlo sindhe sepa
Yegisi ningini chusinattu
Gundekemo lokamanthaa kotthagundhe
Beedu nela vaana jalley
Thaaki pacchani polamainattu
Modhatisari saavu kabure challagundhe
Hayyayyayyo yemayyindhayyo praananike
Silipi sethabadaiayyindho
Hayyo hayyayyo yento yemmayo
Nee chethilo bujji bommaipoindho
Buradha seruvalle untadhe na bathuke
Chiru kamalaalu poosaayi aa neetike
Minuku minugurulaa saage ee na kathake
Punnamiloni vennellu addhaavule
Nelapai ralina sinuku nadhula nuragainattu
Padhame selayeralle theese parugu
Vesaviki endina modu poola kommainattu
Pasithanamtho madhalayye janme ipudu
Aatu potu alallona theeram theliyani
Padavaivunna anthalone prema dheevai
Yedhurayaave ee moratodi gundekaaya
Asalike lenidhe anukunna
Ippudento uppenalle ponguthondhe
Hayyayyayyo yemayyindhayyo
Aakaasham anthandham edhurayyindayyo
Hayyo hayyayyo yento yemmayo
Thalaratha thiragesindhayyo
హయ్యయ్యయ్యో ఏమయ్యిందయ్యో ప్రాణానికే సాంగ్ లిరిక్స్ ఇన్ తెలుగు ( చావు కబురు చల్లగా మూవీ2021 )
హయ్యయ్యయ్యో ఏమయ్యిందయ్యో ప్రాణానికే
సిలిపి సేతబడయయ్యిందో
హయ్యో హయ్యయ్యో ఏంటో ఎమ్మాయో
నీ చేతిలో బుజ్జి బొమ్మైపోయిందో
సిట్టి సిరాకు పురుగు సీతాకోకయినట్టు
రంగుల రెక్కల బతుకే మొదలైందే
మట్టిలో పుట్టిన జిగురు మర్రి చెట్టయినట్టు
మనసు ఆ మబ్బుల దాకా ఎగిరెళ్ళిందే
సముద్రంలో సిందే సేప ఎగిసి నింగిని చూసినట్టు
గుండెకేమో లోకమంతా కొత్తగుందే
బీడు నెల వానా జల్లే
తాకి పచ్చని పొలమైనట్టు
మొదటిసారి సావు కబురే చల్లగుందే
హయ్యయ్యయ్యో ఏమయ్యిందయ్యో ప్రాణానికే
సిలిపి సేతబడయయ్యిందో
హయ్యో హయ్యయ్యో ఏంటో ఎమ్మాయో
నీ చేతిలో బుజ్జి బొమ్మైపోయిందో
బురద సెరువల్లే ఉంటాదే నా బతుకే
చిరు కమలాలు పూశాయి ఆ నీటికే
మిణుకు మిణుగురులా సాగే ఈ న కథకే
పున్నమిలోని వెన్నెల్లు అద్దావులే
నేలపై రాలిన సినుకు నదుల నురగైనట్టు
పదమే సెలయేరల్లే తీసే పరుగు
వేసవికి ఎండిన మోడు పూల కొమ్మైనట్టు
పసితనంతో మొదలయ్యే జన్మే ఇపుడు
ఆటు పోటు అలల్లొన తీరం తెలియని
పదవైవున్న అంతలోనే ప్రేమ ధీవై
ఎదురయావే ఈ మొరటోడి గుండెకాయ
అసలుకే లేనిదే అనుకున్న
ఇప్పుడెంటో ఉప్పెనల్లె పొంగుతోందే
హయ్యయ్యయ్యో ఏమయ్యిందయ్యో
ఆకాశం అంతందం ఎదురయ్యిందయ్యో
హయ్యో హయ్యయ్యో ఏంటో ఎమ్మాయో
తలరాత తిరగేసిందయ్యో
Ayyayo Song Lyrics From Chaavu Kaburu Challaga Movie In English
Hi, what happened is life itself
The script is set
Hi Hi Hi Ento Emmayo
Buzzie toy in your hand
City ink is like a worm butterfly
The colorful wings are just the beginning
The glue born in the clay is like a banyan tree
The mind flew to those clouds
Like seeing Sinde sepa ningi ningi in the sea
The whole world is new to the heart
Beedu Month Wana Jalle
Touching is like a green field
For the first time death kabure is cold
Hi, what happened is life itself
The script is set
Hi Hi Hi Ento Emmayo
Buzzie toy in your hand
My life is like mud
The water that covered the small oranges
This is the story on the glittering elastic
The moons in Punnami are beautiful
It was as if rivers were falling on the ground
The word is a celery run
The dried stump of summer is like a twig of flowers
Birth begins in infancy
The tidal shore is unknown
At the age of ten, love is intense
Encountering this stubborn heartbeat
Thought to be non-existent
Now the tide is flowing
Hi there
The sky is the limit
Hi Hi Hi Ento Emmayo
The head turned | https://medium.com/@chaitanya-smtv/ayyayo-song-lyrics-in-telugu-tenglish-and-english-chaavu-kaburu-challaga-movie-5044e131ac47 | [] | 2021-03-21 04:14:00.053000+00:00 | ['Movies', 'Lavanya Tripati Movies', 'Songs', 'Lyrics', 'English Language'] |
Super easy Python iris classification (using XGBoost) Machine learning | XGBoost Documentation - xgboost 1.3.0-SNAPSHOT documentation
XGBoost is an optimized distributed gradient boosting library designed to be highly efficient, flexible and portable… | https://medium.com/@10mohi6/super-easy-python-iris-classification-using-xgboost-machine-learning-78ee7dff0af9 | [] | 2020-12-06 11:34:53.199000+00:00 | ['Python', 'Machine Learning', 'Classification', 'Xgboost', 'Iris'] |
Using lean prioritisation to create a shared understanding and rapid decision making | By Steve Cottle
As the 2019 hackathon rally cries intensified from the Labs team at FT HQ, I decided to add my name to the list. It would be my first hackathon at the FT and instead of forming my own team I decided to let the organisers drop me into a team of their choice.
On the day I had two teammates, a Security Engineer and an Engineer, it would be their first hackathon, too.
Having overlooked the schedule before the start of the two-day event, what instantly struck me was how little time we’d have to build a thing. The introduction didn’t start until 10am on Thursday and the presentation and demo of our built thing was due by 2pm on Friday. Taking a look at the microsite in more detail to see what I’d let myself in for, there was a particular tip which stood out:
You do have to build something non trivial, that works, during the hackathon. “Coulda/Woulda/Shoulda and here’s a slide deck of what we wished we had been able to build” is not acceptable.
So the thing had to work and in a window of only 4 minutes we had to sell it to a panel of judges. Judging categories included:
Best in Show: Most personally relevant FT
Most group relevant (can we tailor to a group level?)
Most doable / immediately impactful (all the pieces exist, JFDI)
Newest, Least Comfortable for the FT, but… (you know what, this might be a thing)
Most enabling (our thingy makes all the things possible)
People’s Choice (who won over the room?)
Bonus prize: Most Creepiest
With the intro over we had to get cracking, but where to start?
Killing ideas quickly
In order to achieve a working thing in the time we had, we needed to keep our approach lean, stay focussed, have a shared understanding of what decisions we were making and why we were making them. If we weren’t all aligned we may not have been fully invested in our idea which would risk the thing not being built.
We started with the goal — Create a more personally relevant FT. More relevant for who? We thought of some FT users which may have different needs or challenges for us to address and chose a younger audience to focus on.
We used the jobs, pains, gains framework developed by Alexander Osterwalder at Strategyzer. Identifying possible jobs (outcomes / jobs our user wants to achieve), pains (bad outcomes, risks, obstacles) and gains (outcomes which would make our user happy) relevant to our user.
Six post-its describing the jobs, pains and gains identified for a younger audience of FT
We then put forward ideas to provide pain relievers, gain creators or products or services to get jobs done. Each idea was as valid as another as we quickly discussed each. We didn’t go into details here, we gave brief overviews of our idea and moved onto the next, we’d figure out the details later on.
We prioritised our ideas by using a prioritisation matrix. This matrix is simple, collaborative and perfect for ranking ideas or features in order to see their relative value against two criteria. We often use these when trying to work out what to build next by assessing user value against effort. If an idea has high value and low effort then this is what we do or build first. For this exercise we used the following:
Customer value — high / low
Could we build it in time? Yes / no
Six post-its, each with a single idea plotted onto a matrix of ‘can we build it?’ Yes — no and ‘customer value’ low — high
Part of the judging criteria was an ‘Oh god, no’ award which we added to a post-it in case one of our ideas was suitable … which we didn’t believe any were, so this was left unused.
We decided to choose an idea which was high customer value vs mid-low chance of being built — a way of pushing articles/ daily summaries (based on user settings within ft.com) to a user’s Instagram or Snapchat feed.
After discussing the details of how it could work and performing some initial research we decided that it would be difficult to implement. Initial thinking was that we’d need to create separate Insta/ snap accounts for each user which may be against their respective terms of use, and also FT already push content via various channels so we felt we were copying an existing idea. We killed the idea and moved on.
Post-its plotting a user journey of the Instagram / snapchat idea. We killed this idea and moved to the next
One user journey of the Instagram / snapchat idea ^. We killed this idea and moved to the next.
Six post-its, each with a single idea plotted onto a matrix of ‘can we build it?’ Yes — no and ‘customer value’ low — high with individual rankings of the higher-prioritised ideas
The next well-ranked idea was to unlock the paywall for 13–17 year olds, but as a team we seemed to be hesitant in taking it forward. We decided to individually rank the top 3 ideas on the matrix and unlock the paywall for 13–17 year olds came out with the most points. We still seemed hesitant so we mapped our final three ideas to a new matrix. This time the axis were:
Chance of winning
Could we build it in time?
Three post-its, each with a single idea plotted onto a matrix of ‘can we build it?’ Yes — no and ‘chance of winning’ low — high
We believed that unlocking the paywall for 13–17 year olds had the most likelihood of being built and a mid-high chance of winning.
We committed to this and got cracking.
If you’ve ever been in a meeting with a group of colleagues and someone says, “so what do we think we should about X?” For whatever reason, not everyone wants to give an idea, and of those who do give an idea there’s usually an arbitrary way of deciding which idea is actioned (it’s usually the idea which is liked the most by a more vocal member of the meeting). By individually thinking of ideas, writing them down, giving each one equal value, evaluating each idea against the other, everyone in the team is a part of the decision making journey.
User journey
We thought we could use AI to analyse the age of the user trying to access an article. While my teammates researched the tech, I started looking at the user journey.
Post-its plotting a user journey of the ‘unlock paywall’ idea
After showing the team and incorporating some feedback we were all onboard with an initial pass of the journey. As the tech was becoming more defined and the build was underway, I put some screens together to see how the journey could look in the UI.
User Interface screens plotting a user journey of the ‘unlock paywall’ idea
This was then put into InVision prototyping software to sense check.
The tech
JavaScript code is injected into the live version of ft.com locally in the browser using our custom made Google Chrome extension.
Clicking the injected button on the site triggers the default webcam to take a photo and send it to our service hosted in AWS. The service returns the estimated age of the person and then the user is allowed through if that age is under 18.
The service in AWS consists mainly of:
AWS S3 bucket used to temporarily store the photos
AWS lambda which in turn uses the photo from S3 and AWS Rekognition service to run facial analysis on the photo. The Rekognition service returns an estimated age range of the detected face to the lambda. The lambda computes the average from the lower and upper ends of the range, for example the range ‘18–22’ is computed as (18+22)/2 = 20 so the returned value is just 20. The lambda returns the final estimated age.
The result
The resulting app allowed a user access to all FT content if they looked under 18, enabling younger (looking) readers to learn new skills and topics with no investment of time or money.
We knew from the outset that the idea wouldn’t be implemented, though it was a fun way to solve a pain point for our users and experiment with new tech. The journey to the end result was as important as producing the final experiment itself. The judges naturally had their concerns, there was a clear issue with taking photos of users under 18 to grant access to a product. Another flaw was that in lieu of having a teenager to help us demo the app, we printed onto paper the face of a younger looking person to unlock the paywall. “Does this not show a problem with the system?” one judge commented. Yes, yes it does.
When your team is given a goal it’s important that they work together on their experiments from the outset of the journey. They become more invested, aligned and have a greater sense of ownership — their voice has been considered as much as anyone else’s.
After a day-and-a-bit we had a prototype which we could have taken to users to generate feedback, to further decide whether to kill, pivot or persevere. The great thing for the team was that we all knew where the idea had come from and why we had chosen it. | https://medium.com/ft-product-technology/using-lean-prioritisation-to-create-a-shared-understanding-and-rapid-decision-making-4da81028aca9 | ['Ft Product'] | 2019-10-30 11:53:15.540000+00:00 | ['AWS', 'Hackathons', 'Subscription', 'UX', 'Ideas'] |
Writing Advice From A Word Nerd | Writing Advice From A Word Nerd
A Witty Guide To Creating Conversational Authenticity
Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash
You should listen to me. I’m a total word nerd. Well, actually, you should READ me. Don’t listen to me. My voice sounds like Minnie Mouse during an acid trip. I can’t fix the way I speak, but I can definitely tell you how to be a better writer.
I have a bachelor’s degree in English, my second book will be published in December by Rowman & Littlefield, I can beat almost anyone at Scrabble, and I happily proofread my friends’ doctorate theses for fun. I’m not bragging by telling you these things. I’m just letting you know why you should keep reading this story and why you should believe what I have to say about writing. There are a boatload of folks that write about things they have no business writing about. I’m not one of them.
The fact of the matter is that there are different types of writing for different types of situations. In this piece, I’ll be mostly addressing writing for conversational pieces, so if you’re looking for a guide on how to write your next case study for your MBA class, this isn’t the place. If you’re hoping to be a better blogger, I invite you to pull up a virtual chair.
As with most things in the world, tone is everything. Writing is no different. And the tone of your writing or blogging should be appropriate to whomever you’re addressing. But, how does a person discern tone from an inaudible medium? Well, you hear it. If you’re ever confused as to what style of writing you should use, you should consider how you would talk out loud to your reader. That’s pretty much always the answer.
If you’re drinking beer with your buddies and discussing what the next Marvel movie will be, you’ll probably speak significantly differently than you would when you’re in your boss’s office asking for a raise. (If you don’t, that could be a problem). This should be no different in your writing. Your writing in a business setting should be different than your writing for a blog. This is simply because your audience and environment are different.
How do you make sure your tone is appropriate for your reader? Well, you read it. Out loud. Or you read it silently, but you should always “hear” your reading in your head. This may sound silly, but it absolutely works. (Trust me, my husband is over me asking him if I can read to him. But I don’t care!) Reading things aloud helps you “hear” your writing the way your reader ingests it. Here are some rules for reading your writing that will help you hone any piece:
Rule #1: Read every word
You know what you meant when you wrote it, but when you read your writing aloud, you absolutely must not skip over or add any words. If you feel that you do need to add words and/or skip things, then that means you need to edit your writing.
The minute you discover that you verbally added or omitted a word, stop, drop, and rewrite. Stop reading your piece immediately and insert or omit the word(s) you changed to make your writing sound better. Then reread the altered sentence out loud. AAAHHHH. That should feel much better.
Additionally, don’t be afraid of words like “but” or “um”. If you’re writing a conversational piece, your reader wants to hear your true voice. Think of it from a marketing standpoint. The advice, experience, or life lessons that you are attempting to convey come from, well, you! So, if you try to sound like anyone other than yourself, that’s almost false marketing. Be real. Be you. And add or subtract words from your writing to make you sound more authentic.
Rule #2: Stop at punctuation
That’s actually the point of punctuation. Punctuation adds air to your writing. Every period, comma, and parenthesis should mean either a short stop, a long stop, or a lowered “voice” in your writing. (By the way, you’re STILL reading your piece aloud even though we have moved on to another rule)! Here is the cheat sheet of how to treat some of the most common punctuation in the English language:
Period — 1/4 second stop. A period should separate your ideas so readers can take a beat to digest what you’re trying to convey.
Comma — Pause (when commas aren’t separating lists of items, it can usually be read with a tilted head — try it)
Parenthesis — An aside. You can read what is inside a parenthesis in your best impression of a town gossip whispering behind her hand in church.
Question mark — An invitation to participate. Even if you answer your own question in your writing, a question mark is still an invitation for the reader to answer a question or an invitation for them to think of a potential answer. I recommend a sensible eyebrow raise with a question mark.
Colon — Pulling a rabbit out of a hat. What is before the colon in your writing should be the equivalent of you showing your audience the hat and whatever you put after the colon is pulling the rabbit out. Ta da!
Exclamation point — Drama. Exclamation points can mean Seinfeld drama, Taylor Swift drama, or cheerleader drama, but an exclamation point always adds DRAMA!
Ellipsis — The annoying old uncle. You know that guy. He’s either too sauced to complete his sentence and dozes off in the middle . . . or he waits too long to deliver the punch line. Basically, an ellipsis indicates a long pause or a pause so long that . . . zzzzzzzzzz.
Rule #3: Read with your heart
People want to read what you have to say, so if you’re not writing about something that truly means something to you, you’re not going to be an effective writer. In essence, if you’re a writer, you’re marketing yourself in addition to conveying information. Whether you’re writing about optimizing your content for SEO or sharing some life lessons learned from your grandmother, you’re still . . . you.
So, if you finish a piece and begin to read it aloud (as you SHOULD BECAUSE IT WILL IMPROVE YOUR WRITING), it should tickle your heart strings a little bit. You should internally giggle at your wittiness or pine over a lost love. Whatever your writing is about, it should make you feel something. Yes, I know some of you write about technological advances and business strategies. That’s great (better you than me), but if you feel nothing when you read your piece aloud, you’re missing something.
See, we humans love to connect with other humans on an emotional level. We tell stories, we share a part of our guts with one another through these squiggles on our screens and pages that we call words. If you’re writing about how to grow your business, then you should include how you feel about growing yours. If you’re writing about marketing, it should give you joy to share your wisdom with other people in a fun or informative way.
The point is that if you read whatever you’ve written aloud and you don’t feel happy, sad, proud, or some other emotion, then you need to get back in there and rewrite. | https://medium.com/the-innovation/writing-advice-from-a-word-nerd-d89c4947a6db | ['Michelle Loucadoux'] | 2020-07-31 18:27:26.241000+00:00 | ['Life Lessons', 'Marketing', 'Blogging', 'Business', 'Writing'] |
Mint On Demand Contract | We have created a regular basic cryptocurrency, a coin that is mintable, a crypto faucet and a selfdrop contract. Lets combine a mintable coin with a selfdrop contract and also drop the ownership of the coin and contract.
Can’t read the full article? Become a member of Medium here
Having control over a coin and/or it’s contract is really only useful for playing around and testing out new stuff. But if you wish to sell it and want other people to trust it enough to be willing to invest in it, they have to know that you can’t just make new coins directly to your own wallet whenever you want.
The code can be found at github: https://github.com/Creepybits/BEP-20-contracts/blob/Master/SuperSale.sol
Once you have compiled the code without errors, you need to chose the SaleDeployer contract at the deployment page.
Name your coin, give it a symbol and provide the address where you want the currency from the purchases should be sent. Press transact.
Once you have confirmed the deployment in metamask you get a dropdown menu under “Deployed Contracts”. Reveal the address of the token as well as the sales contract by pressing on it’s respecive button.
Chose the Supercoin contract, copy the token_address and put it in the “At Address” text field and press the “At Address” button. Then chose the SuperSale contract, copy the token_sale_address and put it in the “At Address” text field and press the “At Address” button.
When you expand the SuperSale contract under deployed contracts, you can see the sales rate, token address, which address the currency from the sales will be sent to and amount of currency raised so far.
If you expand the Supercoin contract you also get various types of information. You can try to mint coins or add a new minter, but you will get error messages. You are no longer the owner of the contract, and only the sales contract is allowed to mint new coins. By putting the address of the sales contract in the “isMinter” box and press the button, you will get confirmation that the sales contract is the minter.
When you send currency (in this case BNB) to the sales contract, it will mint your coins and send it back to you. The picture below shows how I’m sending 0.05 BNB to the sales contract, the sales contract forwards the 0.05 BNB to the address we provided as the beneficiary when we first deployed the SaleDeployer contract, and finally 500 Super Coins is minted and sent to the address of the buyer.
If you wish to use another rate for your sales, you can change it almost all the way down at the bottom of the code. You change the “10000” to whichever rate you prefer.
I hope you have enjoyed this guide on how to write a mint on demand contract. Check out my other guides as well if you haven’t already. | https://blog.cryptostars.is/mint-on-demand-contract-6c6518e603c1 | ['Zanno Jacklin'] | 2022-01-14 11:16:49.748000+00:00 | ['Smart Contracts', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Token', 'Ethereum', 'Binance Smart Chain'] |
This Moment In Time, And The Futile Quest For Permanence. | Take a breath and let the moment pass. There is another one coming.
Image by A Owen from Pixabay
Life as we know it is temporary. The earth has been in and remains in a constant state of change. At the time that the earth and moon were formed, some 4.5 billion years ago, a day on earth was only 4 hours long. The moon was only 25,000 miles away, and the tidal forces on the earth were huge.
As the moon moved away from the earth, the days grew longer, the tidal forces decreased and the surface of the earth received more sunlight in a longer day.
The moon is now 238,000 miles away. The moon will continue to move away from the earth over time, at the rate of about 3.5 cm a year. The sun will continue to look about the same for a few billion years before it blows up into a red giant star, consuming all of the inner planets.
But this moment in time…it is all we have to live for now. And we have no idea just how lucky we are to be here.
Had there been no collision between the earth and another body about the size of Mars, there would be no moon and perhaps no life. The days might be much shorter now. The axis of rotation might shift wildly over geological time, precluding the stable environment needed for the complexity of life to we have now, to emerge.
We are a result of a state of constant change.
Yet, so many people seek permanence. Some people think that American exceptionalism should be made permanent. Some people think that their wealth should be permanent, handed down from generation to generation. Some people want to go to heaven, to exist in a constant state of joy, forever. Some people want to sit in front of their TV all day, hoping that nothing will change. Some people wish to be buried in a mausoleum after death, in a quest for permanence. John Lennon once sang a song, Across the Universe. The chorus? “Nothing’s gonna change my world.”
There is something about the mausoleums that I’ve seen. They are built mostly of stone. They are made to be permanent. They are made to resist change. The sunlight shines through the stained glass windows, tracking an image across the floor, onto the wall, day after day, after day. But nothing that man has ever made has been able to resist the constant state of change in the world. Even mausoleums require maintenance.
Sure, we can find artifacts from ancient civilizations. Like the Great Pyramids of Egypt, each one a giant mausoleum for a royal family. Their interior walls tell a story of a wish for the afterlife. The artifacts, the gold masks, the mummification of the bodies inside, all tell us of a wish for a permanent place in the afterlife. As if immortality was a thing. But all of that came about from change. Everything we touch came about from change.
The pyramids themselves seem permanent to us for we have such a short lifetime relative to them. And they will remain there for thousands of years more. But over geological time, nature will have their way with the pyramids. Eventually, as the tectonic plates move about the earth, the crust upon which the pyramids sit, will be subducted under another plate, and the pyramids will go with them. More likely though, the pyramids will be ground into dust by the weather long before succumbing to the subduction of the crust that supports them.
The motion of the tectonic plates arises from the heat in the core of the earth. The heaviest elements are down there, in the core, where they work like a giant nuclear reactor. Nuclear fission is what drives the currents of molten metal in the core and the mantle, and the crust floats on the mantle like a boat floats on water.
It has been estimated that it will be 91 billion years before the core will turn solid. That will give earth plenty of time to recycle everything on the surface through plate subduction. There is nothing on the surface that will survive that process. *Everything* will be recycled a few times more until tectonic motion stops in about a billion years.
Looking further down the road, much, much further, we project the end of the universe some 10¹³⁹ years from now. That is an unimaginably long period of time. A rough calculation suggests that “it’s more than the amount of time it would take to count every atom in the universe if you had to wait from the Big Bang until now in between counting each atom”. according to Gizmodo. Our tiny little brains are just not capable of comprehending how long that is. A million years might as well be “forever” for us, let alone 10¹³⁹ years.
And what awaits us there, at the end of the universe? Heat death. That’s when every last erg contained in the universe has been expended to the point where there is no other free energy left in the universe. At that point in time, there will be no more energy for anything else to happen. I wonder what happens to time then. Surely, we’re not living our lives for that, are we?
If that’s the end of the universe, then is there any meaning to be found? Instead of looking for meaning in life, I think that the best thing to do is to just find a way to live in peace with our brothers and sisters. Find a way to make someone’s day a better day. Remind ourselves that a bad day is not even remotely close to “forever”, and that there is nothing personal about a bad day.
And for those people who are looking for permanence, would you really want to live forever? Wouldn’t you like to know that at some point, you can stop thinking, stop worrying, stop even having joy and just rest? Ever watch a toddler have a good day, only to become cranky by early afternoon? Yeah, that’s because it takes energy for everything, even to have fun. And when blood sugar is low, decision fatigue sets in, and things go south in a hurry. That’s what forever is like.
So I’m not sure that I want permanence. I know that my time here, on this plane, and perhaps any other plane is limited, and I’m OK with that. The past is gone. The future is not here yet. And the present is all that I really have right now, regardless of all of the friends, possessions, and experiences I’ve had in my life. I don’t count my blessings, for counting them only makes them the lesser. I just enjoy the moment for what it is and let it pass.
Write on. | https://scottcdunn.medium.com/this-moment-in-time-and-the-futile-quest-for-permanence-fed5bcc3a38d | [] | 2019-07-14 20:53:57.088000+00:00 | ['Science', 'Philosophy', 'Reality', 'Time', 'Mindfulness'] |
Warmth In A One-Night-Stand | At the very worst of times
you can always find warmth in a one-night-stand
Knowing that with the rising of the sun
you’ll reconcile with the many things in life
having gone so very wrong
still the thought of you like a lighthouse
in the storm
helps to keep me strong.
Though in the distance of time
we both know
nothing will ever return to calm
maybe I’ve just been running far too long
maybe you’ve been gone further than beyond
for our love alone to repair
our deepest of despair
At the very worst of times
you can always make love to a lonely heart
knowing you’ll be long gone
come the morning start
Yet matters not the numerous lonely hearts
matters not the endless morning starts
Yours will always be my one and only
illusive heart
Ten Thousand bridges I’ve burnt
Ten Thousand rivers I’ve crossed
Still I lay here
abandoned on the river’s edge
blood-stained and dying
my heart having been ripped out
left hanging from your windows ledge
from my leap of faith
like my courage
having arrived a second too late | https://medium.com/a-cornered-gurl/warmth-in-a-one-night-stand-f9bc290d4ec | ['Anthony Cloe Huie'] | 2020-10-19 21:58:39.294000+00:00 | ['Eternal Love Story', 'The One That Got Away', 'Love Loss', 'A Cornered Gurl', 'Poetry'] |
Summer in the City | The President’s approval rating is up, House Democrats show signs of disunity, Robert Mueller testifies on July 17, and Congress is counting down to July 26 when its six-week August recess begins. There is a lot on the congressional agenda over the next three weeks — trade, health care, flood insurance, antitrust enforcement, taxes, privacy, and minimum wage. Overshadowing all of that is continued negotiation over the impending mandatory spending caps and debt ceiling. Here is a topline look at the issues ahead.
Trade by Noah Kowalski
President Donald Trump remains committed to delivering a signature trade win in his first term. After Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Trump’s meeting, U.S. and Chinese negotiators restarted talks in hopes of resolving the ongoing trade war between the two countries. Businesses and consumers breathed a sigh of relief with President Trump’s decision to pause pending tariffs on the remaining $300 billion worth of goods from China (List 4), which could have a serious impact on the economy and consumers.
Meanwhile, United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer is focused on delivering another win, the proposed United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), which would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) appointed nine members to a working group to focus on four main areas of concern for the Democratic Caucus: labor, environment, enforcement, and intellectual property protections for pharmaceuticals. The Speaker emphasized any changes to the agreement would be surgical, but necessary, to win support in the House. With the window opening for the Administration to send implementing legislation to Capitol Hill this month, some in the White House are pushing the President and Lighthizer to be more aggressive with the House. Expect to see increased activity through July as talks intensify and potential agreement emerges around some of the major remaining issues. However, the President remains the ultimate wildcard in this delicate dance, as demonstrated by his now-retracted threat to impose tariffs on Mexico over immigration concerns.
National Defense Authorization Act by Annie Palisi
In late June, Senators voted 86–8 to pass the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes spending for the Pentagon. The House plans to take up the bill this week, authorizing $733 billion for defense compared with the Senate’s $750 billion. The House will grapple with more than 660 amendments and provisions, including an amendment restricting the President’s war powers in response to Iran, restrictions on reprogramming funds to the southern border, and an issue on low-yield nuclear weapon deployment on submarines. There is also a possibility Democrats add a paid family leave provision to the bill to attract additional votes.
After passage, expect staff level negotiations to begin immediately and continue over the August recess. A conference committee will be named by the end of July to iron out the differences between each chamber’s version. This will be the first time Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and Representative Adam Smith (D-WA) are fully leading the process for their respective chambers, which could be an interesting dynamic to watch. Expect both sides to move aggressively to resolve differences even before Members return, with the goal to vote on the reconciled legislation in September.
Health Care by Katie Wise and Ben Klein
Medicare for All may be the hot topic in the Democratic presidential primary, but surprise billing (i.e., patients get stuck with unexpected bills when an out-of-network provider provides care in an in-network facility) and prescription drug prices are the bipartisan buzzwords on Capitol Hill.
Shortly before adjourning for the July 4th recess, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee advanced bipartisan legislation on a 20–3 vote to end surprise billing, address prescription drug costs, and increase health care price transparency. A provision was also added during the committee markup to raise the minimum age for buying tobacco products from 18 to 21. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) are expected to unveil their own proposal to address high prescription drug prices this month. On the House side, the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means Committees continue to advance standalone legislation to address surprise billing and prescription drug prices.
Leadership would normally hitch these bipartisan, bicameral legislative priorities on “must-pass” health care legislative vehicles addressing the 15-plus health programs facing cuts, expiration, or funding shortfalls on September 30. However, pay-go rules in the House and health care industry concerns complicate the legislative landscape. While both the House and the Senate indicate health care will be a priority this month, it is unclear whether these bills are ready for prime floor time, let alone agreement on other must-pass health care programs. For example, there are ongoing discussions about updating the distribution formula to Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments. What is more likely to occur is that many of the health care programs with expiration deadlines will be caught up in a short-term continuing resolution (CR) and the more complicated and substantive measures punted to the winter months.
Flood Insurance Reauthorization by Carolyn Coda
After nearly a dozen short-term reauthorizations, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is once again set to expire on September 30 absent congressional action. In June, the House Financial Services Committee came together to pass a long-term NFIP reform bill. While the bill did not include many of the priorities from both Democrats and Republicans, it was the first time a bipartisan flood insurance reform bill was passed out of committee since the Biggert-Waters Act of 2011. Hurdles for final passage remain, with Senate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle voicing concern about perceived deficiencies in the House bill. The disagreement between the two chambers, in addition to the ticking legislative clock, makes it likely that another short-term reauthorization will be needed before Congress can send the President a substantive reform bill.
Antitrust Enforcement by Eric Rosen
Anger at tech company practices ended years of antitrust policy inaction. Reports indicate federal antitrust regulators continue to review the practices of technology companies, state attorneys general are considering their own investigations, and the issue unites virtually all presidential candidates as Democrats increasingly call for tech company breakups and the President laments online platforms’ alleged anti-conservative bias.
This summer, policymakers are taking a real look at whether the nation’s antitrust laws provide regulators with the tools they need to adequately protect U.S. consumers amid growing concerns of technology company market power. Look to House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI) to continue an antitrust inquiry he began last month — with a hearing on tech’s relationship with the news industry — with additional hearings on the tech sector. House Judiciary Committee leaders will continue to gather information — in public hearings, staff briefings, and likely formal requests for information from companies and organizations — with an eye toward a potential rewrite of the nation’s antitrust laws at the investigation’s conclusion. Action is not limited to the House. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing later this month on similar topics and will take testimony from antitrust enforcers at the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.
Taxes by Carolyn Coda
Lawmakers will resume debate on moving forward on a set of tax and retirement bills. Congress remains in a stalemate over passing the SECURE Act, a bill that includes bipartisan provisions to incentivize taxpayers to save for retirement. The package overwhelmingly passed the House but lingers in the Senate, after a provision to expand 529 accounts was stripped out during House consideration. Congress is also grappling with how to address a series of expired tax provisions (“extenders”) after the House Ways and Means Committee held a markup on the issue but included offsets that are not viable in the Senate. Lastly, industry stakeholders are pushing for movement on technical corrections to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), including amending the tax treatment of Qualified Improvement Property (QIP) and parking benefits for employees of houses of worship and charitable organizations. While the leaders of the Senate and House tax writing committees publicly state they intend to address the issue this year, the scope of such a package is still up in the air. The contentious nature of these outstanding tax agenda items makes it more likely for any ultimate deal to be included in a larger piece of legislation such as a budget deal or omnibus, which avoids a timely and challenging floor debate.
Privacy by Eric Rosen
It will soon be make-or-break time for proponents of a federal consumer privacy law this Congress. With legislative days in 2019 dwindling, and the historic challenge of enacting sweeping new federal policies in an election year, eyes are on Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to determine if they can negotiate a bipartisan privacy bill for their committee to consider in the fall. House leaders like Representatives Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) also may produce a proposal, but any Hill effort will have to be bipartisan to have a chance of enactment in time to impact compliance with California’s privacy law set to go into effect on January 1, 2020.
Minimum Wage by Anne MacMillan
One key priority of the House Democratic Caucus coming to the floor next week is H.R. 582, the Raise the Wage Act. This legislation, a major tenet of organized labor’s policy agenda, would gradually raise the federal minimum wage from its current level of $7.25 to $15.00 over five years. The bill would also eliminate the tipped wage, which is commonly used in the restaurant industry. Twenty-nine states, and several metropolitan cities, enacted some form of minimum wage increase, but the rest remain at $7.25 (in place since 2009).
Since its introduction by House Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), the bill now counts 205 Democrats as supporters. However, the number of cosponsors remains stubbornly unchanged since April, and House Democratic leadership is currently engaged in a full-throated whip operation to ensure support for final passage. Conventional wisdom says that Democrats will pass the Raise the Wage Act, but what remains unclear is when and what last-minute hiccups might arise between now and final passage. The bill is not expected to receive consideration in the Senate.
Export-Import Bank by Mary Beth Stanton
After the bipartisan markup of the NFIP in the House Financial Services Committee, the chairwoman and ranking member attempted to go for two in a row by turning their attention to the Export-Import Bank reauthorization, which expires on September 30. Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) worked with Ranking Member Patrick McHenry (R-NC) to include provisions that would prohibit support for deals with Chinese state-owned enterprises, in an effort to garner Republican support for the bill. The same provisions created a backlash among Democrats on the committee whose constituents benefit from foreign sales and the associated jobs. The stalemate over the provisions forced Waters to pull the bill from consideration. The hope is to pass reauthorization in the House this month and give the Senate something to work from.
Appropriations, Debt Ceiling, Budget Caps by Landon Stropko
After a brief bout of legislative ping pong before the July recess, the House and Senate passed a $4.6 billion emergency spending bill requested by the Trump Administration to provide humanitarian and security aid at the southern border. Tensions between House Democratic progressives and moderates were on full display in the border aid debate, and House Democratic leadership ultimately split their votes on the bill. Whether these rifts color the debate to come over the budget caps remains to be seen, and President Trump did not waste the opportunity at the signing ceremony for the border spending bill to call for additional border security legislation. However, there will likely be less daylight between Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in negotiations over the massive, global budget deal that may be necessary to avoid sequestration, a government shutdown, and a default on the debt.
There are only six legislative work weeks left before the September 30 deadline to fund the government. Little progress is being made toward resolving the caps on defense and domestic spending required by the Budget Control Act of 2011, which imposed those caps through FY 2021 as part of a deal to end a standoff over the debt ceiling. House Democrats, Senate Republicans, and White House officials all seem to agree on the need to avoid the automatic cuts. Still elusive is agreement over the appropriate mix of spending increases, with House Democrats pushing for higher domestic spending increases and more modest defense spending increases than Republican negotiators will accept.
