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We’re Off to Never-Neverland | And then last week, we watched the two-part, four-hour documentary, Leaving Neverland, on HBO. To me, it devastatingly proved the guilt of Michael Jackson, beyond a Reasonable Doubt. #JayZ
In fairness, whenever I watch true crime, I generally think the person did it. I’m like a police officer that Sarah Koenig describes in Serial:
~“Cops pretty much think everybody is lying to them all of the time.”
We watched Steve Avery in Making a Murderer on Netflix. He did it. We started The Case Against Adnan Syed on HBO. He did it. We watched The Ted Bundy Tapes on Netflix. He did it.
Serial. Murderer. Bundy. We live in a joyous household.
Obviously, Bundy’s a safe bet. The difference, of course, is that Syed and Avery were charged with one count, whereas Bundy and Jackson (and R. Kelly and Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein and the Catholic Church) are charged with multiple counts. They used to say that, due to the enormous number of pension and benefits it owed to its workers, General Motors was basically a healthcare company that happened to make cars. In that way, the Catholic Church is basically a scandal that happens to hand out wafers.
Harsh? Well, I cannot think of a single case where an institution or a celebrity implicated by multiple victims has ever turned out to be innocent. Can you?
In the long run, female and child abuse are the consistent themes here. (I’m generally hesitant to use the term “rape culture,” but I was stunned to learn that 17 states in America have no minimum marital age requirement. Between 2000 and 2015, over 200,000 minors were legally married in the United States. If that’s not rape culture, then what is?) What is abundantly clear in Leaving Neverland is that Jackson was a strong misogynist. There are only oblique references made to this fact, but he clearly hated women. Of all of the themes, this struck me as one of the most chilling. The fact that Jackson was effeminate only serves to make him more of a Buffalo Bill type of character.
The MJ documentary begins with a disclaimer: “The following film contains explicit descriptions of sexual abuse that may be disturbing to viewers.” They should add a line: “And if you don’t, yeah, get that checked out.”
The two men who have come forward against MJ are James Safechuck and Wade Robson. (Ya gotta love those names, by the way. Straight out of Central Casting. They’re a little on the nose, huh? Jackson chucked their safety and robbed their son.) Safechuck was born in the States and Robson was born in Australia. (MJ really does like to go Down Under.)
Did he really have to rub it in and claim he has two?
In excruciating detail, the boys (now men) describe how Jackson destroyed their lives and their families’ lives. The Jackson Estate is alleging they’re only doing this for the money. OK, then how come there are no allegations against Prince? Or Bruce Springsteen? Or Tom Petty? They’re all global ’80s superstars with wealth.
Yet another defense is: “Well, there were other kids, including Macaulay Culkin and Corey Feldman, who went to Neverland and have no stories of abuse.” C’mon. That’s flimsy and you know it. First off, Jackson wouldn’t target fellow celebrities; they’re too empowered and have a network of powerful people looking after them. Predators prey on the weak. (And btw, Feldman finally came out to say he can no longer defend Jackson.) Moreover, just because Michael liked boys doesn’t mean he liked all boys. That’s like the lame concern straight men have about gay men: “I don’t want them hitting on me.” Relax, douche. With that kind of homophobia, you’re lucky if anybody hits on you.
“W here were the parents at?” — “The Way I Am,” Eminem
Criticism of the parents is justified. That said, you have to put yourselves in their place. They’re middle-class families with no extraordinary means… child abuse wasn’t as well known as it is today… and Michael Jackson was the biggest star in the world. The documentary shows the parents tried to stop it, but eventually, Jackson manipulated them and won. In acting class, we learned that comedy derives from a sane person in an insane world (Arrested Development) or an insane person in a sane world (Borat). A sane person in a sane world is a documentary. An insane person in an insane world is reality TV. The parents had entered an insane world. Was it strange that MJ asked to sleep in the same room with their kids? Yes, but Michael Jackson is calling you on your home line and coming over to your house to play. THIS WHOLE THING IS INSANE. How do you make decisions about what your kids can and cannot do at Neverland?
I saw firsthand how crazy celebrities can make us. As I entered adolescence, two men dominated my bedroom walls: Jordan (the other Michael) and Andre Agassi. I can’t remember exactly when I met him. OK, it was April 3, 1991. Seriously. I don’t even need to look it up. Spring Break. In Orlando, Florida, with my family. (Perhaps to search for my lost glove.) Perkins Restaurant. 8:30 am. There he was, with his girlfriend at the time, Wendy Stewart (not to be confused with Wendy Darling from Peter Pan). I got a picture with him, and I spent the next few hours lying down in the back of our van, staring up at the sky. I couldn’t believe I’d met my idol; I was the very definition of starstruck. Years later, I met him several more times, as I volunteered as a ballboy and Player Locker Room worker at the ATP Tournament in Cincinnati. I thought I was obsessed with him until I learned what a ballgirl did. Agassi threw up in a towel and she took it home. I’m not joking. How in the world could anybody carry somebody else’s vomit to her house? I’m telling you — celebrities make people do crazy things.
When We Both Had Hair. | https://funnyindian.medium.com/were-off-to-never-neverland-b8b2e14b0c52 | ['Rajiv Satyal'] | 2019-03-30 18:42:29.096000+00:00 | ['Michael Jackson', 'Leaving Neverland', 'Abuse', 'Pop Culture', 'Music'] |
JavaScript Refactoring Tips — Arrays, Class Names, and Conditionals | Photo by Bruno Kelzer on Unsplash
JavaScript is an easy to learn programming language. It’s easy to write programs that run and does something. However, it’s hard to write a piece of clean JavaScript code.
In this article, we’ll look at how to clean up conditionals with arrays, and use classList to manipulate class names.
Replacing Long Or Expressions with Array Checks
We can replace long or expressions with array checks easily. For instance, instead of writing:
if (fruit === 'apple' || fruit === 'orange' || fruit === 'grape') {
//...
}
We can use some array methods to reduce the length of the conditional expression.
One way is to use the array instance’s includes method to do so:
if (['apple', 'orange' ,'grape'].includes(fruit)) {
//...
}
As we can see, we checked if any one of them is the value of fruit by comparing the value of fruit in an array with includes .
The includes method returns true if the value we passed into the argument is included in the array instance and false otherwise.
Also, we can use the array instance’s some method to check the value:
if (['apple', 'orange', 'grape'].some(a => a === fruit)) {
//...
}
The some method lets us check if there’s any array entry with the given condition in the callback exists.
It returns true if one or more exists and false otherwise.
We reduced the long conditional expression with arrays in the first example.
Using the classList Property in DOM Elements
The easiest way to check if a class exists in a DOM element and manipulate multiple classes is to use the classList property.
For instance, if we want to add multiple classes, we can write the following code:
const p = document.querySelector('p');
p.classList.add('foo');
p.classList.add('bar');
p.classList.add('baz');
This way, we can add multiple classes without manipulating strings. We just get the classList property of a DOM element object and then call add to add the classes by passing in a string with the class name into the the add method.
The rendered DOM element now has the foo , bar and baz classes.
Likewise, we can call the classList property’s remove method with a string with the class name to remove to remove the class.
For instance, we can write:
const p = document.querySelector('p');
p.classList.add('foo');
p.classList.add('bar');
p.classList.add('baz');
p.classList.remove('baz');
Then the rendered HTML only has the foo and bar classes since we called remove to remove the baz class.
To check if a class name exists in a DOM element object, we can use the contains method.
To use it, we can write:
const p = document.querySelector('p');
p.classList.add('foo');
p.classList.add('bar');
const hasBaz = p.classList.contains('baz');
In the code above, we called the contains method on the classList property to check if the baz class is rendered in the p element.
Since we didn’t add it in the HTML or with the add method, it should return false .
The classList property has the toggle method to toggle class names on and off. For instance, given the following HTML:
<button>
toggle
</button>
<p>
foo
</p>
We can use the button to toggle the bar class on and off as follows:
const p = document.querySelector('p');
const button = document.querySelector('button');
p.classList.add('foo');
p.classList.add('bar'); button.onclick = () => {
p.classList.toggle('bar');
}
In the code above, we called the toggle method in the click handler to toggle the bar class on and off as we click the button. So we should see that in the HTML.
The clasList property has an array-like iterable object called the DOMTokenList object as a value. Therefore, we can use the spread operator to convert it to an array. This should convert it to an array of strings with the class names.
For instance, we can write the following code:
const p = document.querySelector('p');
p.classList.add('foo');
p.classList.add('bar');
const classArr = [...p.classList];
In the code above, we just used the spread operator to spread the classList property into an array.
Then we get that classArr is [“foo”, “bar”] .
Once we converted the DOMTokenList into an array, then we can use any array methods to manipulate the code.
The spread operator makes a copy of the original object and then spread it into an array, so we can still call the methods in the DOMTokenList to manipulate the class names as we want it.
Photo by Valentina Curini on Unsplash
Conclusion
Long boolean expressions with the || operator can be replaced with an array that checks if any of the items in the array matches the value that we’re checking for. | https://medium.com/swlh/javascript-refactoring-tips-arrays-and-conditionals-1750b942c297 | ['John Au-Yeung'] | 2020-05-03 17:47:35.886000+00:00 | ['JavaScript', 'Web Development', 'Software Development', 'Technology', 'Programming'] |
Let your heartbreak be your guide | I wanted to start today with a story.
A few years ago, I was invited to give a talk at an old church in London. This particular church had a very intriguing history; in the 1990s, it was bombed by the IRA. After being rebuilt, the Bishop of London decided to turn it into a Center for Peace and Reconciliation. Today, it is a place for many young seekers who may not always feel at home in the Church, but who find a home in that particular church, as they seek to find a spirituality that can help them to address some of the wounds of our world.
After the talk, a young woman approached me and asked if she could speak with me. We went outside and sat on the floor of a big Bedouin tent located in the church’s courtyard. She had questions that she wanted to talk about, some serious questions. Questions not so unusual for a person her age. Questions about what a young person is to do with one’s life in our seemingly broken world. Questions about how to respond to everything that is not working in our world without getting paralyzed by overwhelm and worry. Questions about living with integrity and decency. Questions about our future, and the fact that sometimes it feels like the future is being stolen from our youth, by all of us who so willingly dismiss any dreams of a better tomorrow as impractical, as soon as we realize that any real societal change will require us to change.
And so, we sat there on the floor of that Bedouin tent and talked for a while. At some point in our conversation, as we talked about her specific vocation and calling, and how people often encouraged her to follow her passion and do what makes her feel good, I remembered the advice of one of my own mentors. He said — and I’m sure he was responding to a famous ‘follow your bliss’ bumper sticker from the 1980’s still seen on many cars — “Don’t follow your bliss, look at the world and see where following our bliss has gotten us to, instead, follow your heartbreak.” So that’s what I said to her: “Look at the world, see what breaks your heart, and let your heartbreak be your guide!”
I largely forgot about that conversation until months later when I received a message from her. She said that she had sat with that “what breaks your heart” question for a long time until she could not sit with it any longer. Somewhat frustrated, she turned on the TV and saw the stories of Syrian refugees arriving in the Greek Island of Lesvos. Women, children, men, all scared and broken and some barely alive. Escaping the violence of war, hoping that they can survive the journey across the ocean, hoping for a new life. When she saw that, she knew that she needed to do something about it. Immediately, she got on the internet, bought a ticket, and without telling a soul, went to Lesvos the next morning to be there for those who were reaching the shores of the island. Being there broke her heart and brought her to her knees. But it also gave her a new life and a new joy. Not a false kind of joy, that is a result of avoiding the discomfort. But rather a joy that knows difficulties and heartbreaks and yet still survives. A joy that is an assurance that you are doing what you were born to do, an assurance that you are saying yes to the person you are meant to be.
This young woman eventually went back to London and helped organize her friends and colleagues at the church where we met, helping to turn that church into a training center to prepare people to go and serve in refugee camps and to became advocates for refugee families to the UK, often unwelcome there. | https://medium.com/center-for-spiritual-imagination/let-your-heartbreak-be-your-guide-4df3d404ea5 | ['Kris Vieira'] | 2020-12-22 17:40:01.044000+00:00 | ['Christianity', 'Christmas', 'Sermons', 'Advent'] |
Senryu | La Bibliothèque
I write towards what I want to know | https://medium.com/la-biblioth%C3%A8que/senryu-53a6af81484d | ['Charlotte Zobeir Ali'] | 2020-12-28 14:36:07.327000+00:00 | ['New Year', 'Energy', 'Ideas', 'Senryu', 'Goals'] |
追風 | Lots of words in mind but found difficult to write on paper… | https://medium.com/@nalwritten/%E8%BF%BD%E9%A2%A8-2f342b28c396 | [] | 2020-11-18 02:49:58.497000+00:00 | ['Cyclone', 'Weather', 'Typhoon'] |
5 Victims, 4 Murders, 1 Rape, and 3 Killer Brothers | A quiet night of friends hanging around a campfire turned into a bloodbath that would change the area forever.
Gitchie Manitou State Preserve | via Iowa Adventures
The Gitchie Manitou State Preserve is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. On November 17, 1973, it was the site of a massacre.
Roger Essem, Michael Hadrath, Stewart Baade, and Dana Baade | via Newspapers.com
Local teenagers, Stewart Baade 18, his brother Dana 14, Mike Hadrath 15, Roger Essem 17, and Sandra Cheskey 13, were spending the evening around a campfire in the woods.
They shared a joint and sang along as they strummed a guitar — just a typical night for teenagers in 1973.
At the same time, a group of brothers was in the same park to poach deer. The Fryer brothers, Allen 29, David 24, and James 21, were no strangers to illegal actives.
The brothers had previously been arrested for transporting stolen vehicles across state lines and routinely robbed weapons and other items. The guns they were carrying with them that night had been stolen.
As the brothers hunted in the woods, they heard singing. They followed the sound until they discovered the teenagers around the campfire. David had been ordered to go find out what was going on. He spied on the group for a few minutes before going back to tell his brothers what he saw.
David said that there were four guys and one girl and that they were smoking marijuana. The brothers discussed what they wanted to do, then came up with the plan to pretend to be narcotic officers and kill the victims and take their stash.
During the trial, the Fryer brothers admitted that they thought narcotics agents had free range to kill anyone using drugs.
The brothers went back to their truck and got more guns and ammunition. They scaled a small ridge that overlooked the campfire and prepared for their attack.
The teenagers thought they heard noises in the woods. Thinking it might be animals, Roger Essem went to investigate.
Allen, David, and James Fryer (left-right) | via Oxygen
The Fryer brothers opened fire.
Roger Essem was instantly killed, and Steward Baade was wounded. Michael Hadrath and Sandra Cheskey were able to run and take cover behind some trees.
The brothers yelled for the two in the woods to come out. Sandra and Michael came out, and Michael asked, “Who the hell do you think you are?”
Allen Fryer responded by shooting Michael in the arm. He and Sandra both fell to the ground. But the brothers forced them up, saying they were “playing dead.”
Allen and David Fryer led Michael and Sandra, along with Dana Baade, down a trail leading away from the campfire.
When the Fryers got to the teenager’s van, they tied Sandra up and placed her inside. One of the brothers then went back and brought Stewart Baade to the van since he was still alive.
Allen Fryer got behind the wheel of the van with Sandra inside, and they drove away. Sandra would tell in court she watched as brothers James and David forced Dana Baade, Michael Hadrath, and Stewart Baade to walk further up the road.
Using shotguns, James, and David Fryer executed the last three teenagers. Leaving their bodies alongside a road in the park.
Sandra Young | via TNT Crime
Allen Fryer drove Sandra around, stopping to get gas at one point. He told her that he was “The Boss,” and the other two took their orders from him. He insisted that they were narcotic agents and were within their rights to apprehend and shoot criminals.
Eventually, the other two brothers met up with Allen and Sandra. Together the four of them drove to a farm. While there, James, the youngest brother, raped Sandra.
The next day Allen told Sandra it was time to go home. Before they left, he filled up his tank with gas from a large red fuel tank on the farmhouse property.
While driving Sandra home, Allen still insisted he was a police officer and that he was letting her go because she was “too young to get busted.”
Later that day, a couple out test driving a car in the park found the bodies of Stewart, Dana, and Michael. Investigators would discover Roger’s body the following day back at the campsite.
Map of Gitchie Manitou State Preserve | via Mix 97.3
The Bloody Woods
On the first inspection of the bodies, investigators determined that the teens had been killed with shotguns, based on the gaping bullet wounds.
Shell casing found at the scene proved the weapons to be 12, 16, and 20-gauge shotguns. The multiple weapons led the detectives to believe they were looking for at least three killers.
4 Sioux Falls Youths Found Slain In Park — Newspaper Article | via Argus Leader
The Search for Psychos
Lyon County Sheriff’s office was handling the investigation. Sandra had described the farm she was taken to, including the gas tank next to the house.
Sheriff Craig Vincent thought Sandra would be able to recognize it if she saw it again. So on November 29, the two drove around the farm areas of Sioux Falls.
Eventually, they came across a farmhouse near Hartford, South Dakota. Sandra recognized it at once, and just like she said, there was a large red fuel tank next to the house.
On their way back to the police station, a bizarre event happened. Driving the other way towards them was Allen Fryer, in his blue pickup truck that Sandra had already described.
“That’s him. That’s the Boss.” Sandra cried out to Sheriff Vincent.
The truck was pulled over, and Allen Fryer was arrested. His brothers David and James were found and taken into custody shortly after.
Sandra Cheskey would be able to pick all three out of lineups. They also matched the composite sketches she had helped create.
3 Sioux Falls brothers charged in area murders — Newspaper Article | via Wikipedia
The Interrogations
After his arrest, Allen Fryer was put in the box and sweated by investigators. Allen claimed that the cops had it all wrong. The teenagers were the ones shooting at him and his brothers.
Then when evidence proved this wasn’t the case, Allen changed his story several times.
Finally, Allen admitted that they had killed the teenagers because they wanted to steal the marijuana.
David Fryer started out lying much like his brother had, but eventually told the truth too.
The youngest brother James Fryer didn’t follow suit with his brothers and admitted to it all. Then insisted that it had all been his brother’s fault.
He told the detectives that it had all started when his brother David had called the jail, impersonating his boss, saying he needed James to work another shift. The brothers had just wanted to go out and shoot something that night.
James Fryer had been convicted and sentenced to jail before the murders. He was actually still serving jail time on November 17 but was allowed to leave during the day for a work-release program. Instead, he went killing and raping with his brothers.
James’s story started similar to his brothers that they believed the teens were smoking marijuana and decided to rob them of their weed. Allen pretended to be a cop as they descended on the group.
Of course, he blames Allen for killing the first teenager at the campsite, and then his brother David for killing the other teens after Allen took the girl away.
James says that the girl was into being with both him and David, that she was laughing and having a good time.
But, who could believe anything these three brothers had to say?
The Murdered Victims: Roger Essem, Stewart Baade, Michael Hadrath, and Dana Baade | via Newspapers.com
Trial and Convictions
Sandra Cheskey took the stand and told the jury what the brothers had done to her friends and her that fateful night in November.
The brothers quickly turned on each other, all three claiming that the other two pulled the triggers, and they were innocent.
The defense tried to argue that some of the testimony and statements made by Sandra were inconsistent. They stemmed from when she had rewritten some of her earliest accounts. In the end, they proved to be minor changes and were attributed to the fact that she was a young girl, only 13, and had recently been traumatized.
Allen and James went to trial, while David pled guilty to three charges of murder and one charge of manslaughter. In the end, all three got the same sentence, life in prison without the possibility of parole.
They are spending their time behind bars in Iowa. | https://medium.com/true-crime-addiction/5-victims-4-murders-1-rape-and-3-killer-brothers-5b998abd665a | ['Lisa Marie Fuqua'] | 2020-12-17 22:23:58.070000+00:00 | ['Teenagers', 'History', 'Culture', 'True Crime', 'Justice'] |
5 Simple Fitness Workouts That You Can Do At Home | By: Jessica Natalie
Medical review by Patricia Salber MD, MBA
Updated on May 6, 2020
Working out at home is convenient and affordable. (Photo source: iStock)
Happiness is the greatest wealth one can accumulate. Good health is a vital currency of this fortune. Keeping body and mind in good condition, especially in trying times, is imperative if you wish to lead a happy life. Exercising outdoors in the fresh air is one of the most energizing experiences that you can have. But right now, the current stay-at-home requirements related to the COVID-19 pandemic make that difficult or impossible. But you don’t have to abandon working out altogether. That’s because there are many great fitness workouts that you can do at home.
The benefits of fitness workouts
First, let’s examine some of the benefits of fitness workouts in general:
Physical workouts, particularly those focused on strength and endurance, can help us maintain a healthy weight by burning calories. When you create a calorie deficit (burn more than you consume), you will lose body fat.
Exercise also helps to keep a host of medical problems at bay, like depression, diabetes, osteoporosis, many kinds of cancer, heart problems, and others.
One of the biggest benefits of exercise is that it helps bring about a “feel-good” factor that may, in turn, combat stress.
The increase in blood circulation due to physical activities improves appearance, thereby boosting self-confidence and self-esteem.
The increase in blood circulation also helps tissues absorb more oxygen and nutrients which in turn boosts the cardiovascular system, leading to more energy and enthusiasm.
Why fitness workouts that you can do at home make sense
And now let us explore why fitness workouts at home make a lot of sense even after the lockdown is over and we return to “normal” life:
And now let us explore why fitness workouts at home make a lot of sense even after the lockdown is over and we return to “normal” life:
It costs significantly less than a gym membership in the long run. Even if you buy workout equipment (such as free weights, resistance bands, TRX straps, or a treadmill), it is a one-time cost. Gym membership, on the other hand, is a recurring monthly expense.
Time is another important factor. If you work out at home, you don’t have to spend time driving to the gym and looking for parking. And, time saved can also be money saved if you utilize that time for other productive work.
When you exercise at home, you can choose a time that suits you as you need not worry about the times when the is gym open, or classes are available. This makes it easier to follow your workout routine with greater regularity.
You do not have to wait for your turn at the treadmill or workstation during peak hours which is often the case at the gym.
The home environment is often cleaner and healthier to do workouts. There is no chance of catching a virus from another sick gym member — one of the reasons that most gyms were shut down during the lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fitness workouts at home give you the privacy to do what you want. The gym routine can be tailored to suit your personal style and body requirement. With no one to watch you at home, you are bound to be more comfortable and relaxed. You can exercise at your own pace as you have only your own self to compete with.
When you work out at home, you are likely to be more regular because there are no excuses like traffic, rain, cold, no time, and all the other excuses we use to skip the gym. Hence there can be more consistency with fitness workouts at home.
5 simple fitness workouts that you can do at home
Try out the following simple exercises in the comfort of your home, without the stress of going to the gym or purchasing expensive equipment.
Jogging on a treadmill or in place is a great warm-up. (Photo source: iStock)
First, do a nice warm-up
Put on your gym shoes and turn on some music. Start jogging on a treadmill, if you have one, or do it on the spot if you don’t. Start slowly at first and then pick up speed. There after maintain at medium paced jogging for roughly three minutes. Now, take a break for half a minute. Then start again, moving to fast-paced jogging for a duration of one full minute. Take a break for half a minute. Then, repeat the whole process once again.
Another effective warm-up can be done by slowly walking around on your heels for one minute. Care has to be taken so that your toes do not touch the ground. Repeat twice after one-minute gaps.
Other warm-up exercises include jumping jacks; arm circles, shoulder shrugs, and leg swings; or marching in place while swinging your arms
All this can be done while soaking in your favorite music.
Plank can be done with arms extended or on your elbows. (Photo source: iStock Photos, credit: AntonioGuillem)
An exercise that strengthens your upper body
This exercise combines plank with a push-up. It will help tone your arm muscles, as well as the muscles of your upper body, including shoulders and back
Stand straight, feet together, hands along your body.
Now bend slowly, so as to place your palms on the ground. Start moving your hands forward, one step at a time, till you achieve the plank position. Count till five.
Now slowly and carefully, do a push-up. Stand up slowly and repeat the whole process once again.
Aim for 10–12 repetitions, rest, and then do two more sets.
Squats are one of the best exercises that you can do — and they can be done anywhere. (Photo source: Stock)
A healthy lower body workout
Squats are great workouts that help tone your leg muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves). They also help tone your glutes.
Try this one standing straight, stretching your body as tall as possible.
Then spread your feet about two to two and a half feet apart. Now raise your hands and clasp the fingers of one hand with those of the other behind the neck.
Then bend your knees as far down as possible, almost as if you were sitting on a low stool. Count till five and then raise yourself up.
Repeat 10 to 15 times. Try to do this exercise 2–3 times a week.
Lunges are a terrific workout for your legs
Start by standing with hands by the sides.
Then push the right leg forward and lower your body slowly and carefully so that the right knee is at a right angle.
Count till five and then slowly and carefully, again raise your body, bringing back the right leg so that you are standing straight like before.
Take deep breaths for half a minute. Then repeat, this time using the left leg.
Repeat 5–10 times two to three times a week.
Jumping exercises can really get your heart rate up. (Photo source: iStock)
Jumping for overall good health
Exercises which involve jumping are also very good workouts.
Start by standing straight with your arms folded in front of you or held by your sides.
Now start lowering your body in such a manner that the knees are bent and hips are pushed back. Continue lowering your body so that your upper thighs are almost parallel to the ground. Count till five. Now jump high. You may need to raise your arms to help you rise up.
Once you have landed without losing balance, repeat the whole exercise once again, after a gap of half a minute.
Repeat 5–10 times two to three times a week
The bottom line for fitness workouts that you can do at home
It goes without saying that if you are a beginner doing these exercises for the very first time, you may experience body aches for the first few days. It’s important that you don’t let this lead you to skip a routine. Once your body gets used to these rigors you will start feeling sprightly. And, you will love the new well-toned look of your body.
Remember, there are many health and wellness benefits related to exercise and fitness no matter where you workout. But there are particular benefits to simple fitness workouts that you can do at home, such as cost and convenience. This may help home workouts become your exercise of choice.
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First published 5/2/17, this post was reviewed and updated for republication on 5/6/20.
Jessica Natalie is a health and fitness lifestyle blogger who is passionate about running and wants to spread the love on her blog CauseILoveRunning.com | https://docweighsin.medium.com/5-simple-fitness-workouts-that-you-can-do-at-home-e45528a77c21 | ['The Doctor Weighs In'] | 2020-05-13 02:11:01.059000+00:00 | ['Exercise', 'Fitness', 'Workout'] |
What Black Voters Need From Ohio Democrats | *Writer’s note: It was difficult to write this from one particular prospect because while I am a long time Democratic staffer, I am first, a Black man. Therefore you’ll notice that at times when I reference the Party as “we” it’s because I feel that I’ve represented the party to many people for the better part of a decade. Then other times I refer to the party from the outside because as a Black man, I have never felt fully welcomed or represented by it.
As Democrats in Ohio, we spend a lot of time and energy in the last few weeks of an election trying to turn out Black people to vote for our candidates. We rent buses to push churchgoers to early vote in Cincinnati, we drop “strike teams” of canvassers into the southside of Youngstown, and we hold free Jay Z concerts in Cleveland all in an attempt to boost turnout. At best it’s pandering. At worst it’s offensive.
While voter suppression is real and turnout efforts are essential, politicians and the Party don’t try to earn Black votes because it assumes it already has them. Black voters deserve more from the Party it carries. We deserve deep conversations, backing, and a seat at the table.
Below I outline four actions the Ohio Democratic Party needs to take in order to not only win Black votes but to earn sustained Black voters.
We’re More Places Than Churches And Barbershops
Black voters need to be prioritized and persuaded from the outset of elections. Too often, Black votes are taken for granted, yet outreach to our community is felt to be almost secondary to so-called working-class voters. And now with Ohio’s predominantly white suburbs deemed fertile turf for Democrats, many Black voters feel passed over by the Party they’ve given so much for, but our votes are still expected with minimal persuasion. Two months out from every statewide election, we begin to be bombarded with messages about early voting and acceptable forms of ID meanwhile at this same time in suburbs like Westerville, Howland, and Shaker Heights there have been ongoing conversations happening for months to find out what these voters care about in an attempt to earn their vote.
Democrats must start asking what we care about and what affects our day to day lives.
Rhetoric from Dems often paint Black people as poor and or criminal so we find that our issues are often assumed by the Party to be related to criminal justice reform or public assistnace. While Black people care about these things, many of us are union workers dealing with shrinking workplaces, college graduates with student loan debt, or people focused on their access to healthcare. Dems need to stop treating the Black community as a one issue constituency. Also, we’re not just in churches and barbershops. We’re everywhere. Democrats need to start seeing us as more than just a monolith and respect our diversity as a people.
Issues Organizing
With centuries-long oppression in this country, Black Americans are still working so hard to get even a fraction of the quality of life as white people in this country. Redlining and creative zoning have historically placed Black people in the way of environmental and financial harm. Many of our communities lack things others take for granted such as nearby grocery stores, good air quality, or level roads. A lot of these issues can be fixed with sustained community organizing.
It’s not quick and easy work but partnering with people to address problems that affect their everyday lives not only helps secures our votes, but it also helps us create a legion of trained local organizers who we can mobilize to win elections at every level.
Recruit Black Candidates
One shinning part of David Pepper’s Ohio Democratic Party tenure is his Main Street Initiative which is focused on continued support for local candidates from their announcement through Election Day. We should use this program to continue to recruit local Black candidates which in turn builds a bench for future statewide elections.
We too often build these exclusionary profiles of what makes a successful candidate. Things like wealth, pedigree, education, and access to potential donors often make it difficult for Black candidates to gain a foothold in local politics which in turn hinders our representation at every level of government. We have to recognize that the shared lived experience and community ties Black candidates hold can be just as valuable as, if not more than, the connections that white candidates have. Being able to see someone like yourself, someone from your neighborhood, be elevated by the Party is a powerful thing. Adding more Black candidates to the ballot makes Black voters want to turn out.
Electing Black candidates is more than a visual representation though. When We (Black voters) see someone who looks like us in these positions, we know that they share a common history and bond with us that will inform their decision making. We trust that they are thinking about us when they are governing.
Hire Black Organizers
I CANNOT state this strongly enough We have to hire Black organizers in Black communities. Organizing is always an uphill battle. gaining the trust and buy-in of volunteers is the hardest part so once again, representation matters.
But putting just any Black organizer in just any Black community isn’t quite the answer either. We need to prioritize hiring Black staff from the community they’re organizing. These organizers need to have the local knowledge and cultural competency to know what it means to live on a certain side of town or who the gatekeepers are in local institutions. This also means that every organizer won’t be a 22-year-old Oberlin graduate who is afraid to knock on doors in their assigned turf because of their implicit (and sometimes explicit) biases. We need to drop exclusionary qualifications like bachelor’s degrees, access to a car, intern or field experience, and owning a laptop. Organizers who are hired locally will reflect their community in age, background, and local relationships. Democrats should hire people with deeply established roots in their neighborhoods. | https://medium.com/@markgavinsr/what-black-voters-need-from-ohio-democrats-2ee0f84437fe | ['Mark Gavin'] | 2020-12-15 17:52:52.094000+00:00 | ['Ohio', 'Ohio Democratic Party', 'Democratic Party'] |
You are stronger than a billionaire | The sitting president should be a reminder that though they have inestimable piles of money, most billionaires are pieces of shit. They are soft humans, coddled in the decadence of convenience. Taught that living like wanton grown-up babies is okay because they some how earned it by being genetically predisposed to greatness (and also a healthy trust fund). This article is a great read, but seriously, this is the kind of maniacs we’re dealing with:
The clients of this Geneva-based wealth manager also “believe that they are descended from the pharaohs, and that they were destined to inherit the earth”.
Yes, having a fortune comes with power. But that doesn’t mean they’re exceptional manifestations of all the possible human incarnates (or fucking Pharoahs), just lucky. Or in many instances unscrupulous enough to out-do their competition by screwing people over in ways others wouldn’t. As AOC said, you don’t earn a billion dollars, you take a billion dollars.
Point is…If it seems like this asshole is a bumbling idiot incapable of being president of a student government, let alone a country its because he is actually that incompetent. A lot of billionaires are likely as bad as him if not worse.
If an average billionaire was forced to work at your job (jobs?) for a week, they’d probably panic and run for their limo. They couldn’t hack it.
If you work 40/week, you do something the sitting president evidently can’t.
That’s because these 1%’ers have gotten to believe so much of their own bullshit that they think they’re actually special and not just lucky or unscrupulous.
This is not a dis, an ad hominem, or an accident. Its a method the 1% has for protecting their egos. Its not enough that they’re inestimably wealthy, they also have to have earned it somehow. So they demonize ‘indulgent/lazy’ behaviors of the ‘poor’ to hypocritically distance themselves from their own shallow, indulgent lifestyles. Lifestyles they pay fortunes to keep secret. Again, from this article:
It makes sense. If one has more money than you could possibly spend in 5 lifetimes, life might get boring. So on a mission to create some interesting plot twist for their own boring life stories (born rich, stayed rich, died), a bunch of these ass hats probably have a coke-fueled epiphanies on a yachts sometime in their mid-20’s like: “DUDE, BRO, I’M A PHARAOH, I CAN FEEL IT!”. Then they travel the world trying to find their inner-higher-being or whatever the fuck and (pay for immense help to) climb mount Everest.
These people are maniacs by definition. What else could possess a person to seek out more money once they had already accumulated more than they could spend making themselves and their great-grandchildren rich? What’s the point of more commas in the bank account at that point? What possesses a person to stay late at work to procure a fortune for their great-great-great-great-grandchild’s nephew rather than go spend time with their own kids?
There isn’t a rational explanation; there is simply a compulsion that exceeds rational thought. That’s why Bezos needs more. And people like you and I can’t understand that.
That’s because billionaires are ill people. There is no answer to the question of “why more”. They have a sickness.
They fancy themselves as something like deities but in reality, many of them are totally lost. They’re adult children, deprived of the day-to-day grind of basic human survival that keeps one’s wits sharp. Daily struggles make us who we are; most billionaires don’t have them. So the accumulation of more money to out-do the other rich person becomes the favorite past-time. Consider these two lovely examples of human beings talking about how funny price gouging was with Enron (perhaps not billionaires themselves but working in service of some particularly shitty ones).
These billionaires don’t think straight. They’re obsessed with money and power and are terrific at taking it. But it is not because they are superior humans, its because they’re sick; they don’t know how to be happy without more. Many struggle with basic forms of generosity a child could understand. And in that way, they’re not as strong or capable as you are. Sacrificing for another makes you strong and gives you character.
If you’ve worked a 50 hour week while raising kids, you’ve done something a billionaire cannot. Most billionaires don’t raise their kids, its too hard. They don’t know how hard it is to drop the kid off at the daycare crying, unable to explain to them why you need extra money this month so you can’t spend as much time together.
If your parents didn’t ‘approve’ of your sexual orientation and kicked you out when you were young, you had to summon a strength and wit to stay alive on your own that a billionaire may never know.
If you started your own art studio or record label from the ground-up, then you know the feeling of risk associated with putting some of yourself out there in your work and succeeding despite the anxiety. Billionaires mostly don’t make art, they just buy it.
If you’re an addict who’s getting clean, you’re defeating an enemy that many billionaires don’t even have the courage to acknowledge exists. If you help someone else who is struggling to also get their life back, you’ve done more of a service for humans than many billionaires do with all their fortunes.
You’re stronger, smarter, and more resilient than these people. They just have more money than you. That’s not to underestimate the importance of taking seriously the power the billionaire class holds. But our collective strength — to understand the gravity of this election and mobilize to nominate the best candidate to to confront the billionaire class — is being flexed in the polls. We see what is going on here and won’t be fooled.
So don’t buy into their class-shaming horseshit. They’re the one who should be ashamed. | https://medium.com/@agilepossible/you-are-stronger-than-a-billionaire-91b4061ae69f | ['Agile Possible'] | 2020-02-20 21:48:58.582000+00:00 | ['Billionaires', 'Bernie Sanders'] |
Fellow Marketers: Please, Stop With the Buzzwords | Fellow Marketers: Please, Stop With the Buzzwords
A go-forward actionable plan to optimize your vocabulary
There are no points for poor communication. Photo by Joshua Miranda from Pexels
I didn’t need coffee to fuel me that morning. The high of giving my first presentation to our biggest client at my new job provided all the adrenaline I needed.
The strategy was sound, the creativity was stunning, and the market insights were fresh. This was my time to shine and prove to my colleagues and clients that they made the right choice in headhunting and relocating me across the country for the role.
I envisioned looks of astonishment because I felt the presentation was that good. Heck, maybe even a high-five or proclamation of “this is exactly why we chose you!” from the client when we landed on the token “Thank You” slide.
But instead, the vice president of my client’s business turned to me at the end and said, “This is great. Now can you say it again in English?”
The problem was I did say it in English. | https://medium.com/better-marketing/fellow-marketers-please-stop-with-the-buzzwords-f8790061976e | ['Liana Buenaventura'] | 2020-11-24 14:27:32.873000+00:00 | ['Marketing Tips', 'Communication', 'Marketing', 'Business', 'Communication Skills'] |
What Skyscanner teaches us about creating a culture of learning through experimentation | Skyscanner is a $2bn unicorn on a mission to be the single trusted app for all your travel needs. With over 70 million users and operating in over 65 markets, the team is well on the way to achieving that goal.
I met with Buzz Pearce, Global Design Director at Skyscanner and previously Principal Design Director at Skype, to hear about Skyscanner’s approach to innovation. It’s striking how much care and attention Buzz and Skyscanner teams give to designing ways of working, and creating a culture of learning through experimentation, alongside designing the product itself.
Here are 5 of the ways Skyscanner cultivates learning through experimentation:
1. The best ideas come from anywhere
At Skyscanner the word innovation is conspicuously missing from the organisational structure, because it’s everyone’s responsibility.
We think ideas can come from anyone and we encourage that. We don’t have a specific unit called innovation. People email the CEO directly with their ideas and we support the ones with potential to be developed and tested, it happens all the time.
2. Experimentation is a mindset to hire in and reward
All new joiners are selected for an experimental mindset and an appetite for learning — they must demonstrate curiosity, autonomy, accountability, potential and the selection process is rigorous to weed out anyone without those attributes. Skyscanner’s competency framework even includes an entrepreneurialism track that’s applied to everyone. It’s designed to recognise the potential for ideas to come from anyone and rewards those who contribute ideas and test them. It also demonstrates how experimentation and learning is truly valued, beyond just lipservice.
3. Experimentation is also a process that can be learned
In every business there’s a tension between quality and speed. Moving quickly and failing fast are becoming the hot topic but it’s difficult for companies to go beyond paying lip service, to actually enabling speed and encouraging experimentation.
For Skyscanner it’s all about speed coupled with a culture of forgiveness so people feel safe in testing and in those tests failing. That’s why we have an experimental framework that’s scientific, to guide that process. Boyd’s Law gets touted about a lot. (Originally from engineering design, it favours speed of iteration over quality of iteration). So we say go fast to build and release an experiment to a 1% test base, because you want to learn. Then, once you’ve learned, polish it and get quality to 100%. We’re still learning the best ways to encourage that and we’re using a mixed-method approach, but we know that in the competitive landscape, first and foremost is speed.
It’s a tension that’s difficult to get right, and at Skyscanner it’s very much a work in progress.
NEXT PRACTICE: EXPERIMENTATION FRAMEWORK Skyscanner has an experimentation hub, an open source guide to running experiments within a scientific framework, which has become somewhat legendary amongst developers. With the guiding principle of ‘Design like you’re right, test like you’re wrong’ it guides even the most novice of users through the steps of how to design and run experiments, so they can become an A/B Sensei or hypothesis master. Most people see experiments as A/B tests but there’s more to it than that, which is why Skyscanner encourages a mixed method approach to experiments, all under the banner of learning.
Skyscanner’s Experimentation Hub
4. Experiments only fail if you’ve failed to learn
With an experimental mindset and process in place, the only question is, what have you learned? Disproving a hypothesis then doing the same again is failure.
That’s why we have the very strong and scientific experimental framework that we use. An idea has to be tested and validated and even if it’s failing in the sense that it’s not working, if we’ve learned from it then those insights are invaluable.
5. Ideas need time and space to develop
Decoupling ideas from commercial pressures and creating the right environment and temperament to really be patient on incubating them is what can evolve a mediocre idea to one that’s A-grade. That’s why there’s a Design Studio at Skyscanner, it allows the space to explore ideas and the time to nurture them.
The thing that keeps me up at night is have we just squished a really good idea? They are so fragile.
NEXT PRACTICE: MAKER TIME Skyscanner prioritises learning, thinking, teaching and making. It’s what fuels its continued growth. Based on this principle, Maker Time was implemented across the business, inspired by Nancy Kline’s Time to Think. “Taking time out of the busy daily delivery, that’s really where the quality of thought is. We recognised the need to protect it so we created Maker Time every Wednesday”. The entire company switches off emails, no meetings are held, people are free to work from wherever they can be most productive, and everyone is urged to make, and to ship.
The bottom line
What’s striking about Skyscanner is there’s a specific balance the company tries to achieve between bold ambition to be the single trusted travel app, whilst staying humble and connected to their roots. It’s a recurring theme in some of the most successful of all tech startups, manifested by the likes of Jeff Bezos’ Day One as a reminder to stay humble and always innovate.
When you’re a startup you’re feeling your way. Then you hit your inflection and get to the privileged position of affecting over 70 million lives.
A culture that enables experimentation removes the emotionally loaded language of ‘failure’ and ‘success’ and the ego that goes with it. Best put by Buzz: | https://medium.com/hellobrink-co/what-skyscanner-teaches-us-about-creating-a-culture-of-learning-through-experimentation-e2e0f093d820 | ['Abigail Freeman'] | 2018-09-08 21:17:24.903000+00:00 | ['Culture Of Innovation', 'Tech', 'Lean Startup', 'Learning', 'Skyscanner'] |
Medicine as one of the main subjects of international regulation in the modern world | ICS 11.040.10 — Anaesthetic, respiratory and reanimation equipment; 13.110 — Safety of machinery; 31.260 — Optoelectronics. Laser equipment
Medicine has always taken a leading position when it comes to creating regulatory documents. Since in the last year a lot of events have happened in this industry, therefore, a large number of detailed documents have been created to regulate the equipment used in it. Asking the question of COVID-2019, it should be noted that more preference and the need to combat this ailment was given to ventilation and oxygen equipment. That is why, in 2020, an even larger number of international standards have emerged that regulate this subcategory, with which we will introduce you today.
Medical electrical equipment — Part 2–69: Particular requirements for the basic safety and essential performance of oxygen concentrator equipment (ISO 80601–2–69:2020)
EN ISO 80601–2–69:2020
Since the field of medicine is a complex concept, when discussing the technologies and equipment used, it is necessary to approach in a very detailed way when choosing international standards. Some documents cannot be applied separately, namely for individual pieces of equipment, and because of this, a whole system of documents is created that regulates both test methods and all subsequent stages of implementation of use and elimination of negative aspects. If your organization comes into contact with medical equipment that concentrates oxygen, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the document that tells about the basic safety requirements approved at the international level.
Medical electrical equipment — Part 2–70: Particular requirements for the basic safety and essential performance of sleep apnoea breathing therapy equipment (ISO 80601–2–70:2020)
EN ISO 80601–2–70:2020
Like any other document, an international standard related to the field of medicine has its additions and individual parts, one of the additions, or rather a more global explanation of the previous standard, is EN ISO 80601–2–70: 2020.
This particular standard is applicable to the basic safety and essential performance of sleep apnoea breathing therapy equipment, hereafter referred to as ME equipment, intended to alleviate the symptoms of patients who suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea by delivering a therapeutic breathing pressure to the patient. Sleep apnoea breathing therapy equipment is intended for use in the home healthcare environment by lay operators as well as in professional healthcare institutions.
This particular standard excludes sleep apnoea breathing therapy equipment intended for use with neonates.
This particular standard is applicable to me equipment or an ME system intended for those patients who are not dependent on mechanical ventilation such as patients with central sleep apnoea.
This particular standard is also applicable to those accessories intended by their manufacturer to be connected to sleep apnoea breathing therapy equipment, where the characteristics of those accessories can affect the basic safety or essential performance of the sleep apnoea breathing therapy equipment.
If a large number of technical terms and amendments do not give you a clear understanding of whether this standard can be applied in the industry where you operate, we recommend that you clarify all your questions with a team of specialists in the field of selection of international standards.
Medical electrical equipment — Part 2–67: Particular requirements for basic safety and essential performance of oxygen-conserving equipment (ISO 80601–2–67:2020)
EN ISO 80601–2–67:2020
Sometimes certain subcategories of the same industry may require different levels of standardization, which is why the application of certain parts of the standard can be redundant and not only useless, but also negatively influencing. For this, such standards are created which include certain parts such as EN ISO 80601–2–67: 2020.
This particular standard is applicable to the basic safety and essential performance of oxygen conserving equipment, hereafter referred to as me equipment, in combination with its accessories intended to conserve supplemental oxygen by delivering gas intermittently and synchronized with the patient’s inspiratory cycle, when used in the home healthcare environment. Oxygen conserving equipment is typically used by a lay operator.
This particular standard is also applicable to those accessories intended by their manufacturer to be connected to conserving equipment, where the characteristics of those accessories can affect the basic safety or essential performance of the conserving equipment.
This particular standard is only applicable to active devices (e.g. Pneumatically or electrically powered) and is not applicable to non-active devices (e.g. Reservoir cannulas).
Since there are a very large number of similar aspects among the standards mentioned, we recommend that you clarify all the parameters in more detail to select the most suitable document to increase the productivity of your activity.
Dentistry — Vocabulary and designation system for forensic oro-dental data (ISO 20888:2020)
EN ISO 20888:2020
Despite the popularity of the use of ventilation equipment, such a branch of medicine as dentistry has not gone unnoticed. In 2020, the creation of international standardization for this category continued, one of which is EN ISO 20888: 2020.
The purpose of this standard is to develop uniform nomenclature for the description of forensic dental data and define a standardized set of uniform terms to convey this information. The goal of the standard is not to define the extent of information collected, only to be certain that common terms are used in order to aid in an
identifying human remains or a living amnesiac.
Since this document is quite global and generalized, we recommend having it available to everyone whose field of activity is in contact with dentistry.
Ophthalmic instruments — Fundamental requirements and test methods — Part 1: General requirements applicable to all ophthalmic instruments (ISO 15004–1:2020)
EN ISO 15004–1:2020
Since medicine and the equipment used in it are popularized more and more every day, the number of standards created for different industries is increasing. One such document is EN ISO 15004–1: 2020.
This document specifies fundamental requirements for non-invasive, active and non-active ophthalmic instruments and to devices for enhancing low vision. This document is also applicable to tonometers, but not to other ophthalmic instruments which are used in contact with the globe of the eye.
This document is not applicable to operation microscopes, endoscopes and devices intended for laser investigation or laser treatment of the eye.
The introduction of innovations in the field of medicine is a very delicate aspect of compliance with rules and regulations, which is why we recommend adhering to the international system when applying innovative technologies in your field of activity.
Information technology — Security techniques — Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of information security management systems (ISO/IEC 27006:2015, including Amd 1:2020)
EN ISO/IEC 27006:2020
The security of the data system, as well as management systems, is applied not only in the areas associated with these technologies, but also in medicine. Since every day more and more IT technologies are used in the field of treating people, therefore, the quality of data transmission will affect the safety of health. If you care about the quality of your medical services and data security, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the EN ISO / IEC 27006: 2020 standard in more detail by clicking on the link attached above.
Medicine and its rapid advance to a leading position
Due to the fact that the demand for medical equipment has increased significantly, therefore, the amount of supply in the world market has increased. That is why the competition is gaining more and more momentum every day. One of the key aspects of competitiveness and the prospects for taking a leading position in the market is the quality of products and services, which can be achieved primarily by following the international standards created to regulate the entire system and industry. If your organization comes into contact with medical equipment indirectly or straightforwardly, in any of these cases, we recommend having several standards available that fit both globally for the scope of your activity and categorize the technologies you use. Stay tuned to iTeh for the latest international standardization updates
References:
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/cen/c74f9c0b-be67-4a50-b51c-0de79235178f/en-iso-80601-2-69-2020
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/cen/03f89c61-c358-4f22-b5c1-404e9fc90086/en-iso-80601-2-70-2020
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/cen/af89fd4b-5cc7-4671-bd80-e5029fb59c01/en-iso-80601-2-67-2020
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/cen/5b29107d-8dd9-4a33-b294-106e5806ce63/en-iso-20888-2020
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/cen/0a592eeb-a1dc-448e-b8bc-48fbccd22e17/en-iso-15004-1-2020 | https://medium.com/@itehinc/medicine-as-one-of-the-main-subjects-of-international-regulation-in-the-modern-world-98ed348bd459 | ['Iteh Inc'] | 2020-12-27 09:19:19.548000+00:00 | ['Standards', 'Dentistry', 'Medical Equipment', 'Medicine', 'Oxygen Concentrator'] |
I for Inclusion | What are the few things that come to your mind when you think about inclusion? Diversity, corporate trainings, demographics and so on!