The impasse has not stopped House Democrats from writing and passing 10 of 12 annual appropriations bills (all but the Legislative Branch and Homeland Security Appropriations bills). Attention will now be on the Republican Senate and whether it begins processing its own appropriations bills under temporary numbers as was suggested by Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL). Up to this point, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) preferred not to go through the motions of the appropriations process under top line spending numbers that may ultimately change.
The effort to increase the debt ceiling — something that must be done this fall or risk the U.S. defaulting on its obligations — is being linked to the budget cap negotiations. The United States hit the debt limit back in March, but Treasury is taking “extraordinary measures” to extend the deadline, which could hit as early as September. While the White House floated the idea of a one-year CR paired with a one-year extension of the debt ceiling, Senate Republicans pushed back on the idea, in part because of the adverse impact of a CR on the military budget. That proposal would also leave Members on both sides of the aisle without spending bills to pack with their priorities, in addition to punting the larger fiscal issues to the middle of the 2020 presidential election. Expect congressional leaders to continue pushing for a two-year, combined budget cap and debt ceiling deal until September’s fiscal cliff. | https://blog.invariantgr.com/summer-in-the-city-f04bff9dd9ec | [] | 2019-07-09 15:55:23.803000+00:00 | ['Democrats', 'Republicans', 'Capitol Hill', 'Politics', 'Congress'] |
How to brand for the modern-day Chinese consumer? | Coronavirus, aside.
China is going through a consumption revolution. In the past, function and price were important factors in the buying decision buying behavior however this has become more complex and Chinese consumers are taking increasing criteria into account when making a purchase. Brand awareness is becoming increasingly important and marketing is starting to play a key role in attracting Chinese consumers with advertising and research techniques. As we know, a brand is the ‘intangible sum’ of a product’s attributes — so how are brands differentiating themselves?
A feeling of collectiveness has more prominence in Chinese society over the individual. Thus, the standards, preferences, and norms of the group to which an individual belongs have a huge influence on buying habits. Many Chinese consumers are fairly concerned with national needs and as a result of geopolitical issues — brands that are under a Western influence are often associated with Western ideals — which in recent times, have been perceived negatively. Brands that confuse ‘westernization’ with ‘modernization’ are losing out.
What does this mean?
Brands that are catering to Chinese consumers need to customize themselves more than ever. Remember that video featuring a customer trying to eat burgers with chopsticks launched by Burger King? Yea, that set Burger King back a hefty couple of millions. Dolce & Gabbana suffered a similar fate after the company posted a video of a model trying to eat pizza and spaghetti with chopsticks, a move which ultimately led to a boycott of their products in China. Brands need to be careful of monumental Chinese festivals in order to build loyalty and not isolate customers.
Here are some brands that did a stellar job this year:
Gucci
For Chinese New Year 2020, the year of the mouse — Gucci partnered with famous actress Ni Ni to create a playful take on the holiday. In spite of recent events, the light-hearted, American directed video showcased the world’s most playful mouse and some of the most iconic pieces of the fashion powerhouse’s CNY collection!
Nike
If you haven’t heard of this one… well — you should have. Nike played with the Chinese tradition of giving “Hong Bao’s” a.k.a. Red Packets in their Chinese New Year advertisement this year. They used cultural aptitude with a twang of humor to elegantly showcase their Nike Zoom product line. Check out the video below:
Durex
As always, Durex is known for being audacious with their branding and marketing nuances. This Chinese New Year was no different. Durex cleverly used their product to relate directly to the year of the mouse and embed it at the center of a Chinese New Year Poster.
Durex Chinese New Year 2020
In conclusion, cultural sensitivity is paramount in China. Given the stereotypes that still exist and a lot of the racial discrimination that occurs on a daily basis, it’s no surprise that this group of customers has every right to be discerning of Western brands. Chinese consumers are increasingly savvy, independent and particular in how and what they purchase.
Brands looking to enter the market need to make a real emotional connection with customers as always and be mindful of the existing bias that exists to showcase an understanding of societal traditions and nuances. A one-size-fits-all strategy will undeniably fail in China given their diaspora of consumer profiles. | https://medium.com/@komalnarwani/how-to-brand-for-the-modern-day-chinese-consumer-689581614a23 | ['Komal Narwani'] | 2020-03-03 17:04:43.214000+00:00 | ['Marketing', 'Branding', 'Consumer', 'China', 'Chinese'] |
Understanding the Risks, Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment of Heart Attacks in girls | Understanding the Risks, Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment of Heart Attacks in girls
Heart disease is quite a significant health issue, it’s the number-one reason for death in each girls and men: roughly 600,000 individuals die of cardiopathy within the U.S. every year. however as a result of girls have longer anticipation than men, they represent a bigger proportion of the aged population during which the probability of disorder is greatest.
For the past 3 decades, there are vital declines in cardiopathy mortality for each man and ladies, particularly within the older population. However, recent knowledge suggests an absence of improvement in cardiopathy rates in girls age fifty-five and younger. browse on to seek out out a lot of regarding cardiopathy and heart attacks in girls, and build your awareness of gender variations in designation treatment.
Coronary artery illness (CAD), which may cause heart attacks, is the commonest style of cardiopathy. An attack happens once the blood and chemical element provide to the center muscle is partly or fully compromised, sometimes because of steroid alcohol plaque buildup within the blood vessels. In women, attacks cause one in 3 deaths every year; someone girl dies from a heart attack each minute.
Although each man and ladies get heart attacks that area unit caused by obstruction of the center arteries by plaque and clots, the approach these clots develop differs. girls tend to possess plaque erosion, which suggests little items of plaque break off and become exposed. This causes the formation of smaller clots, which can not cause a complete blockage (or “occlusion”) promptly. (This explains a lot of refined symptoms than for men.) additionally, girls tend to expertise heart attacks some ten years later than men, after the area unit a lot of fragile and certain to possess alternative health problems.
One of the explanations girls generally have heart attacks later than men is because of the decrease in steroid hormone that accompanies climacteric. The reason for heart attacks and therefore the warning symptoms that lead patients to hunt immediate medical attention area units completely different in girls and men, too. girls United Nations agency don’t acknowledge these variations might expertise delayed and inappropriate designation and treatment.
Compared to men, girls with heart attacks tend to report symptoms like chest pressure, heaviness or fullness and sweating less ofttimes. girls usually attribute these symptoms to alternative less grave conditions, together with stomach upset, muscle pain, and traditional aging. girls area unit a lot of possibilities to explain symptoms like shortness of breath; arm, back, or jaw pain; nausea; heart pounding; lightheadedness; or loss of craving. This presentation in girls has been connected to the delay in each designation and therefore the delivery of life-saving treatment ways.
Risk Factors for Heart Disease: The distinction between girls and Men
Traditional risk factors for developing viscus illness have an effect on girls and men in numerous ways.
Estrogen helps maintain the traditional pressure level in girls before climacteric. however once climacteric, girls develop high-pressure level quite men: solely forty-four % come through the management of their pressure level, compared to fifty-one % in men.
Elevated steroid alcohol levels have similar harmful effects for vessel health in each man and ladies. Medications normally won’t to management steroid alcohol have similar effectiveness for each man and ladies. However, among the aged, girls area unit less possible to require cholesterol-lowering medication than men, for a spread of reasons.
Women United Nations agency smoke area unit twenty-five % a lot of possible to expertise heart events than men United Nations agency smoke. to boot, the mixture of smoking and anovulant use will increase cardiopathy risk.
Elevated blood glucose (known as polygenic disorder Mellitus) includes a larger impact on girls than men. In fact, for a woman with a polygenic disorder, the danger of cardiopathy is four to 5 times on top of it might be for a person of a similar age. Prediabetic girls have an earlier vascular and metabolic injury than prediabetic men, as well.
Obstructive apnea (OSA) could be a doubtless serious disorder during which respiration repeatedly stops and starts throughout sleep. It will decrease chemical elements provide to all or any of the organs, however, the center is especially at risk of these drops and therefore the later injury. Common symptoms area unit daytime drowsiness or fatigue, restlessness throughout sleep, and snoring. girls with OSA is shown to possess higher inflammatory markers, a lot of depression, and larger issue dominant pressure level than men with a similar condition.
When it involves heart health, avoirdupois includes a lot of vital impacts on girls than men. avoirdupois will increase the relative risk of cardiopathy by sixty-four % in girls, as opposition forty-six % for men.
There is associate degree inverse relationship between physical activity and cardiopathy and longevity. in step with knowledge from a 2011 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) in adults, inactivity was higher among girls than men (33.2 % versus a pair of9.9 percent).
Risk Factors for cardiopathy Specific to girls
Besides the standard risk factors mentioned on top of, their area unit risk factors exclusive to girls, like pregnancy-related complications and secretion factors. alternative conditions tied to the event of cardiopathy, together with depression, anxiety, response diseases (lupus and rheumy arthritis), and migraines, area unit considerably a lot of frequent in girls.
PCOS could be a condition during which a woman’s hormones area unit out of balance. It will cause issues with discharge and create it troublesome to induce pregnantly. girls with PCOS have a better prevalence of polygenic disorder, obesity, and high-pressure level. there’s a famed relationship between these conditions and cardiopathy. additionally, girls with PCOS have higher levels of Ca within the heart arteries, which will increase the danger of heart attacks.
Pregnancy is taken into account a check. once a girl fails this check, complications like toxemia, eclampsia, physiological condition polygenic disorder, and preterm delivery (birth before thirty-seven weeks) will develop. These complications area unit related to associate degree augmented risk of cardiopathy (a risk that persists later in life, way on the far side the affected maternity period). for instance, toxemia triples the danger of attack and quadruples the danger of high-pressure levels.13Gestational polygenic disorder will increase the danger of developing polygenic disorder seven-fold, the danger of stroke two-fold, and therefore the risk of an attack later in life four-fold. Inflammation, infection, and vascular disease area units thought to be concerned in these correlations.
Diseases like general lupus (SLE) and autoimmune disease area unit a lot of common in girls than men and area unit related to a fifty % higher risk of cardiopathy than for non-affected girls. to boot, the utilization of corticosteroids as a treatment for these conditions will increase the incidence of inflammation in the vessel walls.
There has been tremendous improvement within the survival rates of carcinoma. sadly, this improvement in outcomes conjointly will increase the prevalence of chemotherapy- and radiotherapy-associated heart toxicity. Patients with carcinoma United Nations agency have undergone bound varieties of therapy and have had radiation to their chests ought to be monitored for viscus conditions over the long-run.
Both conditions area unit a lot of common in girls than men and are related to the augmented risk of cardiopathy and stroke. One study showed that moderate to severe depression doubles the danger of attack within the next 2 years and will increase the danger of death. As such, the Yankee Heart Association (AHA) recommends that each girl is screened and treated for depression. Migraines, particularly with aura (symptoms you notice shortly before the headache begins) are related to elevated steroid alcohol, marked inactivity, depression, sleep disturbances, and heart attacks.
Despite the useful effects of bound medicines or augmented accuracy of diagnostic ways for cardiopathy, each of these is found to be delayed in girls.
*Women area units are less possible to induce stress testing to diagnose cardiopathy.
*Women have higher rates of admittance to the hospital once an attack or episode of cardiopathy.
* Medications were famed to enhance the end result once an attack (including analgesic, beta-blockers, and statins) area unit prescribed to girls less ofttimes.
*Fewer girls than men perform the counseled a hundred and fifty minutes of exercise every week.
Although cardiopathy is that the leading reason for death in girls within the U.S., risk factors together with avoirdupois, lack of exercise, high-pressure level, blood glucose and steroid alcohol still rise in young girls. Being attentive to female-specific risks and therefore the symptoms of cardiopathy factors will facilitate girls to stop and acknowledge heart attacks. girls got to not solely bear in mind of treatment choices once an attack however conjointly become assertive regarding asking their doctor regarding those treatments and referrals. | https://medium.com/@suport.yoonlaservice/understanding-the-risks-signs-symptoms-and-treatment-of-heart-attacks-in-girls-701256044d8e | ['Suraia Kabir'] | 2019-11-28 16:06:14.153000+00:00 | ['Health Foods', 'Health Recipe', 'Health', 'Healthcare', 'Headlines'] |
On Compiling A Film Canon. February 2017 Update. | Welcome to this month’s canon update.
In an article for Hope Lies and across social media I declared Howard Hawks’ His Girl Friday a timely tribute to the newspaperman, a creature which faces potential holocaust in the face of the Trump administration. The timing for the film’s release couldn’t have been more perfect.
Rather than simply being “timely”, Alain Resnais’ Je t’aime, je t’aime might just be the best film about time ever made. It’s certainly the most interesting time travel movie ever made. Je t’aime, je t’aime will be explored more fully in the pages of Hope Lies at 24 Frames Per Second in the coming weeks, alongside a number of other works from Resnais.
On a more contemporaneous note, Martin Scorsese’s Silence is one of the most exhilarating works on faith of the modern age. Had it been released in 2016 it would likely have topped my ‘best of’ list for that year. As it is, 2017 is off to a great start, but has a lot to live up to.
More information on the Hope Lies film canon can be found at our ongoing and regularly updated Letterboxd list. | https://medium.com/hope-lies-at-24-frames-per-second/on-compiling-a-film-canon-february-2017-update-bb8e617465ec | ['Adam Bat'] | 2017-02-02 14:16:13.912000+00:00 | ['Movies', 'Film', 'Culture', 'Hopeliescanon', 'Cinema'] |
Slingbox brilliantly solved a problem that no longer exists | The news that Sling Media will soon shut down the servers that power its Slingbox devices has conjured a complex cocktail of emotions, including a shot of outrage, a dash of resignation, and strong dose of nostalgia.
Of course, those who currently own a Slingbox—a device that captures video from your DVR and “slings” it to another device, such as a phone, a tablet, or a desktop PC—are rightly furious, as they now face the prospect that in two years, their pricey players (the most recent model, the Slingbox M2 from 2015, cost $200 at launch) will soon be little more than snazzy-looking paperweights.
The resignation part follows the steady trickle of bad news coming from Sling Media about the players, first and foremost the announcement in 2017 that the Dish Network subsidiary would stop making the devices. In late 2019, Sling Media axed versions of the Slingplayer app for Android and Roku, another ominous sign. In short, the writing has been on the wall for some time.
[ Further reading: Amazon Prime Video vs Hulu vs Netflix ]The nostalgia comes for those of us who have been following the Slingbox saga since the early days. First released back in 2005—when the Palm Treo 700w was the hottest cell phone around, Netflix was still a DVD-by-mail service, and YouTube didn’t even exist (not quite yet, anyway)—the whimsical, candy bar-shaped Slingbox was nothing short of magical.
All you had to do was hook the Slingbox up to your DVR via an S-Video input (remember those?), connect the player to an ethernet cable, and plug in an IR blaster for DVR control. Then you installed a software client on your PC (Mac support came later, as did apps for the Symbian-powered smartphones of the time), and … presto! Live TV on your computer, streamed from your DVR, and it worked anywhere that you had an internet connection, from across the room to across the country. Oh, and no monthly subscription fees, either.
It’s hard to remember what a revelation the Slingbox was, partly because it’s difficult to imagine a world without Netflix (which didn’t start streaming video until 2007), Hulu, YouTube (which wouldn’t launch until the end of 2005), Amazon Prime Video, and all the other ways we stream video, both live and on demand, to any screen at our disposal. Looking back 15 years later, I have to keep reminding myself that—oh right!—you couldn’t just rent a TV show and watch it on your iPhone (there were no iPhones yet), nor could you stream CNN in a browser, mobile or otherwise.
Later versions of the Slingbox would rectify the original’s (often painful) limitations. The Slingbox Pro-HD from 2010, for example, was the first Slingbox to support HD video streaming, while 2012’s Slingbox 500 finally added Wi-Fi support. In 2014, the Slingbox M1 served up most of the 500’s features in a smaller, cheaper package. (The last Slingbox ever released, the M2 in 2015, was essentially just an M1 retread that met with a chilly reception.) And of course, Slingbox clients for PCs and Symbian smartphones gave way to SlingPlayer apps for iOS and Android.
But even as the Slingbox packed in more features, the streaming video landscape grew exponentially faster, with YouTube becoming a thing shortly after the original Slingbox launch, streaming pioneer Hulu making its debut in 2007, and Netflix jumping on the bandwagon right around the same time. On-demand streaming services were soon followed by over-the-top live TV streaming, and now, the ability to channel surf on our phones is commonplace.
Though it all, Slingbox always had a killer feature: no subscription fees, ever! (Although the boxes themselves weren’t exactly cheap, with the Slingbox 500 going for a stiff $300.) But hooking up a Slingbox to your DVR was always a clunky process, involving a tangle of cables and dependent on the uplink speed of your broadband connection. On the other hand, signing up for a streaming TV service, while pricey, is a cinch.
Dish Network’s parent company, EchoStar, acquired Sling Media in 2007. The final Slingbox—the model M2—landed in stores in 2015, the same year that -. Two years later, Sling Media stopped making Slingboxes for good, and in 2020, well, here we are.
It’s always a shame to hear a pioneer like Slingbox going the way of the dodo, and for those users who will soon be left with useless Slingboxes, I feel your pain. We’ve been writing too many stories lately about gadgets that go dark after their manufacturers lose the will to keep the lights on.
But the Slingbox was made to fill a void that’s now teeming with options, from Netflix and Hulu to Plex and Tablo. Streaming TV took off and moved on, and sadly, Slingbox didn’t move along with it.
Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details. | https://medium.com/@heather29302764/slingbox-brilliantly-solved-a-problem-that-no-longer-exists-9a6438c4125d | [] | 2020-11-25 07:45:31.565000+00:00 | ['Consumer Electronics', 'Headphones', 'Mobile Accessories', 'Entertainment'] |
What is Safer than Government Bonds? | Over the last 18 months the yield curve for US bonds has flattened to the point where the US 10-year bond is only 0.26% lower than the US 30 years bond. It’s possible we will soon see an inverted yield curve, which is usually taken as an indication of a looming recession.
So, what does a flattening of the yield curve mean, and what happens if the yield curve inverts? A yield curve is a graph that plots the effective interest rate on bonds of varying maturities. Usually, a yield curve plots the yield of bonds with maturities ranging from 3 months to 30 years.
Under normal circumstances, bonds with longer maturities pay higher interest rates. Higher rates compensate investors for putting their money at risk for longer. However, when investors lose confidence in the current economy, they would rather own longer dated bonds. When investors buy long dated bonds they force yields down, and eventually 30-year bonds yield less than 10-year and sometimes even 1-year bonds.
In January 2016, 30-year bonds yielded 0.74% more than 10- year bonds. That spread has now fallen to 0.26%. The curve has not yet inverted and maybe it won’t. Either way, there is more to the story.
Currently, a 10-year US bond pays 2.66% and a 30-year bond pays 2.98%. But when inflation is taken into account, the 10-year bonds are paying just 0.65% a year, and 30-year bonds yield 0.97%. That’s not a great return, but at least it’s something. The problem is that inflation at 2.01%, is close to the lowest it has ever been. Between 1913 and 2017 consumer price inflation averaged 3.23%, while it peaked at over 10% during the 1970s. Remember, true inflation is much harder, if not impossible, to measure but it is easy to spot as prices continue to rise.
If you buy a 10-year bond paying 2.66% and inflation rises to 3%, that bond would cost 0.34% per year to own. And inflation rate of 3% would still be below average. If inflation rose to the long term average, your real return would be negative 0.57% and if it rose to 5%, your real return would be 2.34%. That’s the risk investors are taking to earn a real return of 0.65%.
Bond yields are low because of the actions of central banks and because there are so few alternative “safe” investments. Quantitative easing has created a bubble in the bond market with little potential upside and a lot of potential downside. And if the bond market cracks, there is a very real chance of the USD losing value as well. With all the governments creating more and more money, it’s difficult to see how fiat currencies can retain their value.
The only investments which retain value are real assets. While the value of financial assets fluctuate over time, real assets retain their value. The biggest problem with real assets like gold, silver and real estate has been that historically they have been less liquid than financial asset like stocks, bonds and cash.
However, now there is a liquid asset that has time proven value called Silvertoken. Silvertoken is digital currency backed by real physical silver. Each token represents a minimum one troy ounce of 0.999 pure silver, insured and stored in a Class 3 UL vault. Silvertokens can be sold or redeemed for physical silver. Hence, investors can now protect their wealth from the inevitable devaluation of fiat currencies and governments bonds with a liquid real asset. | https://medium.com/silvertoken/what-is-safer-than-government-bonds-16fa7742cce9 | [] | 2018-06-27 17:48:21.904000+00:00 | ['Silver', 'Ethereum', 'Bitcoin', 'Precious Metals', 'Finance'] |
Definition and anatomy | Definition and anatomy
Tortuous, dilated superficial veins, usually in the legs.
Usually due to valve incompetence. Common sites:
The sapheno-femoral junction of the long saphenous vein, which runs along the medial leg.
Sapheno-popliteal junction of the short saphenous vein, which runs along the lateral calf.
Perforator veins (from deep to superficial), which are on the medial calf.
Signs and symptoms
Varicosities:
Often asymptomatic, but can cause an aching pain, worse on standing. Check this is not due to other disease — e.g. PVD, arthritis — being wrongly attributed to the more visible veins.
Poor cosmesis.
Saphena varix: venous dilation at the sapheno-femoral junction.
Signs of venous disease:
Venous ulcers.
Venous eczema.
Haemosiderin deposition in legs.
Lipodermatosclerosis.
These changes are commoner with perforator vein incompetence.
Risk factors
Family history.
Prolonged standing.
Abdominal or pelvic masses compressing IVC or iliac veins e.g. pregnancy, obesity.
Investigations
Doppler US.
Management
Conservative:
Compression therapy: stockings or graded compression bandaging.
Weight loss.
Avoid prolonged standing.
Medical:
Simple analgesia.
Surgery:
Indications: pain, ulceration, cosmesis (usually not on NHS).
Options: SFJ ligation and vein stripping, stab avulsions, radiofrequency or laser ablation, injection of sclerosing foam.
Stop oral contraceptive pill 4–6 weeks pre-op due to DVT risk.
This taken from Medicos PDF app. For more books, PDF, slides, news about medical knowledge you can download it for free in Google Play Store for free. | https://medium.com/@aayushpokharel07/varicose-veins-abfaf5e82790 | ['Aayush Pokharel'] | 2021-09-16 03:43:03.054000+00:00 | ['Medical School', 'Médical', 'Medical', 'Medical Devices', 'Medicine'] |
Hey Alexey, I will have a look over your suggestion and come back to you. | Hey Alexey, I will have a look over your suggestion and come back to you. Have you tried that before? 👨💻 | https://medium.com/@geomario1984/hey-alexey-i-will-have-a-look-over-your-suggestion-and-come-back-to-you-aa63458024c6 | [] | 2020-12-23 01:01:30.513000+00:00 | ['For Loop', 'Machine Learning', 'Python Programming', 'Pandas', 'Data Science'] |
It’s Christmas of 2020! 6 Ways to Keep the Festive Spirit Up Amid Pandemic | HR leaders and HR professionals are in a conundrum about celebrating Christmas amid pandemic. Here are 6 ways to revive the festive spirit this December.
December is the merriest and most anticipated time of the year.
Christmas parties are not only known for their cheerful spirit, but also as an opportunity to thank people who led us where we are. And who is more conscious of it than HR professionals and talent leaders that people deserve thanks now more than ever. Festivities make daily work-routine a little more comforting and livelier than usual. So, how do you celebrate the much-awaited Christmas during this pandemic?
Burger King decorated its Christmas lights much earlier than anyone with #WrapUp2020 campaign.
Several other brands echoed the sentiments of celebrating Christmas earlier than usual as a symbol of an end to the disappointing times the year brought with it. Do you have any plans to wrap this year with a Christmas party that brings people together and engage them?
We list here a few ideas to keep the Christmas spirits bright — and celebrate it the socially distanced way. Take a look!
1. Christmas Eve Virtual Party
Just like everything else, take your festivities digital this year.
If people are already tired of Zoom and Teams, HR professionals can spice it up with new games and rules.
- Put your Santa hats on!
- Set a dress code.
- Give your videos a crackling background.
- Bring your own snacks.
- Organize a few games: A virtual mystery box (Do what it says. Tasks can include virtual cocktail making, painting Mona Lisa with crayons in five minutes, etc.), virtual karaoke (after the party is in swing), and more. Reward the winners.
2. Christmas Cookie and Cocktail Swaps
Cookie exchanges are classic at a Christmas party. To do it the socially distanced way, have everyone share their favorite recipes online, and let people try them at home and share the pictures and reviews on video. Similarly, host a happy hour of Christmas cocktails and toast with a warm cup of eggnog, spiced wine, and others (have their recipes also shared among people).
Some from the porch or from inside their blankets, can ask their family members to click a photograph, which can be sent to the HR professionals to share their moments.
Another way to share food and drinks with your employees is by sending online vouchers for a dine-in with the family or booking a known restaurant for a specific time to let employees come with their families and share a meal together.
3. Do a good deed together this Christmas!
For the homeless, orphans, senior citizens, and other vulnerable groups, HR leaders can organize donation campaigns and ask the entire office to contribute to help these people celebrate holidays. From hygiene kits to warm clothes, giving for a good cause will nurture gratitude among people and deepen the spirit of togetherness this time of the year.
Afterward, images of the donations can be shared with everyone in the office to show the smiles they helped enable with their contributions. Don’t put many demands on your staff. Let them share what they can.
4. Christmas Eve Book Reading
This one is for the book lovers at your workplace. Have a reading session together of the interested parties of your favorite Christmas play or book. HR professionals can make people bring their favorite snacks, deserts, and drinks to these sessions. Christmas can mark the beginning of these enriching sessions, which can be carried to the next year.
5. Gift Time
Secret Santa may not seem as feasible now, but it can be organized virtually with many third-party websites that are helping HR professionals in the feat. Though, HRs will need to go the extra mile to plan the event. Make sure to agree on a spending limit with the participants, discuss who all wish to contribute, and plan other logistics (postage and other things). Gifts can be opened on a team video call.
From company’s end, gifts can be given to the employees in form of vouchers, or a day off for shopping and outing with friends and family.
6. Give Award to the Achievers
One of the best ways to end the year is on an appreciative note. Recognize the contribution of people who have helped businesses going through in these challenging times. Thank by organizing an award ceremony or sending recognition emails in everyone’s inbox.
We all need something to look forward to this year. Put your Santa hats on and give your employees a Christmas to cheer for. | https://medium.com/@amelia.jackson743/its-christmas-of-2020-6-ways-to-keep-the-festive-spirit-up-amid-pandemic-4d58afcd8a17 | ['Amelia Jackson'] | 2020-12-14 08:51:58.650000+00:00 | ['Remote Working', 'HR', 'Christmas', 'Talent Management', 'Human Resources'] |
Back to The Future City | Back to The Future City
Image courtesy of Author
As you look back in time, urban sprawl in the United States had its origins in the flight to the suburbs that began in the 1950’s, and has accelerated as each decade was placed in the history books. As suburban areas developed, cities expanded in geographic size, faster than they grew in population. This trend has produced large metropolitan areas with low population densities, interconnected by roads, mass transit and other transportation arterials. But what does Urban Sprawl mean for the traditional Inner-city of America? Is the traditional city officially dead? And equally important is the contemporary question of … have the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic … with the elimination of community gathering places such as restaurants, bars, places of worship, parks and even offices … altered the shape, design and characteristics of the traditional city?
These questions, as well as the conversation that has occurred over the past couple months, has caused urban planners to reevaluate the future of some of the most vibrant, energetic and powerful cities across America. In fact, a dichotomy exists as many professionals have announced the death of modern cities, while others have not been so drastic and see change as a good thing for the citizenry of these major cities. After all, “the secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
While this conversation has accelerated due to the coronavirus pandemic, there is more than one reason for things to change. Whether it be health, environmental or societal change, the “15-Minute City” is the way of the future.
In this article we will look at several important reasons for the evolution of the 15-Minute City.
What is the 15-Minute City?
The “15-Minute City” idea is based on research into how city dwellers’ use of time could be reorganized to improve both living conditions and the environment. Developed by Professor Carlos Moreno at the Sorbonne in Paris, the concept of “la ville du quart d’heure” is one in which daily urban necessities are within a 15-minute reach on foot or by bike. Hence the name … “15-Minute City.” In short, work, home, shops, entertainment, education, and healthcare would all be available within the same time that a commuter might once have waited on a railway platform.
Within the 15-Minute City, the accent shifts from urban sprawl and territorial mobility to close and easy access. The strategy no longer focuses on pouring more and more concrete and opening roads more efficiently, but quite the opposite, by reducing displacements. Ideally, in a 15-Minute City, long-distance mobility is significantly reduced, and residents no longer depend on their private vehicles or public transportation such as trains or subways for daily commuting.
In the 15-Minute City, the streetscape actually becomes the spine of the community. It is the community’s core, the gathering place, the center of outdoor activities, a park and green space of sorts. Rescued from intense vehicle traffic, the streets come to life and become livable. These publicly owned and maintained pieces of concrete and asphalt welcome and invite children’s playgrounds, terraces, street art displays and shows, thereby increasing synergy and integration of the community. Put another way … this “urban space of excellence starts to reclaim its humanity.”
While the 15 Minute City has a new shiny name, it is just a step into the past. A time before people commuted up to an hour into a business center to work.
Where does it fit into the “new normal?”
While this “urban evolution” was not initially intended to help with coronavirus protocols and “stay at home” mandates, it has fallen into its new role perfectly. With a pandemic and the resulting federal, state and local requirements that necessitate people staying in or close to home, a city plan that allows for all necessities to be reached within a short distance walk is ideal. The COVID-19 pandemic has made us call into question ways in which we can improve on the idea of cities and city spaces. Cities have been hit hard by the pandemic. People have talked about a “new normal” that has been thrust upon us all. This new normal involves less travel, smaller circles and more space. These are all things that the 15-Minute City promotes.
Travel has come to a halt because of the coronavirus, and transportation may be changed forever. While the 15-Minute City cannot deal with air travel and other long-commute problems, it can greatly reduce everyday travel and short-run commutes. One of the ideas of the 15-Minute City is to make it possible to work, live, play, recreate, worship, etc. all in the same area where they live. Contrast that with a 30-minute to 1-hour drive to a city’s central business district. This, and the effects of hindsight being 20–20 when it comes to the pandemic, would help slow the spread of the pandemic by lowering the amount on new interactions with people along with less exposure to large numbers of people.
Working conditions made an abrupt shift during 2020. While most jobs were previously performed in an office environment, an entire work force was forced to work from home as a safety measure to counteract COVID-19. This seems like an easy and understandable solution, but it had some consequences. For one, there are many people who do not have the space or resources to work from home. Some people simply do not have the luxury of a spare room to set up an “in-home” office. Some do not have family nearby to help with childcare, as schools were also shut down. Some do not have reliable internet connection. Unfortunately, there are just certain factors to working from home that disenfranchise everyone’s lifestyle … especially lower income people. While people transition away from big offices in the city, small offices in the 15-Minute City is a good solution.
Everyone has heard of the “New Normal” and what that might entail. Many people will never see this new form of living as an upgrade or an improvement to their lives as it seems like a world of less freedom, less interaction and less gatherings. Yet, indoctrinating the 15-Minute City as the new normal can be easy, and actually very beneficial to those that are accepting of the new urban design characteristics. In fact, people will save money, be healthier, be more productive and rekindle a sense of community within their towns. While a post COVID-19 world certainly scares people, a world with a 15-Minute City can also be a panacea.
Environment
While it has not been the “lead story” in every newspaper during the past 4-year administration, environmental concerns are ubiquitous and are not going away. Unfortunately, in the past few decades the myriad of approaches on how to manage the environment has become very politicized. However, everybody should want cleaner water, soil and air. In short, everyone wants a cleaner world. Most of the arguments that moderate people have made evolve around the fiscal impact and the logistics related to its implementation. The 15-Minute City was designed with the very purpose of healing the environment, and in addition to alternative fuels, would be a great way to help clean the earth. As workplaces, stores and homes are brought into closer proximity, street space previously dedicated to auto congestion is freed up, thereby eliminating pollution, and making way for gardens, hike and bike lanes, sports and leisure facilities.
In current city planning, it is almost certain that most US citizens have to get in a car to get groceries, go to a restaurant, bar, movie, doctor’s appointment, grocery store, place of worship, etc. With the 15-Minute City, towns are being forced to be more sustainable, as less car travel will be necessary.
85% of Americans commute to work and many of those travel between 30-minutes and one hour to their place of employment. This is a major problem for many environmental, societal, economic and efficiency reasons, Yet this is where an opportunity opens up for the 15-Minute City to work its magic. With the COVID effect causing most people in America to work from home, many companies have learned that they do not really need the expensive downtown offices anymore. Some, like British Petroleum, have decided to completely switch to remote working throughout London, while others have the plan to reopen but with mini offices located in these 15-Minute City environments. Both strategies are helpful to the environment as a whole and could remove so much unnecessary added carbon to the atmosphere.
Overall, the 15-Minute City will help the climate as it was designed by urban planners with that goal in mind. When it comes to environmental protection, many get hung up on the fiscal costs, subsidies and required investments. But the 15-Minute City is a “supply-side” economic benefit as it saves the ultimate taxpayer money in the process. With the 15-Minute City, streets can see a major decline in automobiles and fuel consumption, thereby reducing CO2 emissions. With the alternative land use and increase of garden and green space, the resulting photosynthesis increases oxygen production. The net result of all these factors is that we have both a cleaner environment, as well as an economic stimulus package due to the supply side economic benefits and a more efficient work force. Who could ask for more?
How does this effect the community?
Ever since the exponential rise in population and the effects of urban sprawl on big cities, we have slowly lost our sense of a community. We are no longer in Maybury RFD where people used to be able to bond with a common interest over a community goal, mission or project within their town. Sometimes chaos and crisis bring a community together. Yet as we have seen this year, chaos has not brought us closer together, but further apart. Due to the pandemic induced isolation, people have only been able to communicate remotely, and have had a lot of time on their hands to let social media accelerate a divisive wedge during a highly contested election cycle.
The 15-Minute City calls for a return to a more local community, with a somewhat slower way of life, where commuting time is instead invested in richer relationships with those nearby. The urban planners are hopeful that the smaller geographic footprint, and the closeness that accompanies the 15-Minute City, might also bring back a since of civility that is so desperately needed. The COVID crisis show us the possibility for rediscovering proximity. Now, more than ever, we as people, need proximity. Not because of the potential vaccine, the environment, or any other issue, but for the act of human interaction and the overall humanizing of one another.
In today’s master-planned, spacious society, you would be lucky to know more that a couple of your neighbors. People are so fixated on their day-to-day lives, and do not really know who they live around anymore. The world is too fast paced for things like a neighborhood cocktail or block party. What the 15-Minute City brings to the world is a return to simplicity. We have lost sight of what it means to be a neighbor and part of a community. It will allow us to slow down, no longer rushing to work or the doctor’s office, but maybe a nice walk or bike ride to simply get groceries.
Innovation through regression
The idea for the 15-Minute City is nothing new. In fact, in America it began with the first Settlers on Plymouth Rock and has been replicated repeatedly, from community to community. But now, it has been repackaged, branded under a new name and is being marketed as the 15-Minute City. Same strategy and goal, yet with a new fancy name.
If you went “Back to the Future” in almost any era of US history, you would see that most communities had a “live, work, play, shop, learn, worship, recreate, etc.” environment in a close-knit community. Yes, transportation may have been by foot, horse, train, Model T or mass transit, but the effects of urban sprawl truly changed these communities … as well as society … and the effects of this change has been very far reaching.
With the 15-Minute City, we bring back some of the old ideas to revitalize our communities, improve the environment, enhance our productivity and heal our society. After all, “the secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” While we always look for the next big thing for the future, it is sometimes best to look in the past at an idea that we left behind a long time ago.
David Gordon Wallace is an American businessman, politician, former officer and director for the Texas One Economic Development Corporation and author from the state of Texas. You can learn more and follow him on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Wikipedia. | https://medium.com/@dgwallace007/back-to-the-future-city-a3ae7c435fee | ['David Wallace'] | 2020-12-26 16:03:34.042000+00:00 | ['City Planning', 'Environmental Impact', 'Urban Planning', '15 Minute City', 'Real Estate'] |
Bitcoin ETF Survey Shows Mixed Results | Interested in creating your own blockchain technology based market research surveys? Get started with our Requester Dashboard in minutes!
Bitcoin and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are currently the most promising investment options in the market.
The two investment options may finally be fused into one if Bitcoin ETFs are finally sanctioned by regulatory authorities in the US and other parts of the world.
Currently, there is an ongoing ETF application by Bitwise at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
According to CoinDesk, the latest ETF application by Bitwise was rejected by the SEC. The SEC stated that the application did not meet the set rules and regulations of operating an ETF. This is not the first rejection Bitwise received, and it may not be the last.
There is still one more ETF application by Bitwise set to be reviewed by the SEC.
Despite the latest rejection by the SEC, it may be the closest that the cryptocurrency industry has gotten to the registration of an ETF.
Registration of a Bitcoin ETF may soon be possible, considering the gains made in 2019 alone.
With the ETF registration in mind, Insights Network surveyed their blockchain-powered platform to understand the market perception of the Bitcoin ETF.
Key Metrics and Demographics
The survey involved global participants from over 150 countries. Over 1900 participants gave more than 5,900 unique responses. Here is the key data:
Total number of participants: 1,980
Total number of questions asked: 4
Total number of unique answers: 5,940
Total number of countries participated: 154
Questions Surveyed
The survey questions were carefully crafted to come up with data that would inform this report. The questions covered the objectives of the study which include:
To determine market awareness of Bitcoin ETFs.
To determine market belief in the Bitcoin ETFs.
From the responses, the scope of the study was primarily covered and achieved.
Key Insights — Bitcoin ETF Unlikely To Be Approved, However Would Bring Increased Legitimacy To Cryptocurrency
Bitwise has made significant strides in trying to get it’s Bitcoin ETF services approved. More companies should borrow a leaf from Bitwise if the cryptocurrency industry is to grow.
The strides made by Bitwise will make it easier for other companies to apply for and hopefully get approval for Bitcoin ETF services.
Because of the may hurdles Bitwise has gone through, the cryptocurrency industry now understands what the SEC requires for them to operate an ETF.
The precedence set by Bitwise brings closer the approval of a Bitcoin ETF by the SEC. With a better understanding of the requirements and a proper application of the same, we will soon see a Bitcoin ETF operating in the United States and other countries.
Given the applications received by the SEC, it is likely that the market is ready for the Bitcoin ETF. Further, aside from being ready, the market needs Bitcoin ETFs to increase the credibility of cryptocurrencies to the institutions and the public.
Having undergone the meticulous eye of the SEC and receiving an approval to operate a Bitcoin ETF, the public is likely to have more confidence in the services and products of the Bitcoin ETF. This will increase Bitcoin’s credibility and the cryptocurrency industry’s as well.
The presence of a Bitcoin ETF in the market will likely improve the chances and rates of cryptocurrency adoption by the general public and even institutions.
Key Insights — Hurdles To Bitcoin ETF
The responses given above may be the reason as to why the SEC is yet to sanction any Bitcoin ETF. The allegations of market manipulation, dumping and other unethical and illegal market practices in the cryptocurrency industry are making it harder for Bitcoin ETFs to be approved.
If any of the allegations were proven correct and end up getting practiced by approved Bitcoin ETFs, then the blame will remain with the SEC, thus, the currency hesitation by the regulatory body.
The market is ready and willing to invest in Bitcoin ETFs; however, the drawbacks highlighted by the respondents and probably flagged by the SEC may force the market to wait a little longer for their benefit.
The cryptocurrency industry needs to address its core issues which include market manipulation if it wants to expand its products and services; otherwise services such as a Bitcoin ETF may never see the light of day.
Conclusion of Survey Results
The addition of a Bitcoin ETF would be excellent for the cryptocurrency industry. There is a ready market for the product and the potential for the cryptocurrency industry to increase its reach into the public.
More institutions and traders will likely be drawn into the cryptocurrency ecosystem by the Bitcoin ETF.
However, there is still a long way to go before a Bitcoin ETF is fully operational. The cryptocurrency industry still has several challenges that regulators may use to discredit their expansion plans.
Once the issue of market manipulation and other questionable activities are cleared, we may see the first Bitcoin ETF on the market which may usher in a new era of cryptocurrency investments.
Onwards and more insights,
Team INSTAR
Interested in creating your own blockchain technology based market research surveys? Get started with our Requester Dashboard in minutes!
Looking to earn cryptocurrency for sharing your opinion?
Start your cryptocurrency journey on www.instarwallet.com or join the discussion on telegram!
For further information on the Insights Network, use the following links:
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Medium | Reddit |Earn Tokens | https://medium.com/@InsightsNetwork/bitcoin-etf-survey-reveals-chances-of-approval-will-never-happen-1b7b05b83f88 | ['Insights Network', 'Instar'] | 2019-10-16 20:08:47.407000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin News', 'Cryptocurrency Investment', 'Etf', 'Bitcoin', 'Cryptocurrency'] |
XDCE Token Goes Live on Exchanges like Bancor, KoinOK, Alphaex, Forkdelta & Etherflyer Opens 20% Above the Token Contribution Price | from Media Release | 20 March 2018
Singapore, March 20, 2018 — Singapore based Blockchain Technology Company, XinFin that focuses on blockchain protocol development to power larger enterprises to create real-world use cases by tokenizing various physical assets and powering a global peer-to-peer trade and finance platform called tradefinex.org has successfully conducted its initial coin offering (ICO) recently. The company raised $15 million USD equivalent digital assets, which is a sign of great confidence from global user base towards the fastest growing blockchain based ecosystem.
XinFin’s Co-Founder, Peter Yeo said:
“We are really excited to announce that within a week of initial offering our Utility token XDCE is now available for trading on various public exchanges like Bancor.network (https://www.bancor.network/), Koinok.com (https://www.koinok.com/), Alphaex.net (https://alphaex.net/), Forkdelta https://forkdelta.github.io/ and Etherflyer.com https://www.etherflyer.com/. This will make it effortless for our users to convert their utility tokens, providing them with continuous liquidity not even against Bitcoin, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash and Ethereum but also against local fiat currency. We will keep adding more exchanges to get more flexibility and demonstrate real world use cases with various government and Institutions using XDC utility token”
XinFin’s protocol XDC01 powers Tradefinex.org platform which caters to small farmers, individuals or small businesses worldwide that remain unbanked due to lack of financial setup and remote locations. These deserving populations are either denied loans by traditional banks or have to undergo expensive ‘centralized’ banking procedures. XinFin’s financial mechanism called TradeFinex enables buyers secure capital at globally competitive rates, gives suppliers visibility on global tenders & customer base and provides financiers real-time visibility on their investments. Cross-border trade finance is of the prominent use-cases of XDC catering to $27 Trillion of the global market. XinFin is currently working on several industrial projects in Banking, Solar, Tourism, Aviation, Supply Chain Logistics etc. and deploying customized solutions across business process re-engineering, supply chain, financing, procurement, reconciliation, settlement and more.
The XinFin ecosystem will support price stability of FIAT currencies, upcoming national cryptocurrencies and existing cryptocurrencies through monitoring activities like KYC, AML on TradeFinex platform. XinFin will seek necessary KYC, AML information from the entities that use the XDC platform and will collaborate with them to re-engineer their compliance process using blockchain technology to drive further efficiencies.
Peter Yeo added:
“Unlike Bitcoin and Ethereum, XinFin comes with a Hedge Pool functionality which will protect its participants from fluctuations in the XDC token price at the time of procurement and settlement. Participants get payment as per the agreed FIAT currency value irrespective of volatility. Secure and auditable smart contracting standardizes fiduciary use cases by re-engineering and automating traditional lending and trade finance. Underlying digital tokens can be liquidated against FIAT currencies or other cryptocurrencies.”
XinFin hybrid network runs on a delegated proof of stake consensus between trusted master nodes and is powered by its next-generation digital token called XDC which also acts as the underlying fuel without using high energy and hash power making XDC as Green utility Coin. IoT atop XDC protocol allows real-time data to be uploaded on the blockchain. XDC01 protocol is a regulatory compliance which makes XinFin utility tokens very appropriate for trade and finance. It works as a messaging and confirmation layer for domestic and cross-border approved payment. Approved financial institutions can use XDC token as a payment and settlement layer which makes it sector agnostic.
About XinFin
XinFin (http://www.xinfin.io) is a Blockchain technology company that has built enterprise friendly Hybrid Blockchain and platform for international trade and finance. XinFin launched TradeFinex at Assocham (http://www.assocham.org) in Asia and extended the platform to over 450,000 participating enterprise members. Ramco systems (http://www.ramco.com), part of global $1 Billion conglomerates has chosen XinFin to deploy blockchain solutions for 500+ of its clients in Aviation, Supply Chain and HR.
Follow XinFin on Twitter (@XinFinF), on Telegram (https://t.me/xinfintalk) and on Slack (https://xinfin-public.slack.com/). Check out their latest video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-tHZkV6zAs) and whitepapers (http://www.xinfin.org/white-paper/) here.
Visit exchanges here:
Bancor: https://www.bancor.network/
Alphaex: https://alphaex.net/
KoinOK: https://www.koinok.com/
ForkDelta: https://forkdelta.github.io/
EtherFlyer: https://www.etherflyer.com/
Images courtesy of XinFin | https://medium.com/xinfin/xdce-token-goes-live-on-exchanges-like-bancor-koinok-alphaex-forkdelta-etherflyer-opens-20-2608a562f4bc | ['Xinfin Team'] | 2018-10-22 22:35:51.067000+00:00 | ['Bitcoin', 'Media', 'Xinfin'] |
Are We Losing Our Religion? | Are We Losing Our Religion?
A review of Losing Our Religion by Graham Lawton, that appeared in New Scientist Magazine, April 2014. Fred Pearl Feb 20, 2020·5 min read
Secularism on the Rise
“The human mind is primed to believe in god, so why are so many people abandoning religion — and should we be worried about living in an atheist world”
The quote above is the subtitle for an article that first appeared in April 2014
The quote above is the subtitle for an article that first appeared in the April 2014 issue of New Scientist Magazine. The article, Losing Our Religion by Graham Lawton suggests that even as atheism and secularism are on the rise, religion and spiritual belief are in a global decline.
So, why am I reviewing an article in 2020 that was written 6 years ago in New Scientist? Because it is included in the 42nd edition of Elvio Angeloni’s Anthropology Annual Editions (McGraw Hill, 2019). AnnualmEditions is supposed to present accessible articles from periodicals written by experts in their fields on issues important to students today.
I had to bite my tongue a little as I read Lawton’s sociological analysis of the rise of atheism and the demise of religion. It’s certainly not Lawton’s fault that he’s a sociologist, but I wonder whether there is a dearth of anthropologists for Angeloni to draw from for his annual compilation. It’s unusual for an anthropologist to rely so heavily on survey data to answer big questions. Anthropologists prefer to focus on smaller-scale issues that can be studied by participant observation.
As an anthropologist I was tipped early that there might be a problem when the author described his own Sunday “church” service at a self-proclaimed “godless congregation” founded by two well-known comedians in London in 2013.
I would say there’s nothing wrong with being a member of the Sunday Assembly, but starting off the article with a discussion of your minority cultural group is a good indication that you might have an agenda of promotion and legitimization. This way of operating is rooted out of student anthropologists in their very first introductory anthropology course, when they are taught that exhibiting such ethnocentrism is in poor taste and a recipe for unprofessional results.
The authors early argument is that atheism and secularism are on the rise — a claim that must be readily apparent from the floor of the Sunday Assembly. He states:
“A decade ago less than three-quarters of the world’s population identified themselves as religious. Today less than 60% do… Some of the biggest declines have been seen in countries where religion once seemed part of the future… In 2005, 69 percent of people [in Ireland] said they were religious; now only 47 percent do.”
I’m not sure where these statistics are coming from, but any introductory college student knows you need a citation there. But, let’s return to that momentarily.
On The Demise of Religious Thought
In the late 18th/early 19th century, the eminent sociologist Emille Durkheim, expected that a rise in scientific thinking would eventually lead to an erosion of religious thought. My recollection is that Durkheim saw the complexity of religion as unsustainable once the secular state replaced religious ones in the 18th centuries (Durkheim 1912, On the Division of Social Labour). However, his predictions for the demise of religion were premature.
Remember from our discussion of Malinowski on science and religion that science, or profane knowledge, is not in opposition to belief, or sacred knowledge, but rather, is complimentary to it. Malinowski’s examples of Trobriand magic showed the inadequacy of Durkheim’s kind of sociological thinking, at least as it applied to the abandonment of religious thought. He showed that all societies, no matter how small, large, advanced, or primitive, have knowledge domains that include both science (profane knowledge) and religious belief (sacred knowledge)
For the last twenty or thirty years my common sense tells me that two trends are seen with regard to religiousness in western society: First, there has been an increase in secularism; and second, there has been a concurrent rise in religious fundamentalism.
Graham Lawton, from his vantage-point in the U.K. sees principally a rise of secularism. From my vantage point in the American south (south and east Texas) I see a pronounced rise in fundamentalism — especially since the beginning of the Trump era (2016-present). One could, of course, argue that this “rise” is nothing more than the “silent majority” coming out from hiding because they see in Trump a champion — even if his personal moral code does not live up to their standards.
However, the global rise in fundamentalism began long before Trump’s presidency was on the horizon.
Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project
Back to the survey — Perhaps the data comes from the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project.
According to this 2010 data, only 16.4% of the world’s population identifies as “unaffiliated” with reference to religion (/religions/unaffiliated), only a portion of whom are atheist on agnostic. Many of the religiously unaffiliated in the survey still hold religious or spiritual beliefs.
According to the Pew-Templeton predictive model, the religiously unaffiliated will increase in number from 1.13 billion in 2010 to over 1.2 billion in 2050. As a percentage of the total population, however, this represents a decline from 16.4 percent of the world’s population to just a little over 13.2 percent.
Religious Affiliation in 2010
Religious affiliation in 2050
So, is the world losing its religion? Probably not. Is it easy to come to that belief while living in the U.K, one of the least religious countries in the world? Definitely. | https://medium.com/@fpearl/is-the-world-losing-its-religion-23f1c117c7f2 | ['Fred Pearl'] | 2020-02-20 23:52:40.777000+00:00 | ['Religion', 'Atheism', 'Anthropology', 'Religion And Spirituality'] |
The Remarkably Simple Way to Brainstorm New Business Ideas | How to Brainstorm Business Ideas
We shouldn’t take a scattershot approach by starting with a murky goal in mind like most of us do. It reminds me of the startup days when clueless heads of every department would sit around a conference table eating bagels and drinking coffee while arguing over the direction a project should take.
According to Professor Ralph Keeney, from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, who wrote a paper about decision analysis, we should break brainstorming up into four steps.
Step 1: Layout the problem
Before you try to come up with solutions, you better know what the problems are. So in the case of coming up with a business idea, you want to outline all the needs and wants that a business should solve.
In the case of my wife and me, our list was simple. The business we start must:
Have low startup costs
Operate in profit within a few months
Be a product, not a service
Be something that both my wife and I could do together
Incorporate our hobbies and interests, so we could enjoy what we were doing
Use the knowledge and experience we already have to ensure the business was successful
Take the pandemic into account, because not every business will work in the new normal we live in now
Have customers already willing to buy
Have low marketing costs
Not be labor-intensive
It may seem like a big list and too much to ask for, but we stayed positive and molded these problems into an image of a solution we wanted in our mind.
Step 2: Identify the objectives of a possible solution
Come up with as much detail as you can about a possible solution to your list of problems, or in our case, needs and wants:
We knew we could save money if we started something that involved a hobby we already had. We could save more if in manufacturing the product could use skills we already possessed and didn’t have to pay someone else to do the work. We would also conduct all business in our home, so we didn’t have to rent another location to do business.
Use our knowledge of local Facebook groups and bartering networks to our advantage instead of paying for marketing. We would use social media instead of advertising or paying for a retail location with lots of foot traffic.
Working from home and including our kids in the business would not only teach them valuable lessons but ensure that we would have time to spend working on our business.
Rely on word of mouth from our family here in the Philippines to get the word out about our product.
We knew we could save a lot of money if we used our heads and thought about what we already had that people around us needed and wanted right now.
Step 3: Find solutions individually
After a lot of talking and going over options, my wife and I went our separate ways and started ruminating. I must have come up with a hundred ideas, but only a few of them were worthwhile.
My wife stressed about the whole thing a lot less than I did, and that is why she came up with the idea. They say “a watched pot never boils,” and if you are always racking your brain about the problem, your mind will never have time to be creative.
Ease up on yourself and forget about the problem for a while. It may be that the solution will pop in your head.
Now, if you are alone in brainstorming, you can stop on this step, but if you are part of a group like we were, now is the time to come together.
Step 4: Work on a solution as a team
After my wife, Flora, dropped the idea we started working together on it. I have been trying for years to get her interested in working on something with me, and all it took was some creative brainstorming to find an idea we both want to do.
When you come together as a group, don’t anchor on one thing too much. In the case of Flora and I, we sent texts back and forth all day, coming up with new ideas to support her main idea, and kept it very loose.
Now, we have a plan that is much better than anything I’ve ever thought of on my own, and we are starting work on building our new business. | https://jasonjamesweiland.medium.com/the-remarkably-simple-way-to-brainstorm-new-business-ideas-4c26bc03bebb | ['Jason Weiland'] | 2020-07-07 02:48:06.025000+00:00 | ['Entrepreneurship', 'Creativity', 'Marketing', 'Business', 'Startup'] |
Behind “Prom King”: On Journalism and Advocacy with Sophia Nahli Allison | “I know for a fact that I am a human first and storyteller and documentarian second.” — Sophia Nahli Allison
Sophia Nahli Allison captured our hearts with her story of North Carolina transgender teen, Jermanni. She followed Jermanni’s attempts to run for prom king at his conservative high school, where administrators told him if he wanted to qualify for prom court, it would have to be as prom queen.
In her five-minute documentary, which she displays on promkingnc.com alongside resources for transgender youth, Sophia chronicled the challenges of following Jermanni, as school administrators attempted to block the sharing of his story.
Speaking with ViewFind, Sophia confided her conflict between journalistic boundaries and human rights advocacy, recalling how she had to refuse Jermanni a ride to prom, but picked him up from the dance after cameras stopped rolling. — Michelle Robertson
Michelle Robertson: Why did you become a documentary filmmaker ?
Sophia Nahli Allison: I grew up in a family full of art and music, and we lived in South Central [Los Angeles], so I really fell in love with community-based stories and what it meant to tell stories of marginalized communities.
My passion is telling stories that focus around people of color, the LGBTQ community and youth. I try to show positive stories that really empower them and create a platform for their voices to be heard, breaking away from stereotypes, making sure I don’t add negative stereotypes into an industry that has had a lot of privilege.
What spurred this particular story, and how did you meet Jermanni?
With this project, I went into it thinking it would be a happy story. I really wanted to tell a story about LGBTQ youth getting ready for prom.
I reached out to a lot of different organizations and finally, a place called QORDS (Queer Orientated Radical Days of Summer) — an amazing camp for queer and gender non-conforming trans youth — connected me to Jermanni.
We both thought he was going to be able to run for prom king. I thought the school was supportive. Little by little I started losing access with the school. The assistant principal would not speak to me because he was a minor, and then a couple of days later, he was told he could no longer run for prom king. That’s when I realized that my role in this was completely switching.
I realized, when something like this happens, that’s when people need to hear about it.
“My passion is telling stories that focus around people of color, the LGBTQ community and youth.”
Did Jermanni go to prom? How was it?
He took a taxi to prom, went by himself. Actually I picked him up from prom because he did not have a ride. I explained to him why I could not take him to prom. I said, if I take you, I am changing the story, and though I’d love to take you, there are guidelines I have to follow as a journalist. If I take you to prom, I am the reason you’re going to prom and I’m changing the outcome of the story.
I didn’t have a problem picking him up. The story was over at that point.
Photo by Sophia Nahli Allison
I’m interested in the boundaries of the photojournalist. On the one hand, journalists must be objective. And on the other hand, no — you have this platform and you have to use it to create viable social change. You spoke to stepping back as a strictly objective journalist to become more of an advocate. How did you grapple with these roles?
From undergrad, you’re taught that you’re objective. You’re supposed to be on the sidelines and document what is happening. But I think that’s such BS; you can’t do that. If you’re in the industry, you’re in it because you care and because you know right from wrong. I’m not losing my objectivity by saying it’s wrong to discriminate. I think that’s just common sense and human nature.
I didn’t ever want my involvement in my story to change the outcome. So it was also that fine line of how do you make sure you get involved without changing the story, but at the same time, realizing Jermanni didn’t have support from home or support from school.
“If you’re in the industry, you’re in it because you care and because you just know right from wrong.”
Myself as an adult…I just couldn’t let that happen to a young person. I’ve worked teaching youth before, and I just care so much about young people having autonomy and having that freedom over their self-expression and understanding that their voice matters. As an adult I just couldn’t stand by and act like I was a documentary filmmaker.
I know for a fact that I am a human first and storyteller and documentarian second. We’re taught we have to be objective and stand on the sideline, but I think the only way we can really see change is when we get involved and we’re more than just a person with a camera. | https://medium.com/vantage/behind-the-prom-king-on-journalism-and-advocacy-8d376b86e358 | [] | 2016-06-28 17:02:28.448000+00:00 | ['Documentary', 'Photojournalism', 'LGBTQ', 'Transgender', 'Activism'] |
How is Quora helpful in digital marketing? | The reasons for how Quora is helpful in your digital marketing
Quora has a very clear overview from other question and answer forums. Because it’s highly monitored and standard content deliverance. The profiles of the users are strictly verified and content is routinely checked for quality. And it can help you to increase awareness of your brand, increase traffic to your site and even generate leads. Let’s see the 7 essential keys why you have to use Quora for marketing.
1. It Helps Your Consumers Find and study Your Brand
The biggest advantage Quora offers is that it’s made from an outsized community. It is only built on trust and whose members believe one another for information. Once you provide informative answers to questions users post, you are increasing the credibility of your brand. Quora allows you to interact in meaningful conversations together with your audience and establish your brand as an expert in your field.
2. It Can Improve Your Search Result Rankings
Google search results often include Quora posts for users questions among its highest ranking sites. This makes Quora a strong SEO tool to drive organic traffic to your site. You’ll even increase your chances of exposure within the top results. By using important keywords with the help of keyword research tools exposure increases. But, you would like to form sure your content has relevancy . Dropping keywords with abandon and speaking about your brand with little. There is no connection to the particular question and will decrease your chances of exposure in search results.
3. It Helps you discover Crucial Influencers
One of the most important digital marketing trends this year has been the growing importance of influencer marketing. If you’re struggling to seek out key influencers for your brand, Quora might be an excellent resource. There are many users who are identified as key contributors by Quora due to their informative answers. Users rely the foremost on these key contributors because they need to establish their credibility. You’ll engage with these contributors by answering their questions or by providing comments to their answers. You’ll even bend them and ask if they might have an interest in helping you promote your brand.
4. It Can assist you Market Your Content
You can use Quora to crowd-source information for your article. you’ll mention that you’re writing a blog on ‘How to enhance SEO Rankings’ and ask users for his or her recommendations on the topic . When users desire they need contributed to a blog post, they’re going to even be more likely to share it themselves.
5. It Helps You Gain Insights into Your audience
If a variety of individuals are asking questions on an equal problem, can your brand be the answer to it? Questions (and their answers) are great ways to find out more about your customers, the way they think, what they use and what they have . By catering to their problems, your brand can still stay relevant.
6. It Can assist you Come Up With Content Ideas
If you’re stumped for brand spanking new content ideas, trawling through Quora can assist you ideate. an honest blog post must provide answers to relevant questions anyway so what better place to seek out these questions that Quora?
For instance , if a variety of individuals are asking, ‘How do I increase my Instagram engagement?’ then you immediately have a thought for a relevant blog post.
7. It Can assist you Establish Thought Leadership
Thought leadership may be a coveted badge every marketer wants for his or her brand. Building thought leadership can take a while , but the payoff makes it all worthwhile . one of the simplest ways to determine thought leadership is through Quora.
You’re demonstrating the extensive knowledge you’ve got on the topic . Many brands struggle with building thought leadership because they don’t have the skills to steer a conversation within the direction of their brand’s offerings. Quora saves you the difficulty because the conversation already exists; you only got to contribute thereto .
No marketer can afford to ignore Quora if they need to build their brand’s digital presence. Quora is even more essential when it involves marketing for a start-up because it helps new consumers encounter your brand. | https://medium.com/@theadmi-official/how-is-quora-helpful-in-digital-marketing-bf72183abaac | [] | 2020-12-22 13:39:32.611000+00:00 | ['Digitalmarketing Services', 'Digital Marketing', 'Marketing', 'Online Marketing', 'Quora'] |
What’s “Unselfing” All About? | Murdoch and Literature
Murdoch wrote a number of novels in which relationships and their consequences are explored. In one of her novels, The Bell, which centers around a country house called Imber Court, where a small Anglican religious community live in (apparent) harmony. Imber Court lies next to Imber Abbey, a convent of Benedictine nuns who are cloistered from the external world. Michael Meade leads the congregation of lay people.
Meade, it is later revealed, is a gay man who has never managed to reconcile his faith and his sexuality. He chose the former over the latter. In the end, he realizes that the two aspects of his identity can live in harmony. The community dissolves, and he lives in the Court with Dora, a young woman who is married to the troublesome and selfish Paul. At the beginning of the novel, she has left Paul (a historian, who has joined Imber Court in order to study the abbey), but Paul entices her back to the Court to work on their marriage. At the end of the novel, Michael and Dora live together in peaceful co-existence; here, Murdoch appeals to love.
‘Love is the extremely difficult realisation that something other than oneself is real. Love, and so art and morals, is the discovery of reality.’
Michael loves Dora, and Dora loves Michael; it’s a platonic love. It’s not, and never will be, a romantic love. But they understand each other, and value each other. Dora’s husband Paul loves what he wants Dora to be. Michael accepts Dora as she is, but pushes her to better herself — he teaches her to swim, for example.
The experience between Micheal and Dora is mirrored when we connect with literature at large. It’s important to note that this isn’t an experience we have when we read all literature. Reading a trashy romance won’t take you outside of yourself. But reading something that beautifully depicts the lived realities of other people takes you outside of yourself. Sartre also draws on this in his discussion of a ‘double, simultaneous postulation’. This is the notion that a passage in a work of literature can speak to two different groups of people at the same time.
A white person reading Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, reads a story about someone with completely different life experiences to him. He has never faced prejudice due to the colour of his skin; whereas a black person who is a contemporary of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s reads the story and recognizes their own struggle in Tom’s. A white person has no experience of this struggle, but they learn a little of what it is to have faced such prejudice. They start to realize that there is a reality outside of their own. The same passage connects with two different groups of people in an entirely different way.
Knowledge
For Murdoch, the knowledge that unselfing brings us is a different kind to the kind of knowledge we garner when we learn how to solve a maths problem, for example.
Philosophers have identified different types of knowledge, and what constitutes knowledge. For some, knowledge is a ‘justified true belief’. Others talk about self-knowledge; the kind of information we have about our own mental states. There’s also scientific knowledge, and situated knowledge.
One thought experiment that’s been particularly influential in the philosophy of mind is ‘Mary the Scientist’. This is a thought experiment first proposed by Frank Jackson in his article “Epiphenomenal Qualia” (1982) and extended in “What Mary Didn’t Know” (1986).
“Mary is a brilliant scientist who is, for whatever reason, forced to investigate the world from a black and white room via a black and white television monitor. She specializes in the neurophysiology of vision and acquires, let us suppose, all the physical information there is to obtain about what goes on when we see ripe tomatoes, or the sky, and use terms like ‘red’, ‘blue’, and so on. She discovers, for example, just which wavelength combinations from the sky stimulate the retina, and exactly how this produces via the central nervous system the contraction of the vocal chords and expulsion of air from the lungs that results in the uttering of the sentence ‘The sky is blue’.… What will happen when Mary is released from her black and white room or is given a color television monitor? Will she learn anything or not? It seems just obvious that she will learn something about the world and our visual experience of it. But then is it inescapable that her previous knowledge was incomplete. But she had all the physical information. Ergo there is more to have than that, and Physicalism is false.”
The Knowledge Argument was used by Jackson to try to show that Physicalism (the view that everything in the world is physical) is false. But it appears to introduce a different kind of knowledge — a kind based on feelings and experience. This is the kind of thing Murdoch is talking about. She’s referring to a kind of knowledge that we struggle to put into words.
It’s the knowledge Murdoch refers to in The Bell, the kind of knowledge of something outside of our immediate periphery. It’s the knowledge of someone else’s reality. Murdoch thinks that love can do this — but that literature, too, can transport us outside of ourselves. A good novel should make me understand a little of what it’s like to be someone else. This is central to the “unselfing” process. Understanding other people’s lived realities enrich our own lives, and it also enhances our relationships with others. For when we look outside ourselves, we understand others. | https://medium.com/the-apeiron-blog/whats-unselfing-all-about-d947c9df0e72 | ['Lizzie Bestow'] | 2020-09-13 09:01:02.064000+00:00 | ['Literature', 'Writing', 'Writer', 'Philosophy', 'Life'] |
8 Great Ideas for Programming Projects That People Will Use | 8 Great Ideas for Programming Projects That People Will Use
Make a big difference with a little software
Photo by Simon Abrams on Unsplash
Two trends are becoming increasingly apparent in the software development world.
It is becoming easier by the day to build a software product.
The number of people in search of ideas for those software products is increasing.
With the advent of no-code solutions and the hacker/maker movement, we, more than ever, are recognizing the power of being able to idealize, build, and ship a product that can impact more people than ever in history.
Having a CS degree or knowing a programming language is becoming less of a factor in what you can accomplish with software, so it’s only natural that more people want to try their hand in building something with these technologies. Since you’re at it, why not consider a solution for somebody else’s problems?
When I published the 12 Great Ideas for Programming Projects That People Will Use article, I became even more convinced that people were clamoring for this type of quick start.
The feedback I received was incredible, and I knew I had to find another batch of ideas at least as good as the ones in that article.
The search is over and here they are.
Note: The illustrations in this article are free at manypixels. | https://medium.com/better-programming/8-more-great-ideas-for-programming-projects-that-people-will-use-3e236d145aa1 | ['Filipe Silva'] | 2020-07-06 21:22:09.981000+00:00 | ['Programming', 'Startup', 'Software Development', 'Inspiration', 'JavaScript'] |
Predicting E-Commerce User Ratings using Pipelines in Python | As per the flow diagram, let us have an idea of the skeletal functionality of Pipeline followed by a brief explanation of the different step-wise tasks it harbors.
The skeletal framework of how pipeline has been used in our case is observed in the code below:
from sklearn.pipeline import Pipeline
pipeline=Pipeline([('bow',CountVectorizer(analyzer=myfunc).fit(Reviews['Review Text'])),
('tfidf',TfidfTransformer()),
('classifier',MultinomialNB())
])
// Execute the above block of code after importing the libraries required for carrying out the task of the pipeline successfully, which is observed in the next block of code.
[9]
The pipeline shown above performs the operations of: Removing stopwords and punctuations, obtaining a bag-of-words, applying TF-IDF vectorization followed by the application of a machine learning model of your choice. Let us go through the meanings of the different terms observed in the pipeline.
Stopwords: These are the English words in a sentence which can safely be ignored without sacrificing the meaning of the sentence. For example, words like: “the”, ”he”, ”have” etc. Even with respect to the Kaggle dataset, the previously mentioned words will have no impact on predicting whether the rating associated with a specific review text is either ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
Punctuation: Since we are concerned with converting text data into vectors for prediction analysis, it is absolutely necessary to remove any punctuations that may be present in a review given by a user.
The bag-of-words model is a simplifying representation used in natural language processing and information retrieval (IR). In this model, a text (such as a sentence or a document) is represented as the bag (multiset) of its words, disregarding grammar and even word order but keeping multiplicity. In order to obtain a bag-of-words, we first need to perform cleaning of text data by removing StopWords and punctuations.
Text preprocessing, filtering of stopwords and punctuations are all covered in CountVectorizer, which builds a dictionary of features and transforms documents to feature vectors. CountVectorizer only counts the number of times a word appears in a document which often results in biasing in favour of most frequent words which thereby leads to ignoring rare words which could have helped in processing the data more efficiently [9]. To overcome this, we use TfidfTransformer. TF-IDF is a measure of a word by comparing the number of times a word appears in a document with the number of documents the word appears in. The ‘TF’ in TF-IDF refers to ‘Term Frequency’, which enlists the number of times the words present in the entire dataset occur in the different sentences. The ‘IDF’ refers to ‘Inverse Document Frequency’, the aim of it being to reflect the importance of a word in a document in a collection or corpus.
An important thing to note down in case one gets confused is that Pipeline performs sequential execution of operations. As can be seen in the Pipeline function, the tasks of CountVectorizer and TfidfTransformer can be successfully achieved in just two lines of code. The classifier step is purely for the classification model you wish to apply to the data.
We import the necessary libraries and ML models as follows:
//first import these before executing the pipeline step
from sklearn.feature_extraction.text import CountVectorizer
from sklearn.feature_extraction.text import TfidfTransformer
from sklearn.naive_bayes import MultinomialNB
from sklearn.neighbors import KNeighborsClassifier
from sklearn.linear_model import LogisticRegression
from sklearn.svm import SVC
from sklearn.model_selection import GridSearchCV
[6]
One may ask the purpose of the ‘analyzer’ parameter of the CountVectorizer step of the Pipeline. It gives a call to a function named ‘myfunc’ which, similar to the role of a called function in a lambda expression, is applied to a specific column ‘Review Text’, with the task being the removal of StopWords and punctuations. The function and it’s working are as follows:
def myfunc(punc):
ml1=[]
for i in punc:
if i not in string.punctuation:
ml1.append(i)
ml2=''.join(ml1)
ml2=ml2.split()
i=0
while i<len(ml2):
if ml2[i].lower() in stopwords.words('english'):
del ml2[i]
else:
i=i+1
continue
return ml2
[7]
Working of ‘myfunc’:
Let us take a sample sentence into consideration to understand how text cleaning is performed. Considering the following sentence: “It is, horizontal problem”. It is noticeable that the sentence comprises of 2 StopWords and 1 punctuation. The above mentioned function, using a for loop, first checks whether the element iterated upon is a punctuation or not. If the element is not a punctuation, it is appended to a list ‘ml1’. If it happens to be a punctuation, it is simply ignored. The list ‘ml1’ now comprises of only words in a sentence. The contents of ‘ml1’ are now added to ml2. Following the execution of the while loop, ‘ml2’ will now return text data comprising of neither the StopWords nor the punctuations, hence, data cleaning has been successful and the resulting words are ready for Count Vectorization.
The pipeline function in fig. 2 encompasses the MultinomialNB model only. Changes can be made to accommodate other models. Firstly, we need to split the ‘Review Text’ column data into training and testing data (‘X’ column), with the same being implemented on our target prediction column i.e., ‘Good/Bad’.
X=Reviews['Review Text']
y=Reviews['Good/Bad']
X_train,X_test,y_train,y_test=train_test_split(X,y,test_size=0.3)
[8]
This is then followed by fitting the training-testing data, prediction, and finally a classification report is generated which provides the different metrics on the basis of the model used.
pipeline.fit(X_train['Review Text'],y_train)
predictions=pipeline.predict(X_test['Review Text'])
from sklearn.metrics import classification_report
print(classification_report(y_test,predictions))
[10]
Classification report for Multinomial Naive Bayes Model
Other Models:
I. K-Nearest Neighbors: The changes required for successful execution of this model would only be required in the pipeline code as follows:
pipeline=Pipeline([('bow',CountVectorizer(analyzer=myfunc).fit(Reviews['Review Text'])),
('tfidf',TfidfTransformer()),
('classifier',KNeighborsClassifier(n_neighbors=5))
])
This all the other blocks of code remain the same.