Have you ever sat back and thought that “I” plays the biggest role when we talk about inclusion? To accept anyone else, to appreciate the differences, you need to love yourself first. If you are not in love with yourself, how can you possibly love someone else?
The hesitation for inclusive culture is not because of the differences, but because of the threat we as people feel. We do not appreciate the differences, because that other person triggers our insecurities. The more differences we see, the more we gravitate towards the people who are similar to us.
Most of the inclusion initiatives don’t work because we try to change the mindset towards others rather than changing the mindset of how we perceive ourselves. It’s high time we realize that it is not a matter of compliance but culture, a conscious culture.
It’s time we start talking about self-love, being kind to oneself, accepting who we are and how we should not be seeking validation from outside. The moment we are complete within, we will also start appreciating what lies outside of us!
Ultimately, it’s about “Accepting the diverse today & Building an inclusive tomorrow!”. | https://medium.com/@shagoon/i-for-inclusion-a95cd5dfa541 | ['Shagoon Nayyar'] | 2020-12-17 09:31:16.717000+00:00 | ['Inclusive Society', 'Diversity And Inclusion', 'Inclusivity', 'Self Love', 'Inclusion'] |
The Fashion Industry Stock Performance & Resilience During COVID-19 | The world is being hit with an invisible enemy, COVID-19 has changed our lives for good, we are in complete lockdown, and we had to make major changes in our lifestyles and businesses, the impacts of the virus are spreading, disrupting everyday life in Milan and everywhere else in the world, cutting shopping, disrupting global supply chains, real estate market and threatening the economy, whatever crisis management responses guides that may have existed weeks ago now seem to be from another time, the situation is forcing everyone to evolve and adapt their strategies and creativity in real-time.
According to a report issued by McKinsey & Company, more than 40 percent of the global luxury-goods production happens in Italy, and all the Italian factories have temporarily shut down.
Since the stock market has had to deal with some major changes on its own. In this project, we will build a Python script to analyze the impacts of COVID-19 on stock prices regarding the Milan & Paris Stock Exchanges. We will explore the performance of some of the biggest fashion companies on the market to see how good or bad they have stood against the COVID-19 storm. We will take as reference stock prices before the outbreak in Italy and compare it to the same stock prices a few weeks later until April 21st. We will be doing this by conducting different analysis and by computing daily price changes for multiple stocks. After, we will try to explore the relationship between the stock prices and the daily new numbers of coronavirus cases in Italy.
The companies under investigations are:
AEF.MI (Aeffe in the Milan stock exchange) MONC.MI (Moncler in the Milan stock exchange) BC.MI (Brunello Cucinelli in the Milan stock exchange) SFER.MI (Salvatore Ferragamo in the Milan stock exchange) TOD.MI (Tod’s group in the Milan stock exchange) MC.PA (LVMH group in the Paris stock exchange) CDI.PA (Christian Dior in the Paris stock exchange) KER.PA (Kering group in the Paris stock exchange)
Note: To review the code and get your hands on the dataset, please visit my profile on GitHub, and if you are interested in exploring more projects, check my first project about Machine Learning, and the second project about the Real Estate Market COVID-19 disruption.
Let’s get started and have a look on our dataset. We choose to investigate the Adj. close prices.
Adjusted closing price accurately reflect that stock’s value after accounting for any corporate actions. It is considered to be the true price of that stock and is often used when examining historical returns or performing a detailed analysis of historical returns.
Notice that some days might be missing like the first day of the year as yahoo finance sometimes faces network problems.
The first thing we want to do is to try to investigate the maximum and minimum adjusted close price for each company’s stock throughout the time period. We will use a bar plot to visualize the data, we will also use a log scale for the adj. close price to normalize the values to a uniform scale. It is usually through data normalization that the information within a dataset can be formatted in such a way that it can be visualized and analyzed.
In the above representation, stocks can be classified into two groups: Reliable stocks and Volatile stocks. Reliable stocks are the ones that didn’t show much difference between the minimum adj. close price and the maximum adj. close price in the time period specified. e.g.: Kering, LVMH, Christian Dior and Moncler. However, Volatile stocks are the ones that varied the most between the minimum and maximum adj. closing price of stocks. e.g.: Aeffe
Let’s now try to split the data into two parts, before and after the outbreak to investigate the trends more.
It is now clear that most of the stocks pre COVID-19 period saw a change in volatility in their closing prices once the COVID-19 storm hit.
In the next analysis, we will try to get the returns. A return is defined as the change in price of stocks over time, which may be represented in terms of price change or percentage change. A positive return represents a profit while a negative return marks a loss. We will be using a built in function in one of Python libraries to do that.
Notice that the first day in the analysis (30–12–2019) was removed as we measure returns from the day after (02–01–2020)
Now let’s explore the Minimum and Maximum returns dates.
It is interesting to note that most of these stocks had their lowest return in 12th March 2020. In that date the USA declared a national emergency, while Italy had the highest number of deaths per day in the world (including China at its peak) for each of the previous four days.
All the companies had their highest returns in March as well. It’s interesting also to notice that in the day of March 24th Trump announced that USA Will Be “Open for Business Very Soon”.
Now, we will try to divide the returns to two datasets, before and after COVID-19, then we will apply the standard deviation on the stock returns.
In the next graphs, if the stocks occur at the right end of the chart, they are considered volatile with significant values of standard deviation while if they occur on the left they should be considered reliable. | https://towardsdatascience.com/milan-paris-fashion-industry-stock-performance-resilience-during-covid-19-49502ec040fe | ['Yasser Elsedawy'] | 2020-04-27 02:50:41.716000+00:00 | ['Stock Market', 'Fashion Trends', 'Covid 19', 'Paris', 'Milano'] |
Your Brand is What People Expect From You | Your Brand is What People Expect From You
Here’s what you can do about it
Photo by Nadine Shaabana via Unsplash
When people first meet you, they don’t know what to expect.
So they start judging you by your name, your profile picture, and the title of your blog post.
If you’re a writer, people will probably meet your words before they meet you.
What are your words saying to them?
I’m a nice person.
I know what I’m talking about.
I have a B.S. in History.
Of course, you can’t just say those things and expect us to believe them or be impressed. It’s better for you to prove it and let us draw these conclusions ourselves.
When we read your words, we’re after something. Maybe we’re bored and we want you to give us a distraction. Maybe we want an edge and we need your advice to raise our status. Or maybe we are interested in what you’re talking about and you happen to share our worldview.
You won’t automatically have our trust because we agree with you. But it’s a nice start, and perhaps the best route to get trust quickly.
The best way to gain trust is to keep showing up.
I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. There have been times in my life when my freelance work sucked all my time away. When that happens, I feel like I can’t be as generous with my words.
When you disappear, people forget.
Who was that guy who was so good? Yeah. What happened to him?
Hey, have you heard about this new writer? He’s hot. He knows stuff I never dreamed anyone could know. It’s like he can read my mind.
It’s amazing how fast that can happen.
Show up. Every day if you can. At least once a week. Find a regular rhythm and stick with it. And if you really want to dig deep, write twice as much as you think you can.
But what if it isn’t perfect?
It never will be, so quit worrying.
Your best today won’t be your best next week, next month, or next year. It’s your responsibility to push yourself. Stretch a little every time you write. Dig a little deeper than you did last time. Write something that scares you a bit more. Take a stand, and don’t back down.
In a world with millions of voice vying for attention, it’s the bold and committed that stand out.
Be you, always.
You have some control over what we expect.
It’s your choice to deliver the same thing again and again. Or maybe you ruffle our feathers a bit each week. You’ve got more room to play around in the beginning. But as your audience grows and gets more familiar with you, you need to be consistent.
What will your message be?
How will you deliver it?
Will your personality be friendly or businesslike? Will you challenge our assumptions? Will you draw us a better map? Will you take something confusing and break it down so we can understand it?
Being you means you do online what you’d do in real life. Spot the trends if you like, but approach them with your own style. When you’re fake, everyone will know.
Don’t chase dollars. Chase change. How will you leave your reader better than you found her?
In time, your audience defines your brand.
You set the first impression.
Your audience sets the expectation.
Wait a minute, you say. You just said I set the expectation for people.
You do, at first.
Then once it’s set, people expect you to live up to it. Mess that up, and years of trust can be lost in a moment.
So tread carefully.
If you want to change your message because that’s your conviction, go for it. Don’t do it because the trends say you should. If you get in the habit of chasing the latest thing for attention, you might as well chase the wind.
Here’s the part of the market you should pay attention to.
What does your audience want from you? If your message meets a need a lot of people have, that’s probably not going to change overnight.
Take writing for example.
For generations, the way to make it as an author was through books. If you published one or more, you were somebody. But you had to compete for the opportunity. You’d probably get rejected most of the time. Because publishers need to make money, they bet on what they thought would sell.
Today, anyone can write and publish a book. So, the problem the previous generation of writers faced is flipped. It’s a lot harder to get noticed in the market when your book is one of millions of choices.
So, writers blog and make money instead. Books are now email magnets and manifestos. If you have a large following, you can command a higher price for your work. Otherwise, price low and be glad to get your message out so you can charge more later.
If you don’t like the expectation you’ve set for your market, work to raise it.
There’s nothing stopping you.
It will take work. You’ll lose some people along the way. But you’ll gain more who are devoted to the same thing you are. It doesn’t take a huge audience to make it. It just takes an audience that is pleased enough to tell other people about you.
Be authentic. Serve others first. Be generous. The more people you can, the better your future will be.
Now go build a brand that matters.
This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by +406,714 people.
Subscribe to receive our top stories here. | https://medium.com/swlh/your-brand-is-what-people-expect-from-you-9ec346dd6a0e | ['Frank Mckinley'] | 2019-01-03 14:06:01.862000+00:00 | ['Marketing', 'Writing', 'Business', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Productivity'] |
Intelligent Decision-Making Isn’t What We Think It Is | Feeling good about your life isn’t out of reach.
A problem I ran into when I was trying to figure out how to make my life one I was enthused to live was that I didn’t know what that actually felt like. I’d been denying my true desires for so long that I had no context for judging whether choices I made were good ones. What does “good choice” even mean? Maybe you’re familiar with this type of confusion, where you cease to be able to differentiate between decisions that are good or bad for you. It’s a common result of trying to convince ourselves that we actually want to do things we don’t. You may be thinking, “I never do that,” but if you are struggling to figure out what makes you happy, you probably do. Don’t feel bad about it. Our social conditioning is to sublimate ourselves to some extent to familial, work, and societal demands. But if life isn’t returning to you what you put into it, it may be time to take a closer look at your decision-making process.
The real challenge, you see, isn’t the things we know we don’t want to do. Sometimes we feel we have to do things we don’t want to, but if we are clear on the compromises we are making, we at least can make decisions for ourselves with full knowledge of that. The damage accrues from continuing to do things we don’t want to do and playing mind games in order to make that kind of life acceptable. Any time we tell ourselves “It’s not so bad,” or “This has a bright side,” or “Maybe things will change,” or the worst, “This is just what life is,” we are clouding our capacity to know what our personal good and bad are. We are teaching ourselves to ignore our signals. And this results in an eventual inability to make good decisions for ourselves.
There is a way to be more intelligent about choices, but it’s a counterintuitive process that contradicts what we usually think of as smart decision-making. Raise your hand if you think intelligent choices involve careful and thoughtful evaluation. *Waving my hand vigorously*. This is how I made decisions for years. With lists of pros and cons. By considering all angles. You know the drill. It seems obvious that this is the intelligent way to make important decisions. And it’s not a bad way to make decisions. Except we use it indiscriminately when it’s meant for a specific type of context and outcome.
When the results that matter to you are ones that can be measured and quantified, especially if outcome is the most important thing, this kind of decision-making works great. For example, I used this process before embarking on getting my PhD. I carefully and thoughtfully worked out my reasoning using indicators like my skill set and professional goals. I really covered my bases in terms of the forethought I put into the decision. Like, really. And lo and behold, I now have a PhD that qualifies me for several different career paths. Success! Good decision-making! Except, if you’ve read anything else on my blog, you know what actually happened. I got super burned out and stopped wanting to be alive. So…not good decision-making?
I thought it was a good decision. I thought it was what I wanted to do. I figured that if there were things I didn’t like about it along the way, it wouldn’t matter, because it was a good decision and would take me to good place in life. What I didn’t realize was that I was already so used to denying my true desires that I genuinely didn’t have a good understanding of what I wanted out of life. I was using the wrong type of decision-making process. I was thinking too much, being too “smart” about things. I don’t regret my decision to do a PhD, but I’ve certainly learned my lesson.
Intelligent decision-making isn’t about being smart. It’s about knowing what kind of decision-making process is appropriate for a specific context. An analytical, rational process may work well in situations where you have full information and can make reliable predictions about outcome. But it often won’t work very well in the personal and social realms. There are just too many complex variables, unpredictable factors, and unknowns. When it comes to making life decisions, all we can really know with authority is what something feels like to us now. We can know if something gives us a feeling of expansion and excitement inside, or if it causes us to tighten up and feel small and scared. If it inspires us or fills us with a sense of dread. If we can’t wait to jump right in and experiment, or if the only thing we feel really enthusiastic about is an outcome. When the outcome appears to you in technicolor and surround sound while the steps to get there are murky, that’s something to pay attention to.
When I was trying to figure out what to do with my life after I finished my PhD, I decided that I would only do things I felt good doing. Not what I thought I wanted, not what I might want in the future, but what actually felt good to do right now. I’ve used that principle every step of the way, slowly building up my creative business from nothing. So if you’re wondering what someone with a PhD in international relations is doing running a creativity website — well, exactly. All this started from a kernel of nothing. None of it was planned or predictable. I simply decided to listen to how I felt about things. And when something felt good, I did that thing. This means that I’m genuinely enjoying the process of building my business, and as a result, my life feels fulfilling and meaningful. It’s a night-and-day difference from my experience getting my PhD — which I’m sure looks like the greater accomplishment to the outside world. But you and I know that the real accomplishment is feeling good about life. For me, that has never been a given, and for a very long time I thought it was something that would forever be out of my reach.
Kendra Patterson is a writer and creativity coach based in north-central Florida. She helps fellow creatives work through blocks and burnout to reconnect with their creative spark. You can find her at www.kendrapatterson.com. | https://medium.com/@kendrapatterson/intelligent-decision-making-isnt-what-we-think-it-is-a9e270bfe361 | ['Kendra Patterson'] | 2020-12-23 17:22:11.312000+00:00 | ['Creativity', 'Personal Development', 'Entrepreneurship', 'Life Lessons', 'Decision Making'] |
5 Tips on How to Get Started as a Software Developer Without Quitting Your Job | 5 Tips on How to Get Started as a Software Developer Without Quitting Your Job Armindo Cachada Follow Sep 26 · 5 min read
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
You are considering one of the biggest changes in your life. You want to become a software developer. Should you quit, your job and start learning straight away?
The answer to the question above depends a lot on your situation in life. But 99.99% of us shouldn’t quit our jobs just yet, and I will show you that you don’t need to, to succeed in becoming a software developer. At least not straight away.
Which leads us to my most important tip.
Tip 1 — Learning Software Development is a Marathon — not a race
The reason why I don’t encourage you to quit your job straight away is that becoming a Software Developer takes time and effort. It is not a race, more like a marathon.
The human brain is amazing. What looks impossible to us today, for the brain, if you give it some time, it will do wonders for you, if you condition it in the right way.
You can’t learn programming in 1 day, but with enough time, 99% of us can. Just be patient. Don’t make rash decisions. We all want to get there fast, but it doesn’t work like that. Everything takes time, just look at nature.
Tip 2 — Set your goals and don’t change your mind
You need to put in the time to learn. Make sure you set some time aside for learning. Start with modest goals that you know, you can keep. For instance 1-hour study every day and 2 h each day on weekends. Try to stick to this schedule, and once you set up the routine you can always review it later.
We are our worst enemies when trying to achieve our own ambitions. It is not the lack of intelligence but more the lack of persistence and focus that will stop us. Stop yourself trying to get quick results, because that is the biggest reason most of us fail.
Tip 3 — Choose your first Programming Language
If you want to learn software development, you do need to pick a programming language. There are thousands of programming languages out there. So which one do we choose?
If you ask me what programming language I recommend, I will say Python. But it is not the only right answer.
If you want to pick your first programming language well, choose a programming language that is very popular. Python, Java, Scala, PHP could all fit the bill.
Remember this is going to be your first programming language, not the only programming language that you will learn.
You want this to be a popular language not just because of demand in the market but also because the more popular a programming language is, the more resources you will have available online to support you on your learning journey.
Don’t confuse programming languages with frameworks. Someone might tell you, that you must learn REACT or Angular or even DJANGO. I recommend you, steer away from them because more often than not, you will stumble. Just to give you an example, REACT requires a very good knowledge of Javascript. If you decide to learn REACT without knowing Javascript well, you will end up wasting a lot of time.
Just pick a programming language, steer away from frameworks.
Tip 4 — Your computer is your most important tool
Besides your brain, your computer is going to be your most important tool. Like all tools, there are cheap and expensive tools.
If you take programming seriously you will need a decent computer, but you also don’t need the most expensive computer. I recommend you to buy a Mac. I know I am being quite specific, but I will explain in a second.
Try to get at least 16GB of RAM, every other spec is secondary if you can buy a laptop even better. A Mac can last for a decade, so it will be a worthwhile investment.
The reason I recommend an Apple computer is because they sponsor me…. just joking… its mainly because it runs MacOS, a UNIX-based Operating System. Most servers on the internet, these days run on Linux, which is also UNIX based, so if you use a Mac in your day to day programming, you will automatically become more comfortable when you need to deploy your code on a server! So just get a Mac, or maybe a linux laptop!
Tip 5. Learn the basics of computing at the same time as you learn your first programming language
After you pick your first programming language pick some good beginner tutorials and start learning. There are many options, out there. I recommend you to start on youtube. If Python is your programming language of choice you can watch my Python for Beginner series that I have started recently:
Make sure you also learn at the same time the basics of computing. Because if you don’t, then you are wasting a good opportunity. You don’t need to go too much in-depth.
You just need to know the basics. For example that computers think in binary, what bits are, why RAM is faster than disk storage, what a CPU is, that George Boole invented Boolean Algebra, which is what all the computers in the world run on. Alan Turing created the Turing Machine, and more recently that Satoshi Nakamoto invented Blockchain.
It will also be great to know what Assembly is and know some of the basics of computer architecture. Lookup John Von Neumann, the inventor of the modern computer architecture we have today.
A lot of this knowledge is easy to learn and actually quite interesting. So instead of watching that Netflix drama, watch this video. It must be fun because two million people have watched it.
Conclusion
And that’s it, if you follow these five tips, you will be certainly successful in your new career path.
Most important is to give your brain time to adjust, don’t put yourself under too much pressure, get the right equipment for the journey, and recognize that this quest is not a one day journey. It is a long term quest! But if you train and train, you will be ready to get to the finish line, once the opportunity comes along.
Resources | https://medium.com/swlh/5-tips-on-how-to-get-started-as-a-software-developer-without-quitting-your-job-14a007c307e | ['Armindo Cachada'] | 2020-10-02 12:34:50.658000+00:00 | ['Careers', 'Technology', 'Programming', 'Software Development'] |
AnalogFolk’s weekly innovation roundup! 27.08.19 | AnalogFolk’s weekly innovation roundup! 27.08.19
Artificial illusionism, to taking steps in sign language recognition, and more…
By Francisco Jordão, Technical Lead at AnalogFolk
Welcome to the AnalogFolk weekly innovation roundup, where our technical lead Francisco Jordão summarises the innovations of the week; from the weird to the wonderful, and everything in-between.
The AI system paves the way for experiments in what researchers called artificial illusionism.
Read more…
Google is reporting that it has hit something of a breakthrough by developing a new hand-tracking algorithm that is capable of tracking hand gestures in real-time. The new intelligent AI-based system leverages machine learning to generate a hand map. This map can be created with the help of just a single camera allowing for easier implementation.
Read more…
Marketed as a “high-end solution for VR locomotion,” Cybershoes are an accessory device for VR systems that are compatible with Steam VR. This means they can be used with Oculus, HTC, Pimax, and other headsets.
Read more…
Open now to the general public, Dream Corporation’s Otherworld VR arcade looks like something straight out of Tron: Legacy. Designed by architecture studio Red Deer, the futuristic space — once simple east London railway arch — now features 14 private VR entertainment pods.
Read more…
What’s changing Google is introducing new spelling and grammar correction capabilities for Gmail to help you compose emails quickly with confidence.
Read more… | https://medium.com/analogfolk/analogfolks-weekly-innovation-roundup-27-08-19-293a07bedae8 | [] | 2019-08-27 09:03:34.401000+00:00 | ['Innovation', 'AI', 'News', 'Virtual Reality', 'Sign Language'] |
AMAL TOTKAY HELPS IN DEVELOPING GROWTH MINDSET!! | Growth Mindset!
Amal has taught us a lot during this Fellowship program… The main aim of Amal is to create a habit of growth mindset among the students
Growth mindset is a very key player for a successful life
We have been using different totke in our daily life since the beginning
AMAL TOTKAY
There are total five tips which have been discussed in detail
All these five tips play an important role in developing growth mindset
All these totkas are important if we are starting a business
Entrepreneurs need a growth mindset
SELF TALK
The first and the most important totka is Self talk. Self talk is the root of the growth mindset. Whenever we are low or not feeling good the best way to calm the nerves and come of this tricky situation is to start analyzing and do a self reflection where you are doing wrong where the problem lies you have to make sure that you remind yourself that everything is possible and nothing is impossible
From saying "I can't do this" to "I can do this" should be the main goal of every individual
GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
We have often heard that change is good but how can this change be achieved?
The answer is simple: we have to get out of our comfort zone as early as possible… nothing in this world is obtained without coming out of our comfort zone…To become someone special we have to go an extra mile
CREATE NEW HABITS
Human beings are very beautiful creatures… every year there are lots of changes in our character and in the way we talk and dress and so on
We should always create new habits… we should look to improve ourselves whenever there is time for it
We should create good habits and should sit in a healthy Environment with constructive talks. Bringing a positive change in your life is very important
ASK PEOPLE HELP
Another important Totka is that we should be ready Everytime to ask help from our friends and relatives… being a successful person with a growth mindset also needs helps from the friends
Connections are very important part of our lives… in today's world we need strong bonding and friendship to become successful and to remove troubles from our lives
FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT
At the end the last Totka is fake it till you make it
We should be confident and should not get upset when failure hits us. Failure is the best chance to achieve success… failure gives us an opportunity to reveal our true colors… we should not backed down from hard work.. we should be very clear on our goals and should work on it day and night
My most favorite Amal Totka has to be SELF TALK (SELF REFLECTION)
To become a better version of myself and successful in life I need to follow these five Amal Totkas as early as possible
Growth mindset helps us achieve this goal even quicker | https://medium.com/@sdadeel.hasan/amal-totkay-helps-in-developing-growth-mindset-ab58305f0bd3 | ['Adeel Hasan'] | 2021-08-19 03:17:01.802000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement', 'Amal Fellowship', 'Amal Academy', 'Growth Mindset', 'Amal Totkay'] |
11 Signs You Are In A Toxic Relationship | Some of us stay much longer in a toxic relationship than anybody with half a brain should. But for some reason, we just keep going back for more, long after most others would have walked out the door.
Maybe we have a twisted sense of love. Maybe through circumstances of our choosing, we linger out of some misguided sense of duty.
The answer is not simple. For whatever reason, our partner is our Kryptonite.
Does Kryptonite imply a weakness or an allergic reaction? There’s no clear answer to that question. All we know is that even Superman was brought to his knees by the green rock.
The Psychology of Toxicity
If you are in an unhealthy relationship and you keep repeating the same behaviors, thinking things will get better… guess what… you are being exposed to Kryptonite.
Yep, that person who you just can’t seem to shake; who you know is not good for you; who makes you feel worthless, they are your Kryptonite.
Call it toxic, weakness, or allergy, they are something you need to avoid like the plague and never come in contact with again.
For whatever reason, you are susceptible to their ‘powers.’
Don’t blame the Kryptonite for being Kryptonite. It is what it is. If you are around them, you will be undone. GET AWAY from them. Lessons hard-won.
We can come up with all kinds of reasons to continue in a relationship. We think we can’t live without that person. We think they are the one. If you are hurting and miserable… something needs to change. It’s you.
The Addictive Nature of Toxic Relationships
Let’s talk about toxic relationships here. You know the kind: the one that makes you crazy, keeps you confused, and makes you hate yourself.
When someone is your Kryptonite, it is like an addiction. If you are not on down the road of separation from that person, you will crash and burn. You think you can’t live without them…that’s how addiction destroys.