II. Logistic Regression: Only change for LR model can be observed below:
pipeline=Pipeline([('bow',CountVectorizer(analyzer=myfunc).fit(Reviews['Review Text'])),
('tfidf',TfidfTransformer()),
('classifier',LogisticRegression())
])
III. SVM: For Support Vector Machine model, before pipeline, you will need to execute the following code:
param_grid = {'C': [0.1,1, 10, 100, 1000], 'gamma': [1,0.1,0.01,0.001,0.0001], 'kernel': ['rbf']}
This can then be followed by the pipeline function:
pipeline=Pipeline([('bow',CountVectorizer(analyzer=myfunc).fit(Reviews['Review Text'])),
('tfidf',TfidfTransformer()),
('classifier',GridSearchCV(SVC(),param_grid,refit=True,verbose=3))
])
The metric analysis of the 4 models used after obtaining the classification report of each model can be summarized in the figure below: | https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/predicting-e-commerce-user-ratings-using-pipelines-in-python-715c611f1ce2 | ['Mohammed Kamil Khan'] | 2020-12-29 17:09:28.948000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Data Processing', 'Naturallanguageprocessing', 'Deployment Pipelines'] |
Unity Consciousness Bindrune | On my Youtube series, Somewhat Daily Tarot and Rune, I’ve noticed a trend with the cards and runes toward a rejection of self-imposed division and a return to unity consciousness. It feels like folks are simply tired of the conflict and they’re beginning to question the narrative offered by our Divider-in-Chief. Friends, co-workers, and families have been at odds with each other long enough and some reconciliation would be nice.
As I’ve suggested during the readings, we don’t have to always agree or even like each other to unite in a shared purpose. And if the cards and runes are any indication, they appear to suggest that we should rise above our disagreements and carry on together. It may not make the current occupant of the White House happy, but it doesn’t feel like humanity can take anymore. Not if we expect to resolve this self-imposed division.
Now, it may seem odd to consider this division to be self-imposed, but every time we choose one thing or another, the consequences are essentially self-imposed by the choice that we made. The consequences may be unavoidable or unforeseen, but if we’re involved in the choice, then we play a part in the whole experience. We may be tempted to point the finger at an instigator, but that’s fair only to a point. Eventually, we need to realize that we bought in or otherwise aligned with the perception offered by said instigator. We need to own it and then make another choice which appears to be the new direction the readings over at Somewhat Daily Tarot and Rune are describing.
Given my love for bindrunes, I thought I would create one as a focus in trancework for unity consciousness. Change can be difficult and with the endless reinforcement for division that so many of us are experiencing, going within to find the truth may be necessary. As always, I set my intention, reached into the rune bag and began allowing the runes to fall through my fingers until a final rune is left. I repeated this process three more times for a total of four runes for this bindrune. Five is my typical limit but it felt right to end with four. So, let’s take a look at each rune.
Beginning at the lower left and moving deocil (clockwise) around the bindrune, Uruz, the second rune from the Elder Futhark, provides the impetus for the bindrune as the force behind manifested form. Here, we create the foundation for change, in this case, a return to unity consciousness. Because, in truth, that’s what this is, a return to who we are as aspects of the Creator manifested into form. Uruz, then, is the originating thought from which the intention is cast, primal, courageous, and strong. This rune of changes removes all self-doubt and fosters healing both within and without.
Thurisaz, the third rune of the Elder Futhark appears next providing the energy for new beginnings, bringing into control chaotic energy, behavior, and perception. Resembling the thorn, Thurisaz is also regarded as Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir as it breaks through situations that are difficult or out-of-control, transmuting fear-based response into Source-based vision. Catalytic in nature, Thurisaz renders enemies harmless, fostering instead harmony and unity with others.
With its antlers pointing to Spirit, Algiz, the elk and the fifteenth rune of the Elder Futhark, provides a connection with the Higher Self ensuring safety and protection from harm. With this energy, we experience the truth of the greater unified presence within which our collective consciousness resides. Algiz promotes harmony and peace within and with others and as a representation of the BiFrost bridge between physical and non-physical form, provides the direction for our return to unity consciousness.
Finally, I drew Mannaz, the twentieth rune of the Elder Futhark, representing the fragility of humanity. With this rune, we define our humanity as Spirit-based with love, fellowship, and joy as our foundation. Mannaz fosters integration and a soul-level or psychic harmony with others, strengthening and reinforcing partnerships of all kinds. With Mannaz, we align intuition with the rational mind, as we let go with intention all conflict that is illusory and beneficial to no one but the individual at the heart of the conflict.
I began drawing the bindrune by observing each rune and then noticing the initial pattern with Mannaz. Mannaz incorporates Wunjo forward and reversed illustrating the inward and outward nature of joy and harmony as well as Gebo in the center indicating balanced energy exchange with others. With that balanced exchange as my premise, I decided to utilize Thurisaz, Uruz, and Algiz in a dual or multiple fashion to illustrate both the diversity found within unity consciousness as well as the balanced polarity within and between Spirit and ego (form).
I drew Mannaz first, and then extended the outside lines to create Thurisaz, forward and reversed. By adding a small line in the center, I was able to include Uruz, forward and reversed as well. From there, I extended the X in the center of Mannaz ( Gebo — balanced energy exchange) to create one of the antlers for Algiz on each corner, drawing the third antler to complete the rune. From there, I drew a circle around the bindrune and added four crescent moons representing change and transformation.
I used a round piece of birch that my husband cut for me to burn in the sigil and centered the bindrune in the darker area of the wood. After blessing and consecrating the bindrune, it’s now ready for use in trancework or to carry as a talisman to foster unity consciousness with others.
You know, it’s like we’re in a tornado of sorts, unable to gain any clarity while the winds blow and the rain falls. The thing is, we cannot continue this way. The stress alone is simply too much to bear and many people are reporting stress-related health problems. And that’s the last thing anyone needs when our health insurance is being threatened on a daily basis.
Combining runic energies together in this fashion creates a powerful form of magick. It blesses us all and creates the space for a return to unity consciousness, our natural state of Source Presence that forever beckons us home. Held in the hand, allow its resonance to wash your soul clean of all division and chaos. Our division is an illusion anyway. It always has been. Allow yourself to know that truth.
Blessings to all! | https://janerickson.medium.com/unity-consciousness-bindrune-dd5cb8dc5988 | ['Jan Erickson'] | 2019-08-03 04:21:57.180000+00:00 | ['Witchcraft', 'Witch', 'Unity Consciousness', 'Rune Magick', 'Bindrune'] |
The Positive Emotional Impact of Sad Music | A newly published study revealed a surprising outcome: das music can have a positive impact on our emotions…
Music-evoked sadness can be appreciated not only as an aesthetic, abstract reward, but (it) also plays a role in well-being, by providing consolation as well as regulating negative moods and emotions.
I am going to listen to some Gorecki — Sorrowful Songs now…
Via [Pacific Standard] | https://medium.com/fifth-music/the-positive-emotional-impact-of-sad-music-3198f19edf4d | ['Matthias Hacksteiner'] | 2017-01-12 18:02:54.062000+00:00 | ['Music', 'Science'] |
Life Is Beautiful, Enjoy It | To have a beautiful life, you need to build daily with love
Photo by David Veksler on Unsplash
POETRY SUNDAY
Life is beautiful if you want it to be so
You are given a life to nurture as in a garden
What you plant depends on your volition
And the amount of work you are willing to put
Life is beautiful if you want it to be so
You are given a spirit to forgive and pardon
What you see in others is your own admission
And the amount of work you are willing to put.
Life is beautiful if you want it to be so
You are given a spirit of love and laughter
What you see in others is your own disaster
As you are not willing to put love in your life.
Life is beautiful if you want it to be so
You are given a spirit of sacrifice and patience
To live an enduring life of grace and forgiveness
So that you can have a beautiful life to enjoy.
Life is beautiful, enjoy it | https://medium.com/spiritual-secrets/life-is-beautiful-enjoy-it-41ee3e76cd39 | ['Lanu Pitan'] | 2020-10-11 15:01:02.517000+00:00 | ['Spirituality', 'Life Lessons', 'Poetry On Medium', 'Poetry Sunday', 'Spiritual Secrets'] |
Contribute | 1. What We Love
Your first step in understanding our publication is to read and really study some of the top articles in each of our topical categories (visit the Well Woman homepage, and visit each of the tabs). In general, we hope that your story will fit into one of our main categories. By using these tags, your story will also show up on the associated topic page:
Health
Science
Expert Interviews
Spirit
Productivity
Success (may include entrepreneurship & freelancing, work-life balance, leadership etc.)
We accept unpublished drafts only, so please make sure to hit the 3 dots and choose “add to publication” so we may review your draft and make sure it is suitable for our publication, and your chosen category.
You don’t have to be a woman to write for Well Woman, but please understand that our audience is primarily women. Write your story specifically to our audience.
Each new request is handled manually and will take time to process. Please be patient. | https://medium.com/well-woman/contribute-e980512734c2 | ['Amanda Warton Jenkins'] | 2020-03-09 14:32:20.942000+00:00 | ['Wellness', 'Contribute', 'Womens Health', 'Writing', 'Well Woman'] |
My favorite Courses to Learn Kotlin in 2021 | My favorite Courses to Learn Kotlin in 2021
These are the best online courses to join if you want to learn Kotlin in 2021 for Android or Java development
If you don’t know Kotlin, it’s a relatively new programming language that makes programming on Android and Java easy. It’s Android’s official Application development language and 100% compatible with Java and removes some of the pain points of Java.
Ever since Google announced Kotlin as the official language for Android Development, I received a lot of queries from my readers about whether Java developers should learn Kotlin now? Or, which one is better to start with Android development, — Kotlin or Java?
I have answered that question in my last article, but I am still receiving a lot of queries about learning Kotlin and whether a Java developer should learn Kotlin or not?
Well, to be honest with you, being a Polyglot programmer, i.e. a programmer who knows more than one programming language, is an important and distinguished skill.
It not only widens your thoughts but also makes you a better developer — that’s why I recommend every Java developer to at least learn one more JVM language, and Kotlin is a place to start.
Kotlin is now the official language for Android app development. So, if you are Java developer with a passion for writing Android apps or want to reach masses to promote your next startup idea, you should learn Kotlin.
But, even if you don’t have an interest in mobile development, you can learn Kotlin, because it improves your productivity while remaining 100 percent compatible with Java.
What you can do in 100 lines of code in Java can be done in just a few lines in Kotlin. It allows you to auto-generate getter , setter , equals , hashCode , toString , and other common methods; you don't need to write that on your own.
Kotlin was created by JetBrains, the company behind IntelliJ IDEA, and they created Kotlin to reduce Java boilerplate code while keeping features from the functional programming paradigm.
But, it wasn’t possible for them to rewrite all their IDEs in Kotlin from scratch, so they made sure that it remains 100 percent compatible with Java. If you don’t know this, Kotlin generates bytecodes that can run in the JVM.
Until last year, I was suggesting that Java developers learn Scala because of its impressive list of functional programming features, but 2018 is different.
This is the year to learn Kotlin! I expect Kotlin to surpass Java for Android development in a few years because of its distinguished position as the official language for Android development.
5 Best Kolin Courses for Android and Java Developers
In this article, I am going to share some of the best online courses to learn Kotlin from scratch.
The courses are divided into two categories — the first teaches Android development with Kotlin and second teaches the Kotlin programming language itself. You can choose the course that best suits your requirements.
If you are a Java developer who wants to learn Kotlin and enhance your career prospects, then this is the perfect course for you. It allows you to use your Java skills to learn Kotlin faster.
I strongly suggest Java developers learn Kotlin, not just for Android app development but also as a skill that they will use in the near future.
Since Kotlin works anywhere that Java works and can even be called from Java code (and vice-versa), this brings with it a massive opportunity for Java developers. Being able to work with both Java and Kotlin is going to give you a massive advantage over all other programmers.
This is a no non-sense course that has the right kind of pace and depth needed for experienced Java programmers.
It is specially designed to teach Java developers on how to use Kotlin in the shortest possible time.
Sarah Ettritch, the instructor of this course, is an experienced Java and Kotlin developer, which makes her qualified to teach you this powerful and exciting language in a short amount of time.
In short, this is a perfect course for Java developers to learn Kotlin and also to understand the key differences between Kotlin and Java. I have recently purchased this course for just $9.99 in Udemy’s flash sale, which is seriously a bargain.
This course is the best of both worlds. It will not only teach you the Kotlin programming language but also how to develop Android apps using Kotlin.
You will learn about variables, strings, and other data types in Kotlin, as well as essential programming constructs e.g. conditionals, for loops, Maps, Functions, classes, Nullables, etc.
You will also learn how Kotlin and Java are related to each other.
In short, a good course to learn Kotlin basics along with its practical use for developing Android Apps. Going forward, you should use Kotlin instead of Java and create JavaScript code from Kotlin.
The course is created by Rob Percival and Nick Walter, two of the best instructors on Udemy.
This is an ideal course to learn Kotlin from scratch and understand object-orientation and idiomatic Kotlin for Android app development.
This course will teach you programming in Kotlin right, starting with the basics, which makes this course ideal for beginners.
You will put what you have learned into practice in several coding challenges. So, in the end, you’ll be able to create your own applications in Kotlin.
If you’re an Android developer, you can use this course to get up to speed with this awesome language. Kotlin will allow you to maintain a cleaner and more expressive code base, use concepts that go beyond even Java 8, and write more robust apps for Android.
This is one of the most comprehensive courses on Kotlin for Android app development. Containing more than 100 lectures, you will learn almost everything about Android development with Kotlin.
Whether you’re a Java developer or have NO Android experience, this course will teach you everything you need to know how to build apps using Kotlin.
The best part of the course is that it not only teaches you theory and basics of Kotlin programming language but also teaches you everything about developing with Kotlin, working with interface builder, all the SDKs, and the tools you actually need to build apps.
You will develop real-life projects which is the best way to learn a new programming language or technology.
Kotlin is an expressive, concise, and powerful development language for Android development, and there is a high probability that it will overtake Java on Android, which makes it important for all the programmers who want to do app development.
This is a complete Masterclass on Android development with Kotlin and teaches you everything you need to effectively write Android code using this powerful programming language.
If you want to make your career in Android application development, then Kotlin is indispensable for you.
You must learn Kotlin sooner rather than later, and this course is perfect to start with.
That’s all for now about some of the best courses to learn Kotlin in 2018. As I have said, after Google’s announcement of Kotlin as the official language for Android development, the demand for Kotlin developers is sure to rise, and this is the right time to learn Kotlin and tap the demand.
For Java developers, it’s a win-win situation because you not only get a chance to tab into Android development but also improve your productivity because of Kotlin’s concise and powerful syntax.
Other Java Articles you may like to explore:
The 2021 Java Developer RoadMap
10 Tools Every Java Developer Learn in 2021
Top 5 Courses to learn Spring Boot in 2021
10 Programming languages to Learn in 2021
10 Books Java Developers Should Read in 2021
10 Frameworks Java and Web Developer Should learn
20 Libraries Java developer should know
My favorite free courses to learn Java in depth
Top 5 courses to learn Spring Framework in Depth
10 Free courses to learn Maven, Jenkins, and Docker for Java developers
Closing Notes
Thanks, You made it to the end of the article … Good luck with your Kotlin journey! It’s certainly not going to be easy, but by following these courses, you are one step closer to becoming a Kotlin Developer.
If you like this article, then please share it with your friends and colleagues, and don’t forget to follow javinpaul on Twitter! and javinpaul on Medium.
P.S. — If you need some Android development courses, you can check out this list of Android training courses to start your journey. | https://medium.com/javarevisited/top-5-courses-to-learn-kotlin-in-2020-dfc3fa7706d8 | [] | 2020-12-11 09:48:36.331000+00:00 | ['Android', 'Programming', 'Java', 'Android App Development', 'Kotlin'] |
The Heart Breaker | I would have never said this, not even to my mom.
Love is something unique, secretive, heartbreaking; yet, so moving. I had never fallen in love before. Deep in my mind, I thought I was destined to be that rich uncle that drinks martinis at family gatherings.
Well, I might as well argue for a missing olive. However, one day everything changed.
It was the summer of 2019. The day was hot, humid, sunny, and toasty. I entered the subway station in a rush, the train was 5 minutes away.
That day, I was planning on going to the Tribeca Greenmarket in Manhattan.
I swiped my Metro card, $15 left, and I ran to the train; the door barely missed the back of my shoe. I immediately looked for a seat like a barn owl looking for a meal. I ended up sitting at the end of the compartment in a lonely orange seat.
Once I sat, I looked up and saw the most beautiful man.
It was like seeing the model from the Giorgio Armani ads in all it’s glory; I just hope that he didn’t see me drool.
Right now, I could care less about him; let’s call him Scott instead.
Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash
Scott was around 6 feet tall, with a lean muscle build. He had dark blue eyes that resembled the night sky, with black hair that reminded me of the ocean.
His shirt was slightly raised, just enough to see the abs.
I tried not to look at him, acting as if I was reading the ads on the wall behind him. Honestly, I just couldn’t keep my eyes off him.
Soon, we were looking at each other.
I would not want to say love at first sight. However, that’s what I felt. | https://medium.com/hello-love/the-heart-breaker-712478dbddcd | [] | 2020-12-28 14:06:04.164000+00:00 | ['Romance', 'Love', 'Self-awareness', 'Humor', 'Relationships'] |
INVIDEO REVIEW : REVIEWS (WHY I USE IT!!!) | PROS
1) You will have access to over 3million stock footage.
2) You have complete control of the looks of your projects.
3) You can use your social media post to create a video.
4) You can a free trial.
5) You can highlight your scripts.
6) You can create any video
7) You have complete right over the video ( no restrictions)
CONS
1) Limit of 50 scenes ( You cannot make videos of many hours long)
2) You can be stuck with a template ( If you want to change template, you will have to readjust the video)
3)Exporting takes a lot of time just like other softwares.
PRICING
There are two plans there, the business plan and the unlimited plan.
BUSINESS PLAN
Monthly = $20.
But if you pay yearly it would be $10/month that is
$120 instead on $240.
UNLIMITED
Monthly = $60
But if you pay yearly it would be $30 monthly that is
$360 instead of $720.
If you by through this link >>Click here
You would get it to just $10 monthly instead of $20.
And 50% of any plan you will buy.
>> CLICK HERE FOR THE HOT DEAL <<<
THE END OF THIS ARTICLE
OTHER RELATED ARTICLES
1) How To Write Better Advertising Copy
A successful marketing plan relies heavily on the pulling-power of advertising copy. Writing result-oriented ad copy is difficult, as it must appeal to, entice, and convince consumers to take action. There is no magic formula to write perfect ad copy; it is based on a number of factors, including ad placement, demographic, even the consumer’s mood when they see your ad. So how is any writer supposed to pen a stunning piece of advertising copy — copy that sizzles and sells? The following tips will jumpstart your creative thinking and help you write a better ad.
KNOW THE BASICS
All good advertising copy is comprised of the same basic elements. Good advertising copy always:
Grabs Attention: Consumers are inundated with ads, so it’s vital that your ad catches the eye and immediately grabs interest. You could do this with a headline or slogan (such as VW’s “Drivers Wanted” campaign), color or layout (Target’s new colorful, simple ads are a testimony to this) or illustration (such as the Red Bull characters or Zoloft’s depressed ball and his ladybug friend).
Promises Credible Benefit: To feel compelled by an ad, the consumer must stand to gain something; the product is often not enough. What would the consumer gain by using your product or service? This could be tangible, like a free gift; prestige, power or fame. But remember: you must be able to make good on that promise, so don’t offer anything unreasonable.
Keeps Interest: Grabbing the consumer’s attention isn’t enough; you have to keep that attention for at least a few seconds. This is where your benefits come into play or a product description that sets your offer apart from the others.
Generates Action: This is the ultimate point of advertising copy — it must make the reader react in some way. This doesn’t necessarily translate to buying the product immediately or using the service. Your ad could be a positioning tool to enable the reader to think about you in a certain light. Speak to your audience, or the audience you’d like to reach, and you’ll be surprised how frequently they come to you in the future.
KNOW THE MEDIUM
How you write your advertising copy will be based on where you will place your ad. If it’s a billboard ad, you’ll need a super catchy headline and simple design due to the speed at which people will pass. Online ads are similar; consumers are so inundated with Internet advertising that your ad must be quick and catchy. Magazine advertising is the most versatile, but this is solely dependent on the size of your ad and how many other ads compete with yours. If you have a full page ad, feel free to experiment; more page space gives you more creative space. If the ad is tiny, you’ll need to keep things as simple as possible.
KNOW THE STYLE
Advertising copy is a unique type of writing. Its point is to balance creativity and readability into something persuasive and entertaining. Keep the following points in mind when you write your copy:
Be Succinct: There are few things more damaging to an ad campaign than messy wordiness. Use short sentences with as many familiar words as possible; save the thesaurus for a thesis or dissertation. Always make sure to use precise phrasing (why use five adjectives when one good action verb would do?); and eliminate any redundancies, such as “little tiny” or “annual payments of $XXX per year.”
Talk To Your Audience, Not At Them: Though you are announcing the availability of a product or service, avoid being clinical or overly formal. Write as if you’re talking to your ideal customer; use a style they’d use, words they’d be familiar with, slang they’d probably know. But be absolutely certain that you’re using these terms and phrases correctly. A recent McDonald’s campaign attempted to reach a certain audience by using the phrase “I’d hit it” in reference to a cheeseburger, unaware that the phrase is almost always used as a sexual reference.
2) Branding Do You Know Who You Are
There is such a lot of talk going around about branding, but what exactly is your brand and how do you use it to help you reach more people and market your products or services?
Your brand is the core of your marketing, the central theme around your products and services.
Your brand is not your Logo or your Company Name, unless of course you are Microsoft or the Yellow Pages online directory.
For people to come and hire you, or buy from you in droves, your brand needs to be crystal clear, attractive, exciting and powerful. In fact your brand needs to be powerful enough to rouse your customers into action, and at the same time it needs to actively express you, what you’re about and your uniqueness.
Once you’re sure of your brand you also gain a tangible and easy way of talking to people about what you do. It makes it so much easier to do your marketing when you have it clear in your mind what it is you’re selling in the first place.
When you’re creating your brand you are creating a memorable marketing message that will inspire people to take action and choose you over your competitors.
Here are five useful tips to help you find your brand:
Your Brand Tip 1
Your brand is the core of what you do. What feelings or emotions does your business inspire in you and in your customers? Did you know that peoples’ decision to buy is based on emotions, not facts?
Your Brand Tip 2
Think about how you present yourself, not just on your website but when people see you, talk to you on the phone, or read your email. Is your marketing consistently saying what you want it to? Are people getting confusing messages from you, or is it clear from the start what you do?
Your Brand Tip 3
Think like your potential customer, try to get inside their head and see your products or services from their point of view. How do they experience what you do, and how does it make them feel?
Your Brand Tip 4
What is it you do that makes you stand out from the crowd? If you don’t think you do, then you need to think of a way that you can, because your brand should be somehow different from everyone else’s, its not enough to be just the same as others but better.
Your Brand Tip 5
What are your best abilities, do you know your greatest strengths? Choose an unbiased person, who knows you well, to help you decide what your top attributes are; your brand should be based around your unique strengths and abilities.
Ultimately, creating a strong, memorable, compelling and meaningful brand is essential for successful marketing, and something you can do with a bit of thought, and may be a bit of help from your (unbiased) friends.
3) The 3 Most Powerful Forms Of Viral Marketing That Will Put Your Opt In List Building Efforts On Auto Pilot
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it.
“The Money Is In The… LIST!”
I bet you’ve heard this catch phrase once or twice while surfing around on the Internet.
I know I have.
But, the question that usually arises is… “How do I effectively build one that won’t cost me an arm and a leg in the process?”
Well, today’s your lucky day because I’m going to highlight 3 of the MOST powerful ways to build your targeted ‘Opt-In List’ by using the Power of ‘Viral Marketing’ as your engine.
And the best part about using these 3 ‘Viral’ methods I’m about to mention are… they cost virtually Nothing to produce, are Highly targeted, give You INSTANT Credibility and are in constant demand by website owners.
So, with that said, let’s move on to what these 3 ‘Viral’ methods are and how they will benefit you and your List Building efforts.
Method #1. Writing ‘Special Reports’.
– Special Reports work great because they allow you to go into more depth about the Topic or Problem in question where you’ll then be able to lead them to how your Product or Service(or Affiliate product) can fix there current problem.
– They give you Instant Credibility, which builds trust in your customer that you are knowlegdable in your industry.
– Website owners are always looking for quality **Free Stuff** to give away or offer to there Visitors and/or Subscribers.
This is where you could CASH-IN, especially if you make your special report ‘Brandable’. This gives the website owner even MORE incentive to give your Freebie away if they can make Money in the process.
– And your Contact Information will always be inside, no matter what. Meaning, as your report is being passed around the Internet you’ll always be able to lead your potential customer back to your website where they could sign-up for your newsletter and/or read up more about your Products or Services you offer.
Method #2. Putting Together A ‘Free eBook’.
– Free eBooks work great as well and have the same benefits as I outlined through the special report.
The only difference using this approach is, you can put together a free ebook in less time then it would take to produce your special report simply because it doesn’t even have to be your own material inside, it can be someone else’s.
Just make sure you put together a free ebook with quality information inside.
– And they also allow you to target more then one Product or Service inside because free ebooks are usually a compilation of related articles targetting a particular problem leaving you room to diversify.
Method #3. Writing ‘Articles’.
– Writing Articles is probably ONE of the Best and Most Effective Ways to produce a wave of Viral traffic to your website because every website owner needs FRESH content to feed to there visitors and/or subscribers.
– They also allow you to Target your audience’s problem specifically that they’re dealing with.
– And at the end of the article you have a spot called the ‘Resource Box’ to insert your personal Bio and/or Website information.
Just imagine if your article were to be picked up by some Newsletter Editor with a large list or High Traffic website and they use it as a ‘Featured Article’ in there publication, you could see an INSTANT Surge of targeted traffic to your website overnight.
That’s where your ‘Resource Box’ comes in.(Take a look at how mine is formatted at the end of this article.)
Well, that about sums it up for the 3 MOST powerful ‘Viral Marketing’ methods being used today by most Internet marketers, and for good reason, because they work.
Now, with all that said, what do these 3 ‘Viral’ methods all have in common that’ll put your List Building efforts on ‘Auto-Pilot’?
– They’re in HIGH demand by website owners.
– They’re HIGHLY Targeted.
– They give You INSTANT Credibility in your industry.
– They have YOUR Contact Details leading to Your website.
…and Most important of all, they’re all FREE!
Just think for a minute, by using only ONE of these methods listed above, how it could put your Opt-In list building efforts on ‘Auto-Pilot’.
This article represents just a summarized version of all the different List Building techniques available online, But, in my opinion, these 3 are the most effective.
4) A Free Way To Promote And Profit Viral Marketing
It’s a horrible word isn’t it….marketing? No, only joking, I mean “viral” of course. Mention viral and one tends to think infection, illness and disease — or for the geeks among us, computers messed up. But viral marketing is nothing so negative or unpleasant, viral marketing is good!
What is Viral Marketing?
As the name suggests, it’s a way of spreading your marketing message from person to person, rather like the flu virus is passed on. You give the germ to, say 5 friends/colleagues/family members, who in turn each pass on the bug to 5 more (5×5=25), who then spread it to another 5 (25×5=125) and so on until after just 8 levels, you reach the staggering figure of 1,953,125.
The classic example of viral marketing is Hotmail.com, one of the first free Web-based e-mail services. The strategy is simple:
1. Give away free e-mail addresses and services, 2. Attach a simple tag at the bottom of every users email message sent: “Get your private, free email and, 3. Then stand back while people e-mail to their own network of friends and associates, 4. Who see the message, 5. Sign up for their own free e-mail service, and then 6. Propel the message still wider to their own ever-increasing circles of friends and associates
What makes marketing ‘Viral’?
A viral marketing plan usually has some or all of the following basic elements:
1. Provides a product or service free
2. Makes for easy transfer of the message to others
3. Allows easy growth from small to very large
4. Exploits common motivations and behaviours
5. Uses existing communication networks
6. Utilizes the resources of others
Let’s look at each of these in turn.
1.Provides a product or service free
“Free” is the most persuasive word in marketing. Most viral marketing campaigns give away a product or service to get peoples interest. Free email service, free software, free information etc. Then, when you have their attention, when you have their trust, sell them something. Hit them with a sales pitch first, chances are they won’t be interested.
2. Makes for easy transfer of the message to others
Viral marketing works so well on the internet because quick communication has become so easy and cheap. Your marketing message must be simple so that it can be passed on without loosing its effectiveness. The simpler and shorter the better, remember the hotmail example: “Get your private, free email at
3. Allows easy growth from small to very large
To grow rapidly, the necessary infrastructure must be available. The best viral marketing makes use of the resources of others. This was the only weakness in the hotmail example, the service required its own mailservers. Not a problem with the resources of Microsoft behind you, but for mere mortals like you and I, best to plan on spreading the message using others recourses, see number 6.
4. Exploits common motivations and behaviours
What motivates people to use certain products or services on the web, and to recommend these to their friends? The practicality of a product, sure, but more than that — the desire to be popular, thought of as cool etc. Greed also motivates, hence the power of the word ‘free’!
5. Uses existing communication networks
Most people have around 5 to 12 people in their close network of friends, family and work colleagues. On the internet, nearly everyone has email addresses in their contacts list, and favourite websites stored in their web browser. Utilise this fact in your marketing campaign. For example, when you give away a free product, ask the recipient to provide the email addresses of others who may be interested.
6. Utilizes the resources of others
Get your message into other peoples emails and onto others websites, that way their recourses are being used, not yours. And once your campaign has enough momentum, sit back while your customers do the marketing for you.
Conclusion
Viral marketing costs very little, in fact if you go to the right places it can be free. Given that, and the huge potential benefits, you marketing campaign really should catch the viral marketing bug!
How can Viral Marketing work for you?
5)Strategies That Will Boost Your Website Traffic Right Away
You have lovingly made a website and put it online on the World Wide Web. Now, all you have to do is wait and see who visits.
Right?
No!
You have to do something to make people come to your website.
There are plenty of ways that you can generate traffic towards your website, but I am going to concentrate on only 3 of them; that tend to produce very quick (if not instantaneous) results.
The three strategies are:
1. Buy Traffic for your website
2. Send offers and information to individuals in your mailing list
3. Request reciprocal links/endorsements
1. BUY TRAFFIC FOR YOUR WEBSITE
As the name suggests, this strategy would require you to dole out some money!
You can place advertisements of your website on other websites that are similar to yours or you can place advertisement of your website on search engines. This way, when some one is searching for a product similar to the one that you are selling/promoting, your website’s ad will come up in front of them. Therefore, you will be able to target people from your niche, and these “targeted” people have a higher potential of buying your product because they were already looking for it.
You have to pay for the advertisement ONLY when they click on the link. Such ads are known as Pay Per Click (PPC) advertisements. Some of the highly recommeneded PPC ads sites are:
Google Adwords
Yahoo! Search Marketing
Miva (formerly findout.com)
Goclick
When you choose a PPC, do make sure that it offers a tracking software that helps you find out how useful it is to you. This way you will be able to choose the ones that are more profitable and get rid of those that are not.
2. SEND OFFERS TO MAILING LIST
Brian Campbell (A successful Internet Marketing Guru and best selling author) says that the 1st Internet Marketing Commandment is: “You can’t promote anything online without first capturing the email address of your website visitors.”
He says, “You shouldn’t attempt to get even one visitor to your website without having a mechanism in place to capture the name and email address of the website visitors that come to your website.”
You need to capture most of the email addresses of your in-coming traffic because it is more than likely that they will not buy anything from you on their first visit to your website and they might never come back again! To prevent that from happening, you offer them something that they would like to sign up for (like some valuable information for FREE and its VERY important to deliver what you promise!). After that you keep their attention by sending them more free content, and sandwich promotional offers in between. One e-mail from you will bring most of them back to your website!
A word of caution here: do NOT overwhelm your e-mail list clients with too many promotional offers, you will lose your credibility. You should send them valuable free stuff in between offers, so that they would want to read your emails.
3. REQUEST RECIPROCAL LINKS/ENDORSEMENTS
There are thousands of websites out there that are selling products similar to yours. Instead of thinking that they are your competition, instead think of them as your potential partners; ask them to promote your product in return of you promoting theirs. These website owners can help you in several ways:
They can put links and banners of your website, in exchange of you putting theirs on your website. Or, they can just add your link to their website and you can then pay them a previously agreed commission when they produce a sale for you.
Or; they can send an email to their email list, endorsing and promoting your product, while you do the same for them.
Such “deals” are known as Joint Ventures (JV deals) and these are one of the most powerful strategies that you can use to send more traffic to your website.
Try out these strategies for your websites. Better results are produced when all three of these marketing approaches are used together. You might want to try these out and then see which one works better for you and then concentrate more on that one. These three strategies, combined with other marketing methods can sky-rocket your website popularity and sales and make you a very happy online business person.
6)Dallas Season 4 Dvd Review
Nominated for 15 Golden Globes and 18 Emmys in its 13-season run, Dallas is one of the most memorable prime time dramatic series in television history. Initially airing in Spring 1978 as a mini-series, the show had all the elements necessary for a blockbuster soap opera: sex, suspense, wealth, opulence, fast cars, big houses, and of course, great villians. Probably the most famous villian of the era was J.R. Ewing, but it’s difficult to call him the villian when most viewers simultaneously rooted him on. With elaborate business dealings and family feuds abundant, Dallas spend most of the 1980s as either the number one or number two rated show on TV…
The Dallas (Season 4) DVD features a number of exciting episodes including the season premiere “No More Mister Nice Guy” in which the shooting of J.R. forces Bobby to temporarily take over Ewing Oil while his older brother recovers. The promotion slowly changes Bobby into the vindictive brother he always loathed. Meanwhile, Sue Ellen wonders if she shot J.R. herself while mired in the foggy haze of a drinking binge… Other notable episodes include “Start the Revolution with Me” in which J.R. attempts to orchestrate a counter-revolution in order to regain the Ewing’s Asian oil wells that were nationalized shortly before his shooting, and the season finale “Ewing-Gate” in which J.R.’s underhanded dealings in the Asian oil deals threaten to bring down all of Ewing Oil…
Below is a list of episodes included on the Dallas (Season 4) DVD:
Episode 55 (No More Mister Nice Guy: Part 1) Air Date: 11–07–1980
Episode 56 (No More Mister Nice Guy: Part 2) Air Date: 11–09–1980
Episode 57 (Nightmare) Air Date: 11–14–1980
Episode 58 (Who Done It?) Air Date: 11–21–1980
Episode 59 (Taste of Success) Air Date: 11–28–1980
Episode 60 (The Venezuelan Connection) Air Date: 12–05–1980
Episode 61 (The Fourth Son) Air Date: 12–12–1980
Episode 62 (Trouble at Ewing 23) Air Date: 12–19–1980
Episode 63 (The Prodigal Mother) Air Date: 01–02–1981
Episode 64 (Executive Wife) Air Date: 01–09–1981
Episode 65 (End of the Road: Part 1) Air Date: 01–16–1981
Episode 66 (End of the Road: Part 2) Air Date: 01–23–1981
Episode 67 (Making of a President) Air Date: 01–30–1981
Episode 68 (Start the Revolution with Me) Air Date: 02–06–1981
Episode 69 (The Quest) Air Date: 02–13–1981
Episode 70 (Lover, Come Back) Air Date: 02–20–1981
Episode 71 (The New Mrs. Ewing) Air Date: 02–27–1981
Episode 72 (Mark of Cain) Air Date: 03–13–1981
Episode 73 (The Gathering Storm) Air Date: 03–27–1981
Episode 74 (Ewing vs. Ewing) Air Date: 04–03–1981
Episode 75 (New Beginnings) Air Date: 04–10–1981
Episode 76 (Full Circle) Air Date: 04–17–1981
Episode 77 (Ewing-Gate) Air Date: 05–01–1981
7) The Simpsons Season 2 Dvd Review
Before Seinfeld redefined the sitcom, The Simpsons came along and redefined prime time animation. Straying from the usual formula of innocence concocted by The Flintstones and The Jetsons, The Simpsons left no area of society untouched by its raw politically-incorrect satire. With an almost endless array of unforgettable characters, a trip to Springfield is a breath of fresh air, and hilarious as a television comedy can be…
The Simpsons (Season 2) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere in which Bart makes a deal with school nerd Martin Prince. Bart will make Martin cool if Martin agrees to tutor Bart into a top-notch student. When Martin reneges on his end of the deal, Bart must pass on his own merit, and his D- earns the respect of Homer and Mrs. Krabappel. In “Treehouse of Horror” (#16), Bart and Lisa take turns telling horror stories in an episode foreshadowing the Simpson Halloween Specials which followed in years to come. Other notable episodes include “Dancin’ Homer” in which Homer becomes the local minor league team’s mascot and “Itchy & Scratchy & Marge” in which Marge takes on the cartoon violence warping Springfield’s youth…
Below is a list of episodes included on The Simpsons (Season 2) DVD:
Episode 14 (Bart Gets an F) Air Date: 10–11–1990
Episode 15 (Simpson and Delilah) Air Date: 10–18–1990
Episode 16 (Treehouse of Horror) Air Date: 10–25–1990
Episode 17 (Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish) Air Date: 11–01–1990
Episode 18 (Dancin’ Homer) Air Date: 11–08–1990
Episode 19 (Dead Putting Society) Air Date: 11–15–1990
Episode 20 (Bart vs. Thanksgiving) Air Date: 11–22–1990
Episode 21 (Bart the Daredevil) Air Date: 12–06–1990
Episode 22 (Itchy & Scratchy & Marge) Air Date: 12–20–1990
Episode 23 (Bart Gets Hit By a Car) Air Date: 01–10–1991
Episode 24 (One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish) Air Date: 01–24–1991
Episode 25 (The Way We Was) Air Date: 01–31–1991
Episode 26 (Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Amendment) Air Date: 02–07–1991
Episode 27 (Principal Charming) Air Date: 02–14–1991
Episode 28 (Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou?) Air Date: 02–21–1991
Episode 29 (Bart’s Dog Gets an F) Air Date: 03–07–1991
Episode 30 (Old Money) Air Date: 03–28–1991
Episode 31 (Brush with Greatness) Air Date: 04–11–1991
Episode 32 (Lisa’s Substitute) Air Date: 04–25–1991
Episode 33 (The War of the Simpsons) Air Date: 05–02–1991
Episode 34 (Three Men and a Comic Book) Air Date: 05–09–1991
Episode 35 (Blood Feud) Air Date: 07–11–1991
DISCLAIMER: This post contains an affiliate link, this is to run the organization better.INVIDEO REVIEW : REVIEWS (WHY I USE IT!!!) | https://medium.com/@anabuvictor/invideo-review-reviews-why-i-use-it-aacdd186ee67 | ["Nabu'S Music Cover"] | 2020-12-27 06:31:14.203000+00:00 | ['Video Marketing', 'Invideo Review', 'Invideo', 'Video Editing Software', 'Videos'] |
How can we face the issues the Venezuelan community faces in New York City? Here’s my take. | Doing a whole semester online in the middle of a global pandemic taught me so much. I learned what design thinking is, and how I could look at the problems from a different perspective. I learned how to use tools to better understand the communities I’m working with. I learned some questions that could be forever useful when I try to approach a new subject. I learned what extractive journalism is, a concept I was familiar with (and hated) but didn’t know how to call.
I learned all that by working with my community, Venezuelans in New York City. A community made by immigrants and refugees that, like the rest of the world, is going through a hard time in the pandemic. A community of people that don’t speak the main language of the city, that don’t know anybody and, in many cases, that rather not being there but can’t go back to their country. A community coming from a country in a dictatorship that hides the real numbers, but, according to the estimates, holds more than 10 thousand people. A community so abandoned that doesn’t even have an Embassy in the country. I joined their Facebook groups, follow their Instagram account and had conversations with many of them.
This faced me with a lot of challenges: I was speaking to a community about their problems based on a city I have never set foot in. And, of course, the covid part made the option of me going almost impossible. But I’m also a Venezuelan immigrant and used that as a way in. I went through many of the things they did, only that, living in Chile, I did in Spanish. I also felt scared, alone, and struggled to find a job and friends. I could have a sense of what they were going through.
I did all of this as part of my work as a student and the Social Journalism Program at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. In my time there my goals have changed: I started with a big dream, wanting to create something that could hold all the information my community would need. But, as the days went by, I realized two things: 1) I couldn’t do that alone 2) I had to prioritize. I could decide to do a big project that was a little bit more than I could single-handedly take care of or I could decide to do a really good project that had an impact on my community. I decided the latter. I was going to prioritize the mental health issues, something that almost all the people I interviewed had in common.
I big turning point for me making this decision was the Weaver Conversation guide, made by The Aspen Institute as a way to strengthen our community’s social fabric. In my case, it definitely worked. I knew that my community had long-standing issues and I knew they always used our interviews as a way to vent off, but when I started talking to people using that guide, something clicked in my brain.
Before the guide, I started all my interviews in more or less the same way and asked similar pre-structured questions. How are you doing? What’s your biggest issue? How you went through the job search? and things like that. When I did this more broad questions, with no expected answer (Do you have a place you call home? How welcome do you feel where you live? What does community mean to you?) I realize that many of the issues came from the same root (or could benefit from the same measures): not having the tools to mentally confront the situation.
And there is a significant amount of barriers to access them, like a lack of understanding in health care information, not prioritizing this, not knowing if they can find info in Spanish (in 2014, most hospitals don’t employ full or part-time medical interpreters) and, in some cases, pure and simple taboo. The Latino community is not very fund of seeking mental health services. According to a 2001 Surgeon General’s report found that only 20% of Latinos with symptoms of a psychological disorder talk to a doctor about their concerns. There’s still something of the “macho” image that doesn’t allow people to seek the health they need.
They also don’t feel like people is going to understand — they have a lot on their minds that is really distant from their new lives. It is even distant to the other members of the Latino community, that can’t really relate to all the struggles they’re facing, like having to send to Venezuela the most basic items or being worried about their family going more than a day without power in their homes. They tend to feel isolated. Many of the people I spoke to say that they can only feel like being understood by Cuban or Colombian, which is just a small part of the community. | https://medium.com/@mariel-lozada/how-can-we-face-the-isues-the-venezuelan-community-faces-in-new-york-city-heres-my-take-c2bd051887c | ['Mariel Lozada'] | 2020-12-17 15:47:48.214000+00:00 | ['Venezuela', 'Latinos In New York', 'Venezuelan Diaspor', 'New York City'] |
Rechargeable Camera Batteries: What You Need to Know | When purchasing digital cameras, one of the essential considerations that you must think about the model is what kind of rechargeable camera batteries does it use?
There are two major classes of batteries that are employed by a variety of camera models. Every battery type has its own benefits and while it mustn’t be the deciding factor when selecting a camera model, it is still helpful to learn which one is more ideal for particular situations. Here are some data about rechargeable camera batteries that you may find valuable when choosing a camera.
Most camera models nowadays come with proprietary rechargeable camera batteries. These are lithium-ion batteries that include a charger so that all that you require is already within the package. Once the battery is drained, you can just load it in the charger and once it is finished charging, you can shoot picture again. Apart from being practical to use, proprietary lithium-ion rechargeable camera batteries have a relatively low self-discharge rate which is estimated at around 5–10% per month, compared to nickel metal hydride’s 30% per month. Hence proprietary rechargeable camera batteries boasts a very long shelf life, which is ideal if you do not have to use your camera regularly.
Alternatively, the other class of battery that may be used for cameras are off-the-shelf batteries. Cameras typically require CRV3, CR2, AAA, and AA battery sizes. The main thing that you can gain from this class of battery is the flexibility it can give you. While proprietary rechargeable camera batteries are very convenient and ready to use, buying a spare one is actually very expensive, so most of the time, people do not bother buying an extra one.
Meanwhile, cameras that utilizes off-the-shelf batteries can be operated on both disposable and rechargeable camera batteries. While rechargeable camera batteries are more recommended for cameras, disposable camera batteries can be a cheap solution if ever you run out of energy and still need to shoot some more. The best class of rechargeable camera battery is the nickel metal hydride which contains a high energy density that is best for the high power requirements of digital cameras. Unfortunately though, in addition to the batteries, you also have to purchase the charger for off-the-shelf rechargeable camera batteries. | https://medium.com/@dealsavail/rechargeable-camera-batteries-what-you-need-to-know-9e0a1de94ca4 | ['Gadget Peak'] | 2019-11-16 09:06:01.837000+00:00 | ['Battery', 'Gadgets', 'Rechargable Battries', 'rechargeable camera batteries', 'Rechargeable Battery'] |
How to mitigate the impact of geolocation problems on your business | A brief story of how we achieved this with the support of Firebase products for our React Native app.
One of the most important features in the user journey on the Gympass product is what we call "check-in". It is through this functionality that the user can access any activity (be it on-site or online), and therefore, help us achieve our goals and pursue our mission: to defeat inactivity and make people increasingly healthy and productive.
The functionality is quite simple. After accessing the check-in screen, the user will see a list of fitness facilities nearby. At this point, they can select the facility they’d like to access, the activity they’d like to perform, and enjoy. What we mentioned as "nearby", is the source of - almost - all our problems.
How did we build our solution?
Our application is developed using React Native, having most of our codebase in JavaScript, with only a few implementations on the native side. Therefore, for several infrastructure capabilities, it is common for us to have access only to the exposed JavaScript API, using native resources indirectly. This is also the right context for geolocation features.
The native implementation of the iOS platform behaves in a very stable way, and therefore it never has any geolocation problem that’s worth taking into consideration. However, on the Android platform, problems have popped up since the very beginning and have not ceased to grow.
After so many reports, we decided to measure when and how exactly these errors occurred, so we started sending an event named position_request_error with the error being the parameter representing the cause of the problem according to Firebase Analytics. However, the Firebase Analytics Dashboard did not allow us to filter all the parameters we wanted (it has a maximum parameter report allowed, and we had other events using these parameters).
BigQuery
So we needed another way to get the event data sent to Firebase and organize it the way we wanted, thus extracting something more valuable for decision making. That’s when we found a tool that perfectly met those needs: BigQuery!
BigQuery is, put in simple words, the database where all your events are saved. What Firebase Analytics shows you in beautiful dashboards is actually the result of queries on BigQuery.
This is what a query on BigQuery looks like
After a new release that made it possible to track the events, we found out that:
28% were users who denied access to geolocation;
26% timed out when requesting the position;
23% did not have any position available;
23% unknown.
At a first glance, they all looked very similar and it seemed impossible to create a strategy to solve them all. Investigating further, we could spot different natures of the problems in Android, which made us look better into platform issues.
After some research, we found a possible root cause. The React Native documentation itself indicated that the API available by default was based on native implementations that were no longer recommended by Google. Luckily for us (and the community in general) the doc’s authors already indicated how to use the recommended implementation (Google Location Services API — https://developer.android.com/training/location/) via react-native-geolocation-service package. (https://github.com/Agontuk/react-native-geolocation-service).
Excerpt from React Native API documentation
As we wrote at the beginning of this article, geolocation is crucial for our application. As new devices manufacturers and new device models grow daily, we must keep our dependencies up to date to be ready for the next releases by Apple and Google, and reduce the number of bugs with their features. Obviously, the first thing we did when we discovered this documentation, was to add and test the recommended library (now hosted by the community with lots of improvements since the last version we used).
Surprise, surprise, after releasing with the library updates, this is what we got: | https://medium.com/gympass/how-to-mitigate-the-impact-of-geolocation-problems-on-your-business-e4a18065cdba | [] | 2020-12-18 14:38:21.841000+00:00 | ['Bigquery', 'Firebase', 'React Native', 'Mobile App Development', 'Firebase Performance'] |
Southern Cross Cleaning | Southern Cross Cleaning
Business Name: Southern Cross Cleaning
Business Address: Unit 7/207 Bank Street, East Victoria Park WA 6101
Business Phone: (08) 9361 0866
Fax: (08) 9361 5521
Business Email: [email protected]
Website: https://southerncrosscleaning.com.au/
Description: Southern Cross Cleaning is a professional, local cleaning company in Perth that has been in the business since 1987. Our experienced and skilled cleaners are professionally trained in various cleaning required at offices, schools, retail, factories and hospitals among more. We operate 7 days a week, undertaking regular or periodical cleaning services to private and public businesses and government offices in Perth and regional Western Australia.
Category: Cleaning, Commercial Cleaning, Office Cleaning, Residential Cleaning, Apartment Cleaning, Carpet Cleaning, Floor Maintenance, Tile and Grout Cleaning, Biohazard Cleaning
Keywords: medical cleaning perth, factory cleaning perth, warehouse cleaning perth, high risk cleaners perth, government cleaning perth, commercial cleaners in perth, commercial cleaning companies perth, hospitality cleaning perth, office cleaning perth, commercial cleaning perth, perth commercial cleaning, perth commercial cleaners, commercial cleaner perth, supermarket cleaning perth, commercial cleaners perth, retail cleaning perth, hospital cleaning perth, industrial cleaning perth, biohazard cleaning perth, apartment cleaning perth, perth cleaning companies, school cleaning perth, cleaning consumables perth, window cleaning perth, covid19 cleaning perth, general cleaning perth, hard floor cleaning perth, carpet cleaning perth, grout cleaning perth, tile cleaning perth
Hours Open: Monday to Friday | https://medium.com/@Southern_Cross_Cleaning/southern-cross-cleaning-d84d772df11d | ['Southern Cross Cleaning'] | 2021-11-26 01:50:00.844000+00:00 | ['Residential Cleaning', 'Office Cleaning', 'Cleaning', 'Commercial Cleaning', 'Retail Cleaning'] |
Elixir Tip: Case vs. With | Dating back to version 1.2, the with operator is one of Elixir's features that need a bit of time to comprehend at first. It often gets used in situations where one would use case , or vice versa. The main difference between the two is that with will fall through, if no clause is matched, while case will throw a no-match error.
Confused? Let’s start with some basics.
Use case when you need to perform exhaustive pattern matching, and ensure that at least one of the conditions matches:
case foo() do
cond1 -> expression1
cond2 -> expression2
cond3 -> expression3
_ -> default_expression
end
A very common use case is to pattern match on the results of potentially error-prone operations:
case foo() do
{:ok, res} -> do_something_with_result(res)
{:error, err} -> handle_error(err)
end
So far, so good. Now, we come to a very common daily work scenario. Imagine that we have one such operation (e.g. external API call, IO or DB operation, etc), and we want to perform a second such operation, but only if the first one were successful. How do we do that?
Recall that conditionals in Elixir are functions too. They can be piped into, or chained in the expression part of other conditionals. This allows us to to solve our problem above using chained conditionals:
case foo() do
{:ok, res} ->
case bar(res) do
{:ok, res2} -> do_something_with_result(res2)
{:error, err} -> handle_error(err)
end
{:error, err} -> handle_error(err)
end
Even with only two such calls, the level of complexity rose drastically. Add just one more such call, and the code becomes unreadable:
case foo() do
{:ok, res} ->
case bar(res) do
{:ok, res2} ->
case baz(res2) do
{:ok, res3} -> do_something_with_result(res3)
{:error, err} -> handle_error(err)
end
{:error, err} -> handle_error(err)
end
{:error, err} -> handle_error(err)
end
`with` to the rescue
This is where the with operator gets really handy. In its basic form, it resembles our chained case above, but in a way, also functions like a pipeline operator. Check this out:
with {:ok, res} <- foo(),
{:ok, re2} <- bar(res)
{:ok, re3} <- baz(re2) do
do_something_with_result(res3)
end
This shall be interpreted as, “do all the comma separated operations in sequence, and if the previous one has matched, execute the next one. Finally, run the code inside the do/end block". This looks much more succinct and readable than its version before, but it has another big advantage too. It allows the programmer to focus on the happy-end business scenarios first. Some of you might have been wondering what would happen, if any of the comma-separated operations returns and {:error, err} tuple instead. The answer is, the first non-matching expression will be returned. In simple terms, if we don't care about the outcome of non-ok results, we might as well leave the happy path and leave it to the caller to take care of the final result.
If you have worked with Phoenix, you might recall that this is exactly how its fallback actions work. In our controller actions, we take care of the happy path, and if an error occurs, Phoenix will pattern-match one of our fallback actions to take care of it instead:
defmodule MyController do
use Phoenix.Controller
action_fallback MyFallbackController
def show(conn, %{"id" => id}, current_user) do
with {:ok, post} <- Blog.fetch_post(id),
:ok <- Authorizer.authorize(current_user, :view, post) do
render(conn, "show.json", post: post)
end
end
end
Fallback controller example from the official Phoenix docs
`with`/`else`
If we want to take care of side effects ourselves, with offers an expanded version:
with {:ok, res} <- foo(),
{:ok, res2} <- bar(res) do
do_something_with_res(res2)
else
{:error, {:some_error, err}} -> handle_some_error(err)
{:error, {:some_other_error, err}} -> handle_some__other_error(err)
default -> handle_something_completely_unexpected(default)
end
NOTE: Keep in mind that while the simple with form won’t throw an error when no match occurs, when using else you have to exhaustively match all cases.
When not to use `with`
Using a single pattern-matching clause with else :
This will make the code more difficult to read than you need it to be. The code below:
with {:ok, res} <- foo() do
do_something_with_res(res)
else
{:error, {:some_error, err}} -> handle_some_error(err)
end
Can easily be replaced with a more readable case block: | https://medium.com/swlh/elixir-tip-case-vs-with-28b04c4e522a | ['Preslav Rachev'] | 2020-10-12 08:44:58.954000+00:00 | ['Phoenix Framework', 'Programming Languages', 'Programming', 'Elixir'] |
A Day by the Sea | With an open mind, endless sights to see.
What did I see,
walking by the sea?
Sail boats,
earth’s natural energy,
filling majestic sails,
gliding across,
deep blue waters,
adventures begin.
Buoys,
holding their place,
rain or shine,
well-placed markers,
red and geen,
navigation linchpins.
Kayakers,
paddling with ease,
making their way,
anywhere they please,
freedom seized,
faces with grins.
Gulls,
everywhere to be seen,
some by themselves,
others meeting on roofs of tin,
observing life from the ground,
or gliding frictionlessly,
above all of earth’s sins.
Otters,
cracking mussels and clams,
lying on their backs posing,
the ocean’s leading hams,
eat and dive,
snacking on urchins.
Seals,
bellowing under the pier,
bellowing on the rocks not near,
soaking up afternoon sun,
all looking well-fed,
most with double chins.
Jellyfish,
spineless and carefree,
a little like me,
poetic in their natural habitat,
out of water flat and lifeless,
aquatic has-beens.
Seaweed,
beach and sea,
the ocean’s vegetable,
a delightful snack,
or an entire meal;
nutrient-dense within.
Fisher-men,
a women too,
tying knots,
casting lines,
sitting in meditation,
waiting for dinner.
People,
disembarking a boat,
back from a tour,
to spot animals,
not close to the shore,
looking like they need a shot of gin.
Statue,
remembering the workers,
that made this bay great,
hauling in the catch of the sea,
thin muscular and lean,
leather for skin.
Candy,
buckets full,
sea taffy of course,
English toffee,
ice cream and chocolate turtles,
sweet to have after fish ’n chips.
Guitar,
strummed by a man,
singing for supper,
his music today,
not much in demand,
even though his song anything but sin.
Homeless,
men sit by the merchant stalls,
telling tales of how they are old and ugly,
not better for divorce,
needing a beer,
alcoholism their thing.
Sourdough,
lunch bread and bowls,
this is “The Bay”,
clam chowder within,
tasty as any food can be,
but not sure it would keep me thin.
Sun,
drenched me from head to toe,
a full day it has been,
time to go,
relaxed and restored,
today be a win. | https://emergentme.medium.com/a-day-by-the-sea-dee9e16d8f73 | ['Mark Seery'] | 2019-11-07 18:22:00.438000+00:00 | ['Sea', 'Poetry', 'Photography', 'Monterey', 'Life'] |
鳥のお話 | in Both Sides of the Table | https://medium.com/kotoba/%E9%B3%A5%E3%81%AE%E3%81%8A%E8%A9%B1-716fee3b2f13 | [] | 2017-01-01 07:56:38.698000+00:00 | ['Japanese', '日本', 'Stories', 'Japan', '日本語'] |
My Two Favourite Documentaries with #BernieSanders | I just thought I would share with folks two of my favourite documentaries staring Bernie Sanders. The reason why I like these documentaries is because Bernie has not changed fundamentally over the 30+ years he has been in office speaking for the Working Class. (links are informational not advertisements)
In my opinion, as a Cultural Activist, the basic thing that has changed is that the American, and indeed the World, Citizenry has awoken to the knowledge that we can sleep no longer. That We are capable of changing the systemic structures in our society. We need and are participating in our political system because We understand that when a small group of people make most of the decisions in our lives Our lives suffer.
Instant, mass, and online communication is preventing those in power from hiding their violence. The near zero marginal cost for this communication is allowing the common human being to research, document, and organize effectively amplifying Our empathy towards each other. This is bringing Our hearts together and helping us redefine 0ur Social Relationships with each other and with nature.
So here we go, the Bernie Sanders’ 1979 Eugene Debs Documentary, I love the fact that Bernie Sanders is the one that speaks the parts of Eugene Debs. Many Americans are not aware how much of our history has been revised, ignored, or buried in plain sight. The video below shows how Bernie thought in 1979 and should provide proof beyond a shadow of a doubt that Bernie is not supported by us, but that Bernie supports the Working Class, he amplifies our voice. His many c-span videos of his work on the Senate and Congressional floor also support my claim.
For more than 150 years the Social struggles against racism, sexism, violence, centralized authority, and corporatism have always been struggles within the Socialist, Marxist, Communist, and Anarchist communities who have always questioned why workers are not the ones that make the decisions about what they produce, how they produce it, and what is done with the profits created from their collective and individual labor. (The previous link is a Session 1 of a 4 session lecture) These questions depending on how they are answered by social institutions and our workplace determine the very fabric of our political, economic, and social agreements. Any one who works less than 8 hours a day should be thankful to Socialists worldwide.
The next video,Devastating Expose on American Journalism and Media Concentration, I will admit is slightly biased against the Corporate GOP Republican Elites and just barely touches on the harm that the Corporate Democratic Party Elites have done to our society, but it does not ignore them. I like this video because it does not need to rely on fringe conspiracy theories that often have some truth, but often lacks integrity in it’s journalistic efforts.
I also was happy to see Congressman Bernie Sanders speaking and being interviewed. His message has not changed, what has changed is obviously the power of online news media to be shared from pocket to pocket/ desk to desk, the effectiveness of independent local news to report on relevant topics to their community, and the creativity allowed through breaking the chains of so called intellectual property rights that allows us to build upon each other’s ideas instead of relying on a private corporation to tell us what Our ideas are. This video also makes it clear what we are struggling against. However, for those that want encouragement as to how the systemic structures of media has moved enjoy this link to another enlightening documentary that shows how We have changed the world through using social media for the good of humankind.
We are organizing in our communities,
We are changing the very ideas of what media is,
We are creating the world anew,
We are giving voice to the unheard,
We are protecting those bound by chains of fear, greed, and control,
We are remembering our common struggles, our common dreams,
We are sharing our new stories,
We are creative, peaceful, cooperative,
Expect Bernie Sanders to help our visions for a new future,
Expect love, wisdom, and change. | https://medium.com/@ernestrando/my-two-favourite-documentaries-with-berniesanders-35a215a32b66 | ['Ernest Rando'] | 2015-12-27 21:43:57.021000+00:00 | ['Bernie Sanders', 'Anonymous', 'Activism'] |
From employee to bootstrapper to financial freedom | From employee to bootstrapper to financial freedom
I recently started to fulfill my lifestyle expectations. I’m now able to live wherever I want and move whenever I want, working remotely and having a flexible work schedule while running digital products that create recurring income so I don’t have the complicated uncertainty of those early days as an entrepreneur.
I’m just beginning this journey, but it’s already a few years since I started to walk the walk and having a retrospective look at it allows me to share a few thoughts and stories with you in case you’re planning to do the same.
I went from employee to bootstrapper to achieve that financial independence, without raising a cent from venture capital. I believe the learnings I’ve got throughout this process have made me a more solid and resilient person.
Exploring ideas
I’m always full of business ideas and I’ve been like this since my early days. The fact is that most of us don’t execute on those or if we execute we don’t have the necessary patience to continue pursuing them.
And patience is as important as the execution itself.
Today’s technology is making it super simple to try out ideas and explore their potential, nowadays you can find software as a service for almost anything, whether you want to test an e-commerce, online service, or some productized service with recurring subscriptions.
Exploration of ideas is inexpensive and I think there hasn’t been a better moment in our digital age to start a business than it is now.
This exploration will make you fall (even more) in love with your idea because you see it makes sense, or will help you get the relevant information to make a decision of discarding it.
There are so many ways to test ideas right now (that should be another post) but the key message here is that you should act. This will lead you to seriously consider starting your side hustle.
Starting the side hustle
When I was going to start my side hustle I was packed with ideas. I wanted to explore as many as possible to see which one had the most potential.
This was back in 2014 and I started researching and exploring the ecosystem and I found the (then fresh) concept of startup studios or venture builders. This was the Aha! moment for me.
There was this nice concept or creating a kind of laboratory where a team can explore different ideas and then you spin off the successful ones. As a passionate entrepreneur I saw this was a model I could pursue at least for that phase of my life, because I just didn’t know which idea to bet on and I wanted to make sure that I was going to make a good decision on that.
By the way, at that time I was living in Madrid, a splendid city.
Credits to Mike Swigunski for this photo. I’m just not that good with the camera.
Making a bet
As the laboratory initiative was clear to me, I decided to make my bet, still as a side hustle, I invested 20K USD from my savings into this concept and accepted that for the upcoming months everything I was making from my salary was not going to any saving accounts but invested in the business.
I wasn’t a good friend of loans and credit cards, so I also decided that everything I was going to try had to be done without borrowing money.
This is how I allocated the resources.
The framework for picking the first ideas to try was important, although now that I see it was very imperfect. The 3 selected ones were: a marketplace for pop-up stores space rental; a cooks/chefs marketplace to get cooks at home; a food delivery service for healthy food with plates designed by great chefs and nutritionists.
Surround yourself with a great team
Finding the right entrepreneurial team with a passion for exploration was my next challenge, it took me around 6 months to find the first lead developer. I ended up in all kind of meetups and online communities and broadcasting some messages to the University where I studied. A professor helped me share those messages across tech communities where I eventually found the first candidate with the skills, and more importantly, the attitude and willingness to try this out.
During those 6 months I managed to write prototypes for some of the ideas, when the first developers joined I already had a simple base for the projects, the proper technical framework for prototyping was in place and the ideas were defined at a high level. By the way, we named it Rocka, as we were putting the first stone for a business (stone or “rock”, did you see what we did there?).
We spent 16 months building, testing and experimenting with the ideas, but none of them worked out (the reasons why could be another post). But it was not a waste of time, in the end we managed to assemble a team for experimentation, we shared the same energy and we had that Laboratory mindset.
The only problem is that we were running out of money. I was actually running out of money personally. I didn’t know how to raise money fast nor was very interested.
We needed to find another solution. And as crazy as it sounds, this is when I realized that this should not be a side hustle anymore. I needed to commit even more and make a bigger bet.
Focus on revenue
The team was full of product builders and we had great methods to build software and try experiments quickly. We were constantly being asked by friends and businesses whether we offered this experimentation as a service, and we always said no, until then.
If the market needs product experimentation, why don’t we offer this? We then created the venture builder as a service and worked with entrepreneurs and bigger companies who wanted to launch startups. We got a nice contract that gave me peace of mind for at least 1 year so I could focus on the business.
We focused on revenue but always had one thing clear: we don’t want to be a consulting company. We continued exploring ideas! Running our own hackathons 4 times per year, we continued building and running our experiments.
As a remote team from our inception, we realized that remote work is unique and we were facing pains, from mental health to team collaboration and synchronization.
Those pains were the triggers for some of the ideas we built in our hackathons. Among many ideas we got into:
A collaboration toolkit for automating daily updates , standups, executive check-ins: we were tired of synchronous meetings and wanted to replace those with technology. This is DailyBot.
, standups, executive check-ins: we were tired of synchronous meetings and wanted to replace those with technology. This is DailyBot. A meditation and sleep app, in spanish: most of our team speaks Spanish as their primary language and we didn’t find good apps for this audience. This is Bambú.
Notice that at this point we’re running a services business which brings enough revenue to be sustainable and some extra cash for us to continuously invest on experimenting. At some point we managed to have a team of 5–6 people fully focused on experimenting, and another 6–10 focused on the services-based revenue. I ran all over the place, from CEO to product to development, those were interesting times.
Betting on the best bets
We had two products that 1) we were using on a daily basis and found great value on them, 2) were standing out from other experiments we ran.
We decided to make the next bet: close gracefully all the services contracts and put the focus on our products.
We spinned off another team for the meditation app, a team focused on content generation and growth. And the main team spinned off to become DailyBot.
A transition like this one is never as simple as it sounds, in my personal case I’ve experienced anxiety and stress but I worked with coaches and top psychologists to overcome fears and challenges.
This bet turned out to be the best decision we’ve made. We introduced a self-service subscription model to DailyBot and started to grow MRR at a 2 figures rate per month.
As it is a product that helps remote teams and makes WFH easier, we had a high volume of registrations and subscriptions because of the pandemic. We know about the many businesses that have been suffering during this 2020 pandemic and that’s why we’ve been committed to help them.
We found our products to be highly valuable for remote workers during these times.
Closing
This is the story of how the proper exploration and execution of your ideas drive you somewhere. Making the right bets will get you where you want to be. This may take years and there are no shortcuts, although of course talent matters and there is always a luck component. But luck and talent will not work if you are not in the right place, so, start now.
I like sharing what it is to build a business as a bootstrapper, follow me on Twitter [@maomorales] and let’s stay in touch. | https://medium.com/@maomorales/from-employee-to-bootstrapper-to-financial-freedom-89b20ea20e06 | ['Mauricio Morales'] | 2020-11-03 11:18:04.049000+00:00 | ['Startup', 'Financial Freedom', 'Lifestyle', 'Remote Working', 'Nomad'] |
A First Move on the Border | TV image from border surveillance camera of two toddlers dropped over the wall
Terry H. Schwadron
April 17, 2021
Vice President Kamala Harris finally made her first public move on immigration this week, announcing a visit to Mexico and Guatemala “soon” for talks towards addressing the root causes of swelling and continuing migration to the United States despite dangers and legalities.
Three weeks ago, President Joe Biden gave her the responsibility to bring a “whole of government” approach to the building overcrowding of minor migrants crossing the border. But while there are plenty of reports about Harris preparing, we’ve seen little public response, which has left Biden and Harris open to unending political criticism from all sides that they are not addressing the overcrowded and worsening conditions in Border Police and Health and Human Services facilities.
Nevertheless, reports from every view but the White House sees messiness that is getting worse before it will become orderly. The White House has been content to remind that all this started with repressive policies of the last administration and the lack of planning for a seasonal, cyclical migration, and a late start on transition, especially under duress of pandemic. Oh yeah, Team
Biden believes it has been clear in saying we would accept children, but not adults, but that message clearly has not been heard as clearly.
The criticism from progressives is about why we aren’t moving faster to open asylum, while Fox and other right-leaning sites are hammering at a lack of Harris visits to the border. On Thursday, the administration said it would keep the number of allowed asylum cases at the same low level established by Donald Trump — without offering an understandable reason. We were left to assume this was a political decision that too many people are crossing the southern border right now.
Indeed, the border issues underscore the most lasting criticisms of the effectiveness of the administration, since the numbers of undocumented crossings are spiraling. The White House has had trouble defining exactly what Harris’ role includes, since Harris seems to be leaving the unraveling of the current confusion to Homeland Security and HHS agents.
Meanwhile, Guatemala and Mexico this week dispatched more military police to stop migration columns, and our immigration officials have been moving with the Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel to accelerate new bed creation to get young migrants sent to dangerous desert and river crossings alone.
Whatever policy questions exist, whatever the fairness of criticisms, the continuing images of babies dropped over fences and sleeping on overcrowded floors are devastating.
Unending questions
Just why the White House did not do more at the outset to clearly communicate either its polices or the assigned role for Harris is a head-scratcher. In that sense, the criticisms seem reasonable.
What isn’t reasonable is that these problems disappear with a snap of vice-presidential fingers. Biden and Harris seem — we don’t know, which is the point — to accept the notion that we need to take a longer view about immigration that will make sense to migrants and potential migrants as well as to U.S. law enforcement.
They have proposed a comprehensive bill for immigration, granting Dreamers citizenship, establishing a long-term road to U.S. naturalization, and reversing a whole lot of Donald Trump administration limits on legal and illegal immigration. The Biden administration has said it will raise legal immigration caps and restart asylum procedures once its team is in place, but has yet to act. As a result, legal immigration is on track to be slightly more limited than last year under Trump.
Apparently after a time of learning and preparation, the White House has decided that Harris’ job is to coordinate with Mexico and The Northern Triangle countries rather than with addressing those minors already here. In any case, her political opponents note that Harris has had time to attend other unrelated events to promote the coronavirus aid and jobs bill rather than visit the border facilities.
Adding to confusion was a decision by Roberta Jacobson, Biden’s border czar who has played a key role in the Northern Triangle, to resign in the middle of this bloated migration problem. Meanwhile, Harris is deferring on actions affecting the actual overcrowding to the existing agencies.
There is no question that climate disasters, violence, poverty and hunger are driving migration from Central America. The Trump administration canceled most aid to the region but for increased law enforcement and security.
The Insistence on Politics
There have been a lot of reports, including one in Politico.com, that present the issues handed to Harris as akin to a live political grenade. In tapping Harris for this role, Biden “was placing her squarely on the third rail of modern national politics. The question of what to do about the flow of migrants overwhelming border resources have vexed the past two presidents. And some people close to Harris fear it would now do the same for her and, in turn, complicate her political future.”
Guess what? This is not about Harris and politics. It should be about our values and about the literal lives of families so torn that they would have young children risk their lives in search of a better future.
Republicans have been quick to tie Harris directly to the literal events on the border. Republican National Committee spokesperson Keith Schipper has described Harris as the “manager of the Biden border crisis,” while RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel wrote an op-ed titled “Where’s Kamala? Biden’s border point person can’t be bothered to show up.”
Democrats seem worried that bad immigration optics will be a vulnerability for 2022 congressional elections.
It is unfair to place all the complexities of immigration policy on a single person in a single term, regardless of political outlook, to say nothing of three weeks. Still, it would be nice to see what Harris is actually seeking to do in some public fashion. In a phrase, she should know better that transparency helps. And, frankly, why wouldn’t she go to the border, even with senators in tow, to witness the effects personally — to inform herself about the human effects of policy, to bring hope for change from “whole of government” and to stop the irrelevant sideshow of politics.
At the same time, it stretches credulity that Congress, and Republicans in particular, can simply sit and do nothing towards resolution while blaming Harris for not visiting the border to learn what is already known.
Politics are a lousy way to solve even easy questions. Trying to make partisan points over the life and death issues of immigration, to give certainty to business and individual reliance on visas, to straighten the circuitous, almost impenetrable rules of legal immigration is straight frustration for the rest of us.
.##
www,terryschwadron.wordpress.com | https://medium.com/@terryschwadron/a-first-move-on-the-border-c4eea7f785cc | ['Terry Schwadron'] | 2021-04-17 11:42:12.334000+00:00 | ['Border', 'Immigration', 'Guatemala', 'Mexico', 'Kamala Harris'] |
Reddit’s presidential race: Candidate mentions in comments | Update: Reddit’s Upvoted made a full feature on this chart with added commentaries: https://upvoted.com/2015/11/14/which-2016-presidential-candidates-are-redditors-talking-about/
Quick visualization while flying between countries, updated with reddit’s October data thanks to /u/stuck_in_the_matrix:
# of comments mentioning candidate
The BigQuery query:
SELECT DATE(USEC_TO_TIMESTAMP(UTC_USEC_TO_WEEK(created_utc*1000*1000,1))) week, SUM(body CONTAINS "Bernie Sanders") BernieSanders,SUM(body CONTAINS "Ben Carson") BenCarson,SUM(body CONTAINS "Hillary Clinton") HillaryClinton,SUM(body CONTAINS "Donald Trump") DonaldTrump,SUM(body CONTAINS "Rand Paul") RandPaul,SUM(body CONTAINS "Jim Webb") JimWebb,SUM(body CONTAINS "Ted Cruz") TedCruz,SUM(body CONTAINS "Jeb Bush") JebBush,SUM(body CONTAINS "Paul Ryan") PaulRyan,SUM(body CONTAINS "Marco Rubio") MarcoRubio,SUM(body CONTAINS "Chris Christie") ChrisChristie,SUM(body CONTAINS "Carly Fiorina") CarlyFiorina FROM TABLE_QUERY([fh-bigquery:reddit_comments], 'REGEXP_MATCH(table_id, "2015_..$")')
GROUP BY 1
ORDER BY 1
Find more data and topics like these on reddit.com/r/bigquery, or follow me at @felipehoffa.