Ask any addict who has been clean for a period of time and they will tell you, they cannot even use one time. Addiction or a toxic relationship will take your life… month by month, year by year.
You cannot begin to heal until you are away from toxicity. When you are with them you are wounded.
When we are in the midst of the storm, all we can do is survive. Once you are away from them and in the calm, your sight will clear. Hindsight is always 20/20. We can gain perspective.
Many people do not leave a destructive relationship because they are afraid of what comes next. Fear of the unknown is greater than fear of the known, no matter how it is tearing them apart.
The fear of being alone can keep us in a perpetual cycle of one bad relationship after another. There is no time to figure out why we choose the toxic people we choose.
If a person wants a healthy relationship, the decision must be made that being alone is preferable to being miserable. A person has to take responsibility and admit that something, somewhere in their psyche is broken.
If we are making bad choices in our intimates, stop and figure it out. Rushing from relationship to relationship perpetuates the issue.
Nobody wants to continue in that miserable cycle. Doing the same thing over and over, thinking the outcome will change is called INSANITY.
11 Symptoms of a Toxic Relationship
You may have experienced all or some of these at one point:
Insults: Making negative statements about their partner to make themselves feel good. A negative statement or comparison that makes their partner seem lesser than. It is defined as a disrespectful or scornfully abusive remark or action.
Emotional Abuse: Any act including confinement, isolation, verbal assault, humiliation, intimidation, infantilization, or any other treatment which may diminish the sense of identity, dignity, and self-worth.
Selfishness: The act of lacking consideration for others; being concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure.
Cheating: The partner’s sexual or emotional needs or wants are more important to them than the other’s feelings and/or being honest.
Physical Abuse: Physical abuse is the use of physical force against someone in a way that endangers or injures that person.
Dishonesty: Deceitfulness shown in someone’s character or behavior, such as being a liar.
Blaming: Assigning the responsibility for your bad behavior to someone else. Blaming is verbal aggression.
Fighting instead of communicating: Screaming, yelling, and sabotaging the relationship because one is afraid of speaking the truth like an adult.
Pretense: Pretending to be someone you are not; covering up who you are, what you like, and what you dislike. A false display of feelings, attitudes, or intentions.
Arrogance: An attitude of superiority. Looking down on your partner thinking that you are better than they are for any reason.
Drama: In relationships, some form of manipulation of others so that one’s partner’s conflict can be acted out on a ‘larger stage.’ There is a continual emotional upheaval and usually an unexpected, unpleasant series of events playing out.
How You Feel In A Toxic Relationship
These are ways you may feel when you are in a toxic relationship or after you finally untangle yourself from its grasp. This is by no means an exhaustive list. These residual feelings are even more important than the symptoms.
If you are in a relationship and it is not nourishing and uplifting to you, something is wrong.
Self-hatred and unhappiness. An extreme dislike or hatred of oneself or being angry at or even prejudiced against oneself. Such as feeling ugly, not good enough, seeing the bad, and forgetting the good in yourself.
Insecurity. You no longer feel safe in the relationship, being constantly aware that they may leave you at any time for someone else.
Manipulation. When manipulation occurs, we often feel angry and disbelief. Then follows the self-degradation of “how stupid or gullible could I be.”
Regret: Overwhelming feels of regret; the desire to go back in time; have a do-over. Remember, from this day forward you can learn from your past and build the life you want.
The belief that you will be alone the rest of your life is a symptom of self-hatred and insecurity, caused by the toxic relationship.
Manipulation will cause a person to doubt their ability to discern other’s intentions. When you begin to heal, these feelings will slowly leave as you learn to trust yourself again.
Every human on this earth, if they live long enough, feels regret… the “what if” monster. Deal with it head-on and determine that you will not let it rule your entire life. If being miserable is not for you, actively seek a way to LET IT GO and move on.
Final Thoughts
During your time of healing, seek out a strong support group. Gather your true friend(s) and tell them the truth.
Often, we try to hide our problems from others. We suffer alone. You need the support of your friends and family. If they are negative or blaming in any way, move on to the next person who can be supportive in a positive manner, truthful, but never blaming.
A licensed therapist can help you discover the underlying reasons why you are attracted to toxic people if this is a pattern. Find a counselor that can help you dig deep. There is a reason(s) you are attracted to persons that are like Kryptonite to you.
Learning to love yourself is a process. Part of this process is knowing your standards and determining to not compromise on the important issues. | https://medium.com/@ritabelle5650/11-signs-you-are-in-a-toxic-relationship-aadbd1ddf2d9 | ['Rita Richards'] | 2020-12-10 14:53:22.612000+00:00 | ['Relationships', 'Narcissistic Abuse', 'Toxic Relationships', 'Abuse', 'Domestic Abuse'] |
After the Fall | The rise
went almost entirely unnoticed;
gradual as it was.
Moment by moment,
Hour by hour,
Day by day.
Bright things grew back
And dead things fell off
And while most things didn’t seem
to be growing at all;
They were.
The fall
Had planted many scars
But the pain of healing
Drew focus away from
The delicate progress they enabled.
Moment by moment,
Hour by hour,
Day by day.
It can be hard to know
You’re rising
Whilst amongst
The thickest clouds,
‘Till suddenly, you see the sun, and
You are back where you belong. | https://medium.com/a-cornered-gurl/after-the-fall-a46e6ae83577 | ['Adam Millett'] | 2020-02-24 11:16:01.312000+00:00 | ['Self-awareness', 'Healing', 'A Cornered Gurl', 'Self Love', 'Poetry'] |
Enrich Your App’s content with HMS ML Kit Image Classification Service | In this article, you will have a chance to get information about HMS ML Kit Image Classification feature and its implementation. Also I try to explain why I came up with the idea of using ML Kit Image Classification feature to solve what in my demo application.
First, let’s take a look at the HMS ML Kit’s image-related Image Classification service;
The image classification service classifies elements in images into intuitive categories.
It supports both device-based and cloud-based recognition modes.
Device-based recognition refers to the process of running the detection algorithm model on the device. It supports more than 400 common image categories.
Cloud-based recognition refers to the process of calling an API on the cloud where the detection algorithm model is running. It supports 12,000 image categories.
In addition, this service allows you to customize image classification models.
With using image classification service you can enrich your application’s scenario and make it smarter. Let’s say you have a shopping application and you want to provide a feature to your users to find a product they are looking for, or a category of that product via taking a picture. Image classification service can help you to query those related products with its precise category results about the image. Also if you have a photo gallery application, integrating it with the image classification service provides for a new layer of intelligence, as images can be automatically sorted by category.
Image Classification is just one of the services of HMS ML Kit. If you want to look many other features of ML Kit and get further information about it, you can refer to below documentation. | https://medium.com/huawei-developers/enrich-your-apps-content-with-hms-ml-kit-image-classification-service-44d4d3d1fab1 | ['Yunus Emre Fırat'] | 2020-12-25 12:14:08.379000+00:00 | ['Image Classification', 'Hms Core', 'Hms', 'Ml Kit'] |
Let’s flatten the infodemic curve | Due to COVID-19, most of us have a new word in our vocabulary: epidemiology. It is the branch of medical science that deals with the ways diseases are transmitted and can be controlled in a population. Now it is time to learn another new word: infodemiology.
As humans, we are a curious and innovative species. We want to understand the world around us and stay up to date on the challenges we face and how to overcome them. One of the ways we do this is by seeking out and sharing information — lots of it. Even scientists around the world are working hard to keep up with the thousands of studies that have come out since COVID-19 appeared.
But it is not only scientific studies. There are also official communications from governments and health agencies around the world. Then there are news articles and opinion pieces, and messages from vloggers, bloggers, podcasters and social media influencers. You may also see information shared by friends and family on social media or messaging apps.
All of this is called the infodemic: a flood of information on the COVID-19 pandemic. Infodemiology is the study of that information and how to manage it.
Navigating the infodemic: top tips to identify misinformation or disinformation
Here are seven steps you can take to navigate this wave of information and decide who and what to trust:
1. Assess the source
Who shared the information with you and where did they get it from? Even if it is friends or family, you still need to vet their source. To check for fake social media accounts, look at how long profiles have been active, their number of followers and their most recent posts. For websites, check the “About Us” and “Contact Us” pages to look for background information and legitimate contact details.
When it comes to images or videos, make it a habit to verify their authenticity. For images, you can use reverse image search tools provided by Google and TinEye. For videos, you can use Amnesty International’s YouTube DatViewer, which extracts thumbnails that you can enter into reverse image search tools. Other clues that a source may be unreliable or inaccurate include unprofessional visual design, poor spelling and grammar, or excessive use of all caps or exclamation points.
2. Go beyond headlines
Headlines may be intentionally sensational or provocative to get high numbers of clicks. Read more than just the headline of an article — go further and look at the entire story. Search more widely than social media for information — look at print sources such as newspapers and magazines, and digital sources such as podcasts and online news sites. Diversifying your sources allows you to get a better picture of what is or is not trustworthy.
3. Identify the author
Search the author’s name online to see if they are real or credible.
4. Check the date
When you come across information, ask yourself these questions: Is this a recent story? Is it up to date and relevant to current events? Has a headline, image or statistic been used out of context?
5. Examine the supporting evidence
Credible stories back up their claims with facts — for example, quotes from experts or links to statistics or studies. Verify that experts are reliable and that links actually support the story.
6. Check your biases
We all have biases, and these factor into how we view what’s happening around us. Evaluate your own biases and why you may have been drawn to a particular headline or story. What is your interpretation of it? Why did you react to it that way? Does it challenge your assumptions or tell you what you want to hear? What did you learn about yourself from your interpretation or reaction?
7. Turn to fact-checkers
When in doubt, consult trusted fact-checking organizations, such as the International Fact-Checking Network and global news outlets focused on debunking misinformation, including the Associated Press and Reuters.
Information, misinformation and disinformation | https://medium.com/who/lets-flatten-the-infodemic-curve-92e4c840d4bf | ['World Health Organization'] | 2020-10-22 08:24:57.480000+00:00 | ['Misinformation', 'Health', 'Infodemic', 'Information', 'Covid 19'] |
Child Support | Isn’t it amazing how much child support is suppose to cover but yet doesn’t?
Then when extra things pop up like sports, school, friend’s birthday party, kid grew 2 sizes in 2 months, fundraisers for school, etc. child support is suppose to cover those as well.
There is never enough money for kids when you are married let alone when you are single, even if you are getting child support!
Anyone else feel like child support barely helps you make ends meet with the kids? Then asking for extra help was a waste of time and energy. | https://medium.com/@samanthaboss/child-support-6b5a1d003f8f | ['Samantha Boss'] | 2020-12-22 16:50:05.044000+00:00 | ['Parenting', 'Divorce', 'Child Support', 'Coparenting', 'Children'] |
I am a Democrat and Love Republicans | Nowadays it is quite important to have an opinion on everything. It’s tiring. Especially, when you feel obligated to fight people online, on the streets or even in your home because of these opinions. Feminists, men’s rights. Pro-life, pro-choice. Trump, Obama. And I will tell you how we are all a little in wrong.
News and Media
It is in human nature that we like to face things that we find likeable. Things that are easy for us to swallow. Opinions, movements and people we disagree with us infuriate us and that is where I know we are wrong.
Manipulation in our world is way too easy now. Earlier the only way we could receive fake news was through a gossipy neighbour. But now that we have smartphones, TV’s, billboards on every corner, it would be surprising if certain people wouldn’t take advantage of that. We are lazy. If it doesn’t directly benefit us, we won’t do anything. Because why would we? It doesn’t fill us with good feelings and we won’t have food from it. That is the main weakness of spreading information through the internet. People won’t search it up and see if it is true. I could link down references to this article and you will never click on them.
It wouldn’t be such damage if the internet and social media showed us the same things, but just as the filters on Snapchat, it only shows us what it thinks we want to see. Are you a woman? It will show you pretty dresses and curling irons. Do you like sweets? Your Instagram will fill with cakes and brownies. Are you a Democrat? It will show you what Republicans did wrong and what did Democrats do right.
And that is exactly it. You will never see the other side of the coin when you refuse to flip it.
Are Republicans a different breed?
I disagree with most Republicans. Whether it is their idea of LGBTQ+ rights or gun ownership. If anything I should hate the idea of a Republican, right?
But I don’t.
Just like Democrats, Republicans can do good things and just like Republicans Democrats can do bad ones. The world is filled with opinions and even though we are different and we disagree doesn’t mean we should hate each other. What if your friend, who you love would be a Democrat, while you are a Republican? Would you abandon them? Is having different views on the world one of the reasons for divorce? I am not saying that you should not fight for what you think is right, but that does not mean that you should throw hateful glares at someone who is fighting for what they think is right.
Why is it good that there are sides?
Have you ever doubted yourself? When you argue with someone, do you sometimes change your mind a little bit and argue differently? Did you ever abandon your opinion completely and realised that you were wrong all along?
Doesn’t challenging yourself with a different point of views, people and news mean that you are growing?
Republicans and Democrats exist so they can challenge each other. Throw arguments at each other and state different facts, so you can decide.
Follow people you disagree with, discuss politics with someone of a different opinion. Get out of your comfort zone.
Or are you scared that the point of view of others might prove you wrong? | https://medium.com/@seraphinedarcy/i-am-a-democrat-and-love-republicans-ab67d96f017f | ['Seraphine Darcy'] | 2021-04-26 10:02:50.885000+00:00 | ['Democrats', 'Republicans', 'Democratic Party', 'Society', 'Republican Party'] |
Constipated Thoughts Vol.1 Ep 14 | “You gotta be bout it, bout it, cause I’m bout’ it, bout it”
Master P (TRU- Bout it, Bout it)
We are not come to wage a strife
With swords upon this hill,
It is not wise to waste the life
Against a stubborn will.
Yet would we die as some have done.
Beating a way for the rising sun.
-Arna Bontemps (The Day-Breakers)
One thing that can be said of cultural groups around the world is this: Humanity is willing to sacrifice itself when it recognizes a cause worth dying for. I used to think this was a unique characteristic of the African-American community but the truth is, it isn’t.
Yet, when I look at the World, through the window of my own perspective, I can’t help but see the historical time lapse as being mostly Arican-Americans taking such a stance in Our country.
Why is that?
Is it our historical turn?
Are we paying the price for something?
What is it about Our society, in Our time, that causes one group of people to willingly give their lives for “justice” ?
There must be something about the desire for true liberation that all humanity identifies with. It seems this innate need is just as valuable as life itself.
Justice = Life + Liberation
Liberation = Justice + Life
Life = Liberation + Justice
Unfortunately, most Americans never learn the True value of their life. The life that adds something of value to the community at large. But death has a way of assigning a more accurate value to time. After all, you never know what you got til it’s gone!.
Anyway…
Stay Bout it,
Robert Dabney Jr
P.S.
My ultimate mission is much larger than being a writer. I’m a storyteller making generational change.
One of my goals is to encourage more black males to pursue entrepreneurship. In fact, it was while pursuing this goal I discovered that the best way to achieve this is by being a phenomenal entrepreneur myself.
A. G. Gaston’s motto, “find a need and fill it” is what led me to VetPark.
The Veteran community has a tremendous need, one greater than homelessness and high incarceration rates. We are suffering from a National Suicide Epidemic and the National Veterans Affairs Healthcare System is overwhelmed and short on answers. So Veterans everywhere are taking this opportunity to find a solution to this pressing need.
That’s where we come in!
As a Charitable For-Profit VetPark fills two needs:
We connect/fund Veterans with/in a diverse range of Alternative Therapies that have been scientifically (and experientially) proven effective in the treatment of PTSD, TBI, and Chronic anxiety/depression. All of which contributes to the Suicide Crisis. We make supporting Veterans entertainingly* simple.
We have a long road ahead of us, so buckle up!
Visit us at www.VetPark.us for more info & subscribe to our Newsletter to stay up to date on the happenings!
Blessings,
Robert Dabney Jr, Founder
“Helping Our Heroes Heal”
*The high quality entertainment is an added bonus.
Image: “Starling Pact” by Veteran Artist Don Wesley | https://medium.com/@rjscribblez/constipated-thoughts-vol-1-ep-14-8434712adc54 | ['Robert Dabney Jr'] | 2020-12-14 16:30:02.450000+00:00 | ['Arna Bontemps', 'Introspection', 'Master P', 'Veterans', 'Hip Hop'] |
Who Unfollowed You on Twitter? | Who Unfollowed You on Twitter?
How to use the Twitter API to track your follows and unfollows
Photo by OpenClipart-Vectors on Pixabay.
Are you posting regularly on Twitter? Do you get the occasional follower here and there? Are they unfollowing a few days later because you didn’t follow them back? Enough with that!
Let’s find out who is unfollowing so we can burn voodoo dolls with their names… oh, sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. I mean, so we can learn the Twitter API!
This is what a lot of my experience on Twitter has been like since I started posting regularly at the beginning of this year. Somebody would follow me and a few days later unfollow — like a slow game of one step forward, one step back.
So a few weeks ago, I decided to have a look at the Twitter API to get more familiar with it and learn its features. Tracking the number of followers over time seemed like a good and simple starting point. As a side benefit, this also provides the names of the people who are unfollowing. | https://medium.com/better-programming/who-unfollowed-you-on-twitter-58f757420339 | ['Christian Behler'] | 2020-11-12 16:14:26.724000+00:00 | ['Web Development', 'PHP', 'Twitter', 'Programming', 'Software Engineering'] |
Downgrading technology. Upgrading Self. | Downgrading technology. Upgrading Self.
Let me start off by mentioning that in my decade of working I am currently working with some of the best minds and yes if you are reading this then you are one of them or a potential collaboration in the future.
Our work requires us to be on screen day after day and I feel everything we design makes the most of our time. Stillness itself has become something of a lost art in our ‘busy being busy’ culture.
A Harvard study shows the average person’s mind wanders 47% of the time, and vibrations, notifications on apps aren’t helping. Doomscrolling through whatsapp groups where multiple conversations that aren’t addressed to you eat up into inspiration time. Many of us have recognized this is so and are trying to redress the balance by bringing some stillness back to our lives. This time for calm is necessary. Allowing these resets will serve us well.
“I just think the world changes very fast,” he said. “Obviously I’m from a very different generation. I am a millennial. To me it’s not a foreign territory. I grew up with the Internet. I’m aware of social media; I like it in some respects, I don’t in others. It’s part of modern-day culture. Obviously, fashion is about change; it’s a kind of conversation about the world. Yeah, we have to keep up, for sure.” — Daniel Lee, Creative director at Bottega Veneta
The above quote is from a recent article. Read it here.
My instincts are driving me to completely get off all additional platforms to communicate and keep myself available only through email and call for work purposes. Call me old school but there was a time when messengers were used for personal chats and email was used for work and one had ample time to reference and absorb inspiration. Don’t get me wrong, people have different style/approach of working but when I put in 90% of my time in referencing for the right brand tone I end up doing what I do best.
Also, with the sure introduction of new privacy permissions that will apply in the future where personal information will become mandatory through these apps it’ll be best to opt out of them now.
While I’ve listed the cons I am aware of the pros of using these tools.
Whatsapp, Zoom, etc help face time and connectivity 24/7 in the current scenario when all of us are working remotely. It can also be a quick and efficient way for review/feedback on projects/campaigns that have tight deadlines. However, it does not reduce the turnaround time in pure design sense. Which is why I want to try a new process where these services are subscribed to only when it is absolutely necessary. Below is what I propose and I am open to discuss the same. Feel free to reach me anytime.
Let’s approach life with an active but quiet mind.
Have a fantastic and productive year!
Yours Truly — Krishnaa Artisto
_
Krishnaa Artisto is a designer & curator + founder of Artisto Designz. Currently designing a community for professionals — dysco.in. Former Chief Design Officer at Jack in the Box Worldwide, which is a part of The120MediaCollective and one of South Asia’s most awarded digital agencies.
Feel free to drop me an e-mail at [email protected] if you want to chat or collaborate :)
Follow me on Behance | Add me on LinkedIn | See me on Instagram | https://medium.com/@artistod/downgrading-technology-upgrading-self-30fc0791c61a | ['Krishnaa Artisto'] | 2021-01-08 21:41:45.591000+00:00 | ['Tools', 'Zoom', 'Digital', 'WhatsApp', 'Platforms'] |
Game Design Reflection “Obey” (Playable Prototype Version) | The new design for the initial level/loop
The game prototype I had finished was based around a previous documentation that I had turned into a legitimate playable version of the ideas I wrote about in my concept. This was based around the “Obey” prompt, simply put it was a 2d platformer based around forcing the player to complete levels while adhering to various increasing rules regarding what they can do, what they can’t, and other elements of the game. This game was made using Game Maker Studio 2, and was my first time developing using this engine. This time I was actually able to get real play testers, due to it being made for a single player.
A screenshot of the second loop/level in GMS2
The response I got was positive, with the movement and platforming working and feeling like it should so it allowed the gameplay to remain enjoyable enough throughout. The player was able to get a grasp on the gameplay and rules quickly due to the text I had placed around each level offering both descriptions of the rules and a clue at one of the more difficult parts with a secret alternate way through the level, although I did still explain the basic concept of the rules beforehand so that might have played a part in their understanding of the game.
This was the overview of the second to last loop
The route the player took was, generally, what I had expected, although I had tried to figure out all the possible actions and test if everything worked so nothing I saw would have been something I considered “breaking the game”, because even when there were parts I didn’t intend originally I had came across them while testing the game myself for the creation of the prototype.
A standout moment for the player was the final loop. The last two parts of the game are based around the player going through a new level twice with two different sets of rules, the first loop preventing the player from going back and the second loop instead limiting their time and movement options. The tricky thing for players was, the second loop was designed to not be beaten if played normally, the amount of time and jumps needed are higher than what players are allowed to do. The trick to beating it was to realize that because the rule that prevented players from going back was lifted, then they should make use of that and go backwards at the start of the level, where a secret pathway that took you on a alternate route through the level was hidden, that would allow players to finish the game. This was a pretty tricky and surprising moment for the player, as they had not expected secret paths throughout the level normally.
A sprite image of the text I used for the hints/tutorials
That part could have become too obtuse so I had made sure to include an extra clue in the game if players got stuck, and even though there was never any other secret pathways in this game, it does still follow a similar pattern of beat the level using one route, get new/different rule that blocks/makes old route impossible, find/use new route designed to beat with that new/different rules in mind.
The sprite for the launch/boost blocks
Ultimately, there is not too much I would change for this game. Instead I would chose to add more, such as fleshing out the platforming elements, adding new rules and rule variations, develop some kind of story and unique art style for the game other than simple squares, and add more levels and loops in each level if I were to actually build a complete game out of these ideas and this prototype. | https://medium.com/tcnj-imm-game-studies-2020-fall/game-design-reflection-obey-playable-prototype-version-3e12d250c37b | ['Ryan Mccurdy'] | 2020-12-09 23:56:41.697000+00:00 | ['Prototyping', 'Reflections', 'Videogames', 'Game Development', 'Playtesting'] |
Housing data investigation and linear regression modeling | Project: As Flatiron’s online data science boot camp students we were given our module 2 project which was to find price predictors and create a linear regression model capable of predicting potential prices for new homes in the King County region of Seattle.
Data we worked with: kc_house_data.csv which can be also found here
-> https://github.com/learn-co-students/dsc-mod-2-project-v2-1-onl01-dtsc-ft-030220/blob/master/kc_house_data.csv
Here is a general outline of the data set
-> https://github.com/learn-co-students/dsc-mod-2-project-v2-1-onl01-dtsc-ft-030220/blob/master/column_names.md
Exploratory Data Analysis: We had various EDA’s in this project but we chose to interpret a few which will be explained below.
As we can see, there does appear to be a linear relationship with higher house grades and higher sale price. Here grades represent the construction quality of the houses and go from 1 to 13. The description of the grades can be found here : https://info.kingcounty.gov/assessor/esales/Glossary.aspx?type=r . Also here we see that the quality of houses started improving constantly from the year 1943.
We then looked into the affects of renovation and if more recent renovations had a stronger effect on the sale price of the house.
While not a strong relationship with our data, it was interesting to see that there did appear to be a slight trend with more recently renovated homes tending to have a slightly higher possible selling price than those that were renovated longer ago.
Due to the lack of information of waterfront properties, we were curious if the houses proximity to water would have an effect on the sale price as well as the houses distance from downtown Seattle.
There did indeed appear to be a correlation between the price of a house and its distance from Seattle, with houses that were closer to the city tending to have higher price possibilities.
Model: We first checked for multicollinearity using a heat map as shown below.