Update: Reddit’s Upvoted made a full feature on this chart with added commentaries: | https://medium.com/google-cloud/reddit-s-presidential-race-candidate-mentions-in-comment-1f9fd6a7985a | ['Felipe Hoffa'] | 2015-11-16 03:26:05.135000+00:00 | ['Visualization', '2016 Election', 'Reddit'] |
How To Make Money on Fiverr | How To Make Money on Fiverr
How To Make Money on Fiverr - Fiverr was intended to give clients the capacity to purchase advanced administrations from a variety of top notch suppliers. Emmas Allan Dec 16, 2020·7 min read
How To Make Money on Fiverr
Established in 2011, it’s developed quickly, with more than 8,000,000 “gigs” being purchased through the stage in 2015 alone.
While this may sound incredible, the central issue is whether you can bring in cash with it, as well.
To respond to this, I have thought that it was ideal to think about the general extent of the market, and where you’re ready to gain any ground with it…
Having gone through the previous 5 months working with various individuals on the stage, the one thing I have discovered which decides whether somebody will be effective is the way they’re ready to situate their offer.
For a great many people — and ladies are especially awful at this — they will fundamentally list what they’re ready to “do” with certain instances of past work.
Maybe this will function admirably for significant level picture takers, yet for every other person — it’s a catastrophe waiting to happen.
Individuals need to realize how you will move their business/life forward, not what you’re ready to do. Earn Extra Income: 4 Good Paying Home Based Jobs .
For instance, you might be a “elite specialist”, yet how can that convert into the kind of treatment you can give to patients? What’s your claim to fame? What have you done before that different specialists could not touch?
In the Western world, we’ve arrived at a time where social media has essentially exposed the “nondescript business” fantasy — individuals need to realize who they’re managing, and need the absolute best administrations to be conveyed direct to them.
To this end, while thinking about how you can manage the stage, there are various strides to experience:
1. Lead With YOUR Experience
The principal BIG thing I discovered is to lead with your experience.
In the event that you don’t have any insight, you need to simply say that you’re anxious to learn — the thought being that individuals will utilize your administrations since they need to assist you with improving and so forth
Each time I’ve seen somebody who’s been effective on the stage, they generally lead with their experience over everything else.
The best suppliers on the stage are unmistakable with what they’re offering, since they will consistently shape it around the ability they’ve created in “this present reality”.
A serious mix-up of a wide range of individuals is to just attempt to sell a help since they believe it’s famous (SEO/WordPress desgin and so forth) — this is a BAD method to get things done, and will ordinarily restrain development as you’ll not give awesome outcomes.
While the underlying surge of bringing in cash may be acceptable, awful client surveys will slaughter any yearnings you may have. In this way, it pays over the long haul to zero in on what you’re really ready to don’t (what you think individuals need to pay for).
2. See What’s Selling
A few things will be more mainstream than others — while you shouldn’t “duplicate” others’ work, it’s consistently beneficial to perceive what’s well known and what isn’t.
Regarding the manner in which you do this, there are two techniques:
Take a gander At Popular Accounts
Take a gander At Popular Products/Services . How to Get Good Page Rank on Google .
The primary technique is to attempt to recognize any well known “accounts” on the stage, and “figure out” how they have been so fruitful. This ordinarily makes the way for taking a gander at the different well known “markets” through which they’ve been selling their gigs:
Snap onto Fiverr
At the top, select one of the “themes” from the route bar
Select a sub-theme (ensure both are genuinely mainstream (Digital Marketing > Social Media Marketing)
From the left menu, select “Level Two” + “First class” from the “Dealer Rating” segment
How To Make Money on Fiverr
Likewise contribution at any rate $100 into the “Value Range” area
Ensure the postings are requested by “Top rated” and begin tapping on the ones that seem well known
In the event that you discover whatever looks engaging, click onto the “profile” of the merchant
This will give you a review of their whole arrangement of gigs
The subsequent technique is to search for any items/administrations which are by and large mainstream. While try not to be conventional in the thing you’re offering, you should have the option to consider the “language” through which your crowd may wish to impart.
Snap onto Fiverr
At the top, select one of the “themes” from the route bar that requests to your experience
Select a sub-subject which further offers
Guarantee the postings are requested by “Smash hit”
Look through and search for the modest number after the beginning rating
For instance, you may have 5 stars + “1k”
The “1k” speaks to the quantity of individuals who’ve purchased the gig and left a decent survey
It straightforwardly means the fame of the gig, and hence whether it’s an interesting point
As referenced, both of these techniques are just truly to be utilized to pick up a “lay of the land” — some base level exploration intended to give you further thoughts regarding what’s famous on the stage.
3. Spur Your Own IN-Interest Offers
Subsequent to doing the abovementioned, you need to consider making an “popular” offer.
How To Make Money on Fiverr - Request is a stacked word; the key is that the vast majority essentially need to understand what you will accomplish for them.
The issue is a great many people will essentially attempt to let you know either what they “do”, or what they think you need to hear. This doesn’t work.
What works is having a framework which permits you to “offer” your administrations so that individuals immediately comprehend the basic advantages for their business.
For instance, one of my Fiverr profiles works in PC fix.
PC fix isn’t the most hot, nor the most bountiful market now. Harking back to the 90’s, being a “PC fix” fellow implied enormous cash… not in 2018.
Hence, to make an “sought after” offer (since PCs are as yet utilized — significantly more than the 90’s — simply in an unexpected way), you need to go with where the “request” is:
Worpress fixes
Cloud VPS provisioning + the board
Shopify fixes
Presently, in spite of the fact that these are alright — the BIG issue here is that there’s very little interest for them. Individuals don’t “need” to get them.
What individuals need to pay for are the reasons “why” they’re utilizing the previously mentioned programming bundles — traffic, development + deals.
In this way, you wrap whatever you’re doing in the bundling of “growth”…
5 New WordPress Theme Tweaks To Boost Conversions By 20%
Increment Traffic With Brand New WordPress Tweaks
Make A SAAS Subscription Business With Cloud VPS
Increment Shopify Sales With These 3 Theme Tweaks
There’s clearly a craftsmanship to this — in case you’re ready to do it successfully, you’re ready to draw in requests from an enormous number of purchasers.
4. Comprehend What People Are Buying
Clearly, individuals purchasing a fix/update — however at it’s center, you need to like that a great many people won’t send you cash for unremarkable help; they need excellent.
Remarkable doesn’t signify “quality” — it signifies “results”.
Hence, while thinking about the way toward working with customers (on the off chance that you get orders), you need to do totally everything to push their business/life forward.
How To Make Money on Fiverr - As clarified above, things like enclosing the proposal by hidden outcomes (for them), going the additional mile to assist them with understanding what you’ve done or simply accomplishing more than anticipated — in the event that you approach your customers with deference and energy, you’ll begin accepting respectable audits.
How To Make Money on Fiverr
These great surveys are what *should* propagate the development of the administration.
5. Guarantee The “Back-End” Is Handled Properly
In the event that you need to get into the major classes, irrefutably the key is to guarantee your business can deal with expanded quantities of requests.
While it could be ideal to get 5 new requests, in the event that you need to support your force, you need to consider what dealing with 500+ requests will resemble.
How To Make Money on Fiverr - To this end, perhaps the best thing you can do is center around how the “back-end” of your business is overseen.
Such things as coordinating Trustpilot, making a YouTube channel, Facebook page, Twitter channel, and so on are generally little things to keep customers in your “circle” (and subsequently can keep conveying your “popular” administrations sometime in the not too distant future).
In the business world, it’s known as a “pipe” — the more profound the customer goes, the more significant they become.
Clearly, you need to regard everyone’s thoughts and so on — however from a simply realistic viewpoint, you should have the option to consider how you will continue “reusing” the purchasers that Fiverr brings.
Followers and Fans on Social Media Platforms
In the event that you do this successfully — which may incorporate everything from setting up a CRM framework to coordinating email advertising efforts into your administrations — you’ll wind up with remarkable expansions in deals.
The manner in which you handle this development is reliant on your experience/personality — however the center is that business is out there in case you’re willing to zero in on interest. | https://medium.com/@emmas26/how-to-make-money-on-fiverr-158a1313c7a4 | ['Emmas Allan'] | 2020-12-16 14:47:54.446000+00:00 | ['Online Business', 'Fiverr', 'Online Marketing', 'Make Money Online', 'Business'] |
Want to Be a Real Writer? Don’t Write About Medium. | I am a bit annoyed by those who write about Medium every day. I don’t mean to offend you if you are one of these writers, but like Jesus on the mountaintop being tempted, I have to write something like this article every now and then to keep myself from giving in.
I suppose on many levels your strategy makes perfect sense, which is why I have a hard time not doing it. After all, you are giving your audience what they want. And your audience is Medium writers. They want, and you provide. I get it.
And it makes you money. Which is another reason why I put my hands together in prayer against falling prey to this temptation.
Here’s my secret and shameful confession for those of you who write these articles. I read them. Almost every time. After all, I’m also looking for ways to make money in a profession that often seems extremely unprofitable. Right now, for example, I’ve got a kid in college, and a thirteen-year-old whose eyes I want to light up when she opens the Christmas presents under the tree.
But writing about Medium is not letting me know whether or not I’m a good writer. And I need that information more than money.
I’ll work a second job at a grocery store to get my daughter the super cool Doc Martins that cost one hundred bucks. And ten hours will get me there, as opposed to the month-long writing workload that I expend here on the platform.
I’ll make the sacrifice. Because I want to know if I’ve got the chops to be a real writer. And to me that doesn’t include tons of articles on achieving Medium fame.
Just so you don’t misunderstand me, I have lots of temptations that I give in to. Sometimes I write articles that make the complex and intricate details of achieving things such as thriving relationships and success and productivity seem like an A through Z process.
Reality?
It’s never A through Z. It’s about your goals combined with ingenuity, persistence, and a dedication to learning. But at least it’s food for thought about something besides claps and follows.
So many times I desperately want to submit to the seductive dance that those who write about Medium do. I want the bucks. I want to give the readers what they want, which is Medium money. But I want to give you the hard facts more.
And the hard facts are, that yes, you will make money writing about how to gain followers and how to make the one-hundred-dollar a month club. I've made that club almost the whole time I’ve been writing here, but it’s been damn hard. And I think some of the reason for this struggle is that I mainly avoid writing about Medium.
However, about twice a year, I allow myself this sinful luxury. This is one of those times, and since I know my articles won’t be curated because I am writing about Medium, it frees me to do things such as link ten of my articles below the actual article. (See me break my writer vows down below).
But the truth is, I want you to read and follow me for the insights and inspiration I give. And if you don’t like what I’m choosing to write about, leave me in the dust. It will help me understand what I need to change to be a better writer. And that’s where the real magic comes in.
Refusing to concentrate all my efforts on writing about Medium is a bit of a self-imposed sacrifice to my moral code, and sometimes I hate myself for following it.
One of the reasons why?
I’m a teacher. And I live from paycheck to paycheck. And I work a full-time job where I try to change people’s lives through the magic of literature. Sometimes I succeed. Often I don’t.
But in the end, I know I’ve put my time into a noble cause. Telling you how to get curated? Not quite so noble.
Quite simply, it is not doing you any favors to tell you how to make thousands of dollars kissing the asses of the Medium gods. You also already know the basics right? And I’m not going to say those same tired lines once a day to put pennies in my pocket. But oh my God do I want to. Christmas is coming, and as I said, I want to give my children all the magic that Santa can bring. Yet, I’m still going to confine myself to only playing my Medium melody a few times in the year, like now, when money is tight. And maybe it will mean that I slave away at articles that don’t get claps and follows.
The truth?
Deep inside, I know I’m a good writer. Not a great one, but a good one. I’ve certainly got much more work to do perfecting my craft, but I've also got talent. Maybe you will disagree with me. Check me out.
And whether or not you believe curation matters, I do. It tells me someone thinks I’m doing something right. And I can’t get that validation I need by writing about Medium.
So, if you really want to see if you’ve got what it takes to write the “real stuff,” shift your focus. Write about things that don’t have to do with Medium. At least occasionally.
If you still want to woo your audience of writers, write about the art of writing or marketing, not about Medium specifically. This is often what I do. After all, I’ve taught writing for twenty years and I know a few things. Not all things, but I do have a few tips you may want to consider.
And since this is me giving in to my bi-annual Medium article, I’ll list a few of my articles you might consider reading. I especially recommend my first bi-annual article this year entitled “Tips for Newbie Medium Writers.” It has a ton of useful links as well. So here, I go, doing what writers who write about Medium always do.
Damn this is going to feel good. | https://medium.com/the-partnered-pen/want-to-be-a-real-writer-dont-write-about-medium-2577d21e8935 | ['Dawn Bevier'] | 2020-11-14 16:17:55.192000+00:00 | ['Creativity', 'Writing', 'Médium', 'Ｍedium', 'Medium Writers'] |
Accelerate S3 Data Querying Performance with S3 Select | Accelerate S3 Data Querying Performance with S3 Select
Amazon S3 is unlimited, durable, elastic, and cost-effective in terms of storing data or creating data lakes. Some applications frequently need to retrieve a subset of large datasets, in which case it is not feasible to process the entire object each time to get a subset of the object. Since this impacts the performance of the application, Amazon S3 introduced a new feature called S3 Select. Clairvoyant has years of experience creating data lakes with Amazon S3. This blog is an introduction to S3 Select. Read more to understand with a detailed example, how S3 Select is more efficient than in-memory object processing.
What is S3 Select?
S3 Select is an Amazon S3 feature that uses simple SQL expressions to retrieve a subset of S3 object content instead of retrieving the entire object. You can use SQL clauses, such as SELECT and WHERE to fetch data from objects stored in CSV, JSON, or Apache Parquet formats. It also supports objects that are compressed with GZIP or BZIP2 (only for CSV and JSON objects) and server-side encrypted objects.
Data querying with S3 Select
Features of S3 Select
Simple to use : Available as an API, no extra infrastructure or administration is required to use this feature. Simple standard SQL statements can be used in queries. Use SelectObjectContent API to pass queries to the S3 bucket and object key. It is easily integrated with other AWS services, such as AWS Lambda, EMR, etc.
: Available as an API, no extra infrastructure or administration is required to use this feature. Simple standard SQL statements can be used in queries. Use SelectObjectContent API to pass queries to the S3 bucket and object key. It is easily integrated with other AWS services, such as AWS Lambda, EMR, etc. Faster performance : By reducing the volume of data that has to be loaded and processed by your applications, S3 Select can improve the performance of most applications that frequently access data from S3 by up to 400%.
: By reducing the volume of data that has to be loaded and processed by your applications, can improve the performance of most applications that frequently access data from S3 by up to 400%. Cost-effective: With effective queries, the less you retrieve the less you pay.
Limitation of S3 Select
It supports a maximum of 256 KB length of an SQL expression.
It supports a maximum of 1 MB length of a record in the input or result.
Currently, only three object formats, namely CSV, JSON, or Apache Parquet are supported by S3 Select queries.
queries. Few SQL clauses that are supported are SELECT, FROM, WHERE, LIMIT, etc.
It is not useful for complex analytical queries and joins.
At a time, the select query can execute on a single file (object).
Cost of S3 Select
While calculating the cost of S3 Select, we have to consider three factors as mentioned below. The cost for region US-EAST(Ohio) with Standard Storage would be:
Amazon S3 Select — $0.0004 per 1000 SELECT requests
— $0.0004 per 1000 SELECT requests Amazon S3 Select data returned cost — $0.0007 per GB
data returned cost — $0.0007 per GB Amazon S3 Select data scanned cost — $0.002 per GB
For example, if you have 50 GB of data in S3, you can perform nearly 100,000 SELECT requests a month, and return 20 GB of data out of S3 in a month. The approximate cost in this scenario has been worked out in the section below (as of Dec 2020).
Tiered price for: 50 GB 50 GB per month x 0.0230000000 USD = 1.15 USD Total tier cost = 1.1500 USD (S3 Standard storage cost) 100,000 SELECT requests in a month x 0.0000004 USD per request = 0.04 USD (S3 Standard SELECT requests cost) 20 GB per month x 0.0007 USD = 0.014 USD (S3 Select returned cost) 50 GB per month x 0.002 USD = 0.10 USD (S3 Select scanned cost) 1.15 USD + 0.04 USD + 0.014 USD + 0.10 USD = 1.30 USD (Total S3 Standard Storage, data requests, S3 Select cost) S3 Standard cost (monthly): 1.30 USD
The cost will vary from region to region, but we need to consider the data return and scanned factors while running queries.
S3 Select vs Amazon Athena
Amazon Athena is another way to query S3 data, but if we compare Athena with S3 Select, then the following are the differences :
Example — S3 Select query with AWS SDK for Java
The below sample program demonstrates the performance of the S3 Select queries compared with the in-memory processing of the entire S3 object.
In this example, I want to retrieve sales data for a given region and country from 1 million sales records stored in the CSV format. To retrieve this data, I have used both ways- without S3 Select and with S3 Select, so we can compare both performance numbers.
After the execution of the above program, we found that without the S3 Select, to fetch 5359 sales records for the given criteria, the query required approx more than 10 seconds. And with the S3 Select, the query took less than a second to fetch the same number of records. See the below program output:
Retrieving records from S3 without S3 Select
Records Count 5359
Without S3 Select PT10.3490428S
Retrieving records from S3 with S3 Select
Records Count 5359
With S3 Select PT0.7449779S
Conclusion
Using S3 Select, we can accelerate S3 data querying performance with the help of simple SQL queries. We can also integrate S3 Select with other AWS services to improve the performance and reduce the cost.
References: | https://blog.clairvoyantsoft.com/accelerate-s3-data-querying-performance-with-s3-select-ff84dde1b8da | ['Raghvendra Naik'] | 2020-12-21 06:30:16.148000+00:00 | ['Amazon S3', 'AWS', 'Cloud', 'Cloud Computing', 'Sql'] |
Personal Branding for Freelance Graphic Designer | I created this design for my needs in starting work as a freelance graphic designer.
I need a simple design but still, bring out my identity in this design. This design that I made only wants to show the initials of my name.
Software to use : Adobe Photoshop CC & Adobe Illustrator CC
Adobe Photoshop CC & Adobe Illustrator CC Art Director & Graphic Designer: Fatih Annuri
Fatih Annuri Behance & Dribbble: Fatihannuri
Fatihannuri Instagram & Facebook Page : fatihannuridesign
fatihannuridesign Project Year: 2015
#graphicdesign #graphicdesigner #logodesign #designer #logodesign #logo #designer #creative #branding #design #brand #coffee #logodesigner #visualidentity #brandidentitydesign #brandidentity #designcommunity #graphicdesigners #behance #freelance #marketing #project #graphics
See my other portfolio :
Hire Me on Fiverr : | https://medium.com/@fatihannuri/personal-branding-for-freelance-graphic-designer-e47d5a36479d | [] | 2020-12-14 09:23:13.915000+00:00 | ['Brand Identity', 'Logo Design', 'Graphic Design', 'Personal Branding', 'Freelancers'] |
Fiat Currency 101: History, Examples, Pros/Cons, and Future | Fiat currency is government-issued and government-backed legal tender which is not linked to the value of anything physical like gold, silver, or even copper.
Perhaps you’d like to call it: I-can’t-believe-it’s-actually-money, money.
If you read The Bible in Latin-I bet you don’t-on the first page in the third verse of Genesis, you run across the words “fiat lux,” meaning “let there be light.” Armed with this information you can deduce that the term “fiat currency” literally means “let there be currency.”
This widely-used term first saw the light of day in the book, “Fiat Money Inflation in France” published in 1875. It was an academic work written by Andrew Dickson White, the American historian, and co-founder of Cornell University.
At the time the book was written, there was a running debate about the nature of money. Andrew White chose the words “fiat currency” to describe money which has no intrinsic value. If you’ve never studied the subject, you’ll be surprised by how many different things that have value of themselves have been used as money at various times. Of course, it’s true of gold and silver coins, but it’s also true of beaver pelts (used as currency in New France, now part of Canada) and cigarettes (used as currency for over two years in post-WW2 Germany).
Surprisingly, cowry shells proved popular for many centuries. They were used as currency in ancient China, so much so that Classical Chinese character for “money/currency”, 貝, is believed to be a pictograph of a cowrie shell. And because cowries occur near the shores of almost all countries that border the Indian ocean, they were used as money in India and African countries that border that ocean.
The Birth of Paper Money
So, something qualifies as real money if it has “intrinsic” value-beaver pelts, cigarettes, and cowries were regarded as valuable by the peoples who accepted them as money, just as gold and silver were.
The Chinese invented paper money, some time in the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), and used engraved wooden blocks to print it. They gradually became increasingly sophisticated in financial activities, developing credit mechanisms-merchants began to use promissory notes (credit notes) for long-distance trade. During the Song Dynasty (960–1276) merchants were invited to deposit their coins with the Government Treasury in exchange for “flying money” (Fey-thsian).
Curiously, the motivation for flying money wasn’t a desire to inflate the money supply. It was done because China was running out of coins. This is a money-supply problem we rarely hear of now, but it often plagued coin-based economies. Some merchants issued private drafts (banknotes in effect) that were backed by coins and salt, and later on by gold and silver. In 1024, the government took sole control of issuing these notes.
Then, during the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1367), paper money was declared to be the only legal tender. The paper money experiment began to go badly wrong during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). New notes were introduced into circulation without withdrawing older notes. Monetary inflation followed, as naturally as night follows day. In 1380, one Chinese guan was worth 1000 copper coins, by 1535, its value had reduced to 0.28 copper coins.
What Is Inflation?
It is worth pointing out here that the word “inflation” in a financial context is often misunderstood by people to mean “rising prices.” That is not its meaning. It means precisely “an increase in the supply of money.” Rising prices are a possible, but not guaranteed, result of inflating the money supply.
If you increase the supply of money, but that new money ends up with people who choose never to spend it, it will not cause prices to rise. Prices will rise only if the money circulates. And prices can rise for other reasons-a poor harvest will raise the price of grain without any help from an inflated money supply.
A Tale of Two Cities
Europe lagged China by centuries in the use of paper money, which didn’t get going until the printing press had been invented. The idea was tried in Sweden in 1661 by Stockholm’s Banco, linking banknotes directly to deposits of coins. The bank then foolishly printed more notes than there were deposits. It went bankrupt after three years. At about the same time, the goldsmith-bankers in London began creating notes linked to deposits, but they were conservative in issuing them. These proved to be a prototype for a national currency.
In 1694 the English government established the Bank of England, printing notes that guaranteed access to an amount of silver. But it wasn’t until 1745 that it issued fixed denomination notes from £20 to £1,000-the first true British banknotes.
While London moved slowly, Paris moved quickly, under the influence of the Scottish economist, John Law. He was an original economic thinker and a historically influential one. He invented the scarcity theory of value-a model for the interaction between supply and demand. He wrote the Real Bills Doctrine, which considers the required relationship between bank assets and liabilities and which set the foundation for modern banking. He believed that monetary inflation would stimulate an economy-and it does in the short term. But that opinion led to his downfall.
Law was also a successful gambler with a good understanding of probability. It was his gambling skills that brought him to the attention of the French aristocracy and his economic ideas that persuaded the Duke of Orleans to appoint him as Controller General of Finances of France.
When John Law took charge, France was in a financial mess. Louis XIV’s War of the Spanish Succession had left France in economic distress. The economy was stagnant and the national debt was crippling. A shortage of precious metals caused a shortage of coins in circulation.
Law’s solution was to replace gold with paper credit and then gradually increase the supply of credit. He believed this would stimulate commerce, and thus help to reduce the national debt. He intended to replace the national debt with shares in prosperous economic ventures.
To cut a long story short, Law issued bank notes based on gold coins combined in a 1 to 3 ratio with defunct government bonds, inflating the currency by a factor of 3 from the get-go. He then provoked a speculative bubble by founding the Mississippi Company, a monopoly trading company. The company’s stock rose by 60 times its initial value and then collapsed causing French citizens to dump their paper money for coins. When that happened, he was shown the door.
Real Paper Money: The Gold Standard
By the nineteenth century, the phenomenon of paper money inflation was better understood. John Law’s disastrous French experiment proved to be an object lesson and a highly effective deterrent. The faith in coinage (gold and silver) was even enshrined in the US constitution, where Article 1, Section 10 states:
“[No State shall] make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts;”
From 1837 to 1863, a period of 26 years, the US had no central banks, just heavily regulated state-chartered banks that issued banknotes against specie (precious-metal-based coinage). Then, with the National Banking Act of 1863, a system of national banks was established with the intent of creating a uniform national currency and paying for the Union’s civil war costs.
Wars are costly. The US issued “Greenback” dollars that were not backed by precious metals to pay for it. But in a series of legislative changes, which began in 1873, the US gradually moved to a gold standard with all bank notes backed by gold.
The British had been operating a gold standard since 1844, and much of the British Empire naturally fell in line. In 1873, Germany adopted the gold standard and France followed suit. Throughout the 19th-century, banknotes backed by gold gradually superseded gold and silver coinage.
A gold standard emerged. It prevented undisciplined and inflationary money-printing and it reduced the need for coins. It also enforced a fixed exchange rate between currencies, facilitating global trade. Because currency was exchangeable for gold, gold naturally migrated to the more successful economies, increasing the money supply in accordance with the national balance of trade.
What’s not to love?
Gold does not provide a perfect basis for a commodity-backed currency, but, historically, it has proved to be the best choice. Currently, the world’s above-ground gold stock grows by 1 to 2% annually. About half the gold in existence is used for jewelry, about 20% is owned by central banks, a further 20% by private investors, and the remainder is employed industrially. The neat thing about gold is that it isn’t destroyed by usage; almost all industrially used gold is recovered and recycled.
The glitches in gold-based currencies happen with discoveries of significant new deposits. But this is rare. It happened when Spain raided the Aztecs and the Incas for gold, and as a result of the California gold rush of 1849, the Australian gold rush of 1851, and the Witwatersrand gold rush of 1886. It would require a truly dramatic new gold find to increase the existing stock of gold significantly.
There are currently about 190,000 tonnes of mined gold, with an estimated 54,000 tonnes still below ground. Most of those 190,000 tonnes are more recent than you might imagine. Two-thirds of it has been mined since 1950.
The Rocky Road to Fiat Currency
The question is: why did the gold standard fail?
But it’s the wrong question. The gold standard didn’t fail; it worked. The intention with the gold standard was to prevent the debasement of paper currency by making it exchangeable with something that couldn’t be debased: gold. All the evidence suggests that it works, even allowing for the disruption imposed by the occasional major gold discovery.
Paper money that is linked directly to gold-something that cannot be inflated by fiat, is not fiat money. Paper money becomes fiat money when the link between the paper and the gold is cut.
In the first decade of the twentieth century, the major economies of the world had moved their currencies to implement a gold standard. Then came the wars — without money, you cannot fight them. And the easiest way to pay for them is in fiat money because you can print it without it becoming immediately obvious to your citizens. The economists could not object-losing the war will be far worse economically than a dose of inflation.
After World War I, only the US truly remained on the gold standard. Other countries tried to go back to it, but the Great Depression foiled that.
In 1934, the US Congress passed the Gold Reserve Act, which nationalized all gold by ordering Federal Reserve banks to turn over their physical gold to the U.S. Treasury. In return, the banks received gold certificates to be used as reserves against deposits and Federal Reserve notes. The act authorized the president to devalue the gold-linked dollar, which he quickly did. This bumped the gold value of the dollar from $20.67 to $35 per ounce, a devaluation of over 40%.
The effect was to allow the Federal Reserve to print money in the hope of combatting rampant deflation. That’s right, deflation rather than inflation!!
The Force of Deflation
The money supply can expand as well as contract. If paper money is printed and it circulates, then in general prices will rise. However, when an economy goes into recession or a depression, many people and businesses are no longer able to pay their debts. An unpaid debt is money that disappears. The usual way to combat such a contraction of the money supply is to print money and make it available to the banks so that they remain solvent.
This is the other side of the coin, as regards fiat money. Not only does fiat money make inflation possible, it also makes deflation possible. Neither of those is good for the health of an economy.
At the end of World War II, another very expensive war, which only the US survived with its economy intact, a new international standard for currencies was implemented, that went by the name of Bretton Woods.
The idea was that countries would fix their exchange rate against the US dollar and would be able to exchange their dollar holdings for gold at the official exchange rate of $35 per ounce whenever they so wished. Neither businesses nor individuals were allowed to do that, so convertibility was highly constrained. Depriving individuals of owning gold (except for jewelry) removed a great deal of liquidity from the market and thus helped to stabilize the dollar price of gold.
So the US dollar then became the world’s primary reserve currency-the currency that countries and large businesses needed to hold to conduct international trade. They held dollars for the same reason that people and companies once held gold coins: as a common currency. The dollar was suitable because of its link to gold, and all countries could swap their dollar holdings for gold whenever they wished.
This worked very well until it didn’t.
Starting in 1959 and continuing for over a decade, France decided to continuously exchange its dollar reserves for gold at the official rate. In the latter part of the 1960s, the US was spending heavily on the Vietnam War and was running a persistent balance of payments deficit. Eventually, the US was obliged to cut the deficits or cut the link to gold.
President Nixon chose the latter-on August 15, 1971, the US abandoned the convertibility of the US dollar to gold.
And Then There Was Fiat
It is a remarkable fact that for the last 50 years no currencies in the world have had any intrinsic value. They are nothing more than paper, no matter which country you live in. And few people care.
The only thing that is backing the US dollar is faith that the US government will support it and maintain the current system of currency exchange across the markets of the world. However, this system favors the US. It remains to be seen whether the dominance of the dollar will be challenged.
What Could Challenge It?
Why, cryptocurrencies, of course. Currencies that can be designed to be proof against the twin systemic threats of inflation and deflation. | https://medium.com/permissionio/fiat-currency-101-history-examples-pros-cons-and-future-1dd46a313988 | [] | 2020-10-27 21:21:12.519000+00:00 | ['Fiat Currency', 'Cryptocurrency'] |
by Martino Pietropoli | First thing in the morning: a glass of water and a cartoon by The Fluxus.
Follow | https://medium.com/the-fluxus/friday-32838744b483 | ['Martino Pietropoli'] | 2018-04-20 06:36:39.495000+00:00 | ['Friday', 'Psychology', 'Love', 'Art'] |
Angular vs. React vs. Vue | Angular vs. React vs. Vue: Spot the Difference
The comparison of these three frameworks (Angular versus React versus Vue) will help you to have a clear perspective regarding the perfect framework as per your project requirements.
When you have an important project with several bottlenecks, you require a comprehensive understanding of these technologies so you can choose the apt framework.
That’s the basis of this article: to detail the essential factors for each framework and to help you to pick the right one among them.
1. Angular vs. React vs. Vue: Popularity
According to a 2019 Stack Overflow survey, React is the most desired framework (74.5% of developers preferring it), and Vue is right behind it with 73.6% of developers embracing it.
Both React and Vue have a similar number of users.
The number of users for Angular isn’t the same as before, but, even so, more than 50% of users still love Angular.
Google Trends can dictate the popularity of Angular, React, and Vue among developers.
As per Google statistics, React is the most popular framework, followed by Angular and Vue. React easily grabs the attention of developers because of its well-built and secure structure.
Although, there’s no denial that Angular and React are used by big names in the software industry: Google uses Angular for their projects, whereas brands like Airbnb, Dropbox, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Netflix are keen on React for development.
2. Angular vs. React vs. Vue: Performance
Performance is considered to be the most prominent aspect for a front-end developer during development, whether you choose Angular, React, Vue, or any other framework. And to determine that, you need to understand the performance. Let me help you with that.
It is a known fact that DOM is seen as the UI for frameworks. It’s a vital fact that React and Angular take different methods to modernize HTML files, but Vue is the one that brings out the best result.
Angular
The good:
Angular is the most popular framework for JavaScript because it practices real DOM, and it’s the best option for single-page-applications due to the coherent update.
Apart from that, Angular goes with a Two-Way Data binding process that recreates the changes from the Model into the views in a safe, efficient, and automatic method.
Liability:
Due to several features of this framework, during the translation of heavy applications, it slows down the performance.
React:
Goods:
React is a front-end library that applies the Virtual DOM to enhance the performance for all size applications that require frequent content up-gradation, such as Instagram.
The base of React is single-direction data flow to have better authority over the project.
Liability:
The constant changes and development in React demand upgraded and skilled programmers regularly, so sometimes the tech giants are not comfortable working with React.
Vue:
Goods:
Being the youngest member Vue has its perks because Vue doesn’t need to deal with those issues which earlier arose in Angular and React.
Vue.js development company provides high performance and memory allocation with all the enhanced features.
Liability:
Vue has the smallest community support because it’s a novice member of the JavaScript family.
3. Angular vs React vs Vue: Top Use Cases for web development
Angular
Angular is actively used in its AdWords applications for maximizing the performance because Google is the founder of it.
These are the famous web resources that utilize Angular, such as Lego, PayPal, Nike, Weather.com, and The Guardian.
2. React
It was specifically designed for Facebook, and it still uses React actively for various product creation.
The list of React users goes as, Instagram, Twitter, Whatsapp, and WordPress as well.
3. Vue.js
Vue doesn’t have strong allies to implement its products, like Angular and React.
Although, in a short span, popular brands such as GitLab, 9Gag, Nintendo, and Grammarly are associated with Vue due to its flexibility.
4. Angular vs React vs Vue: Framework size
Angular (around 500 KB):
Angular development has a wide range of features that enables developers to create templates to test utilities.
For your next project if you want to develop large-scale feature applications, then Angular is the one for you.
2. React (around 100 KB):
React is the right framework for modern web development because, with React development, you don’t have to worry about the big spectrum of libraries.
3. Vue (around 65 KB):
As per the size of Vue framework and library, it’s suitable for the light-weight application, and for the complex application you need to go with Angular development.
5. Angular vs React vs Vue: Learning curve
The learning curve is defined as the capability of users to write codes in a specific programming language. It’s time for us to understand the learning curve of each framework.
Vue:
Among these three frameworks, Vue.js has the easiest learning curve. And the reason is it’s nearest to the JavaScript basics and HTML. You can consider the start of this task as easy as adding an import to HTML.
However, as you create a more complex application, it starts to get complicated. But to tackle the complexity you should use .vue file for the project.
2. React:
The learning curve of React.js has a medium to steep learning curve compared to Angular and Vue. React has an “everything is JavaScript” strategy. However, it still has these two essential elements that make the learning curve steeper.
ES6 Syntax that syncs perfectly with react, although it’s complex for the beginner. React uses JSX syntax, which is a mixture of JavaScript and HTML, that confuses a lot of users because it forms the image of HTML and works like JavaScript.
3. Angular:
The use of TypeScript makes the learning curve of Angular steepest among these three frameworks. Also, the components, syntax, and modules look different than you used to before.
Although, the powerful features of it help Angular developers to build applications following certain coding patterns.
6. Angular vs React vs Vue: Scalability
Concerning front-end development, scalability often relates to the ability to maintain expanding functionality.
That means, applications must increase in size and complexity, and the development platform needs to support such extension.
The community developers’ is consistent about both Angular and React, that they both are the best for the task when it’s about building scalable applications.
Angular focuses on scalability with its modular development composition, while React obtains to go with a component-based method for the result.
However, in terms of scalability, Vue is way too much behind, due to its template-based syntax.
As you might know, templates do not go along with large applications as much as JavaScript components.
The Choice is Yours
There is no doubt that all three frameworks have their perks and downsides. Choosing the best one of these three frameworks entirely depends on the requirements of your project.
For instance, in case you want large applications, then Angular development is one for you, of course, if you’re satisfied with TypeScript. Otherwise, React is also suitable for large apps.
However, if you like adventure and want to experiment with something newfangled and promising then Vue.js is your framework.