We then went on to create our OLS model using the function below:
def make_ols_sm(df, cols, add_constant=False, target=’price_o’):
x = df[cols]
if add_constant:
x = sm.add_constant(x)
ols = sm.OLS(df[target], x)
res = ols.fit()
print(res.summary())
return res cols = ['time_since_renovated', 'condition_grade_sq', 'Renovated', 'basement', 'view'] res = make_ols_sm(df, cols)
The features we used to predict the price are :
Time since renovation Condition and Grade Has the house been renovated Does it have a basement View count
Here we got a R² score of 0.89.
This means the predictive model is able to explain a good amount of variance in the data and can be taken into consideration for testing and accuracy calculation on Test Data.
R2 < 0.5 means tending towards Underfitting of the model.
R2 > 0.9 means tending towards Overfitting of the model.
While not all models were saved, numerous attempts were made with various adjustments that all seemed to provide similar or diminishing results.
Tried using recursive feature elimination method here but high amounts of multicollinearity seemed unavoidable with this method as in the data set we were provided, almost all the features had a correlation.
At first glance, it looked like we had finally made a great model for our provided data.
However, further investigation showed that our test results weren’t matching up with each other. Essentially we had forgotten to include a constant in our model as a house will never sell for $0. After including the constant we got a much different result that confirmed what our initial test results were trying to tell us, which you will see in the cross validation section below.
Calculating VIF scores to check for multicollinearity:
from statsmodels.stats.outliers_influence import variance_inflation_factor X = df[cols]
vif = [variance_inflation_factor(X.values, i) for i in range(X.shape[1])]
list(zip(cols, vif)) VIF SCORES
____________________________________________________________________ [('time_since_renovated', 2.8410498876413746),
('condition_grade_sq', 3.1143028769918084),
('Renovated', 1.0503986065798132),
('basement', 1.7405733555157932),
('view', 1.1190630106116475)]
The VIF scores are great, indicating no multicollinearity.
Cross Validation:
from sklearn.model_selection import cross_val_score
from sklearn.linear_model import LinearRegression cv_scores = cross_val_score(LinearRegression(), X, df[‘price_o’], scoring=’neg_mean_squared_error’, cv=5, n_jobs=-1)
cv_scores
Using above cv_scores on a sample taken from the data frame.
x_sample = df.sample(n=1)
x_sample.head()
Conclusion:
Well this may explain why our residuals looked like they did and also why our predictions seemed to vary so much. While we may have solved for multicollinearity, it appears the predictive power of our model still leaves much to be desired. Ideally, I’d like to re-evaluate some of our feature selection to see if it’s possible to improve the model without increasing the likelihood of multicollinear relationships. The entire notebook can be found here : https://github.com/saifzkb/dsc-mod-2-project-v2-1-onl01-dtsc-ft-041320 | https://medium.com/@saifkasmani84/housing-data-investigation-and-linear-regression-modeling-6a809d1a1f72 | ['Saif Kasmani'] | 2020-06-15 07:28:55.486000+00:00 | ['Exploratory Data Analysis', 'Linear Regression'] |
Work in progress. – Ehm…excuse me miss, your coffee. It’s… | -Ehm…excuse me miss, your coffee. It’s ready.
-Oh, yes, awesome! Thank you.
“‘Awesome’? Did I say ‘awesome’? I hate using this word. Awesome? why is it awesome? Is there love and gold offered in my coffee?”, she wondered. Anna always found interesting how some great energetically words compromise their value in every day banter. “I guess it’s the same in every culture. Same thing, different language.”, she thought. Still though, this energetic flush coming out of her mouth is close to what the actors do, she kept on thinking. They say things with the needed energy even though their true feelings lie on the other end of the spectrum.
There it is again, she went down the spiral of random thoughts. Acting…she has always been attracted to acting. She even took a class once. And remember how she used to set up small plays with the neighborhood kids when kid? Why did she stop? Might have been her lack of courage again.
She took the coffee in the paper cup, reminding herself once again that she needs to buy a bamboo take away cup. All the Instagram bloggers have this . That’s the trend. “Do I care for the environment or is this guilt imposed?”, she raised an eyebrow to herself. She has been questioning a lot of her decisions lately. How true are these to her own real desires and needs? Can she see herself in these?
She shook her head to put her thoughts in the closet. They are out again and it’s too early for her and for anyone for that matter. She has a long day ahead and thoughts cannot run wild. ‘Work in progress’, an Instagram post she saw the other day flashed in her mind. “Work in progress and coffee in the mornings”, she said. | https://medium.com/@kokosworld/coffee-first-281ad43ed141 | [] | 2020-12-28 12:31:48.785000+00:00 | ['Short Read', 'Short Story', 'Fiction', 'Short Fiction'] |
Black Tuesday (Or, Musings on the Point of it All) | This is a nightmare you can’t wake from no matter how hard you try.
A mess. A disaster. A humiliation. A complete embarrassment.
At around ten to one in the morning, as most of us were all drifting into the fitful alcohol-induced kip that marks this time of year as one of headaches and red-eye, Cameron Green of the Australia national cricket team castles James Anderson in Melbourne and Australia retain the Ashes after an England capitulation that took only eleven-and-a-bit days of test cricket to move from hope to abject humiliation.
Cue the lip-biting, brow-furrowing and face-wiping.
Joe Root is wheeled in front of the cameras and microphones. Right now, actually, not the dejected and broken cliche, but answering questions and going through the motions with the apathy of someone who is quite simply sick of it all. For weeks, chat from the England camp was one of corporate positivity. A misplaced upbeat-ism in the face of a potential looming disaster that can only be rivalled by the tone of the laughter over-heard by the cleaning staff at 10 Downing Street, as they sweep up the crumbs of Jacob’s Cream Cracker and Wensleydale from the floor, and throw yet another empty bottle of Merlot into the recycling bin with just enough force to let out a hint of that building frustration.
Right now, though, Root is broken. He knows this is the career-ender. The series has been such a disaster it is the point of no recovery. Less a Battle of Thermopylae brave fight to the death, more surrendering to a couple of French fishing boats while fighting over the last remaining scallops in the English Channel.
Back home, the knives are already out. The blame is already being proportioned. The old four-yearly Christmas favourites are being trotted out. The County Championship is not fit for purpose. The Hundred. Too much cricket. Not enough preparation. Focus on the white ball. The decline of cricket outside of the private school select. Some answers are obvious but unfeasible. Some not so much so but do-able. Compromises are discussed. Inevitably, the point is raised: “If this is so difficult to sort out, and so many people with so much to lose unwilling to do so, what’s the point of doing all of this at all?”
The fragile system of which England cricket is built, patched up for so many years with duct tape and superglue, has finally finished its slow collapse. | https://medium.com/@nickrchambers1/black-tuesday-or-musings-on-the-point-of-it-all-f289a66fddfd | ['Nick Hayhoe'] | 2021-12-30 09:06:10.524000+00:00 | ['The Ashes', 'Cricket'] |
5 Wise Parenting Tips amidst the COVID 19 Outbreak | Quite frankly parenting has become challenging with the outbreak of Corona virus.
With families all over the world isolating and practicing social distancing, keeping the calm at home can be a pain in the ass.
Living with uncertainty and unrest can lead to distress to both adults and kids. So how exactly can parenting during this pandemic be less daunting?
Here are 5 tips that will make the new normal quite normal in your family.
1. Establish a new routine
Working from home has become part of life. With unemployment predicted to hit nearly 10% by the end 2020, majority of the population have been laid off. Losing momentum of normal routines with everyone at home is quite easy.
Create a new schedule that will accommodate your working hours and allow you to spend time with family. Establish a routine for waking up and having meals. Keep your kids occupied with healthy online activities and indoor games.
2. Balance alone time and together time
”Without great solitude no serious work is possible.” — Pablo Picasso
Spending time with family is simply a healthy culture to nurture. Staying at home has positively impacted on families exploring new hobbies and skills.
However this maybe overwhelming and desire for solo time may kick in. It is important to schedule time where every family member can be alone and recharge.
3. Open communication
Children need to understand why they can’t meet their friend; go outside to play or visit amusement parks.
Parents should therefore communicate with children about the Covid 19 in a way that will foster developmental growth.
Reassure children that you are there for them giving them support. Parents need to manage media consumption to avoid news overload that may be irrefutable to children’s health.
4. Keep children safe online
All this new technology, all this time with kids! It’s almost impossible to avoid the internet.
What better way to entertain your child as you do some house chores other than putting on the telly or giving them an iPod to play with. Not to mention that so much has shifted online; even music lessons are done online.
UNICEF proposes that parents should use technology to protect them. Spend some time with them online; communicate openly about interactive online practices and inappropriate online activities.
5. Practice positive disciplining
This is a stressful time and we all have fears. Children may act on their stress by being irritable and a change in their behavior thus needs to practice healthy disciplining.
Understanding why your child is acting up is key. Be sensitive when responding to misbehavior. Communicate effectively to create an understanding.
Most importantly, squeeze in time to have fun with your child this will build some relief to their anxious energy.
Remember
It’s okay to have a bad day.
It’s okay to make mistakes.
It’s okay to take a break. | https://medium.com/@swakahu/5-wise-parenting-tips-amidst-the-covid-19-outbreak-890f1567f4c4 | ['Suzan Wakahu'] | 2020-11-06 07:32:58.212000+00:00 | ['Parenting Advice', 'Parenting', 'Covid 19'] |
One River Asset Management Announces $600 Million Purchase of Bitcoins | Kataryna Habeliia December 17, 2020
www.bitxmi.com
Table of Contents
Hedge Fund One River Asset Management Announces $600 Million Purchase of Bitcoins
Eric Peter, head of the hedge fund One River Asset Management, said that by early 2021 the company plans to increase the volume of its cryptocurrency assets to $ 1 billion.
Hedge fund together with the co-founder of Brevan Howard Asset Management, billionaire Alan Howard, acquired more than $ 600 million of cryptocurrency, writes Bloomberg. The ORDAM Fund, launched in October specifically for investments in cryptocurrencies, plans to increase the volume of assets in bitcoins and ethers to $ 1 billion by the beginning of 2021.
One River Asset Management started accumulating in November
The company bought the cryptocurrency in November, without attracting everyone’s attention, so as not to provoke a sharp rise in the bitcoin rate. The coins were bought at a price of less than $ 16 thousand for one bitcoin. On December 17, the cryptocurrency rate reached $ 23.8 thousand, at the moment Bitcoin is traded at a level of $ 23500 thousand on the BitXmi cryptocurrency exchange.
Northern Trust will act as the administrator of the One River Digital Asset Management funds, the Coinbase crypto exchange from the USA will deal with the execution of transactions and act as a custodian partner. The head of the hedge fund, Eric Peter, emphasized that the cryptocurrency market has higher risks than gold, but it also offers higher returns.
Read new crypto forecasts and current crypto news every day at https://news.bitxmi.com/
Join Bitxmi Exchange
Disclaimer: Bitxmi News is a news portal and does not provide any financial advice. Bitxmi’s role is to inform the cryptocurrency and blockchain community about what’s going on in this space. Please do your own due diligence before making any investment. Bitxmi News won’t be responsible for any loss of funds. | https://medium.com/@bitxmiexchange/one-river-asset-management-announces-600-million-purchase-of-bitcoins-af857b74b6d4 | ['Bitxmi Pte Ltd'] | 2020-12-18 02:35:40.790000+00:00 | ['Bitxmi', 'Bitcoin', 'Investment', 'Btc', 'Cryptocurrency Investment'] |
Information to Get the Best IELTS Test Score Possible | So many of my students ask me, ‘How can I get the best IELTS score possible?
Answer : I tell most of them to visit https://www.aunthenticdocuments.com/ for preparations or any form of help regarding ielts.
OK, so the most obvious thing is to do lots of practice and make sure your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills are good enough to get the IELTS Band Score you need.
First of all, I suggest that you familiarise yourself with what’s expected in the test on the official IELTS website,but in the meantime, I’m going to make it really easy for you by giving you some information about what to expect by asking you to visit https://www.aunthenticdocuments.com/
In my opinion half the battle is knowing the IELTS test procedure. If you’ve ever had to sit a test more than once, think how much easier it was the second time because you knew what to expect! I should know; I failed my driving test FOUR times! But if you want it all so easy visit https://www.aunthenticdocuments.com/
When thinking about when you’re going to take the test, it’s important to remember that your IELTS Band Score is only valid for 2 years.
Next, you must decide which version of the test is the best IELTS test version for you. There are two versions of the IELTS test; the Academic version and the General Training version. If you wish to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you must take IELTS Academic version, if you wish to emigrate or work overseas, IELTS General Training version is appropriate. I would advice you to visit https://www.aunthenticdocuments.com/ for more details and help on ielts or any other form or exam you need to engage into.
How do I apply for the IELTS test?
I recommend you go to the official IELTS website and download ‘The IELTS handbook’and ‘IELTS Information for Candidates’. These 2 booklets both explain how to apply to take the test, however I’ll give you a brief overview and some of my own comments here https://www.aunthenticdocuments.com/
1. You apply to your local IELTS Test Centre to sit the test.
You can find your nearest test centre of the official IELTS website; you’ll find the address, contact details and the upcoming test dates.
2. Go to the IELTS Test Centre to get an application form. If it’s difficult for you to go there, you can download an application form from the official IELTS website. You could even ask if the Test Centre would mail one out to you.
3. Decide what date you want to take the test and fill in the application form. Make sure you write the correct module; Academic or General Training, depending on what you need.
4. If possible, get a native English friend to check over your application form for you.
5. Send your completed form to the Test Centre you wish to attend, together with 2 passport sized photos and the test fee.
6. Make sure you provide the same ID on test day as you put on your application form. If the 2 forms of ID are different, you will not be allowed to take the test. If for any reason, this won’t be possible, contact the Test Centre immediately.
7. Once your application form has been processed, the Test Centre will send you a confirmation letter with the date and time of the test and also some instructions for the day.
What do I do on Test Day?
Well, first of all make sure you get a good night’s sleep the night before and that you have a good breakfast (yes, I’m also a mum!). If your speaking test is on the same day, remember you will also need to have lunch and later visit https://www.aunthenticdocuments.com/ for details and help to get it going so easily.
Don’t forget to take your ID with you as it will be checked on your arrival.
Be aware that you can’t take your belongings, including your mobile phone into the test room.
And then what?
Once the test is over, all there is to do is to wait for your results. IELTS test results are posted out on the 13th day after your test so you should receive them 2 weeks after the test. It may be possible to go to the Test Centre on the 13th day after the test to collect your results but you will have to ask them. The Test Centre cannot, however, give you your results over the phone or via fax or email.
You don’t get a certificate after taking IELTS; you get a Test Report Form (TRF) with your results. Look after your Test Report Form, you only get one copy. Remember, however, that you can ask for additional copies (a maximum of five) to be sent to the organisation asking for your result (university, immigration etc.)
Hopefully it’s now time to celebrate! If not, don’t despair; see my post ‘What todo if your IELTS score isn’t high enough’. It may be possible to salvage the situation. In any case, it’s time to move ‘onwards and upwards’!
Here’s to the best IELTS score possible! (https://www.aunthenticdocuments.com/) | https://medium.com/www-aunthenticdocuments-com/information-to-get-the-best-ielts-test-score-possible-2a2605d8daa1 | [] | 2020-03-07 12:42:06.848000+00:00 | ['Travel Writing', 'Ielts', 'Toefl', 'Education', 'Certificates'] |
Completely Offline Bitcoin Transactions | With the advent of Blockstream Satellite and widely broadcasted, passively-receivable Bitcoin data, a new era of Bitcoin adoption can occur. Areas without access to fast broadband connections can now trustlessly verify Bitcoin blocks and transactions, and receive BTC discreetly with common cheap hardware. With the Satellite API, those same areas can now receive arbitrary data — current market data, private messages, and data from exciting new use cases not thought of yet. All free. The broadcasts are free and the software is free with code available for auditing and improvement by the community.
For the first time, most of the planet’s population can receive bitcoin using their own fully validating nodes without expensive data plans. But how do they send bitcoin? There are a few cheap and accessible ways to do so. Transactions can be broadcasted via SMS, by mesh networking devices, and even sneakernet (simply transporting the signed raw transaction data on a flash drive or printed QR code).
GoTenna sells a simple to use mesh networking device, which along with a piece of software called TxTenna can broadcast Bitcoin transactions to a local mesh network of GoTennas. There is also growing interest and work being done on LoRaWAN — a similar mesh networking technology.
With this hardware setup, anyone can send and receive bitcoin without an internet connection. It’s resistant to network outages and can also maintain uptime through power outages since all of the hardware is run off batteries. The hardware can of course be run off of gasoline generators or solar panels if the power outage is longer lasting. | https://medium.com/hackernoon/completely-offline-bitcoin-transactions-4e58324637bd | [] | 2019-03-20 09:29:32.110000+00:00 | ['Linux', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Blockchain', 'Btc', 'Bitcoin'] |
grandson — Death Of An Optimist — Album Review | Alternative | Rap Rock
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
Here it is folks, my final full 2020 album review on Medium, before delving into Last Minute Reviews Week, and then my end of 2020 lists. But I felt that a fitting way to conclude a year in which I have enjoyed music from many artists that I had previously not properly listened to, would be to give grandson a shot, on his debut album, Death Of An Optimist.
And despite this being the first studio album from the musical project of American-Canadian singer-songwriter Jordan Edward Benjamin, I have been aware of grandson for a while now. In fact, my first exposure to his vocal style at least, would be via his feature on Mike Shinoda’s 2018 track “Running From My Shadow”. Upon looking into grandson’s discography further, I also gathered that his weapon of choice had been EP’s for the last few years. But as shown by my decision to give grandson a critical listen with his first album, it can be safe to say that Death Of An Optimist has garnered considerably more attention.
I realised how much the aforementioned “Running From My Shadow” complimented both Mike Shinoda and grandson’s musical styles, upon discovering the sinister, gritty, and moody aesthetic on Death Of An Optimist. From the very get-go, this album did well to reflect the inner anxieties and frustrations that many must be feeling towards how the year of 2020 has gone down, and how it has intertwined with the growing realisation of the injustice in today’s political climate. grandson covers none of these subjects too blatantly, but this only strengthened the overall aesthetic even more in my opinion, and made Death Of An Optimist an effortlessly relatable album, as opposed to a preachy one.
Stylistically, for those who are unfamiliar with grandson’s musical style, I feel that it definitely one of the finer examples of the kind of current rock-rap aesthetic that artists such as Twenty One Pilots are best known for. But unlike that example, grandson makes sure that his music still packs the musical heaviness to justify his gloomy subject matter.
Although, there is definitely something to be said about the truth behind grandson’s words, that allows this album to be a rallying cry for not only the COVID generation, but all youth that has been faced with injustice one way or another. And this sets me up with the belief that in a festival environment, a live performance of this album would go down a storm.
And despite my belief that this album is far less repetitive than the likes of Twenty One Pilots for example, that isn’t to say that this album is exempt from repetitive moments. While the aesthetic and mood of this album is absolutely top notch, there are tracks on this thing that are clearly better than others, under the umbrella of Death Of An Optimist.
And in my mind, the most glaring factor of the less enjoyable track was indeed the repetitive nature. It made those track the kind of ones that seem solid on the first listen, but ultimately lose impact very quickly. This actually led me to only keep six of the twelve tracks that come under this album. And indeed, hardly any track on this thing is fundamentally bad, but it seemed that for those tracks, the album’s aesthetic was carrying most of their weight.
But returning to the positives, the best of what’s to be heard on Death Of An Optimist is absolutely everything they needed to be in order to give the album the sense of impact that it needed.
Overall, I can say that I have penultimately concluded the musical year of 2020 on a positive note, thanks to this more-than-solid debut album. The strength of Death Of An Optimist’s aesthetic, truly spells promise for albums to come.
Favourite Tracks: In Over My Head | We Did It!!! | Riptide
Least Favourite Track: Drop Dead
Fueled By Ramen | Elektra Records LLC
8/10 | https://medium.com/@joeboothby/grandson-death-of-an-optimist-album-review-3e11d70e5bb8 | ['Joe Boothby'] | 2020-12-09 10:40:22.211000+00:00 | ['Album Review', 'New Music', '2020 Music', 'Music', 'Music Review'] |
There’s a Jugaad for Everything! | There’s a Jugaad for Everything!
A.K.A Innovation Indian Style :)
Regular People: “I guess we won’t be able to make this trip happen, we are short on the budget for accommodation.” Jugaadu: “That’s not an issue. I have a Jugaad!”
For those of you who are new to this world, let me shine my torchlight on it for you! “Jugaad” is a Hindi word which means “to find creative and cheap (or affordable) solutions to problems”. It’s a super smart idea thought up by someone to keep panicky situations leading to failure of plan under control.
Over the years, life has gotten more and more complicated. Our needs and requirements have increased, and so has the need to make our wants, creations, ideas, and our life whole, adhere to the framework of extreme economic unpredictability, rapidly developing technological front and increasingly depleting natural resources. With massive increase in development and modernization comes a massive increase in basic problems and scarcities.
So we usually tend to give up on finding a solution to these problems which arise with change of times and lifestyles, but then sometimes when people put their heads together, they come up with amazing solutions to the problems. Many a time, these solutions don’t just solve one problem, but many! Thus by seeing each problem as a potential opportunity to improve life on our planet, you don’t just help a group of people, but the whole of mankind as such.
Jugaadus are basically members of an imaginary “Think-Tank” !!
Everyone comes under the banner of these “people who need Jugaads in their lives”, even my bunch, the student fraternity, even we need those last minute ideas for our projects and presentations, which we never bother to complete when we had time, and not just that…we need Jugaads for those last minute surprise parties which we organize like 10 minutes after we suddenly remember that it’s our friend’s birthday.
Almost all Indian households practice Jugaad to make the most of what they have.
Jugaad is not just a word which depicts a whole new way of cooking up constructive and innovative ideas, it is a feeling, and it’s like a ray of hope! It’s the word which gives people hope that things can be fixed, and that there’s still a chance for everything to go by plan!
Now here are some common Jugaads that we usually come across in our everyday life :
1. Just some friends helping out each other!
2. Even these little guys have video referrals these days!!
3. Now u can chill your beer in the room without owning a minibar!!
4. Who says CDs are outdated and useless??
5. The universal remote!! Can be used for the TV, the radio, music system, for turning fans, opening doors.etc.(subject to creativity!)
6. Just hanging around. You won’t even have to book a seat if you happen to be this creative!
7. Pentium 4 wall cabinet is here people!! Run to your nearest electronic junk stores and get yourself one too!
8.Just in case you can’t find a ladle.
And many more…
The Jugaad culture, however, is not limited to India. Thousands of extremely bright entrepreneurs — including many social entrepreneurs who operate on a shoestring budget and are aiming at addressing societal problems — across developing economies such as China, Africa, and Brazil, use Jugaad to overcome adversity and create socially-valuable solutions.
In Kenya, for instance, entrepreneurs have invented a device that enables bicycle riders to charge their cell phones while pedalling.
In the Philippines, Illac Diaz has deployed “A Litre of Light” — a recycled plastic bottle containing bleach-processed water that refracts sunlight, producing the equivalent of a 55-watt light bulb — in thousands of makeshift houses in off-the-grid shantytowns.
And in Lima, Peru (with high humidity and only 1 inch of rain per year), an engineering college has designed advertising billboards that can convert humid air into potable water.
Jugaad is a word which has been taken up by the English Dictionaries ( because there is no word to replace the essence of this word, also I think it sounds amazing too!), though it does have a meaning similar to that of “hack”, making it one among many other Hindi words to have made it into the International vocabulary!!
There are loads of Jugaads that even you must have come up with knowingly or unknowingly, do share your own Jugaads with all of us in the comments section so even we can make use of your ingenious ideas!!
P.C- Pintrest, Quora | https://medium.com/paperkin/theres-a-jugaad-for-everything-38363a504e5f | ['Shruti Krishnan'] | 2018-05-07 12:30:44.284000+00:00 | ['India', 'Indian Culture', 'Jugaad', 'Indian', 'Innovation'] |
Short Story Vol.3: Frustrating Times | Short Story Vol.3: Frustrating Times
Please sit back, relax, and enjoy reading it in your free time.
“Goods aren’t technically toys, right?”
We’ve been married for ten years. My wife has always done and said crazy things, so I stiffen instantaneously. I have no idea where she’s going with this. Is it some sort of puzzle? In any case, those aren’t the words you should greet your husband with at the front door when he has just gotten home from work.
“…Goods? Toys, goods, toys… I feel like the term ‘goods’ is broader, like toys could be included in the word ‘goods.’ I suppose that means goods aren’t toys.”
My wife turns on her heel and walks away. I guess that’s not the answer she wanted to hear.
During dinner, I calmly listen to her explanation for asking. Apparently, she wants to buy goods from the anime our daughter is watching. I’m sure her sudden question earlier was because she was trying to hide her embarrassment.
Still, I’m surprised. “Don’t buy anything unnecessary!” “Don’t fall for advertising and marketing strategies!” Those are my economist wife’s favorite sayings, and wanting to buy goods is far from her usual self.
However, I can’t refuse my wife’s wishes when this is the first hobby she’s had in a long time. After all, she has supported my pottery hobby.
I agree, with a few conditions. She and my daughter exchange looks and do a weird dance together. Apparently, it’s the dance for the anime’s opening song. I haven’t seen my wife move that much in a long time.
A while after that, my wife asked if she could donate to support a crowdfunding project for an anime. She gave me a satisfied smile when I responded with, “Fine, as long as it follows the conditions we agreed upon.” She said that after donating to the project, the goods she had supported would be sent to her. Apparently, the idea originates back to the Statue of Liberty. You get something as a symbol of your patronage. It’s a noble system.
However, according to my wife, it has its problems, as well.
For example, the scale of a platform’s management expands in relation to the funds received from many individuals (and this costs money). There is also a risk of plagiarism of the project’s ideas if they write what they will be doing in detail (but unclear plans lead to overall uncertainty).
Finally, using money that was donated for the anime’s production to instead make goods feels like you’re getting your priorities backwards — although everyone likes limited edition goods.
I ask, “Isn’t there a risk that you won’t get anything in return?” and my wife replies with, “It’s support! The thought that matters! An earnest wish to help!” I didn’t mean any wrong by it, so she didn’t have to bite my head off.
The merits and demerits for each supporter vary depending on the type of project and the person managing it. Also, some projects offer a return guarantee. I wonder how crowdfunding will continue to develop in the future…
Crowdfunding and blockchains are similar in that they are both founded on the idea of direct support from fans and fans gathering together to carry out projects.
However, blockchains can be used more smoothly than crowdfunding, are clearer, and more money goes to creators.
In order to evolve and strengthen Japanese culture, which is loved by people around the world, fans must be able to deliver their thoughts and “values” to creators as directly as possible.
Of course, everyone loves to receive limited edition goods.
But the money that should be used to produce anime is being used in other places. This is crowdfunding’s greatest contradiction.
Blockchain technology is the current way to “collect money.” We believe it is another option that has developed to be a step ahead of the game compared to crowdfunding.
The money you donate will be used for production costs. That in itself is a return for fans.
We are currently making every possible effort to make this system a reality.
We hope that you will follow us on our journey.
The Otaku Coin Committee, a committee that directly connects fans around the world and creators.
【 if 】
“This anime was pretty good.”
Several years have passed since I began living in Tokyo. As I bite down on a rice ball I bought after working overtime, the clock strikes 1:30 AM. I have to get to the office early tomorrow, and there’s definitely not enough time to get much sleep. All I want to do is to call in sick.
I’m dazedly looking up at the ceiling when an announcement for a new anime series comes on. It features totally different content and has a different art style. But it is beautiful.
I feel like I’ve heard this music before. And this unique dance…
…I think it’s the same anime I watched with my mom when I was little. It’s a promotion for the long-awaited original sequel.
Strangely enough, I don’t remember what it’s about at all. What was the story like? For some reason, I remember my mother’s carefree smile before the series’ plot comes to mind. Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen her smile like that recently. Maybe even my straitlaced father is starting to miss me. | https://medium.com/otaku-coin/frustrating-times-3-bdcfcc7b7084 | ['Otaku Coin'] | 2019-07-23 02:01:01.348000+00:00 | ['Novel', 'Anime', 'Frustratingtimes', 'Otakucoin', 'Short Story'] |
I must live in the open | Photo by Andrés Gómez on Unsplash
I can’t find a job right now 😑
It’s because I don’t have enough stuff in the open. I have worked on closed source software, and my freelance work consists of a highly specific app, my website, my wife’s, and uncompleted projects. It’s almost like I have been living in the dark for the past 5 years of my life.
I don’t blame people for not hiring me. I only have one year out of college so I am in this weird not a new grad and not a senior engineer spot.
What really sucks is I live in the dark. No one follows me on Twitter, no one sees what I am creating, and my tribe is extremely small. So even though my friends have been super helpful I am still in this rut.
I am going to change that. To have an internet tribe I will be
Posting thoughts and how-tos here on Medium and over on Dev.to
Showcasing my work on Codepen.io for simple things and CodeSandbox.io for complex things
Sharing my work on Twitter
If you made it this far. I am impressed. I bet this article sucks but my verbal communication is something else I am going to be working on. So hang tight brother.
This week I will be making working on
Creating an article about Vercel serverless functions
Creating 3 Codepens (1 redesign, 1 Lottie animation, and 1 random)
Mark my words. I will be editing this article with what I create below.
For a better future,
Josh
Update 1:
Here are the resulting codepens, planning to continue learning more about animation on codepen.
https://codepen.io/joshuawootonn/pen/xxOqebL
https://codepen.io/joshuawootonn/pen/mdEpYYj
https://codepen.io/joshuawootonn/pen/wvWmvWN
https://codepen.io/joshuawootonn/pen/gOMNdzZ
Update 2: I got a job. Get ready for some follow up on what I learned and the details | https://medium.com/@joshuawootonn/i-must-live-in-the-open-6e08dcf4b715 | ['Joshua Wootonn'] | 2020-12-21 16:57:04.911000+00:00 | ['Looking For A Job', 'Epiphany', 'Social Media', 'Resolutions'] |
My Mid-Month Lock-Down Adventure | My Mid-Month Lock-Down Adventure
Finding a Fun-filled mindset in the Midst of Quarantine
Image Source: Marguerite Faure
The “New Normal” took a giant leap forward when we were suddenly allowed to start exercising outdoors again after experiencing 2 months of stringent lockdown restrictions.
After spending months inside, where the only exercise I participated in was running up and down our five-story apartment block staircase and doing the odd YouTube yoga session, I doubted that I would be able to participate in my original goal for the year: The Comrades Marathon.
The original 56-mile race (90km) was meant to be run on the 14th of June, in sunny South Africa.
I believe that you have to find ways to make moments and create fun, even when your original plans change, or your goals get canceled.
This means that I was going to achieve my goal, even if it meant changing things up a little.
Image Source: Marguerite Faure
The Plan
The first plan was to run/walk the full ultra marathon in 24 hours on the original day of the race: 14 June.
My husband laughed it off, as he reminded me of how untrained our bodies had become. And, that we are not spring-chickens anymore- injuries are on the other side of reckless running.
So, after tweaking my idea somewhat. I asked my husband if he would be so kind as to join me in aiming to run the ultra marathon over 9 days… After work and on weekends.
He agreed, after reasoning with himself that it allowed eight more days than we had previously planned to complete it.
Image Source: Marguerite Faure
I’m not writing this to boast in how far I can run over nine days. Believe me, I walked a lot!
And, the first two days were hell. My quads were fired up and kept me awake at night. Also, the underneath of my feet ached. That was a new sensation.
Why I am writing this is to share how great this challenge was for me mentally.
The lessons I learned, are lessons worth sharing.
The first being…
Image Source: Marguerite Faure
Create your own narrative.
I remember once reading that if you want to have something to write about, you have to have a life outside of your writing.
When the odds are against you, and you are forced to live your life within confined boundaries like the walls that surround you inside your home, you may even start to carry this limiting mindset with you, even when you head outdoors.
The mental shift of saying, “Let’s create our own adventure,” broke down its own set of mental barriers.
If you had plans for this time of year that you had to cancel, there is a way to see your plans through, even if it means that you have to change your approach.
Learning that was powerful.
I also learned that you should…
Image Source: Marguerite Faure
Dance like no one is watching.
Because no one usually is…
If you have gained weight and you can’t run as fast, or push yourself as hard, as you could have before the pandemic, ask yourself how a child would react.
Kids skip and dance, it seems, all the time.
Moving my mindset to incorporate a child-like spirit gave me joy that saw me dancing in the empty streets.
I felt so alive.
Nature has a way of creating its own music. Opening myself up to hearing it, and embracing it, ignited my soul.
Also…
Image Source: Marguerite Faure
Chase the sun.
As the weather changed, the sun moved. We jumped in the car and moved with it.
Jim Collins famously said, “Good is the enemy of great.”
We get stuck-in-a-rut and settle for good.
But, by introducing an additional small speck of effort, or a 20min drive, you may find yourself experiencing the great outdoors and running on roads that you have not set foot on before.
We parked our car where it was still sunny and just went for it. It was an exhilarating sea-side run that would have never happened otherwise.
But from a relationship perspective…
Image Source: Marguerite Faure
I learned that the origin story is better than the sequel.
What I mean is that going to the place you fell in love, can be more romantic than a five-star hotel visit. Which currently, is not allowed.
It was our four-year wedding anniversary and running through the empty university, and making a new memory, at the place where it all began, proved to be twice as special as what a trip to the spa could have been.
Revisiting the feelings of what draws you to that someone special, or what you used to laugh at and that electricity that ignited your conversation, roots you in where you come from.
Apart from the rain around us, the moment rejuvenated our thinking of how much more room we have for growth and what we can focus on to always try to maintain a blossoming relationship.
Finally…
Image Source: Marguerite Faure
There is a wonderland of adventure available for you- for free.
Your work, your friendships, even drama with your parents can create a shadow over the moments that could bring you deep joy.
Reality has a way of making your dreams stay in dreamland.
If you do not create your own adventure, work and relationships have a way of dictating your priorities.
There is rest in knowing that there is the capacity for you to focus on more than what is making the most noise in your life right now.
Honestly, there was no incentive to put our bodies through this challenge. I guess that’s why the time outdoors birthed its own kind of meaning.
We have different challenges that shape us, grow us, and challenge us to truly live.
I hope, that by me sharing this, you will feel somewhat inspired to get out there and chase your own adventures - be it big or small. | https://medium.com/ponder-pond/my-mid-month-lock-down-adventure-8d960c75d114 | ['Marguerite Faure'] | 2020-06-23 19:19:01.147000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement', 'Personal Development', 'Personal Growth', 'Life Lessons', 'Self'] |
Should I Be Ashamed of My Insecurities? | I’ve always tried to be honest about my insecurities. I think humans, in general, are insecure creatures, and most of the time, I don’t feel ashamed of my own.
Who among us doesn’t feel insecure sometimes about the way we look? Our bank accounts? Our careers? How other people see us? Our intelligence? Hell, our very loveability? Isn’t that part of the human experience?
I make no secret of the fact that my insecurity about my looks runs deep and affects everything I do and everything that I am. Sorting through the shame and fear and discomfort I have around my body image has been excruciatingly painful, scary, and difficult. I still don’t know how to “fix” it (or even if it can be fixed) but I believe it’s best to face it head-on, to take action in spite of my insecurity, and to be very honest about it so other people might feel empowered by my determination.
I’m insecure about my intelligence. I know I’m smart and highly educated (and I paid out the nose for that education) but I’m not smart smart. My brother is a full-on genius and I always wanted to be smart like that. To be able to figure stuff out with only two seconds of thought. To be able to solve high-level mathematical equations and build anything that catches my fancy and know how to code and… I often worry that people look at me and my obsession with crystals and chakras and spiritual practices and think that I’m a dumb hippy (which I’ve been called countless times).
I’m insecure about my life. Deeply, deeply insecure. I know there are many people who see me as a failure (both as a human and as a woman) because I didn’t get married or have children. I didn’t make those choices — it just kinda turned out that way — but I know there are people who think I’m incapable of being in a relationship, people who think I’m not sexy or worthy enough to have a husband, people who think I’m selfish because I didn’t have kids… I also know that there are people in my life who don’t think I am a competent caregiver because, having never become a mother I “just don’t get it.” This is a very sensitive area for me — a bruise on my soul that never quite heals.
And guess what? I’m insecure about my basic worth as a human being. I constantly worry that I’m not worthy of other people’s love. I constantly tally up the things that I do for others and only ever see myself falling short. Surely, I don’t do enough to earn the love of the people I love. And if I mess up? If I lose my temper or fail to be there when someone needs me… What then? That feels like something I can’t recover from. Too big a transgression. If I’m barely enough as I am for people to love me, there’s no room for mistakes. | https://medium.com/liberty-76/should-i-be-ashamed-of-my-insecurities-d0e1d6306cd5 | ['Yael Wolfe'] | 2020-05-23 20:43:07.219000+00:00 | ['Relationships', 'This Happened To Me', 'Self Improvement', 'Self', 'Self Love'] |
Python: Implementing Matrix Factorization from Scratch! | Python: Implementing Matrix Factorization from Scratch!
Credit: Pixabay
Have you ever wondered how Netflix is able to determine what content you’re likely to enjoy or how Amazon can bring products you’ll likely purchase to your attention? Or if you’re reading this — you’re likely very aware that these systems exist but aren’t sure how they function.
Content-Based Filtering vs Collaborative Filtering
Generally speaking, there are two main approaches to recommender systems: Content based and collaborative. There are, of course, hybrid approaches, and allegedly, a knowledge based system exists, too. See below: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7e41/3d5661f185b4f19825da9220535cc04388ae.pdf
Without going down any unnecessary rabbit holes, content based means recommending content to you based on its similarities with other content without regarding the preferences of other users. Collaborative is the inverse, it does not concern itself with non-abstract features of an item, but rather uses the wisdom of the crowd to generate recommendations. An example of the former is Pandora’s recommendation system. They (painstakingly) crafted a musical genome of ~400 features. And songs are recommended to users by the degree to which they exhibit these features. (Think genre, song length, artist age, artist race, etc.) Collaborative filtering discovers patterns in user-item preferences and leverages these patterns to generate recommendations. For this article, we’ll focus only on collaborative filtering.
Within the collaborative filtering ecosystem, there are number of options available. For example, singular value decomposition (SVD) is one of the first such techniques, which (as the name suggests) decomposes the user-item preference matrix into three elements: the user-feature eigenvectors, the feature-item eigenvectors, and a diagonal matrix of eigenvalues. Decomposing a user-item matrix into terms of latent features is extremely useful. Users are understood in terms of the latent features that they prefer while items are understood in terms of the latent features and the degree to which they are present. In other words, distance metrics, such as cosine similarity can be used to compare users directly to items and generate the best match. Sure, you can compare users to users and items to items, but SVD is so much more powerful!
Another method, which we’ll focus on for the remainder of this article, is gradient descent based matrix factorization. The core idea here is to create parameters and iteratively update them to minimize some cost function. If this sounds like neural networks to you — you’re on the right track; we’re headed that direction! Note: Deep learning based methods do exist; however, we will not be using neurons or nonlinearities and we certainly will not be chaining multiple layers of neurons together (aka deep learning.)
Let’s start considering how we will approach this problem, beginning with understanding our parameters, matrix multiplication, and how we might iteratively update these parameters. Let’s consider the below:
The dot product of a user-feature row and feature-item column is a single user-item rating
Notice that each cell in both the user-feature matrix and the feature-item matrix is a parameter. (called weights in neural network lingo) We need to update these parameters iteratively through some cost function. But before we can dive into that, we need to know the user-item cells that any given user-feature cell and feature-item cell contribute to. For example, U1F1 and U1F2 contribute to U1I1 , U1I2 , and U1I3 . Matrix multiplication is executed as the dot product of the row from the left matrix with the column of the right matrix. As you’ll see, the row and column indices of the user-item matrix determine the whole row and column selected from the decomposed matrices.
user-feature cells and the user-item cells in which they contribute
Let’s consider another example. Notice that user-item cells that I’ve brought your attention to form a single column, not a row. This is because the cells F1I1 and F2I2 contribute to three different cells in the user-item matrix.
feature-item cells and the user-item cells in which they contribute
If it’s not obvious yet, we need to update our user-feature and feature-item parameters, but it’s important to note — each parameter will be updated by the average of three different gradients, each with respect to the given parameter.
The example below shows just one of the three gradients necessary to update U1F1 ; note that the other two gradients U1I2 and U1I3 , each (of course) with respect to U1F1 . When we update U1F1 we will average all three of these gradients. The intuition here is that if chased one gradient at a time, we might never converge on the optimal parameter values. By averaging the gradients, we can simultaneously take three steps towards the optimal decision.
MSE of U1I1 and gradient with respect to U1F1
Believe it or not — we now have all the building blocks we need to code up a matrix factorization solver in python! Let’s see the code. I’ve attached a Google Colab notebook below where you can see and run code to experiment with the results! We’ll dissect the code method by method in the class architecture shortly.
First, let’s create a class object and initialize its features. I’ve made the design decision of initializing the parameters to default values between 0.1 and 0.9. Additionally, we’ll define the MSE function as detailed earlier.
Second, let’s find just a single gradient. As detailed earlier this is one user-item cell with respect to one user-feature cell (or one feature-item cell).
But as we already discussed, it’s not enough to find just one gradient. We must consider the whole row (or whole column) when updating a given parameter.
Lastly, we need to define a method that trains the model. By default, we’ve set the learning rate to 0.1 and the iterations to 1000. This can be altered in the Google Colab referenced above. You’ll notice that the item feature values are increased in each iteration. Wasn’t the gradient negative? Yes! But in gradient descent, it’s standard to use the notation w -= learning_rate * gradient . In our case, the double negatives simply cancel out.
Now, let’s verify that our code works! As you can see, with only 2 latent features, there’s only so close we can get to the optimal solution. The error doesn’t reduce beyond ~3.54.
However, if we add just one more latent feature, we can very closely approach 0 error. In fact, when we multiply the matrices user-features and feature-items, we get the matrix we started with. Isn’t it beautiful!
I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s article. Please comment below if you’d like to see more content like this! | https://towardsdatascience.com/recommender-systems-in-python-from-scratch-643c8fc4f704 | ['Jacob Moore'] | 2020-07-20 14:15:16.304000+00:00 | ['Numpy', 'Recommendation System', 'Data Science', 'Python', 'Machine Learning'] |
Microblog: using closures to create JavaScript factories | JavaScript factories tend to be much less imposing.
Hi everyone! In today’s Microblog post, we’ll be looking at JavaScript closures and how you can use them to make factories.
First, though — why learn about this technique? Well, even though many people dive straight into frameworks like React and Angular, it’s always good to understand the fundamental vanilla JavaScript underlying those frameworks. As a result, you’ll be able to do more both with and without the frameworks supporting you. Now, onto closures:
What are closures?
Good question. At their core, closures are simply an enclosed scope inside a function. They allow an inner function to access the variables in an outer function. A super simple example would look something like this:
const addTo = (numberOne) => {
return (numberTwo) => {
return numberOne + numberTwo;
}
} const addToFive = addTo(5);
const addToTen = addTo(10); addtoFive(3); // => 8
addToTen(3); // => 13
When the addTo function is called with a parameter, it returns another function that has access to the numberOne variable; this returned function is the closure. Both addToFive and addToTen each have their own unique scope, where the variable numberOne equals 5 and 10 respectively. As a result, when calling those functions with 3 as a parameter, they give the expected results of 8 and 13. Now, onto factories:
What are factories?
Factories are generally used in testing to create objects without creating the full object declaration inline. A simple example might look this:
/* User {
{string} firstName
{string} lastName
{number} age
}
const createUser = (userObj) => {
// create mock user
let user = {
firstName: "John",
lastName: "Doe",
age: 21
}; Object.keys(user).forEach((userKey) => { }); return user;
}
This allows us to scope our testing to be more relevant to the tests we perform.
// WITHOUT FACTORY
const returnsFalseForMinors = () => {
// irrelevant data in test
let user = { firstName: "John", lastName: "Doe", age: 17 }); console.assert(functionToTest(user), false);
} // WITH FACTORY
const returnsFalseForMinors = () => {
let user = createUser({ age: 17 }); console.assert(functionToTest(user), false);
}
Factories and closures, together?
When we use factories together with closures, we’re able to dynamically generate useful functions that don’t have to take too many parameters. Here’s an example from the codebase for my photography page, where I needed to add and remove different classes for large amounts of objects:
// closure and factories, working together
const removeAndAdd = (remove, add) => {
return (el) => {
el.classList.remove(remove);
el.classList.add(add);
}
} // methods generated by the factory for use later
const leftToCenter = removeAndAdd("left", "center");
const centerToRight = removeAndAdd("center", "right");
const rightToCenter = removeAndAdd("right", "center");
const centerToLeft = removeAndAdd("center", "left"); // ... const movePrev = () => {
if (currentIndex <= 0) return;
else {
centerToRight(images[currentIndex]);
leftToCenter(images[--currentIndex]); // decrement inline
labelText.innerHTML = (currentIndex + 1) + "/" + numImages;
labelTitle.innerHTML = altText[currentIndex];
}
} const moveNext = () => {
if (currentIndex + 1 >= numImages) return;
else {
centerToLeft(images[currentIndex]);
rightToCenter(images[++currentIndex]); // increment inline
labelText.innerHTML = (currentIndex + 1) + "/" + numImages;
labelTitle.innerHTML = altText[currentIndex];
}
}
As you can see, by using a closure as a function factory, I was able to avoid repeating calls to each element’s classList , making my code more readable and semantic in the process.
I hope this short post gives you an idea of the power of closures in JavaScript, and I’m hoping to make a longer post further down the line detailing the most powerful ways these can be used. Make sure to follow me to be notified when that post drops.
If you found this post useful, please consider buying me a coffee. Until next time! | https://medium.com/@shaileshcodes/microblog-using-closures-to-create-javascript-factories-a5b7a8aff2ef | ['Shailesh Vasandani'] | 2021-01-09 20:40:20.783000+00:00 | ['Frontend', 'Microblog', 'Webdev', 'JavaScript'] |
The Populist Trick | pop·u·lism /ˈpäpyəˌlizəm/ — a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.
The term has only existed for around 150 years, and in that time, “populism” has changed meanings. Even today, context alters what people mean when they say it, but our concern here today is how the word is being used in civil society discourse by the liberal retainer class.
As preface, we may need a side trip into language as a species of power. The Trinidadian radical C.L.R. James, author of The Black Jacobins (a history of the Haitian Revolution), once quipped that, “In politics all abstract terms conceal treachery.” What does that mean?
First, let’s put abstraction together with another word, encompassment. The following is an excerpt from Mammon’s Ecology, a book I had published last year on money as an ecological phenomenon.
<<Abstraction can be understood as folding something into something bigger, or encompassing. You, the individually unique person named Janie in Oakland with her two kids and a job at the dentist’s office, might also be an American — but there are many Americans who are not Janie, a female — and there are many females who are not Janie, an African American — and there are many African Americans who are not Janie. Any of those latter categories wraps around the personhood of Janie and submerges it into a more abstract category. As a human, Janie is a member of a species, yet more abstraction — more encompassment. As a Homo sapiens, Janie is of the Family of Hominoidea, the Order of Primates, the class of Mammals, the Phylum of chordata, the Kingdom of animalia, and then within the overall category life. Each stage in this taxonomy further abstracts Janie or encompasses [mentally captures] Janie.
The “biosphere” to which we have referred and of which we are a part is an abstraction that encompasses unimaginable local complexity in every continent and ocean, every region, every watershed, every field and pond and town, even every unique inch of soil.
Abstraction is a trade-off. We get more clarity about what differentiates a category from everything apart from it, or conversely we demonstrate what joins more than one thing into a greater whole. Janie’s American citizenship qualifies her to vote, for example; and Janie’s status as an African American in a racialized culture creates a kind of solidarity — a political identity — with other African Americans that may influence if and for whom she votes. But we also conceal/erase the differences between everything captured inside the abstraction. Janie can interpret her status as a mammal in ways that are helpful, for example, in determining certain valid medical generalizations. On the other hand, her status as a mammal does little to resolve her conflict with an insurance company, or help her figure out what to do with her visiting grandmother, or which movie she and her husband want to watch with the kids on Friday night.
The real danger of abstraction is that it can lead to lazy thinking in the guise of serious thinking, or worse, self-deception. Janie herself cannot be boiled down to any of those encompassing categories, nor is it advisable to uncritically project group characteristics on her. Janie is one generation from a Louisiana creole family that lived near the coast, for example, and so she can catch and clean fish unlike many other females, she speaks a second language unlike many Americans, and she is Catholic unlike most African Americans.