I hope the comparison of Angular Vs React Vs Vue assists you to pick the best framework for JavaScript for your future development project. | https://medium.com/swlh/angular-vs-react-vs-vue-802a7c5f7e50 | ['Nelly Nelson'] | 2020-11-02 14:33:13.117000+00:00 | ['Angular', 'Programming', 'React', 'JavaScript', 'Vuejs'] |
I Had Time Management All Figured Out | I used to be a time management enthusiast. I say “used to be,” because time management eventually stopped working for me.
How I became an accidental author
It all started with an email. It was the kind of email that would trip up most spam filters. I wasn’t being offered millions of dollars from an offshore bank account, true love, nor improved performance in bed. I was being offered a book deal.
I had never thought of myself as a writer. In fact, I downright hated writing as a kid. I remember reading about how Stephen King said that when he was a kid, he was “on fire” to write. I remember saying to myself, That makes no sense! Who on Earth would enjoy writing?
I had never thought of myself as a writer, but I had fantasized about being an author. I guess that means I didn’t think so much about writing, but I liked the idea of having written.
As I considered taking this book deal, I talked to everyone I knew who had written a book. They all warned me that writing a book is extremely hard work, with little chance of success. One author simply said, You’ll want to die!
But, I figured, how hard can it be? So, I signed my first literary contract.
How I tried to write a book, when I didn’t know how to write a book
I didn’t have any idea how to write a book, so I did it the only way I could think of: through brute force time management. I simply needed to find enough time to write this book.
So, I used every time management technique I could think of. I put writing sessions on my calendar. I developed a morning routine that would get me writing first thing in the morning. I “time boxed” to try to limit the time I would spend on parts of the project. I fired my clients, I outsourced my meal preparation, I cancelled dates and turned down party invitations. I did everything I could to focus all of my time on writing my book.
But it still wasn’t enough. I spent most of my day hunched over a keyboard. I felt actual physical pain in my stomach. It felt as if rigor mortis had taken over my fingers, as I struggled to write even a single sentence.
Sure, I had the time to write my book, but I wasn’t getting anything done.
“Things are not difficult to make; what is difficult is putting ourselves in the state of mind to make them.” —Constantin Brancusi
My case of writers’ block was so bad that, a few weeks after signing my book deal, I accepted a last-minute invitation to go on a retreat to Costa Rica. With a signed contract in my file drawer and a deadline breathing down my neck, it wasn’t the most logical thing to do with my time. But I desperately hoped that a change of scenery would work some kind of magic on my writer’s block.
But a few days into the trip, I still had nothing. Zero! Zilch! My contract said that if I didn’t have my manuscript twenty-five percent done within a few weeks, the deal was off. So, unless a miracle happened, I would write a check to the publisher to return my advance, and I would humiliatingly face my friends, family, and readers to tell them I had failed.
Does that sound like a lot of pressure? It was.
The chance encounter that changed the way I thought about writing productivity
I wanted to feel sorry for myself, by myself, so I went for a walk. I was dragging my feet down the gravel road in Costa Rica, with my head hung down. How could I be so foolish?, I asked myself.
Not only had I signed a contract to write a 50,000-word book, with little writing experience under my belt, I had wasted time and money going on this retreat.
Just then, I heard someone call out. I looked up, and saw a man on the next road over waving big in my direction, with his entire arm, ¡¿Como estááááás?!
I had noticed this man earlier in my walk. He was gripping onto the simple wires of a fence, leaning back in ecstasy, singing to himself. I had felt vaguely embarrassed for him, assuming he didn’t know someone else was around.
I looked behind me, trying to figure out who he was waving at. But there was no one. He was waving at me. | https://medium.com/getting-art-done/i-had-time-management-all-figured-out-d442ca3cdc7a | ['David Kadavy'] | 2020-11-03 12:11:02.365000+00:00 | ['Creativity', 'Writing', 'Time Management', 'Productivity'] |
A Guide to Spirituality and the Pain of Longing | A Guide to Spirituality and the Pain of Longing
Creating a playbook for a life of love, kindness, compassion, empathy, and wisdom
Photo by Ashley Batz on Unsplash
There’s a key element in the lives of all serious spiritual seekers that I call the pain of longing. It is a gnawing feeling that says, there’s more to life than I’m experiencing or that I’ve been told to expect. There is more, and yet I do not know what it is.
Most people go through their younger lives thinking about essential questions concerning the nature of the universe, their reason for being, etc.. These are often college conversations, conducted in a dorm room at 2:00 am after a couple of joints and listening to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
After college, most of us get a job, create a family, watch football games, play video games, and just go through life without thinking about very much other than knee-jerk survival. However, there are some people who are stricken with the pain of longing syndrome. Eventually, they reach a state of depression, hopelessness, and confusion for their life lacks meaning. I was one of these people. For us, the pain of longing never diminishes it just gets worse, and the only way to relieve the pain is to do contemplation meditation and ruthless introspection. This can be a lifelong process. In time, some people find Jesus or Buddhism. Others numb the pain of longing with drugs or alcohol, and to avoid self-destruction become a Friend of Bill W. and attend 12-step meetings. Others, including this author, spend their whole lives walking on the Path, grabbing sound bites of wisdom here and there to sustain our souls, emotions, and mind.
During my personal journey, I had written a book called Spiritual not Religious: Sacred Tools for Modern Times. I brought the manuscript to various spiritual teachers for their opinions. The responses were quite interesting. This is the story of what happened. | https://medium.com/change-your-mind/a-guide-to-spirituality-and-the-pain-of-longing-335d17465306 | [] | 2020-12-28 14:10:45.401000+00:00 | ['Personal Development', 'Life', 'Mental Health', 'Spiritual Growth', 'Self Improvement'] |
Laravel OTP AUTH | This package allows you to authenticate with one time password access (OTP).
Github: https://github.com/cuongdinhngo/otp-auth
Source: Internet
Example Usage:
Route::get("/notify", function(){
return App\Models\User::find(1)->notify(new App\Authentication\SendOtp('mail', 4, 10));
});
Route::get("/auth-otp/{otp}", function(){
return App\Models\User::authByOtp(request()->otp, '84905279285');
});
Route::get("/check-otp/{otp}", function(){
return App\Models\User::find(1)->checkOtp(request()->otp);
});
Installation
1- Add the package to your dependencies.
$ composer require cuongdinhngo /otp-auth
2- Run the command:
php artisan auth:otp {ClassName}
Example:
php artisan auth:otp Authentication/SendOtp
SendOtp class and HasOtpAuth trait are auto-generated at app/Authentication directory.
CreateNotificationsTable class is alseo auto-generated at app/database/migrations .
3- Apply the migrations:
It will create a table called notifications to store generated OTP information.
$ php artisan migrate
Usage
Generate OTP
You can generate OTP via email or SMS
Route::get("/notify", function(){
return App\Models\User::find(1)->notify(new App\Authentication\SendOtp(['mail', 'nexmo']));
});
This package allows you to alter OTP length and lifetime
Route::get("/notify", function(){
$length = 4;
$liftime = 10; //minutes
return App\Models\User::find(1)->notify(new App\Authentication\SendOtp(['mail', 'nexmo']), $length, $liftime);
});
OTP default length: The default length is 6 .
OTP default lifetime: The default lifetime is 1 minute.
There is the detail of auto-generate SentOTP class:
<?php namespace App\Authentication; use Illuminate\Bus\Queueable;
use Illuminate\Contracts\Queue\ShouldQueue;
use Illuminate\Notifications\Messages\MailMessage;
use Illuminate\Notifications\Notification;
use Cuongnd88\DeliveryChannel\Messages\TwilioMessage; class SendOtp extends Notification
{
use Queueable; protected $defaultChannels = ['database']; protected $otp; protected $lifeTime; const OPT_LIFETIME = 1; const OPT_LENGTH = 6; /**
* Construct
*
* @param array|string $channels
* @param integer|string $otpLength
* @param integer|string $lifeTime
*/
public function __construct($channels = null, $otpLength = null, $lifeTime = null)
{
$this->otp = $this->generateOtp($otpLength ?? self::OPT_LENGTH);
$this->lifeTime = $lifeTime ?? self::OPT_LIFETIME;
$this->defaultChannels = $this->verifyChannels($channels);
} /**
* Get the notification's delivery channels.
*
* @param mixed $notifiable
* @return array
*/
public function via($notifiable)
{
return $this->defaultChannels;
} /**
* Get the mail representation of the notification.
*
* @param mixed $notifiable
* @return \Illuminate\Notifications\Messages\MailMessage
*/
public function toMail($notifiable)
{
return (new MailMessage)
->line('Your OTP is '.$this->otp)
->line('Thank you for using our application!');
} /**
* Get the array representation of the notification.
*
* @param mixed $notifiable
* @return array
*/
public function toArray($notifiable)
{
return [
'otp' => $this->otp,
'expired_at' => now()->addMinutes($this->lifeTime)->toDateTimeString(),
];
} /**
* Get the Nexmo / SMS representation of the notification.
*
* @param mixed $notifiable
*
* @return mixed
*/
public function toTwilio($notifiable)
{
return (new TwilioMessage)
->to("+8439xxxxxxx")
->from("+xxxxxxxxxx")
->body('OTP AUTH is '.$this->otp);
} /**
* Generate OTP
*
* @param integer|string $n
*
* @return string
*/
public function generateOtp($n)
{
$generator = "0987654321";
$result = ""; for ($i = 1; $i <= $n; $i++) {
$result .= substr($generator, (rand()%(strlen($generator))), 1);
}
return $result;
} /**
* Verify channels
*
* @param string|array $channels
*
* @return array
*/
public function verifyChannels($channels)
{
if ($channels && is_array($channels)) {
return array_merge($this->defaultChannels, $channels);
}
if ($channels && is_string($channels)) {
array_push($this->defaultChannels, $channels);
}
return $this->defaultChannels;
}
}
toTwilio: This method is implemented by importing delivery-channels.
Verify OTP
After sent OTP via your configed methods, you call authByOtp to authenticate
Route::get("/auth-otp/{otp}", function(){
return App\Models\User::authByOtp(request()->otp, '84905123456');
});
Based on your credentials, you might authenticate with email or phone number
Set up the credentials:
In this case, you can apply User model which must use HasOtpAuth trait
. . . .
use App\Authentication\HasOtpAuth; class User extends Authenticatable
{
use Notifiable;
use HasOtpAuth; protected $credential = 'mobile'; . . . .
Let see more detail HasOtpAuth trait
<?php namespace App\Authentication; trait HasOtpAuth
{
/**
* Check OTP
*
* @return bool
*/
public function checkOtp($otp)
{
$authenticator = $this->otp();
return $this->validateOtp($authenticator, $otp);
} /**
* Get OTP data
*
* @return \Illuminate\Notifications\DatabaseNotification
*/
public function otp()
{
return $this->notifications()
->where('type', 'LIKE', '%SendOtp%')
->whereNull('read_at')
->first();
} /**
* Validate OTP
*
* @param \Illuminate\Notifications\DatabaseNotification $authenticator
* @param mixed $otp
*
* @return void
*/
public function validateOtp($authenticator, $otp)
{
$result = false;
if (is_null($authenticator)) {
return response()->json($result,200);
}
if ($authenticator
&& now()->lte($authenticator->data['expired_at'])
&& $authenticator->data['otp'] == $otp
) {
$result = true;
}
$authenticator->markAsRead();
return response()->json($result,200);
} /**
* Authenticate by OTP
*
* @param string $otp
* @param string $credentialValue
* @return void
*/
public static function authByOtp($otp, $credentialValue)
{
$model = new static;
$credentialName = property_exists($model,'credential') ? $model->credential : 'email'; $authenticator = $model->where($credentialName, '=', $credentialValue)->first();
if (is_null($authenticator)) {
return response()->json(false,200);
} $authenticator = $authenticator->notifications()
->where('type', 'LIKE', '%SendOtp%')
->whereNull('read_at')
->first(); return $model->validateOtp($authenticator, $otp);
}
}
Basic identification
In some cases, you just need to identify the right access, you might need to execute checkOtp method
Route::get("/check-otp/{otp}", function(){
return auth()->user->checkOtp(request()->otp);
});
Demo
This is demo soure code. Laravel Colab | https://medium.com/@dinhcuongngo/laravel-otp-auth-3965252adb21 | ['Ngo Dinh Cuong'] | 2021-09-12 02:35:50.033000+00:00 | ['Authenticity', 'Otp Verification', 'Laravel'] |
Concerns Which I Contain Respecting that of Superfluous Cover Letter Writings | When you’re writing an introduction — as you would in an employment cover-letter — you want to sound professional, intelligent and able to communicate clearly and effectively. Yet, much of the writing I find, while technically accurate, comes across, well, lame. For example:
I am writing to express my sincere interest in acquiring a potential career opportunity with in your organization.
That would be awkward and unnatural enough for my taste, but they continue:
From very long time I am in search for a better prospect in my field and going strong to find my desired destiny.
You be the judge: Professional? Intelligent? Clear communicator? | https://medium.com/connected-well/concerns-which-i-contain-respecting-that-of-superfluous-cover-letter-writings-c621edd70e0 | ['Robert Merrill'] | 2016-03-27 20:25:15.868000+00:00 | ['Communication', 'Fail', 'Jobhunt'] |
What If I Were Thin Again? | What If I Were Thin Again?
A regular conversation I have with myself.
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
What if I were thin again? I could wear clothes I’m too afraid to wear. I wouldn’t have to cover my stomach in shame. I could take up space because I wouldn’t be taking up too much space. If there is less of me then I will be enough.
But you never wore the clothes you wanted to wear when you were thin. And you always covered your stomach because it was never quite flat enough for your liking. The only space you took up was under the duvet as you slept the days away, too weak and exhausted for life. But you were enough. And you are still enough. You will always be enough.
What if I were thin again? I wouldn’t have ten costume changes each morning. I’d pick an outfit and feel good about myself. There wouldn’t be tears. Dread wouldn’t line my stomach at the possibility people will see me. If there’s less of me then I will be enough.
Don’t you remember the tears every day? Don’t you remember all the costume changes? No outfit was good enough and you spent all day ruminating over it. You would pull at your top, convinced it wasn’t the right one and everyone was looking at you. But you were enough. And you are still enough. You will always be enough.
What if I were thin again? My daughter could be proud of me. How can she be proud of the fat lump of a mother I am now? She will be embarrassed by me when I pick her up from school. I’m not good enough for her. But if there’s less of me, even just a little bit less of me, then maybe I will be enough.
Your daughter has no concept of weight right now. And it’s your job to make sure it is a healthy concept when she is old enough to have one. She won’t be embarrassed by how you look. If she is going to be embarrassed by anything it will be your terrible jokes. You are good enough for her. You will always be good enough for her.
Why can’t I feel good about my body? No matter what I do and no matter how hard I try it’s not the body I want. Why is it that no matter what I look like, I don’t have the confidence I’ve been longing for my whole life? | https://medium.com/inkmend/what-if-i-were-thin-again-93121453e8dc | ['Laura Fox'] | 2020-05-16 16:14:58.622000+00:00 | ['Mental Health', 'Self', 'This Happened To Me', 'Eating Disorders', 'Body Dysmorphia'] |
22lbs GONE in 13 days with this strange “carb-pairing” trick | Her “Carb-Pairing” Trick Melted Away 22lbs in Just 13 Days If
you’re upset about your weight and want to lose a little more, get
this… An overweight mother with pre-diabetes has just
SHOCKED the medical community by losing an unheard of 22lbs
pounds in just 13 days… ….Without starving herself, she lost a
total of 37lbs in the first month!
…Even without exercising, she went on to burn off 84lbs (almost a
pound a day) and eliminated any sign of diabetes or any other
life-ending diseases.
And the amazing thing is… All she did was
this D.I.Y. “carb-pairing” trick that reconditions your 3 female
weight-loss hormones to drastically accelerate fat-burning while
still eating the foods you love.
D.I.Y. 10-Second Carb Ritual Strips Away Fat!
So my 43-year-old cousin Sara ended up losing 19 pounds last
months… I know she’s tried EVERYTHING from counting calories,
counting “points”, gym memberships, pills…whatever she does,
she loses 10lbs and then gains back 12lbs. But I was SHOCKED
when I saw her this weekend…. Instead of gaining the weight
back, she doubled her weight loss in the second month!
She credits it all to this breakfast “Flavor-Pairing” trick. The weird
thing is that it only works for women because it reconditions the 3
female fat-lose hormones to eliminate any possibility of storing
fat. And best part is: Flavor-Pairing’s weight-loss-doubling
response signals the rapid-release of fat deposits from your hips,
legs and stomach by using the carbs you crave the most.
HARVARD MEDICAL: “Weight-Loss Doubling” Trick for
Women!
WOMEN ONLY: 1-Step Weight Loss Doubling Stop dieting and
try this 1-step trick before bed to lose 6 pounds a week for 5 weeks
straight like Kelli…. You could do it before breakfast like Carly and
lose 84lbs…. Or if you want to lose 2 dress sizes in the next 12
days, just make you do it at least once a day for 10 seconds… The
only catch is that you have to be a woman over 20 years old with
15 or more pounds to lose for it to work.
21,748 Women, 374,701lbs lost- This Changes
EVERYTHING!
As I’m sure you know already….. Almost 100% of diet and exercise
programs don’t work. In fact, Stanford Medical puts the female
weight loss failure rate at about 98%…. But what about that 2%?
…..That tiny 2% of rapid, reliable and safe solutions that literally
work for every single woman who try it…. It turns out they all have
one thing in common and it’s referred to as “Flavor-Pairing”.
Actually 21,748 “Flavor-Pairing” success stories have been
recorded since August of last year.
The frustrating part about this Female-Only ritual is: It’s been
hiding in plain sight for centuries…. we’ve just been looking in all
the wrong places! It was only until dieting almost killed her, that
one woman stumbled onto the secret that saved her life and
transformed her body in record time.
Instead of dieting, counting calories, popping pills and doing
cardio…. She began Flavor-Pairing her favorite foods and lost
84lbs in 6 months! Are you weight-loss resistant? Did diets stop
working a long time ago? Want to join the 2% Club and lose the
weight forever? Do yourself a favor…you deserve this: Flavor
Pairing: Trigger Your Total Body Transformation TONIGHT.
Odd carb trick burns up to 1LB per DAY!
If you’re like most folks… you diet, you count calories, you tear up
the treadmill, and… Nothing… That’s how one overweight mother
with prediabetes was feeling… She did “everything right” and
never lost an inch. Until… She stumbled on this strange “carb
trick” and burned away an unheard of 22lbs pounds in just 13
days…
And because of this one simple shift in her eating, she did it
without starving herself…! … and without a lick of exercise! Now
get this… with the same carb trick she dropped a total of 37lbs in
the FIRST month! … and shocked her doctor by completely
reversing ANY pre diabetic symptoms! You won’t even believe her
final result so I won’t bother telling you. However you can see it
for yourself on this pag.
How One Woman Discovered the Female Fat-Loss Code
Missed by Modern Medicine And Lost 84lbs Using a
Simple 2-Step Ritual That 100% Guarantees Shocking
Daily Weight Loss …Learn More Full Tutorial Here
MORE INFO WATCH THIS SHORT VIDEO HERE | https://medium.com/@olegmat89/22lbs-gone-in-13-days-with-this-strange-carb-pairing-trick-c1d9f75313d4 | ['Olivia.M', 'Health', 'Fitness', 'Weight Loss.'] | 2021-06-12 09:23:30.697000+00:00 | ['Weight Loss Tips', 'Weight Loss', 'Weightloss Recipe'] |
The Ultimate Guide to Infrastructure Optimization on Cloud | Infrastructure services consume a large part of IT budgets. It is therefore imperative for organizations to focus on cost and productivity of infra services to best utilize them.
Sourcing, procurement, and vendor management leaders are continuously striving to optimize the infrastructure in order to reduce costs, manage resources & their availability. The following segment discusses different ways an infrastructure for an application can be optimized on the cloud.
Solution 1: Optimization of Existing Infra on Cloud
Moving an existing infrastructure on the cloud have a number of benefits. For example:
An infra on the cloud can auto-scale to support fluctuating workloads.
It allows organizations to choose public, private, or hybrid storage offerings according to security or other business considerations.
Cloud infra enables organizations to have a level of control over the infra with as-a-service options (which generally includes Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)).
A number of pre-built tools and features can be accessed to build a solution for optimizing the infra.
With so many cost-saving and productivity-improving advantages of the cloud, we always recommend our clients to move their existing on-premise infra on the cloud for optimization.
For this, we start with an assessment of existing resource utilization. This is either a manual process or done via tools in order to figure out the “under-utilized” and “over-utilized” resources.
Action Items:
Solution 2: Architectural Changes
Software architecture defines and structures a solution in a way that it meets all the technical, operational and business requirements. From monolithic to SOA to microservices, software architectures have evolved over time.
Depending upon the application type, its scalability, features & functionalities, a relevant architecture can be adopted. Here is a guide for you to choose between monolithic and microservices architecture for eCommerce application development.
Action Items:
Developing applications with serverless architecture helps to curb operational costs, requires no-upfront capacity, and requires no environment configuration. To understand this better, take the example of AWS Lambda. It’s a compute service that allows running the code without provisioning or managing servers. This pay-as-you-go service by AWS executes the code only when needed and scales as the demand strikes (from a few requests per day to thousands per second).
Infrastructure Optimization on Cloud: Getting Started
If optimizing an existing infra or designing a new one is on your mind, then you can get started with expert technical guidance. Our cloud consultation service will connect you to our cloud expert Gaurav Sharma, who will guide you through the best practices for infrastructure optimization for your application. | https://medium.com/@daffodilsw/the-ultimate-guide-to-infrastructure-optimization-on-cloud-f4ebe47f09f4 | ['Daffodil Software'] | 2020-12-10 05:32:40.278000+00:00 | ['DevOps', 'Software Architecture'] |
Meet the Celo Wave 1 Grantees. Developers, Designers, Dreamers, and… | Meet the Celo Wave 1 Grantees
The Celo Foundation Grants Program is designed to support projects that are committed to building a financial system that creates the conditions of prosperity for everyone. Especially in the time of crisis, we all have the opportunity to impact communities in need and get them the relief that they urgently need. Only by working together can we help the world prosper.
We are thrilled to have received over 50 grant proposals from 16 countries, with the Celo Foundation awarding $700K worth of grants to the selected initiatives. The projects below each demonstrate a deep focus on building, growing and supporting the Celo ecosystem. The recipients selected provide building blocks to help strengthen the Celo protocol, provide more access to the financially underserved, and develop programs to help educate and nurture the Celo community.
Celo Grant Recipients
Build on Celo
Tools to provide access to financial products and services for communities in need.
Beam & Go empowers overseas Filipino worker to take care of their family’s needs.
eSolidar allows users to support the charities they love through charity shops, auctions, donations and volunteering.
LoveCrypto allows Brazilians to earn money by performing tasks, sharing contact information, answer surveys or giving feedback on a product.
Pay with Moon is a payments platform that allows you to pay with cryptocurrency anywhere instantly, securely and without fees.
SaldoMX helps migrant workers to support family members in Mexico by paying their bills directly.
Growing the Celo Community
Supporting organizations that educate and nurture the Celo community.
Blockchain for Social Impact (BSIC) incubates, develops, and collaborates on blockchain products and solutions that can address social and environmental challenges across the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Contribute to Celo
Grants for building blocks to strengthen and scale the Celo platform.
Chorus One builds technology replacing inefficient legacy structures based on coercion with an emerging open financial system facilitating efficiency and permissionless innovation. Their purpose is to maximize the choice and freedom for token holders and users of blockchain networks.
Forbole is a pioneer in Blockchain Fault Tolerence (BFT) staking and technology solution. Their purpose is to reimagine our social network through a blockchain-based social community and rewards.
Gitcoin is a community for developers to collaborate and monetize their skills while working on Open Source projects through bounties. Their purpose is to cultivate communities united by a mission to grow open sources.
Stake.fish is a staking service provider for blockchain projects. Their purpose is to help secure networks and helps coin holders earn rewards.
Figment is a blockchain infrastructure, software and staking provider. Their purpose offer institutional grade infrastructure, software & tools for token holders and stake-based blockchains.
Gauntlet is building a blockchain simulation and testing platform that leverages battle tested techniques from other industries to emulate interactions in crypto networks. Their purpose is to help make blockchain protocols and smart contracts safer and more trustworthy for users.
Chainsafe designs and develops scalable solutions for the decentralized web. Their purpose it to build the next phase of web3 infrastructure.
Do you have an idea of your own?
Submit your application by May 19th, 2020. Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis for this cycle.
Please note, Terms and Conditions will apply. By submitting an application, you agree to the Privacy Policy.
Other Ways to Contribute to Celo
As a decentralized platform, anyone can contribute to the codebase and help educate the broader community. In an effort to accelerate the development, a set of funding initiatives have been launched to encourage our community to participate and make Celo their own. Read more here. | https://medium.com/celoorg/meet-the-celo-grantees-cbe1d0a84b2a | ['Celo Foundation'] | 2021-02-10 18:16:29.785000+00:00 | ['Celo Grants', 'Alliance', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Social Impact', 'Blockchain'] |
Has Earth’s Temperature Always Fluctuated? | The arguments of climate-change deniers are many and varied, but one of the refrains that I hear most often is: “The Earth’s temperature has always been in flux because of natural warming and cooling cycles. Therefore, temperature changes are natural and are not caused by human activity.” Like many arguments against anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change, this one is based in truth, but applies that truth incorrectly to yield a falsehood. Here, we will explore the ways in which the Earth’s temperature natural fluctuates, and we will use this knowledge to examine how these natural temperature variations do not contradict the existence of anthropogenic climate change.
Solar Activity Cycles
One of the many ways reasons why the Earth’s temperature fluctuates is the presence of solar activity cycles. The sun’s brightness is not constant, and instead increases and decreases over a period of about 11 years. While the complete mechanism of the solar activity cycle is not entirely understood, scientists know that changes in the amount of material ejected from the sun and changes in the number and size of sunspots can have an effect on the sun’s brightness and can therefore influence the Earth’s temperature.
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
However, because this cycle lasts only 11 years, it does not cause any long-term changes in the Earth’s temperature. If the solar cycle were the only factor influencing the Earth’s climate, we would expect the average surface temperature of the Earth to remain the same over long periods, even if there are small, regular fluctuations.
Axis Tilt
Another natural factor that affects the Earth’s temperature is our planet’s axis tilt. You may remember from middle or high school science class that the Earth does not rotate perfectly upright, and that it instead rotates at a 23.5-degree angle. This is why we have seasons in northern and southern latitudes — depending on where the Earth is in its orbit around the sun, different halves of the planet are tilted toward or away from the sun.
However, the Earth’s tilt has not always been 23.5 degrees, and in actuality, it is constantly shifting. Throughout history, the Earth’s tilt has ranged from about 21.5 degrees to 24.5 degrees. When the tilt angle is smaller, seasons are less pronounced and when the angle is larger, seasons are exaggerated. One cycle, in which the tilt angle goes from one extreme to the other and back again, lasts about 40,000 years. Perhaps predictably, the last occurrence of a maximum tilt (featuring extreme seasons) was roughly 10,000 years ago, during our most recent ice age. The Earth is currently moving from this large tilt angle to a lesser tilt, and we would indeed expect this process to warm the Earth by lessening the intensity of winters and melting polar ice. This phenomenon has long been a sticking point for climate change deniers who cite this long-term cycle as the primary cause of Earth’s temperature increase.
Why These Arguments Don’t Stack Up
These are just two of many ways in which the Earth is naturally warming, but ultimately, attributing temperature changes solely to any or all of these natural causes is untenable for one basic reason. What all of these arguments have in common is that they fail to account for the rate at which the Earth’s temperature is increasing. By studying past temperature fluctuations, scientists are able to model the rate at which Earth’s temperature would be increasing if only natural factors were at play. What they have found time and time again is that the actual rate of temperature increase is far greater than can be accounted for by any natural phenomena. Scientists do not analyze global warming by comparing current temperature increases to a flat, unvarying model. Instead, they compare the current rate of warming to a fluctuating background rate. While the Earth has indeed been warmer in the past than it is now, it has never warmed as quickly, and when the Earth warms too quickly, organisms do not have time to adapt.
11 Reconstructions of Temperature Changes. Image by Robert A. Rohde on Wikimedia Commons
The ultimate conclusion? The Earth’s natural temperature fluctuations are very real, but they do not account for the immense rate of temperature increase that we are currently seeing. Anthropogenic climate change is very real, and the presence of natural temperature variation does not refute this fact.
When considering complex scientific issues like climate change, it is crucial to seek information from sources that offer nuanced views. The argument that the Earth is warming naturally is an excellent example of how news sources vastly oversimplify and misrepresent a complex issue for political gain. It is a sneaky argument in that it is based on a true fact; however, this fact is incorrectly applied to reach an incorrect and harmful conclusion. Unfortunately, many climate-change-believing sources also fall victim to the mistake of oversimplification by simply denying that the Earth does, in fact, have natural temperature cycles. This denial only serves to fuel the arguments of climate-change skeptics by giving them their own falsehood to latch onto.
To other writers: We must seek to present climate change in a way that acknowledges its incredible complexity and uses solid science (not oversimplified science) to refute the arguments of climate change deniers.
To readers: We must seek to gather comprehensive information about scientific issues, and we must carefully base the positions we take based only on objective, verifiable, and accurately represented facts.
Ultimately, we must recognize that there are not “two sides” to the climate change debate. When it comes to proven science, there isn’t even a debate to begin with. | https://medium.com/carre4/the-earths-temperature-has-always-fluctuated-94034e31a7fc | ['Taylor Knoble'] | 2020-11-22 19:08:38.261000+00:00 | ['Climate Change', 'Science', 'Global Warming', 'Climate'] |
Côte-des-Neiges (Chapter XIV) | I’ve Got Dreams to Remember…
“The sign for Playa Dorada Beach Resort will be on your right,” I said.
Candy nodded and continued on Calle Principal, the main throughfare in the Complejo Hotelero Playa Dorada, or Playa Dorada Hotel Complex. The place hadn’t changed much since the last time I was there. It looked pretty much as I remembered from the first time I visited the site, in early September of 1989 and every visit since.
Like many recent arrival in Puerto Plata, back then I was looking for work at one of the many resorts inside the sprawling complex. The wages — even for a lowly janitor — were ten times that of the average laborer in one of the garment factories inside the city’s Free Economic Zone, or Zona Franca.
Being fluent in both English and French — my parents being West Indians and Haitians immigrant respectively — I was sure to land a front-line position in either Guest Services or Food & Beverages. The first thing that shocked me then — and continued to shock me every time I visited or worked a shift— was how incredibly clean it all was.
The streets, then as today, were meticulously paved and swept clean on a daily basis, without a single pothole or blemish. The road signs were shinny and new, the lawn expertly manicured and the roadside lined with palm trees, native birds, plants and flower beds — an explosion of colors, scents and sounds that overwhelmed the senses. And not a single piece of trash in sight.
Rows upon rows of Leuenbergeria quisqueyana or Rosa de Bayahibe, the country’s national flower — adorned the street. The flower, endemic to the island, is a rare cactus that grows leaves, the flower itself is a delicate pink color. It is native to the Bayahibe area near La Romana, on the southeastern coast.
Cubanola domingensis, or campanita, which are small showy trees jostled for position under the sun. The distinctive notes of Magnolia Pallescens, an endemic species of Magnolia perfumed the mid-day air. Flowering red Cayenas or Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Trinitaria, or Bougainvillea spectabilis Willd and Coralillos — the later being a plant originating in India which has managed to make Hispaniola its home — added a burst of color.
Calyptronoma, Hemithrinax and Zombia palm trees, standing guard, arrayed like a pinnately Terracotta Army on either side of the street, with scattered clusters nearby. The sturdy trunks of Roystonea regia or Cuban Royal Palm serving as staggered lampposts for the Mercury-vapor lamps.
Of the islands in the Caribbean, Cuba has the most species of palm trees, but Hispaniola, having similar geography and topography, is not that far behind. The ambundance and sheer variety of these plants in Playa Dorada made that fact abundantly clear.
The pitch black, recently re-surfaced hard top, with its bright yellow pavement markings, made the perfect canvas on which to project this amazing rainbow of colors, shapes and textures. The roar of the waves, brushing against the white sands just behind the green canopy, added the perfect accent.
The distant whiffs of BBQ’d Longaniza sausages, the faint but punchy syncopated chords of Tambora Drums, Güira and Accordion — the implements of Merengue Tipico, or Perico ripiao, the national music — provided the perfect soundtrack for what was shaping up to be one of the best weeks of our lives.
“Watch out for pedestrians,” I warned. “Drunken tourists are not known for observing traffic laws.”
Not sooner I had finished the sentence that a group of German tourists staggered onto the street with reckless abandon. They appeared to be on their way to beach, oblivious of their surroundings and completely ignoring the tour bus a mere ten feet away.
Luckily the driver was attentive enough to anticipate their idiocy, applying the brakes and gently rolling to a complete stop with room to spare. Half naked and fit — both male and female — they made their way down the path next to the Jack Tar Village Resort & Casino, rounded a corner and disappeared from view. The driver released the brakes, shifted the bus into gear and continued on his way.
“Fuck!” Candy swore in surprise, counting her blessings we were far enough away to be forewarned. She slowed down again to go over a speed bump, glancing at the flower beds adorning the divided median strip on the road.
“Did you see the young girl?” she asked, before the drunken bunch rounded the bend. She was referring to the youngest female in the group. She was topless, like her other friends. Her fresh, innocent face as blissful as her breasts were firm and ripen. She could not have been older than eighteen years old, or four years my junior at the time.
“What about her?” I asked, glancing up and quickly looking away. Best not take any chances at staring, I thought. Flying too close to the sun, I remembered, did not turn out well for Icarus.
“See how happy and carefree she looked?” She asked forebodingly. “She probably thought she was safe among her friends.”
“Huh?” I asked. Unsure where she was going with that line, but deciding to let her speak and see where it led.
“She doesn’t realize one or more of her ‘pals’ can turn against her and rape her.” She seemed to be speaking from experience, I thought.
“That’s kind of dark,” I said. Quickly adding, “and random. What brought on that thought?”
“It happened to me when I was sixteen,” she said matter-of-factly. “It happened at Plage Jean-Doré, during a weekend trip to Parc Jean-Drapeau with some friends from high school.”
“Jesus, Candy. You’ve never told me that,” I said, reaching out and taking her hand in my hands. “I am so sorry. What happened?”
“There isn’t much to say, really. Two of the guys in the group waited until I was alone and isolated and assaulted me. I fought them off until I blacked out.”
“The last thing I remember was grabbing a rock, swinging it with every ounce of strength I had left and hitting one of them on the side of the head. The other one must have knocked me unconscious because I don’t remember much after that.”
“Jesus!” I exclaimed in horror.
“When I came to I screamed bloody murder. I ran until I found a payphone on the parking lot and called the police.”
“They tried to say it was consensual, but I didn’t fucking budge,” she said proudly.
“When the police arrived and called my parents they came running. They took me straight to the hospital to get a rape kit, then drove me to The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal —Le SPVM — station in Longueuil and I pressed charges.”
“What happened to the two guys?” I asked. Not sure if that was the right question to ask, but unable to think of a better one.
“They ended up taking a plea deal and served eight years of a ten year sentence. Each,” she said with pride and satisfaction in her voice.
“I’m nobody’s victim.” She said resolutely. She seemed to be reliving the moment in her mind, yet did not seem to be diminished by the experience. While I expected to see pain and shame, I only saw defiance.
“My father taught me to never be silent,” she said after a moment.
“He taught me to fight, to never be a victim, and never surrender. When I was attacked, I spoke up and defended myself.” I brought her hand to my lips and kissed it. I felt more connected to her, to her life and her story in that small moment in ways I had never been before.
“These idiots were about to get run over,” she said looking at group disappear from view, returning to the here and now, and locking away her ghosts — I held onto her hand.
“Oh yeah,” I said sarcastically, grateful at the chance to move the conversation onto a lighter topic. “Now imagine a million more like them roaming the country, throwing themselves in front of speeding vehicles. Too drunk to realize they are tempting fate.”
“One million?” She asked in surprise.
“Yeah.” I said matter-of-factly.
“Give or take a few thousands,” I explained. “Maybe less right now that it is the low season, but come September, it will be a mad house.”
“Jesus!” She sighted in amazement. “Scrapping dead tourists off the pavement must be a thriving business in this country.”