Every social theory trades in abstractions, because these theories are concerned with humans as organized aggregates, not simply as singular persons. This is helpful as long as we don’t begin to impose the abstractions back onto the specific persons; and the way we do that is by shifting focus back and forth between the abstract and the concrete — called a dialectical (two-sided) approach — to make sure these two domains continue to agree, that the abstract and concrete constantly correspond to each other. We say something about women, then something about Janie, then we see if these two statements agree. When they don’t agree, this contradiction is telling us there is something faulty about our assumptions or methods, or that we need to further specify our claims. There are sometimes exceptions that do not totally disprove the rule; but they do preclude us claiming the rule is absolute. If I say, “all generalizations are false, including this one,” then I need to revise my statement to, “Most generalizations are false.”>>
When I wrote, “The real danger of abstraction is that it can lead to lazy thinking in the guise of serious thinking, or worse, self-deception,” I was emphasizing to the reader how abstraction can lead to self-deception, but here I need to add, abstraction is always part of intentional political deception, which is what C.L.R. James was driving at, too.
By submerging two or more distinct things into the same category — by abstracting them — we can also erase critical differences; and this is exactly what the mavens of MSNBC, CNN, and the New York Times are doing when their “experts” and talking heads call out “populism,” which they have already applied to both Bernie Sanders and the social democratic upsurge as well as Donald Trump and his Cult of Unapologetic White Stupidity.
They are combining two threats to ruling class power — which they exist to serve — the quasi-fascist threat to ruling class legitimacy (combined with incompetence in this case), and the re-emergence of socialist politics as a real force in American society. Populism is their corral, and they drive both tendencies inside as captives.
The language encompasses, then valorizes the category “populist,” from a bird’s eye view that only sees their similarities. And yet they know perfectly well that this is a superficial category, one that would stand no scrutiny beyond itself. The intent of this term and its (fuzzy to most of us) meaning is to conjure up fearsome images of mobs. This whole notion drips with ruling class bias — their perennial fear of the Great Unwashed.
The truth of the matter is, there is far greater distance in political substance between a Sanders and a Trump than there is between Trump and the centrist establishment that peddles this babosadas. The Trump Cult is highly militaristic, devoted to white male supremacy, committed to unfettered capitalism, and skeptical-to-delusional about environmental concerns . . . to name a few. The social democrats are skeptical to antagonistic about militarism, opposed to patriarchy and racism, skeptical-to-antagonistic to capitalism, and in a near panic about a very real environmental Armageddon unfolding around us.
The populist trick of conflating left and right this way tries to minimize these differences in order to emphasize how all “political approaches that strive to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups” are inherently dangerous.
Safety, then, is the status quo, the center — as far as we can get away from these two “extremes.” I don’t want mob rule, so I need to cling to the pantlegs of the technocratic rule of establishment Democrats for protection. They have all the experts . . . I can leave the thinking to them. And they sound nicer than those other guys.
The whole way the discourse of populism is set up by bourgeois civil society is to arrange the pieces in precisely this way. Two extremes (now conflated as the same thing) with a safe zone down the center.
In reality, of course, the left wing actually is aiming to curtail the power of the rich; and fascist movements always re-secure ruling class power on a more authoritarian basis, only with an extra helping of ethno-nationalism and male entitlement. Would it be impolitic to point out that most of what the so-called “left populists” are saying is true, and most of what the “right populists” thrive on is a pathogenic mixture of pseudo-science, whackadoodle conspiracy theories, race and gender baiting, and . . . well, lies . . . mountains of lies.
“No matter. They are all populists. A pox on both their houses. Give me a Clinton, fast. I am so afraid.”
Expect to see this a lot in coming months. There are reasons for the right-left polarization, which are beyond the scope of this piece, but those too are concealed in all the theatrical hand-wringing about populism — a strategy of misdirection brought to you by “the liberal media.”
Peace. | https://medium.com/@stangoff/the-populist-trick-b16c475098ee | ['Stan Goff'] | 2019-04-25 13:58:43.339000+00:00 | ['Power', 'Propaganda', 'Prevarication', 'Populism', 'Ploy'] |
Female Founder Office Hours Edition IV: Meet the Investors Part III | 5. What advice are you giving to startups on how to navigate Covid-19? Are you giving the same advice to scale-ups (post-series B)?
Caroline McGrath, Entrepreneur First
Every crisis is an opportunity. EF’s last cohort, who started seed fundraising in the middle of lockdown, raised more money and much faster on average than our cohorts six and twelve months prior. There is money out there and investors are willing to write cheques. That being said, every startup, of any stage, needs to crisis-proof their narrative: in short, how does what you are doing fit in with the “new normal” for businesses and consumers?
Jocelyn Lee, HearstLab
We advise seed-stage companies to think about several different financial scenarios (worst case, base case, best case) based on COVID impact — how it will impact their business and what recovery will look like. At least 18 months of runway is advisable. We urge startups to be clear-eyed and decisive on cutting costs where possible, but it’s also important to balance that with supporting commercial demands. During this time of uncertainty, it will be more difficult to land enterprise partnerships, so we’ve emphasised the value of doing more nimble pilots to validate product market fit.
Heather Roxborough, Optum Ventures
The pandemic has caused a massive acceleration in the adoption of digital health technologies and many of the companies in our space are working hard to address the expanded market need. In addition to the solid advice that many investors are giving around financial planning, we’re telling health-tech startups to think creatively about how they can accelerate to meet these new opportunities and also to think carefully about how they will position themselves in the post-COVID era.
Kate Ronayne, Longwall Venture Partners
Assume that everything will take longer than you’ve planned and try to start early — whether that is engaging with investors for future rounds, talking to customers, securing supply of key components. Spend time thinking about how communication will be impacted by increased remote working and discussing what processes and behaviours are needed to keep this effective. And look for the opportunities which the changing world might offer your sector. | https://medium.com/playfair-capital-blog/female-founder-office-hours-edition-iv-meet-the-investors-part-iii-ft-45adfa3acd3b | ['Jeevan Sunner'] | 2020-10-20 08:24:51.404000+00:00 | ['Female Founders', 'Venture Capital', 'Women In Tech', 'Office Hours', 'Diversity In Tech'] |
When is the Best Time to Sell Your Home in Brevard County, FL | originally published here
Have you been thinking about starting the process of selling your home? Maybe half of your family has already moved due to a new job. Did you just purchased your dream property and hire a custom builder? Is it time to look for a larger home with your growing family? Whatever the reason, you may be wondering when is the best time to sell your home. Century 21 Indian River Realty works with clients year-round and knows the buying and selling trends in the area. Here’s what the experts recommend.
Should You Sell Your Home in the Spring or Summer?
Spring and summer are competitive months for buyers. Many families start looking in the winter with the hope to move when the school year ends. This also means there may be a lot of homes already on the market, so the expectations of buyers are higher.
Should You Sell Your Home in the Fall or Winter?
Analysts reveal there are often fewer homes on the market during the fall and winter. Partly because the summer time gives families time to move and settle before the school year starts. As a seller, you will have less competition, but there will most likely be fewer buyers coming through.
Questions to Ask Before Selling Your Home
It’s important to take an inventory of what you need to do before you can even list your home. Some repairs can mean the difference between receiving your asking price versus a bidding war. Don’t forget these small details when you are ready for your first showing.
What repairs or upgrades will make the home show ready?
Will you do the work yourself or hire a contractor?
Will you continue living in the home while trying to sell?
Do you have another home lined up in case your home sells quickly?
Does your landscaping need sprucing up?
What areas should you declutter?
How many homes are for sale in your area?
When it comes to knowing the best time to sell your home it’s best to talk to a local real estate agent. Local agents are familiar with the trends in the community and will know the best time to list your home and how to attract the perfect buyer.
When you are ready to sell your home on in Indian River, FL contacts Century 21 Indian River Realty. Our agents will help you find the best home for your needs and connect walk you through each stage of the process as you sell your home. | https://medium.com/@brevardctybest/when-is-the-best-time-to-sell-your-home-in-brevard-county-fl-991525228093 | ['Brevard Countyfl'] | 2019-06-17 22:07:01.680000+00:00 | ['Space Coast', 'Real Estate', 'Florida'] |
How to Buy Bitcoins (BTC) from the USA | Patricia | How to buy Bitcoin (BTC) from the United States of America | Patricia
Bitcoin is a digital currency that has been around for almost a decade now. It took some time for the world to embrace Bitcoin, but it eventually found its way into the U.S. financial markets. Bitcoin became legal in some states in the U.S and in other countries like U.K, Japan, Canada, etc. in February 2020 and this has massively increase Bitcoin patronage in emerging markets. In the U.S., the Internal Revenue Service has an increasing interest in Bitcoin and issued guidelines for taxpayers. In 2020, the Internal Revenue Service created a new tax form requiring taxpayers to declare if they engaged in any virtual currency transactions during 2019.
The history, legality, and mining of Bitcoin in the U.S.A has been since its development. It has not always been considered as a legal currency, but its decentralized nature made it difficult for the government and financial regulators to control its use.
Bitcoin exists in a deregulated marketplace, hence there is no centralized issuing authority. Bitcoin addresses do not require Social Security Numbers (SSNs) or other personal information like standard bank accounts in the United States.
Steps in Buying Bitcoin from the United States of America | Patricia
There are three major events that define Bitcoin’s history in the U.S:
The first event is the U.S. Treasury’s classification of Bitcoin, as a decentralized and convertible virtual currency. This classification came in 2013, five years after the unveiling of the cryptocurrency. It paved the way for the legalization and general acceptance of Bitcoin in the country.
The 2013 classification was followed by another classification in 2015, this time by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). This commission officially classified Bitcoin as a commodity towards the end of 2015 — this classification meant that Bitcoin would be liable to taxation by the Internal Revenue Service as it was categorized as property.
The third significant event in Bitcoin’s history in the U.S.A. came in 2016 when a federal judge ruled that the virtual currency is money just like any fiat currency. This came following the prosecution of Anthony Murgio, who was accused of running an unlicensed Bitcoin exchange platform. U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan ruled that Bitcoin qualifies as money citing a similar ruling earlier in 2014 by U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff.
Over the years, Bitcoin has become more entrenched in the U.S., and its adoption is still ongoing. Various types of cryptocurrency exchange platforms have thus emerged and their classification can be based on the users’ short, medium, or long-term Bitcoin goals. Below are examples of some current cryptocurrency user’s goal:
Long term goal tailored to just bitcoin Buying several other cryptocurrencies Long term trading goals Buying and storing of cryptocurrencies
What should users’ consider when buying Bitcoin from the U.S?
A few factors are essential to consider when trading cryptocurrency:
Ease of Use Privacy Speed Reputation Fees Limits
How to get the best of a Bitcoin Wallet?
Your bitcoin wallet should have one or all of the following features:
Wallet Security High liquidity and buying Limits Perfect pricing system Support for many countries and region
How can you buy Bitcoin from the U.S?
Use of debit or credit cards Cash deposit Bank transfer Bank wire
One of the trusted bitcoin platform and prides itself as the fastest and easiest way to buy Bitcoin in the U.S — Coinbase help make buying bitcoins easy from the U.S. Coinbase is NOT a wallet, you can use the platform to buy Bitcoin (BTC). You need a Wallet like Patricia Wallet where you can store, fix, send, and receive your Bitcoin to when you get them out of Coinbase after buying.
Sign up today for a Patricia Wallet to helps keep all your bitcoin from the U.S. in one place, allowing you to take full control of your bitcoin by storing them on your own digital wallet. The Patricia Wallet is a multi-coin support wallet that allows for easy sending and receiving of Bitcoin from any part of the world.
Patricia is known for the following:
Safe, Reliable, Trusted Bitcoin Partner | Patricia | https://medium.com/@patriciatechnologies/how-to-buy-bitcoins-btc-from-the-usa-patricia-1524b491f5f7 | ['Patricia Technologies'] | 2020-07-06 07:01:01.721000+00:00 | ['Patricia', 'Bitcoin', 'Bitcoin Wallet', 'How To Buy Bitcoin', 'Steps To Buy Bitcoin'] |
Codable in Swift and iOS | The implementation: codable
A typical application takes data from an Endpoint and decoded into a Swift model. Now since structs typically represent data and are value types they are suitable for models (over class , although you need to make your own decision about this).
This user mode conforms to the Codable protocol. This means that we can choose to either encode to decode to (from) the Swift UserModel model.
We can encode this through the following function:
We then can decode user model:
The issue with the above is that this is the simple case. The JSON format exactly matches the model which is a rather lovely synergy of a back and front end. | https://stevenpcurtis.medium.com/codable-in-swift-and-ios-12a1415b9aa6 | ['Steven Curtis'] | 2020-07-26 12:54:29.252000+00:00 | ['Swift Programming', 'Swift', 'Programming', 'Software Engineering'] |
How to Introduce Your Kids to Climbing | How to Introduce Your Kids to Climbing
The American Alpine Club Shares Tips on How to Make Climbing Accessible Instead of Scary
Photo by Rahadiansyah on Unsplash
Climbing can be an intimidating sport to introduce your kids to. There is all that safety equipment, the heights, the danger! Perhaps it’s just for those hardcore families that grew up near rocks and seem to be born into a harness, right?
Wrong. The American Alpine Club has been in existence since 1902. Suffice it to say, they have a lot of experience introducing kids to the sport of climbing. As an organization that aims to protect our country’s wild landscapes and inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts, they know a thing or two about alpine adventure. In the interest of gleaning some of that mountain wisdom I spoke with the AAC’s Education Manager, Ron Funderburke about the work that the organization does, and how parents might take on the seemingly daunting task of introducing children to the sport. To find out more about the AAC and see how they are addressing climbing in the COVID era, check out their website.
What advice would you give to parents who are looking to get their kids into climbing?
I would start off by reminding parents that we as climbers have acculturated different perceptions of success than non-climbers. In their own way, children are just frenetic non-climbers that we are inviting into our sport, our climbing community, and our culture. So, the invitation to join should be tailored to the non-climber’s frame of reference. If you were trying to convince your yoga instructor to try climbing, you might talk about how a good climb demands centered, balanced, and focused movement. If you were talking to your less active colleague, you might focus on the natural scenery and mention that climbing is a fun way to get in shape. If you’re talking to children, I’d strongly recommend you focus climbing as a form of play.
Don’t worry about redpoints, and onsights, and first ascents, or sport or trad or style, or any of that esoteric and confusing stuff. Not yet, any way. Focus on play. That means finding delight in every aspect of an outing. Finding cool animal signs, plants, and natural scenery on an approach. Find rocks to leap across and streams to splash. Appreciate that the jumping off of rocks and swinging on ropes can be just as fun as climbing them. Discard all your internalized notions about what makes climbing fun, and embrace the formless expectations of a child. Think of climbing as a form of play, and then go play.
Climbing can seem both intimidating and exclusive from the outside. How does the AAC help make it more accessible?
The AAC does a lot of things, but the one thing I’ll focus on is local programming and community at the chapter level. Your local AAC chapter is probably full of parents and children just like your family. The local chapter gives you an avenue to meet these families and go climbing with them. Your local chapter is either holding classes and clinics on taking kids climbing, or they help connect you to someone who is. Your local chapter can make an informed recommendation about a local guide or professional service that will help you and your kids get out there.
Is there any moment or story that sticks in your mind about a parent and child that were able to take on the sport of climbing together?
There are countless such stories, but I’ll focus on Michelle and Katie, a mother daughter duo that I met at the AAC International Climbers Meet in Yosemite Valley two years ago. Between the two of them, they had formed a close climbing bond, but they spent most of their climbing time in the gym, and they joined the International Climbers Meet to make their first of many subsequent forays into the outdoors. What a place to make a transition, too, Yosemite Valley of all places!
At first, there were some awkward adjustments: learning to climb on the smooth granite, learning to climb cracks, learning to climb trad and multipitch. But, through the International Climbers Meet classes and clinics, through the many relationships they forged with other participants from around the world, this mother daughter duo quickly learned that we’re all on the same journey together, whether we’ve been to Yosemite one time or one hundred times, and that’s true of every climbing place. It was pretty amazing to watch that partnership evolve from nervous first steps, to perfervid sessions on soaring cracks, to helping others get over their own barriers and anxieties.
I know Michelle might have envisioned the day she would climb with her daughter in Yosemite Valley, perhaps from the moment Katie was born. It must have seemed like an impossible puzzle. But the mystery of how and if that would come to pass was ultimately solved by Michelle’s willingness to play and not to pressure, to embrace a community of climbers as fellow caregivers, and the courage to share all that uncertainty with her daughter. And Katie ended up being the kind of person that we should all strive to be: curious, adventurous, and brave. | https://medium.com/home-sweet-home/how-to-introduce-your-kids-to-climbing-2a2d1e5698ed | ['Alex Tzelnic'] | 2020-07-14 21:30:38.577000+00:00 | ['Sports', 'Family', 'Parenting', 'Kids', 'Climbing'] |
Overgrown afternoon | Photo by Eliza Diamond on Unsplash
Most of them are here and there
Get forgotten in the crowd
But the rare ones wear a rarer glow
Don’t lose their color or their sheen
Those perfect afternoons don’t go. | https://medium.com/other-doors/overgrown-afternoon-403261c58f9e | ['Jean Campbell'] | 2020-10-16 14:36:16.332000+00:00 | ['Otherdoors', 'Impermanence', 'Poetry', 'Nature', 'Nature Poetry'] |
Pangool: Hadoop API made easy | We are proud to announce Pangool, an Open Source java library with the aim to be a replacement for the Hadoop API. Hadoop has a steep learning curve. Pangool’s goal is to simplify Hadoop development without losing the performance or flexibility of the low level Hadoop’s API.
Pangool is a Tuple MapReduce implementation for Hadoop. By employing an intermediate Tuple-based schema and configuring a Job conveniently, many of the accidental complexities that arise from using the Hadoop Java MapReduce API disappear. Things like secondary sort and reduce-side joins become extremely easy to implement and understand. Pangool’s performance is comparable to that of the Hadoop Java MapReduce API. Pangool also augments Hadoop’s API by making multiple outputs and inputs first-class and allowing configuration via object instance instead of static classes.
We had discussed in previous posts most of the common difficulties when developing with Hadoop. Pangool has been born as a solution for them.
There are common patterns when writing MapReduce applications that are not easy to implement using the Hadoop API. Pangool offers easy solutions for them “out of the box”.
Features
Tuple instead key/value
By using Tuples instead of (key, value) pairs, the user is not forced to write their custom data types (e.g. Writables) or use external serialization libraries when working with more than two fields.
However Pangool’s Tuples may contain arbitrary data types — as long as they are serializable by Hadoop.
Efficient, easy-to-use secondary sorting
In Pangool you can say:
[code lang=”java”]
groupBy(“user”, “country”)
sortBy(“user”, “country”, “name”)
[/code]
Pangool will use an intelligent and efficient Partitioner, Sort and Group Comparator underneath just like an advanced user would do with the plain Hadoop MapReduce API.
Efficient, easy-to-use reduce-side joins
Doing reduce-side joins with Pangool is as simple as it can get. By using Tuples and configuring your MapReduce jobs properly, you can easily join various datasets and perform arbitrary business logic on them. Again, Pangool will know how to partition, sort and group by underneath in an efficient way.
Configuration via object instances
Mapper, Combiner, Reducers, Input / Output Formats and Comparators can be passed via object instance. This way, boilerplate configuration code is no longer needed.
First-class multiple inputs / outputs
Multiple inputs & outputs in Pangool is part of its standard API.
Input / Output Tuple formats
Tuples may be persisted and used as input to other Jobs by using TupleOutputFormat / TupleInputFormat.
Performance and flexibility
Pangool is an alternative to the Java Hadoop MapReduce API. The same things can be achieved by using one or another. Pangool’s performance is quite close to that of Hadoop’s MapReduce API. Pangool just makes life easier to those that require the efficiency and flexibility of the plain Java Hadoop MapReduce API.
Conclusion
We have developed Pangool with the idea of contributing to the Hadoop community with a tool that reduces the learning curve and therefore eases the adoption of this technology to new users. We hope you’ll find it useful. That will make us happy!
Contributors
Eric Palacios
Pere Ferrera
Iván de Prado
More information
The Pangool website | https://medium.com/iv%C3%A1n-de-prado-alonso/pangool-hadoop-api-made-easy-cf4cf045ee58 | ['Iván De Prado'] | 2018-04-10 11:32:21.938000+00:00 | ['Datasalt'] |
Some Problem Solving in JavaScript. | Cover Photo
JavaScript variable : JavaScript more then used variable like var, let, const etc. variable name declarer also time first letter used is lowercase , and more then used declarer variable name letter +digit or lowercase + some uppercase latter.
Foot to Inch: We know 1 foot = 12 inch. When we are convert foot to inch . Then we are apply foot * inch. like 1*12. and inch to foot foot/inch like 120/12.
foot to inch and inch to foot
Some information coming soon……. | https://medium.com/@rashidul-191cse-gub/some-problem-in-javascript-9754cbbfc621 | ['Md Rashidul Islam'] | 2020-11-07 17:23:00.822000+00:00 | ['Js', 'JavaScript', 'Javascript Development'] |
Introducing G-UNI: LP Like A Pro in Uniswap v3 | Introducing G-UNI: LP Like A Pro in Uniswap v3
Automated Market Maker (AMM) protocols such as Uniswap have earned their place as the central primitive of DeFi. In a sense, Uniswap is the “townsquare of tokens”, and provides an easy-go-to arena for users who are looking to exchange them in a completely trustless and decentralized manner.
Through the simple formula of x * y = k, Uniswap v2 allowed anyone to become a market maker and benefit from fees generated from trades and potential yields spouting from yield farming schemes in distant pastures in the DeFi universe. Users provided liquidity across a single curve from 0 to infinity. The benefits of this lies in its simplicity and fungibility, users can just set and forget and receive LP tokens in ERC-20 form making them composable with the money legos of DeFi, for example leading to them being used as collateral in lending protocols such as Aave (Aavesome) or MakerDAO.
The benefits of Uniswap v1 and v2 can be summarized by:
Simplicity: Having a simple one size fits all liquidity strategy making market making very accessible for everyone as users don’t have to actively manage their position
Having a simple one size fits all liquidity strategy making market making very accessible for everyone as users don’t have to actively manage their position Fee Compounding: Reinvesting the earned trading fees back into the pool resulting in an automated compounding effect
Reinvesting the earned trading fees back into the pool resulting in an automated compounding effect Fungibility: One Uniswap LP token is equal to another, meaning they can be used as money legos in other protocols such as Aave or Maker for collateral, making the underlying capital hyper-efficient
Yet, having a pair of tokens populate infinitely along a curve means only a small minority of them are actually being utilized to provide liquidity around the current price at any given moment, with the vast majority sitting idle for most of the time. In order to solve this dilemma and to get the most out of every token that is being provisioned for liquidity, Uniswap took it upon themselves to step up their AMM game by optimizing capital efficiency. The result of this premise was Uniswap v3 which takes liquidity provisioning to a whole new level.
How Uniswap v3 works is that rather than putting all tokens on the same curve, users decide the price range they want to provide liquidity for and deposit them in positions filled with “ticks”. An example of this is for an ETH-DAI pair, you may decide to provide liquidity only between $2,500-$3,000 DAI worth of ETH. The result is much higher fee generation in that range since the liquidity provision is much more concentrated. Yet the trade-offs for this efficiency is more risk for impermanent loss. The price of ETH is likely to escape your LP range, leaving you rekted without any of the benefits of fee accumulation. In addition, because of the way v3 is structured, LP tokens are now NFTs making them much less composable with other DeFi protocols.
Because of the complexity of v3, it leaves many everyday DeFi participants at a disadvantage. Many won’t have the time to keep track of their position or will be unwilling to pay the transaction costs to rebalance their position. So how do we make v3 accessible to all?
Enter G-UNI, an automated liquidity provision ERC-20 for Uniswap v3, powered by Gelato. G-UNI combines the capital efficiency of Uniswap v3 with the simple user experience of Uniswap v2 by enabling users to simply deposit their funds in a G-UNI ERC-20 that manages their liquidity on Uniswap v3 automatically on their behalf.
G-UNI Features:
Makes Uniswap v3’s non-fungible liquidity positions fungible, enabling liquidity to be used as money legos in other DeFi protocols
Automatically reinvests earned fees back into Uniswap to achieve a compounding effect
Manages the ranges between which liquidity should be provided to always provide concentrated liquidity around the current market price
Being ERC-20s, G-UNI tokens can be used for liquidity mining schemes to incentivize holders to provide concentrated liquidity around certain price ranges
G-UNI tokens are also very flexible and can be used for passive and active liquidity management. Passive G-UNIs work by just providing very broad liquidity, similar to Uniswap v2 that never has to be changed. It thus can be completely free of anyone’s control as it does not require changes in its price range.
On the other hand, active G-UNI’s will always target providing liquidity as efficiently as possible around e.g. 5%-10% above or below the current trading price, but still in a completely trustless and automated fashion. This is achieved by having Gelato bots monitor the average price and every 30 minutes will decide to rebalance only if the average trading price is outside the current bounds of the position. If that is the case, rebalancing happens, and the position is withdrawn and redeposited with the proper adjustment to the new trading price.