“You would think so,” I said mockingly.
“The truth is, everybody here knows how important they are to the economy — and how quickly things would go to shit if ‘dem gringos start dying for any reason — so everybody goes out of their way to keep them alive while they get drunk as skunks.”
It was not an exaggeration. By the first decades of the 21st century, Hispaniola was one of the top vacation destination for visitors from the European mainland, The United States and Canada. Its popularity was so that even wealthy visitors from countries in South America began to make the island their port of call.
This was due in large part to the island’s rich history as the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, and its unique culture. A culture borne out of an uneasy modus vivendy between Spanish Catholicism, African animism and Taíno or Arawaken traditions. But also because of the warmth and welcoming nature of its people, and the friendly atmosphere. Not to mention its great beaches and tropical, unique climate.
“Who are they?” She asked. “The tourists? Where do they come from?”
“Mostly Germans, Austrians, Dutch, and British.”
“There is a significant number of Americans in Casa de Campo near La Romana, but they represent the upscale traveler looking for luxury.”
“Small in numbers, but big spenders?” She asked.
“That’s right,” I concurred.
“But the government is now courting the regular folks,” I added. “They tend to spend less and stay in all-inclusive resorts like most of these,” I said sweeping my hands, motioning to the resort complex around us. “But they make up for that in sheer numbers.”
“Ah,” she said with a knowing smile. “High volume/low margin.”
The marketing executive in her understood the concept of economies of scale instinctively. “That explains the French-Canadians,” she said with a laugh.
Les touristes Québécois arriving on the island liked to party and have good time, but they were mostly blue collar workers and civil servants. People who knew the value of a dollar and what it took to earn it. Spendthrifts, they were not.
“There are some Scandinavians — mostly from Finland — coming in now as well,” I explained, but after a moment of reflection conceded, “but you’re right, these are folks like you and me. People who work for a living.”
Beginning in the last years of the 1980s planeloads of eager Canadians, British, Germans, Austrians and even Scandinavian tourists would land at Punta Cana International Airport, Las Américas International Airport, Cibao International Airport and beginning in the first few years of the twentieth-fist century, La Romana Casa De Campo International Airport.
“So the whole country is like a giant resort?” She asked, a bit puzzled.
“No, not the whole country,” I clarified.
“Just the coastal regions on the Southeast and Northwest coasts. Although there are efforts underway to develop Samana Bay in the Northeast and Barahona in the Southwest. But these areas are reserved for ecotourism and cruise ships — as opposed to massive hotels and resort complexes like this one.”
A smaller number of visitors also reached the island by sea, via several ferry terminals scattered throughout. The largest of these was The Port of Santo Domingo‘s Sans Souci and Don Diego Terminals, followed by and the Central Romana Port’s Terminal Turistica or Tourist Terminal in La Romana.
There were smaller facilities like The Port of Puerto Plata — which was superseded by the Amber Cove facilities in the early decades of the twentieth-first century. This new facility was marketed as the Caribbean’s newest cruise ship destination. Amber Cove Cruise Center⁸, is located on the Bay of Maimon, or Bahía de Maimón near the city of Puerto Plata in the country’s Northwest Coast.
The new two-berth Amber Cove Cruise Center is able to accommodate up to 8,000 cruise passengers and 2,000 crew members daily. When completed in 2015, its USD $82 million price tag represented one of the largest cruise industry investments ever made in the country.
The Cayo Levantado Port in Arroyo Barril, Samana,was the smallest in the country and was geared primarily for ecotourism, as the area is a popular whale watching spot. Every year around the middle of January, like clockwork, the famous Humpback whales of Samana⁹,¹⁰,¹¹ arrive, having traveled all the way from the North Atlantic to relax and frolic in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.
“When we come back from our visit to La Romana, we will drive to Cabarete and Samana and I will show you the area.”
“It’s quite beautiful,” I promised. She smiled and nodded, pointing to the Puerto Plata Beach Resort sign up ahead.
“Ei meu açucar mascavo,” she said, using her favorite term of endearment,
“While we are here, what’s something that you’d like to try, but that you‘ve been too scared to try?” The question took me by surprise and I had to think about a bit. I surprised myself even further by my own response,
“I would like us to grow closer and get to know each other better.”
“I think we can manage that, Meu amor,” she said with certainty. | https://medium.com/the-desabafo/c%C3%B4te-des-neiges-chapter-xiv-64be001429f6 | ['Juan Alberto Cirez'] | 2020-11-09 18:40:37.770000+00:00 | ['Music', 'Mental Health', 'Relationships', 'Technology', 'Fiction'] |
BTT Airdrop for Tron Holders! | Hey folks,
Another great opportunity to earn crypto for free is just around the corner. Time to buckle up your wallets because -
BTT — Airdrop — is — happening!
What?
BitTorrent, the world’s largest decentralised file sharing protocol, recently announced its airdrop schedule for TRX (Tron) holders, and we are happy to inform you that Bitbns fully supports it.
However, TRX holders will exclusively be the ones to benefit from this opportunity. But you need not worry; if you are a TRX holder before the airdrop is initiated, you are in.
So if you haven’t got TRX in your Bitbns wallet yet, go for it before the BTT airdrop begins.
BitTorrent will initiate its first airdrop to TRX holders on 11 February 2019, which is when the block height of TRX will reach 6.6 million. All official wallets carrying TRX before 11 February 00:00 UTC will be eligible for the airdrop.
Remember — 11 February, 2019 — that’s the date before which you will need to have TRX tokens in your wallet in order to be eligible for the airdrop.
How?
BitTorrent Foundation will take a snapshot of the TRX ledger before initiating the airdrop on 11 February 2019. Anyone holding TRX in their wallet before the aforementioned deadline is eligible to receive their free BTT tokens. If you already hold TRX in your wallet, sit back and relax!
When?
As per the official post, the airdrops will take place in phases spread through upcoming years. Here is the official timeline for the BTT airdrops:
On 11th February, 2019: 10,890,000,000 BTT
11th March, 2019–11th February, 2020: 990,000,000 BTT per month
11th March, 2020–11th February, 2021: 1,072,500,000 BTT per month
11th March, 2021–11th February, 2022: 1,155,000,000 BTT per month
11th March, 2022–11th February, 2023: 1,237,500,000 BTT per month
11th March, 2023–11th February, 2024: 1,320,000,000 BTT per month
11th March, 2024–11th February, 2025: 1,402,500,000 BTT per month
Each airdrop will be initiated on the 11th day of each month at 0:00 UTC.
Claiming your BTT on Bitbns
All you have to do is hold TRX in your Bitbns wallet before the airdrop begins. As hinted in the official Medium post, the amount of TRX to be airdropped in a TRX holder’s wallet would be determined as per a specific ratio. As per the medium post by BitTorrent “The ratio of BTT airdrop on Feb 11 is approximately 1 TRX = 0.11 BTT, due to the uncertainty of TRX block rewards and coin burn, the final ratio may be different, the following airdrop ratio will be announced later.”
Till then, stay tuned with us for more updates, and keep rocking!
With Love,
Team Bitbns | https://medium.com/bitbns/btt-airdrop-for-tron-holders-cb3582c40d67 | [] | 2019-01-23 07:35:45.975000+00:00 | ['Token', 'Blockchain', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Tron', 'Cryptocurrency Investment'] |
Smashing ‘The Patriarchy’ Between Female Ears | “I want to marry a rich man,” some of my peers said in the 1980s. I tried to control my expression, since these were more often my office colleagues rather than close friends, few of whom valued themselves so little.
These gold-diggers weren’t mired in poverty or hopeless circumstances with little ability to see a future over which they had any control. I worked in an upscale payroll services office crammed with overeducated entitlement-oozing ‘Yuppies’ in expensive suits and a certainty they were Going Places, all of which required flying First Class.
Or marrying it.
Twenty-five years into Second Wave feminism women positioned to Do Better were still willing to give up their power, hand it over to men. I guess a quarter-century wasn’t enough time to erase thousands of years of patriarchy between female ears.
Sure, just let a man run your life. That’s the ticket.
The one abrogating her power the most was the drop-dead gorgeous highest-producing account executive, the lone woman on the sales team.
Solange, oozing a sense of beauteous female entitlement against which her colleagues were powerless, boasted about how a man had to have enough scratch to scratch her itch.
“So the bucks started circling,” she recounted in the office lunchroom after a ski lodge weekend. Her voice oozed with condescending triumph, her face suffused with power. “But you’ve got to pay to play! If you don’t got the dough, you don’t get to go!”
A faint, sick smile crossed my lips listening to Solange reduce marriage — her well-publicized goal — to rank whoredom. She was embarrassing.
Didn’t she realize how unfeminist she sounded? Didn’t she understand rich men expected deference, submission and dependence from their often multiple women, whether they were married or not? A harem is part of the male entitlement package, and each woman is expected to cater unto him and him only.
It’s why they want to be rich. They do it for the p**sy. ‘Scuze me, plural.
Didn’t she understand how domineering and controlling rich men often were?
The word I sought was patriarchal, but it hadn’t joined the vocabulary yet.
Solange was partially the woman I wished I was: Strong, ambitious, successful. She made a lot more money than I. Solange embodied the New Woman birthed from the early labor of Second Wave feminism: Beautiful, street smart, educated, and made her own money. She didn’t have to depend on a man for survival.
Underneath the whip-smarts go-getter was just another self-sabotaging princess willing to give it all up for, if not love, at least a big house in Fairfield County and a country club membership.
The guys sniped behind her back she was the top producer because she slept with her prospects, something they couldn’t do.
It wasn’t an unwarranted, misogynist response. Solange bragged about dating her leads.
Working in that money-crazed office was an early lesson in how unquestioning women give up their power. The women I worked with came from good families, could have supported themselves, had careers of their own, but instead, they aspired to marry a rich man.
Somewhere, the daisies rocked as Jane Austen nodded.
“I don’t want to marry a rich man,” I’d say. “I don’t want to give up my financial independence. Why would you say that? We don’t have to do that anymore! This is the ‘80s! We can do whatever we want, be whatever we want!”
While we organized Take Back The Night marches, maybe we should have also organized a few to Take Back Your Brain. | https://medium.com/illumination-curated/smashing-the-patriarchy-between-female-ears-81188096665b | ['Nicole Chardenet'] | 2020-10-16 15:48:19.625000+00:00 | ['Feminism', 'Patriarchy', 'Abuse', 'Victimhood', 'Psychology'] |
Good Story on the human condition and companionship in the possibly not to distant future- I did… | Good Story on the human condition and companionship in the possibly not to distant future- I did enjoy reading it- thanks for posting it.
I Just read it off and on in between twitter rants on identity politics and fake news, which is the black hole of our times. http://twitter.com/3disok
When I got close to the end of your story, I was hoping it “would be continued” or would go deeper. It makes me think of Blade Runner 2049 which is a fav of mine. In it, his digital lover Joi — played by- Ana de Armas, she starts as a holographic projection becomes actualized, partially, and then destroyed so it’s a wide emotional range. I think that is my favorite part considering the emotional life we impart to them “our unfeeling companions”, the quest to “not be alone”.
The images that you used were pretty cool too, I liked the noise filled ones — did you do those?
In upcoming game culture CyberPunk 2077 looks like it will touch on these issues as well, but probably no-where near as good as film.
Though I haven’t been to happy with the emotional connection aspect in games. Hellblade got it, but others falter and only circle fleeting ideas it seems. Hopefully Cyberpunk 2077 will catalyze the best of both worlds. | https://medium.com/@3DisOK/good-story-on-the-human-condition-and-companionship-in-the-possibly-not-to-distant-future-i-did-5143c7b8668d | ['Pernicious Times'] | 2019-04-12 19:50:38.796000+00:00 | ['Future Of Sex', 'Storyboard', 'Ideas', 'Companionship', 'Conversations'] |
Our take on a powerful workplace benefit: the paid employee sabbatical | I’m passionate about talent management and culture. My objective is to make Osedea the best workplace for our team.
Follow | https://medium.com/osedea/our-take-on-a-powerful-workplace-benefit-the-paid-employee-sabbatical-e05c000cf98b | ['Ivana Markovic'] | 2020-09-09 15:01:41.494000+00:00 | ['Company Culture', 'Startup', 'Culture', 'Ideas'] |
How a Dumb Mistake Helped Me Become a Faster Snowboarder | I always struggled with speed in the past. On my previous years snowboarding, maintaining balance over the board when going over 45km/h, 50km/h was unthinkable. I never had the guts or the control to keep the board moving when going over these speeds for more than just quick short bursts. It looked way too scary. And that had a really bad effect on my riding: I usually got stuck on flat areas for not getting enough speed on the downhill sections, having to unstrap my back feet and do the “skate of shame” through the planes while everyone whizzed by. Of all of my friends, I was undoubtedly the slowest one on the snow, which left them quite annoyed most of the time for having to wait for me to arrive while we were riding together.
Last season, when I moved to live in the middle of the resort of Åre, one of my main goals was to improve my speed. I was determined to, for once and for all, not be the slowest one in the pack anymore. So, with the slopes on my backyard and all the season ahead of me, I started practicing… and failing miserably. Well, first of all: how do you even overcome the fear of high speed riding, specially when getting to know a new resort?
This is how a regular riding day used to look like.
My first attempts to start learning how to ride faster was to watch other snowboarders riding and check the paths they took across the slopes. This was quite a tricky task because most of the people snowboarding like to go through paths that leads them to hit features and perform tricks, but at least it was a start. I could start improving daily, little by little, getting a bit more comfortable at speeds that before were too much for me to handle.
The end of the year came, and with that, my friends came for a winter trip up here at my place. The training I did prior to these days showed some results. I was finally able to follow my friends closely, which in turn pushed my friends to ride faster because they didn’t have to wait for me for so long anymore. And this created a side-effect of this pursuit for speed riding: competition!
Oh yeah! My friends were not having this thing about the slowest guy in the pack being as fast as them, so it all began to look like a contest to check “who could ride the fastest”. At this point I was somewhat comfortably reaching speeds of 50km/h and my friends were not too far ahead. The days went by and the speed records went higher and higher. 55km/h… 58km/h… 59.5km/h… can I break the 60km/h barrier? Yes! 64.4km/h! That was my fastest speed of all time! I was finally able to match my friends kind of speed records on the mountains. But this didn’t last long, because soon one of my friends reached a new record for our group: a peak of 71.9km/h. That was super ultra fast in my mind. But now it was time for my friends to leave, and they soon would return for another trip in a few weeks time.
Without my friends around to keep the competition pace going, it was hard for me to keep the speed levels increasing. I had no one to follow to match so I had to find other ways to practice my high-speed riding. Following the other snowboarders on their tracks wasn’t cutting it anymore since I was already almost as fast as I could go while avoiding hitting the features. That’s when, one day, while riding down the slopes near my home here in Duved, I got passed by a group of skiers going down pretty fast, as every skier usually does. And that gave me the idea: why don’t I follow these guys? And, like that, I decided to point my board in their direction and started trying to follow their pace. 66km/h… 67km/h… 68.9km/h… 69.7km/h… can I break past 70km/h? Yes! 72.3km/h! That was a number I was impressed about for quite a long time! Finally I was the fastest of all of my friends. But that just heated things up, and there would be “revenge” when they come back up here so I wouldn’t hold that title of “fastest of us all” for too long. Specially not without practicing. And, during the time they were away, that’s what I did every single day. I used my lunch breaks from work to get to the slopes near my home and try to improve my speed riding, which is quite a good time of the day to do this sort of thing since most of the people are having lunch and the slopes are basically empty. Every day getting more and more comfortable in high speeds, and also trying to beat my own speed record in vain.
The weeks passed by and my friends returned for another visit. And, as soon as they came, I definitely didn’t hold that record for any time at all. My friend who previously held the fastest speed record managed to set a new one of 82km/h on day ONE and that shattered my score! Man… 82km/h??? That’s another 10km/h higher than my previously successful attempt! That was tough! In the back of my head, I couldn’t stop thinking that I should be a little bit better than this. Ok, my friends have been on the snow since childhood and I’ve been doing this for just five years but, come on, these days my friends ride it just for a few weeks per winter and I’m literally living in the resort. I should be able to beat this speed record with enough practice. And that’s what I set my mind to do now. It was time to break this barrier once again.
Each run, I was getting faster and faster… 72.5km/h… 74.8km/h… 74.9km/h… can I break the 75km/h? It took quite a while and a lot of effort, but, yes! A beautiful and round 75km/h score. But, I still wasn’t fast enough. So I kept pushing. 77km/h… 78.4km/h… Come on, let me break the 80km/h barrier! 79.8km/h… Come on!! 80.8km/h! YES! Let’s keep pushing, I’m almost there… but, before I could even beat 82km/h, my friend pushed the number forward once again: 84.5km/h!
My legs were dead at home when he showed me this result. To me it felt that, the harder I pushed, the further the barrier moved. After all, maybe we were all pushing each other harder. But, 84.5km/h? How? Where? I was flying past all of them that day. When did that happen? I had to ask him:
— Man… 84.5! F**king hell! Which slope was that?
— Hummm… Good question. I think it was at the end of that one we took when we were coming back from Björnen.
— Oh wow! Can we see it in the app?
— Nah… I need a premium pass on the Slopes app to see the full day stats. With the free version I can only see the daily bests.
— Ah, I can give you one of my Premium Daily passes that I have on my account so we can check it out!
— Cool! I’m curious too. Let’s do it!
As we added the Premium Daily pass to his account, we pressed the button that shows “which part of which slope was the place where the top speed has been reached” and the results of this investigation were… well… You see, during these days with my friends here, we tried to take advantage of the whole day of snowboarding the most we could, so we would ride until the lifts are closed and then, from the top of the mountain, ride down and rush to the bus station almost on the last minute to take the ski bus home. While my friends are packing their snowboards and skis at the back of the bus, I’m closing my snowboard tracking activities in the app. My friend, on the other hand, always left it to be done while sitting on the bus, relaxing after a tiring day. The issue is that, sometimes he took a bit too long to close the activity tracking and THE BEGINNING OF THE SKI-BUS ROUTE WAS BEING TRACKED AS A RUN! 🤦♂️
Well, now with the Premium Pass it was possible to edit the days and delete runs that are invalid (like, the ones taken inside a bus or driving or whatever other issue you had during the day). We deleted the 84.5km/h and his new speed record went back to be the 82km/h one. Just out of curiosity, we decided to check where that one was achieved as well.
And, guess what? SKI-BUS! 🤦♀️
The previous one from the end of the last trip: 71.9km/h? SKI-BUS! 🤦♂️🤦♀️
After we deleted all of the Ski-Bus related “speed records”, his top speed record fell all the way down to around 65km/h. This means that, for the past month, I’ve been trying to ride faster than a diesel engine powered bus running on a highway that takes us to and from the lifts in Åre! I was in total disbelief. So much focus and intense training for this sort of revelation. Oh well… 😅
During the next days, while we were snowboarding, his speed records were still on the middle to high 60s while I kept riding comfortably on the upper 70s. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach my numbers anymore. So when they left this second time, I still was the leader on the top speed category of our group. There was no more contest to have at this moment. But, well, since I was already hitting in the 80km/h range, why to stop there now? So, I kept pushing during my next days here in the mountain… 82.3km/h… 85.1km/h… 92.1km/h… 95km/h… until:
100km/h!
Now THAT was a number to be proud of! At that point, any quick run from point A to point B could reach around 80km/h with little effort. A casual ride from a lift to another on an empty day was averaging 70km/h easily. This Ski-Bus situation increased my levels of confidence quite a lot! I’m definitely a way better snowboarder than I was before thanks to this ludicrous contest. I’m not much into bombing down the mountain every day because I don’t want to become a hazard to other people trying to have fun in the resort but I’m happy that, if needed, I can ride as fast as a rocket with full board control. And I usually use this here and there to pump up the blood before practicing other stuff like hitting jumps and performing tricks.
Oh yeah!!!
About my friend? Ah, he came again for a third trip but now I was the one setting the pace and pushing the group forward. His speed record? At the moment of writing this article, 78.2km/h, with no buses involved this time, I hope! 😅
Do you have any weird story like that? A story about an event that made you push your limits harder and harder by accident? Share your thoughts below.
And, by the way, if you haven’t yet, go to https://getslopes.com and get your copy of the Slopes App today! It is available for both iPhone and Android devices and it is honestly one of my favourite apps. And, best of all: it is free!
Cheers and have a good ride! | https://medium.com/riding-diaries/how-a-dumb-mistake-helped-me-become-a-faster-snowboarder-2b0c7ba0e8d2 | ['João R.G. Sampaio'] | 2021-09-06 15:32:45.658000+00:00 | ['Winter Sports', 'Snowboarding', 'Speed', 'Snowboard', 'Snow'] |
Philoxenia — Hotelia — Polis | Philoxenia — Hotelia — Polis
The increasing rise of Greek tourism followed this year by the exhibitions of PHILOXENIA, HOTELIA and POLIS. Those exhibitions took part from 12 to 15 of November at the premises of the International Exhibition Center of Thessaloniki. Based on the official data from Helexpo overall increase in visitors was 17%. As every year, this year in addition to these three exhibitions were a lot of parallel events three of which stood out due to the large influx of visitors to them. Spotlight singled conference titled Destination Thessaloniki, the event entitled The Art of Drinking Coffee and Spirit and the DPOINT Hotel Village. Those three exhibitions were based on its attendance mainly to trade visitors. Compared to last year’s Philoxenia 2014, the report showed an increase in visitors of 17%, while Hotelia exposure of 95%. More than 3,000 scheduled appointments between exhibitors and 107 foreign guest trade visitors held during the exhibition. The foreign guest trade visitors came from 32 different countries. The number of Philoxenia exhibitors this year was 351. The last year the number of the exhibitors of Philoxenia was 232 and the premises covering was to ¼ bigger than the last year’s event. The exhibitors of Hotelia this yaer were 157. The last year the exhibitors of Hotelia were 141.
In this year’s exhibitions as it was expected, were present all the tourism operators of the city of Thessaloniki. All the Hotels of Thessaloniki City either by exhibitors or by visitors representatives left their mark. As it was expected from this year’s events could not be missed by the hotel ad Imperial Palace which is one of the most representative hotels in the center of Thessaloniki. The hotel a.d. Imperial Palace was represented by two members of his administration. The purpose of the above action was the new relationships and the further promotion of both the hotel and its services and the tourist product of Thessaloniki at the specialized tourism professionals. Representatives of the hotel came into contact with many different tourist organizations noting the increasing strengthening of the tourism profile of the city of Thessaloniki. | https://medium.com/@ImperialThess/philoxenia-hotelia-polis-3705e57aa266 | ['A.D. Imperial Palace'] | 2015-12-29 20:57:18.104000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Hotels', 'Exhibition'] |
Learning Shows Your Love for Your Trans Person | Transgender|LGBTQ|Allyship
Learning Shows Your Love for Your Trans Person
Photo by Angelina Litvin on Unsplash
The second L in our ALLY acronym series stands for Learning. You can start the series at the beginning with this story if you like.
Language. This one is huge! If you’re anything like I was when I began this journey, you probably don’t know a whole lot about the LGBTQ community. Take the time to learn the language, understand the commonalities and the differences between the acronym’s letters. Better yet, take the time to learn about the commonalities your LGBTQ person has with YOU. This seemingly colossal divide indeed can be navigated with love. And then everybody wins.
Learning the basics is the first step in showing your support as an ally. So, for the sake of those basics, let’s start at the beginning. What is the current acronym for those who are in a community of non-heterosexual, non-binary people? LGB came first. In the 1990s the acronym added the T for transgender people.
LGBT stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, and Transgender. At the risk of going “LGBT Language for Dummies,” lesbians are women attracted to women. Gay refers to men attracted to men. Bisexuals are those who are attracted to both men and women. Transgender people are people whose gender on the outside doesn’t match who they know themselves to be on the inside. They may or may not take supplemental hormones. They may or may not have had surgery to align the outside with the inside.
Often, you will see this acronym extended with an I or a Q. The Q can have a couple of different meanings. Q stands for queer or questioning. Queer was once used offensively regarding the LGBTQ community, suggesting that being different from the norm was weird or strange or wrong. Over time, the term was taken up with a renewed sense of pride by the community members themselves and it became a rallying call for social justice causes. Now, much of the emotion once attached to the word has quelled.
Questioning is often used to describe people who kind of float along the spectrum between homosexual and heterosexual, along with a few other types of sexuals we won’t dig into today.
Whew. So now that we have the absolute basics down let's move to transgender for a moment. I have a special place in my heart for transgender people as my grandson is transgender. I have some stories about that journey too. Start with the one below.
It took me a while to begin to understand anything about transgender people. I was fortunate; my grand was patient and understanding. Over time, I realized that living as a transgender person before a transition must be incredibly confusing and painful. How do you even begin to reconcile that in your head when you’re a child or an adolescent? (and yes, even when you are an adult) My heart aches when I think of that pain.
Imagine knowing deep in your soul that you’re a boy, yet looking at your breasts every day. Acknowledging in the mirror that you have no penis. Or the other side, having a penis when you know you would have been more “right” if you had a uterus. It is truly mind-boggling. That is the reality of everyday life for our much loved transgender people. Then, most choose to transition.
Transition is the term used to describe when you go through the changes from one sex to another. Where we live, before someone can transition with hormones or have any surgery alterations, they must first attend some counseling with a specialist who works with LGBT people. These weeks can help everyone to prepare for what comes next.
It’s not easy to think about the little girl with pigtails that owned my whole heart. I miss those days. But when I look at my incredibly kind and loving grandson, I wouldn’t trade him for anything. Transitions aren’t easy, but they are possible.
After the counseling, my grandson began taking testosterone. His T-day or first day on testosterone was on my fifth wedding anniversary. Now that special day honors two vastly different and very incredible men in my heat. As the weekly injections continued, eventually, it was time to plan for top surgery. Top surgery is a double mastectomy. Bottom surgery changes the genitals. A lot of transgender people have top surgery. Bottom surgery is much more expensive and less common.
These few words on a shortlist are the bare essentials of what we ALL need to learn. To give the LGBTQ people in our lives the respect they deserve- and need- we need to normalize the very words that describe them. And then, once we can fully accept everyone into our comfort zones, maybe we can do aways with them unless relations are headed toward the intimate.
Although it barely brushes the surface, it is heartbreaking to see how many families, how many friends, refuse this simple change in language because they are afraid. Afraid they are crossing some moral line. Fearful of what the neighbors will think or what the clerk at the grocery store will say. Terrified to let go of long-held norms in their minds.
When you feel afraid, think about your child, your dad, your sibling, whoever it is who is coming out to you. And start speaking their love language. The language that includes them in your world.
Then, spend some time thinking about all the things you have in common with the LGBTQ community. As with any category used to define and separate people, it is guaranteed you have far more in common than what is different. Think about those things- politics and parties, movies and menus, kids, and Kool-aid. Neighbors and friends and families and communities. Houses and yards with swing sets and ball fields. High rises and subways and green eyes with red hair. You get the point, yes?
I’m really glad you are at least thinking more about how to become a better ally to the LGBTQ community. Next time, we move on to the last letter in our word ALLY. Y is for . . .
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you! If you would like to know a little more about me, please read this short introductory piece.
As I become more open about my advocacy, I was led to a group of some of the most beautiful people I know. They are a group of young LGBTQ people, mostly from Uganda, living in Kenya. Some are in a refugee camp called Kakuma. Others live in Nairobi. I will list two of those stories for you below. | https://medium.com/passive-asset/learning-shows-your-love-for-your-trans-person-8203a05fc3e2 | ['Teresa Kuhl'] | 2020-12-31 17:21:02.426000+00:00 | ['Transgender', 'LGBT', 'LGBTQ', 'Love', 'Allyship'] |
What Happened To Mayengg03? Check Tiktok Girl Head Chopped Off Full Viral Video! | The most recent viral clip which is breaking over the web is the Tiktok video wherein a young lady gets her head chopped off. What is the truth of the video? There are various speculations coursing on the web over this video. The video astonished the online media clients who coincidentally watched it? The individuals who watched the video shared their responses and feelings via web-based media. Maybe the video began from Spain as it contains Spanish substances as well. Does nobody realize how this video went ahead on the web and got viral? Barely any speculations are relating this video with the Mayengg03. Get more subtleties of the Mayengg03 viral video and the realities beneath. { Read More, Who is Mayengg03? Why Tiktok Girl Head Chopped Off, Check Tiktok Viral Video Here! }
Though it is as yet a secret who shared this horrendous video on the Tiktok. A couple of days back a viral video labeled with the name Mayengg03 transferred on Tiktok in which a young lady has seen performing dance however later it was erased by the Tiktok for the infringement of Tiktok rules. Are the two young ladies the equivalent in the video or extraordinary? There are loads of inquiries and questions among the clients after the video surfaced out on the web. The web is completely stacked with upsetting substance, pictures, and clasps of the video. { Also Check, Mayengg03 Tiktok Girl Viral Video, Check Who is Mayengg03 Wiki Bio Tiktok Account }
Source: Latest News: TheGossipsWorld | https://medium.com/@thegossipsworld-com/what-happened-to-mayengg03-check-tiktok-girl-head-chopped-off-full-viral-video-6f3ca149c45d | ['The Gossips World'] | 2021-06-08 20:30:09.311000+00:00 | ['World News', 'Headlines', 'Mayengg03', 'News', 'Viral'] |
Important Distributions in Probability & Statistics | Random Variables follow different types of distribution in probability space which decides their behaviour and helps in predictions.
Table of contents:
Introduction
Gaussian/Normal Distribution
Binomial Distribution
Bernoulli Distribution
Log Normal Distribution
Power Law Distribution
Uses of Distributions
Introduction
Whenever we come across any experiment in probability, we talk about random variable which is nothing but the variable which takes the expected outcomes of that experiment. For example, when we roll a dice, we expect a value from the set {1,2,3,4,5,6}. So we define a random variable X which takes these values every time we roll.
Depending upon the experiment, the random variable can take either discrete values or continuous values. So this dice example is of discrete random variable as it takes a discrete value. But suppose we are talking about the price of houses of a particular town then the associated random variable can take continuous values (e.g. $550,000, $1,200,523.54, etc).
When we plot these expected values of random variable vs. the frequency of there appearance in an experiment, we get a frequency distribution plot in form of histograms. After using kernel Density Estimation for smoothing these histograms, we get a fine curve. This curve is referred as “Distribution”.
The orange smoothed curve is the probability distribution
Gaussian/Normal Distribution
Gaussian/Normal distribution is a continuous probability distribution function where random variable lies symmetrically around a mean (μ) and Variance (σ²).
general expression for Gaussian distribution curve
Mean (μ): It decides the position of the peak on X-axis. Also, all the data are symmetrically located on either side of the the line X = μ. As you can observe in the image shown, the Blue, Red and Yellow curves are spread either side of X=0 but Green curve is having its center at X= -2. So by looking these curves, we can easily say that mean of Blue, Red and Yellow is 0 whereas that of Green is -2.
Variance (σ²): It decides the spread and height of the curve. Variance is nothing but the square of the standard deviation. Notice here in the image, σ² values for all the four curves are given. Now without looking at the values, we can easily say that the yellow curve has the lowest height and maximum spread and spread can be intuitively understood as standard deviation. So we can say that Yellow curve has maximum variance out of the four. Similarly Blue curve has minimum.
If we put μ = 0 and σ = 1, the Normal distribution is then called Standard Normal Distribution or Standard Normal Variate and the general expression changes to:
Standard Normal Distribution expression
Now one can imagine, what does the denominator signify? Its’s there to ensure that the area under curve for Normal distribution is always equal to 1.
We get a lot of useful information about segmentation of data from Normal Distribution. Look at the image:
Values segmentation diagram for Normal Distribution
As you can see, this distribution stores 34.1% of total mass if we move one standard deviation right from mean, (34.1 + 13.6) = 47.7% of mass if we move 2 standard deviations right from mean and 49.8% when 3 standard deviation right. Since this curve is symmetrical, it holds for either sides.
So, now we know if any property follows a Normal distribution, e.g. weights of population in a town, we can easily estimate a lot of values without actually performing extensive analysis. This is the power of Normal Distribution.
Binomial Distribution
As we can see in the name, there is a “Bi”. So, this ‘Bi’ stands for 2 outcomes of an experiment, either Yes or No, either Pass or Fail, either 1 or 0 etc. In most simple terms this distribution is the distribution of multiple repeated experiments and their probabilities where the expected outcome is either “Success” or “Failure”.
Binomial Distribution
As you can observe from image, it is a discrete probability distribution function. Main parameters are n (number of trials) and p (probability of success).
Now suppose we have a probability p of SUCCESS of an event, then the probability of FAILURE is (1-p) and let us say you repeat the experiment n times (number of trials = n). Then probability of getting k successes in n independent Bernoulli trials is:
Probability Mass Function of Binomial Distribution
where k belongs in range [0,n] and:
Note: We will see what is Bernoulli trial in next section.
Let me ask a simple question. Suppose there is cricket match going on between India and Australia. Rohit Sharma has already scored 151* and by your experience you know that after 150 Rohit has a probability 0.3 of hitting a six. It’s the last over and your father asks you what are the chances that Rohit will hit 4 sixes. Then how would you find out?
This is a typical example of Binomial trials. So, the solution is:
Note: The 6 and 4 in big bracket is nothing but 6C4 which is combinations of 4 sixes in 6 balls.
Bernoulli Distribution:
In Binomial Distribution, we have a special case knows as Bernoulli Distribution where n=1 which means just a single trial is conducted in that binomial experiment. When we put n=1 in PMF (Probability Mass Function) of Binomial, the nCk will be equal to 1 and function becomes:
PMF of Bernoulli Distribution
where k = {0,1}.
Now let’s take the India vs Australia match. Let’s say when Rohit hits a ton then chances of India winning is 0.7. So you can simply tell your father that there is a 70% chance that India will win.It was nothing but a very basic Bernoulli trial.
Log Normal Distribution
We have seen the nature of Normal distribution and in first glance many would say that Log normal curve also somewhat gives a glimpse of Normal distribution which is right skewed.
Suppose there is a random variable X which follows Log Normal distribution with mean = μ and Variance = σ². X has a total n possible values (x1,x2,x3…..xn). Now take natural Log over all X values and create a new random variable Y = [log(x1),log(x2),log(x3)……log(xn)]. This random variable Y will be Normally distributed.
In other words if there is a Normal Distribution Y, and we take it’s exponential function X = exp(Y) then X will follow Log Normal distribution. In simple language as name suggests Log Normal distribution is the distribution of a random variable whose natural log is Normally distributed.
It has also the same parameters as Gaussian: mean (μ) and Variance (σ²).
Power Law/Pareto Distribution
Power Law is a relationship between two quantities in which changes in one quantity will proportionally change the other quantity. It follows a 80–20 rule which says: in top 20% of values, we will find roughly 80% of mass density. As you can see in the image, the slightly darker left portion is 80% of mass and the right bright yellow is 20%.
When a probability distribution follows a power law we say it is a Pareto Distribution.
Pareto distribution is controlled by two parameters: x_m and α.
x_m can be thought of as mean which controls scale of curve and α can be thought of as σ which controls the shape of curve. (Note: x_m is not mean and α is not σ. I am speaking intuitively for understanding.)
Now as we can see in the image, all four curves have their peak located at x=1. So, we can say that x_m = 1 for all the curves.
As we can observe from the image, as α increases the peak also goes up and and in extreme case of α tending to infinity, the curve transforms into merely a vertical line. This is called a Dirac Delta Function.
As α reduces, the flatness of curve increases.
PDF of Pareto Distribution
Uses of Distributions
If we know a particular property follows a certain dist then we can take a sample and find the parameters involved and then can plot the Probability Distribution function to answer lot of question.
For ex: In a town of 100,000 people, we have to do height analysis, but we cannot do a survey for such a large population. So, we select a random sample and find it sample mean and sample standard deviation.
Now suppose a doctor or expert tells us height follows a Normal distribution. Then we can easily answer many questions.
References: | https://medium.com/analytics-vidhya/important-distributions-in-probability-statistics-a868283fa127 | ['Saurabh Raj'] | 2020-08-07 06:10:11.992000+00:00 | ['Probability', 'Machine Learning', 'Data Science', 'Statistics', 'Data Visualization'] |
Subsets and Splits
No saved queries yet
Save your SQL queries to embed, download, and access them later. Queries will appear here once saved.