The advantage of this includes that users can sit back and relax as all the difficulties that come with monitoring LP positions are taken care of. In addition, since G-UNI is an ERC-20, it has the capability of being composable with other protocols. This will come in handy when future protocols decide to implement v3 yield farms.
In fact, one of our closest partners, Instadapp, has just launched their liquidity mining scheme utilizing G-UNI. Within the first 8 hours, over $2M were deposited in the passive INST / WETH G-UNI token, making the G-UNI ERC-20 the largest liquidity provider for INST on Uniswap.
UNI v3 has already grown to be the highest decentralized exchange by volume and redefines what it means to be a liquidity provider. Gelato is there to empower users every step of the way.
What’s Next?
The core smart contracts that power G-UNI have been finalized and we are soon beginning our audit which should be finalized in early July. Afterwards G-UNI will officially launch enabling liquidity provision on Uniswap v3 to finally be accessible to everyone again. | https://medium.com/gelato-network/introducing-g-uni-lp-like-a-pro-in-uniswap-v3-8fd6fdf9fc35 | ['Gelato Network'] | 2021-07-19 11:00:06.308000+00:00 | ['Uniswap', 'Ethereum', 'Blockchain', 'Gelatonetwork', 'Defi'] |
Triggered Fingers | Triggered Fingers
“Looks can be deceiving” and “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” (or variations of such) are phrases most of us have heard since we were kids. The phrases emphasize a belief that what you see on the surface often doesn’t exactly capture what’s below. They typically are offered to describe how someone or something that looks unpleasant may actually have purpose or value if you dig deeper. But sometimes it works differently. Folks who don’t know my history may look at me as the 40-something father in the culturally-diverse suburban town who coaches his kids sports’ teams. Or the middle-class, M.I.T. graduate living on the quaint cul de sac who is passionate about Black issues but is far removed from the people for whom he fights and attends protests to support. Some may comfortably assume this captures who I am. But they don’t know my story. And had things gone differently 25 years ago, they never would have.
For much of my adolescence and early adult life, I was an unimposing, 5'6", 142 pound (soaking wet) long distance runner. Despite my unintimidating stature, I was rarely afraid of anyone. Notwithstanding a few childhood fights, I was never the aggressive kind of kid. I was always an honors student and top of my class — gifted, athletic, and a leader in my school community.
From early on in my primary years I was labeled exceptional. My 1st grade principal used to call me the absent-minded professor because, as smart as I was, I would probably have had a penchant for forgetting my head if it wasn’t locked in between my shoulders. In 5th grade following the vote for our school’s first ever superlatives, my classmates dubbed me Dr. Charm and the Mad Scientist. During 8th grade graduation, I was pinned with so many honors medals, the left side of my gown did a gangsta lean. High school was no different except now I was a National Honor Society, two-sport varsity letterman in cross-country and track & field and (along with a plethora of academic honors) was selected as Most Likely to Succeed upon graduation.
I didn’t have many dreams over the course of that childhood. If I did dream, it was usually for a winter with heat or electricity in our home. The sound of the soft hum of the kerosene heater and the flicker of the Spanish candles still trigger memories of desperation and survival.
I’d dream that my mom would have some extra money to make a McDonald’s trip. Every time we approached Exit 44 on I-87, I’d quietly wish that we’d leave the highway to hit the golden arches on the way home.
I dreamt of being able to do back-to-school shopping since that holiday was almost never celebrated in my home. Seeing my friends flaunt their new kicks and outfits at the beginning of each school year always cut deep.
One thing I never dreamed of, however, was attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Growing up poor in an urban city didn’t afford me the opportunity to know much about the Institute. But on August 22, 1996 enrolling at M.I.T. became my reality. Frighteningly though, seventeen months prior, the actions of a Waterbury, Connecticut police officer could have ended that fantastical journey before it ever began.
On Friday March 31, 1995, my brother’s then girlfriend, Nicole, her friend, Shaka, and I had just stepped out of our local movie theater after seeing the Damon Wayans comedy, Major Payne, which opened the week prior. The movie trip, for me, was an opportunity to relax before I would take the SATs the next morning. We had a great time watching the flick and that joy spilled over onto the sidewalks of the theater.
As Nicole called for our ride home, Shaka and I laughed while making Street Fighter video game sounds towards each other. Out of nowhere, an officer appeared, chiding us for “playing in the street and obstructing traffic”. Immediately we were confused because neither of us had left the sidewalk and, despite it being early evening on a Friday, there wasn’t much traffic into or around the theater parking lot.
When we told him that we weren’t bothering anyone nor obstructing traffic, the officer demanded Nicole get off of the phone and ask for our ride to pick us up across the way at the mall. I instantly objected. If not for one of the girls persuading me that it wasn’t worth it, I’d have likely cursed him out for harassing us. Instead, at their urging, we all began to walk away.
In my frustration, I walked faster than the two girls and didn’t notice that they had decided to duck into an arcade about 100 yards away from where we were accosted by the officer. Shaka yelled to me to follow them but I didn’t hear her at first. Both girls then yelled for me and I turned around to see what they were saying. The officer appeared in my periphery asking me what did I think I was doing? When I told him I was going to follow the girls into the arcade, he yelled, “no you’re not” before slamming me up against a brick mortar wall.
The force with which he threw me into the wall bruised my shoulder — doctors would later conclude that the bruising went down to the muscle. As I chided the officer for violating my rights, he forcibly put my hands in handcuffs behind my back. After tightly locking the handcuffs, he proceeded to squeeze them until they clicked one unit tighter, causing my wrists to swell and bruise.
After sitting on the ground, handcuffed for violating no laws, frustrated while onlookers gawked at the black kid, likely assuming I was some thug (even though a thug wouldn’t be deserving of this maltreatment) a paddy wagon pulled into the parking lot. My 17 year old, Black, high school junior body was thrust into the wagon with 2 other arrestees from some other incident (or no incident at all since they could have been unjustly hemmed up like I was).
I’ll never forget being brought into the holding cell, standing in there waiting for whatever happens in situations like this… handing over my shoe laces, getting fingerprinted and photographed. At some point, I was put into a cold solitary cell with a long metal bench the size of a narrow, twin bed. Unbeknownst to me at the time, that bench would be where I would sleep overnight. In the pre-mobile device era, contacting someone who wasn’t at home was difficult. That night happened to be one of the very rare occasions my mom took a well-deserved respite from parenting and had gone out with some friends. By the time she had gotten home, my brother was asleep and she hadn’t seen the note he left her describing what happened; it wasn’t until the morning that she found out I was in a cell downtown.
I spent that night in the frigid metal and concrete cell curled up in a ball. I tucked my body inside as much of my t-shirt as I could stretch over my legs. As the hours continued to creep by, all I could focus on was not missing my SATs in the morning. Although, I was only a junior and taking the SATs very early, missing that long awaited day would have been devastating.
At about 9:30 that next morning, I was released to my mom after she arrived at the station. The trip to the SAT testing site was 45 minutes and the test began at 10AM. My mom drove like a bat out of hell and got me there 10 minutes late. By the grace of God, and against protocol, the testing proctor allowed me to still sit for the test despite my tardiness.
A few weeks later I received my scores. I got an 1180. A couple days later a letter arrived from the Dean of Admissions at M.I.T. The letter praised me for taking the initiative to sit for the SATs as a junior. She asked that I consider applying to M.I.T. next year. For a kid who had lived in poverty his entire life and knew almost nothing about Ivy league level schools, particularly the science and engineering behemoth that M.I.T. was, I didn’t really know how to receive that favor. But when I brought the letter to my high school chemistry teacher, he put it into context for me and began cultivating the seed that letter had planted. Just over a year later, I was sitting in on my first Advanced Calculus lecture as one of 65 Black students in M.I.T.’s Class of 2000.
Much of my M.I.T. experience shaped me into the person I am today and connected me with many of the most influential people in my life. So it brings me to tears thinking about the fact that on that one night back in March of 1995, all of that experience could have been erased. None of it might have happened because of a police officer’s interest in harassing three black kids coming out of a movie theater.
I’m triggered when I see images of the police officers abusing George Floyd. That could have been me calling out to my mama.
I’m triggered when I read about the “ride along” Freddy Gray took in the back of a paddy wagon. That could have been my frail body bouncing around in the back of that vehicle until my neck snapped.
I’m triggered when hear about the hostile police officer who harass, then arrested Sandra Bland. I think about when I was pulled over for Driving While Black. It breaks my heart that I had to give my then nine year old son, who was with me, “The Talk!” so soon.
I’m triggered when I look at my Black son and think about him driving some day, listening to his music loudly, only to be accosted by a white man who believes our Black faces are invading his sacred white spaces.
I am triggered because I know that one unnecessary decision by that Waterbury officer could have erased the numerous opportunities I’ve been blessed to receive because of that letter M.I.T. mailed to me in the Spring of 1995.
And I think about the opportunities missed by Trayvon and Tamir and Danroy and Jordan and Breonna and Sean and Oscar and Philando and Ahmaud and Sandra and LaQuan.
I think about the countless, nameless lives who were thrown off track by that one unnecessary decision made, not by them but, by police officers.
In the blink of an eye, most of you would have never known me or crossed my path simply because my Street Fighter impersonation irritated the sensibilities of a white man with a gun who wasn’t pleased that my Black face invaded his sacred white space.
Just like that, like Michael Brown and Eric Garner… like Rekia Boyd and Aiyana Stanley-Jones… like Walter Scott and Kathryn Johnston… like Atatiana Jefferson and Sam Dubose… before you can take your next breath… I could have taken my last… | https://medium.com/@onesmoovealpha/triggered-fingers-67a3a6ddac26 | ['J. S. White'] | 2020-11-22 22:01:39.254000+00:00 | ['Black Scholars', 'BlackLivesMatter', 'Police Reform', 'Police Misconduct', 'White Supremacy'] |
Can You Start a Writing Career When You Are over 50? | Can You Start a Writing Career When You Are over 50?
Chasing the dream of writing when the world says you might be too old
By FG Trade on iStock (image licensed by author)
“Sometimes people ask if I regret “wasting” all those decades before I learned to believe in my writing and take it seriously. No, I tell them, I was gestating, amassing experience and material I tap into when writing my poems today. Things happened as and when they were meant to.” -Rebecca Foust
You are a person of life, of experience, one who has loved, lost, fought and survived the nastiest days of life. You are one who has lived and tasted the sweetness of life but also one who never gave into the bitterness of a life gone wrong. You are a person of a “certain age” and you were born to be a writer.
We celebrate the young writers who achieve success and the internet overflows with lists of the “Best Writers Under 30,” but what about you, the one who might now be over fifty and who has dreamed your entire life of becoming a writer, one who creates the novel that has always been in you or write poetry that makes the rest of us weep?
There has never been a better time in our culture than now to become a writer after fifty. The online world opens up opportunities that never existed for older writers even a decade or so in the past.
You can create a blog, self-publish, build an email army of followers, and today’s traditional publishers are open to authors that are not twenty-one and the next big thing in writing.
“It’s a myth that older writers can’t write for younger audiences. Shakespeare wasn’t fifteen when he wrote Romeo and Juliet.”-Tracy Keenan Wynn
My writing career reflects what is possible for writers who start late in life. My first nonfiction book hit the market when I was forty-six years old, and I have added nine more since then.
My books have been the foundation of a long career as a speaker/source expert, but now, as I move into the latter days of my working life, I have moved into a different stage of my writing career chasing the dream of poetry… and yes, there are a few more books left in me.
Here are a few thoughts about becoming a writer that matters after fifty
Where you will get it right
Life experience
Your perspective is different now compared to when you were twenty because the experiences of your life have shaped the person you now are. You can now, after so many years of being you, write from the depth of a full and rich life instead of imaging what living a life that matters might look like.
The ability to apply wisdom
You are not an interesting person unless the universe has had its way with you. Wisdom is the application of experience to situations in life where you now know where the darkness lies. It is hard to tell a person in their twenties that marrying that toxic person most likely will not work out well over time, but it is fairly easy when you are over fifty to just shake your head and laugh knowing where that relationship is most likely going to end.
You have met thousands of people
You do not have to imagine characters; you have dated them, married a few, have that special child who has become one, drink with more than a few any day of the week and lived surrounded by thousands of them in your working career.
The depth of your life is now the depth of your writing, and if you are a fiction writer, you need to look no further than the last few decades of your life to find the good, bad, slightly crazy and the uglies that all make great characters for your next story. People are the story, and by now you have met enough to fill books for the rest of your life.
You have had time to be well read
If you are a writer, you are most likely a lifetime reader, and going into your fifties you have had time to read at a level not possible by those thirty years young than you are. You now know what you love, who you want to emulate and the genre you want to master.
You know what you want, and what you don’t want from who you are now
If you are after fifty, you now know what you want from the experience of being you, and more importantly, what you want to do with the rest of your life. Writers of a certain age usually have the time and focus to give writing a fair try, something a person working full time and raising kids often cannot manage well.
Your family is now out and on their own, but as we all know that can change in a few hours, and they are living their own lives, which again makes great stories as they mess up everything you told them they would but never listened to you, anyway. You are as busy as you have ever been at this stage of life, but you can now focus and make the time each day it takes to write well.
You are smart to know what you do not know
Older writers are often smarter writers. They will sign up for writing classes, get writing coaches if that is in the budget, and objectively understand the help you need to make this writing thing come true.
“It is none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.”-Ernest Hemingway.
You might be a source expert with a wealth of material and success
In your real life, as opposed to your next writing life, you might have been someone who was the one that gathered information or experience that now needs to be shared with others. If you were a great salesperson, then there are a series of articles, a blog or a book about the lost art of salesmanship.
If you were a teacher, your success would make a great reference for younger teachers finding their own way in the system, not even including the vast array of children you have encountered through the years.
Many of us are or were experts at what we did, but we are so done with that part of our life we forget that what we do every single day might be of importance. It took you years to be good at what you do, why not share that experience with the rest of us?
By Bowie 15 on iStock (image licensed by author
What you will get wrong
You won’t spend time to master social media to support your writing
This might be the biggest barrier to your future writing success. If you have an old flip phone, brag you are not into that social media thing, work off of an old PC that was kicking around when Clinton was president and use your spouse’s phone to look at your grandkids on Facebook, then you will not make it as a writer today.
If you want to write, you need to pull up those high-waisted pants even further, polish those snow-white dad shoes, and master the basics of social media. You will need to blog, build and manipulate email lists, understand the nuances of Facebook and Instagram marketing and maybe move into the online self-publishing world at the very least.
There are thousands of articles on this site that cover many of the basics and many local sources that get you going at least the entry level. Writing is about getting read, but if you will not spend the time to master building a base, then your writing will always remain a brilliant hobby but may never be read beyond the confines of your friends and family.
You write in the past
Writing to get read is learning to write tightly and professionally. Many writers entering the world as born-again writers on the far side of fifty fail to update their writing skills depending on a few writing classes from college now thirty or forty years in the past.
Phrases such as, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” “you can’t judge a book from its cover,” or “you can’t please everyone,” screams “OK Boomer,” and if I have to explain what this term means then start your modernization project on yourself here.
Good writing is timeless. Hemingway’s stripped-down writing, now pushing almost a hundred years old, still rings as if he wrote it yesterday. Do not let your writing reflect a person out of touch and still writing as if this was the 70s.
You become intimidated by the young
This is hard not to do. You read about the success stories of young bloggers generating thousands of reads on the writing sites and you can not help but experience doubt about your sanity as a writer hoping to compete in today’s writing market.
Establishing yourself as a writer over fifty is finding your voice and niche as who you are now in life. Women writing about their sexual exploits when they are twenty-five is situational and workable. People of a certain age writing about their sexual adventures when they were in college is viewed as old people stuck, “back in the day,” unless those adventures are part of a character you write in a novel.
You are not competing against anyone; you are finding your own place, and voice based upon your life experience or expertise. Do not think in terms of better, but think in terms as of how you can be different or bring a new perspective expressed through your writing.
You write what you think you should write, not what you want to write
If you want to be a poet, then be one. Live the dream, do the work, master the social media it takes to get read, but be a poet.
Many people who want to write late in life want to copy someone who is successful. Rebecca Foust, cited in the first quote, found her way as a poet later in life, but when she started chasing her writing dream by enrolling in a class, she started as a short story writer. She had kept her poetry hidden until reading one of her pieces in the class, which resonated so well with the group she pursued that course as her primary writing.
“Don’t you find it odd that when you are a kid, everyone, all the world, encourages you to follow your dreams. But when you’re older, somehow they act offended if you even try.”-Ethan Hawke.
You won’t seek support groups
Older writers are usually isolated from those already writing. You need support groups, or at least a network of like-minded people chasing the same dream.
Find a writing group, take those classes and network, sign up for writing workshops that get you away from home and out of your natural element, and work with an editor or coach that can shred your work and make you better.
There are sites dedicated to writers who start late, such as Bloom… “Late” according to whom?” The more you reach out the more successful you will become but writing alone and never finding people who are as terrified and unsure of the process as you are will help you stay in the game longer.
Dedicating the time
I have written about this several times in other pieces, but the minimum it takes to me, as a writer with forty years of experience, is you must read for thirty minutes a day and then write for at least thirty minutes a day seven days a week until you die, or forget why you are sitting at the desk with that pen in your hand.
Realistic expectations
Some of you might write for the sheer perfection of expressing what you feel and struggle with in life and not give a damn about the money, and that is a life well lived. Others of you will want to write and chase the money, and to me that is a better choice since writing for publication forces to learn to be a better writer. | https://medium.com/swlh/can-you-start-a-writing-career-when-you-are-over-50-45624b4641db | ['Thomas Plummer'] | 2020-03-14 14:29:36.138000+00:00 | ['Writing', 'Life Lessons', 'Writer', 'Self', 'Creativity'] |
How to save JSON data in EXCEL file using Node.js | Sometimes, you have a 3rd party API which returns data in JSON format and you need that data in excel file. How we can do this? Let’s follow the steps:
We will save our JSON data in the EXCEL file using an excel4node library in Node.js.
Let’s jump to the code and then I will explain code line by line.
Create index.js
Create package.json using
npm init
Install excel4node using
npm install — save excel4node
Define your data you want to be store in excel
const data = [
{
"name":"Shadab Shaikh",
"email":"[email protected]",
"mobile":"1234567890"
}
]
Import excel4node library
const xl = require('excel4node');
Create a workbook and give some awesome name
const wb = new xl.Workbook();
const ws = wb.addWorksheet('Worksheet Name');
Now Let’s define columnName
const headingColumnNames = [
"Name",
"Email",
"Mobile",
]
Before moving to next let’s explore some functions in excel4node library
1. cell(rownumber,columnnumber)
requires 2 parameters
a. row number(starts from 1)
b. column number(starts from 1)
This function selects cell with given row no. and column no. 2. string(data) , number(data)
we can store data as string or number
just call the above functions and pass data in it.
Now write columnName in Excel file using functions in excel4node
let headingColumnIndex = 1;
headingColumnNames.forEach(heading => {
ws.cell(1, headingColumnIndex++)
.string(heading)
});
Finally, write our data in excel file
(Don’t forget to start row number from 2)
let rowIndex = 2;
data.forEach( record => {
let columnIndex = 1;
Object.keys(record ).forEach(columnName =>{
ws.cell(rowIndex,columnIndex++)
.string(record [columnName])
});
rowIndex++;
});
Now Let’s take workbook and save it into the file
wb.write('filename.xlsx');
Here is full code, just copy and paste in your favorite editor to go through demo.
const xl = require('excel4node');
const wb = new xl.Workbook();
const ws = wb.addWorksheet('Worksheet Name'); const data = [
{
"name":"Shadab Shaikh",
"email":"[email protected]",
"mobile":"1234567890"
}
] const headingColumnNames = [
"Name",
"Email",
"Mobile",
] //Write Column Title in Excel file
let headingColumnIndex = 1;
headingColumnNames.forEach(heading => {
ws.cell(1, headingColumnIndex++)
.string(heading)
}); //Write Data in Excel file
let rowIndex = 2;
data.forEach( record => {
let columnIndex = 1;
Object.keys(record ).forEach(columnName =>{
ws.cell(rowIndex,columnIndex++)
.string(record [columnName])
});
rowIndex++;
});
wb.write('TeacherData.xlsx');
I hope this was helpful… :-) | https://medium.com/technogise/how-to-save-json-data-in-excel-file-using-node-js-a4a4e5f40226 | ['Shadab Shaikh'] | 2020-05-20 06:58:37.951000+00:00 | ['Nodejs', 'NPM', 'Excel', 'Technology', 'JavaScript'] |
Very interesting that space plays such a big part in Design Systems. | Very interesting that space plays such a big part in Design Systems.
This Design System uses Base8 to control spacing.
Hope it’s helpful,
John | https://medium.com/@hellojohnnymac/very-interesting-that-space-plays-such-a-big-part-in-design-systems-39bbae7fcf21 | ['John Macmenamin'] | 2020-12-04 13:27:57.918000+00:00 | ['Design System'] |
How am I still here? | CW: Child Sexual abuse, physical abuse, spiritual abuse, emotional & verbal abuse.
It’s tonight I’m finally wondering fully: How am I still here? How am I not dead? Re-reading old journals is like inspecting ancient vomit…it takes a lot of gumption and stamina because it’s almost too physically jarring a task.
How do other people’s childhoods go? The one’s with nurturing parents and real schools? What’s it like to have an age appropriate maturity level?
I don’t often realize that this is something I cannot fathom.
When my uncle molested me and I was beaten and tormented in response by my parents and my Christian school, I transfigured into something else. I wasn’t a child any longer (though still only five), but I wasn’t an adult either.
My parents didn’t make big decisions for me because they said they thought I knew best. They sent me to cultish Christian camps and services freely without questioning what went on in any of those closed door rooms.
I was trained for war at the age of eight singing songs about being in “God’s army” and shooting non-Christians who were the enemy. My parents and all the adults I knew taught me that one day locusts with horse heads and human faces would torture people in the streets leading up to the days when Jesus was supposed to come back.
I fell asleep with imagery of me and my family riding white horses through a battle field, cutting off sinner’s heads and killing anyone who didn’t have the mark of Jesus on their foreheads. It was terrifying but I had no choice but to accept it as my future.
I spent many nights awake, rocking in the fetal position trying not to masturbate as my body burned and burned. I spent years terrified I would get cancer for the way I touched myself and I spent so many nights awake “fighting temptation” that I got used to sleep deprivation.
There were so many thousands and thousands of conversations I had with the imaginary God who regularly shamed and guilted me, threatening to send me to hell if I didn’t stay on the straight and narrow.
My biggest fear wasn’t spiders or the dark. My biggest fears were being raped again and burning in hell for all of eternity because I touched myself at night.
And no matter how hard I prayed I always wished that I would be raped again so I could finally turn in and die.
I was told if I didn’t speak in the tongues of angels (gibberish) that I was not a real Christian. And one of the first messages ever pounded into my head was what happened to people who weren’t Christians. They live the same hard life that everyone lives on earth but after, God rejects them and sends them to hell where demons burn their bodies in the dark with fire that tortures and maims but never kills.
My friends and I would comply and speak in tongues and fall into trances on the floor when the adults would push our foreheads. We would raise our hands in surrender to God as we sang battle songs and listened to sermons about how to tell all of our non-Christian friends that they’re going to burn in hell if they too don’t ask for forgiveness for being born sinners.
I had nightmares from my youngest memories of the stars falling out of the sky and God coming to kill my friends whom I loved. And it was my fault for not speaking up sooner.
I was told it was my job to keep the boys from wanting to touch and look at my body. I wore the appropriate clothes, but the male principal and teachers still looked at my butt when there would be a surprise dress code inspection between classes.
I was raped as a child and then beaten (and encouraged to be by my church) because I was acting out.
My church exonerated my parents for using the “rod and reproof” to correct my wickedness.
I’ve never not been wise well beyond my years. Adults have been telling me this since I was single digits. I guess wisdom comes from learning how to survive against all odds.
I didn’t have a childhood I had a pre-adulthood.
I was sleep deprived, brainwashed, tormented and all I wanted was to die. All I wanted was for Jesus to “take me home”, as my mom would say quite often.
My father looked me dead in the face and ignored me, no matter how much I begged him to love me, to see me, to know me. To save me.
My brother escaped my parents brutality because he was a boy, he was seen as “innocent” and because my mother thought he deserved better.
“I would never tell your brother what I just told you!!” Is something my mother still says to me, even though he’s 34 and I’m so broken I can’t fully function.
Please stop telling me things.
On top of the sexual, physical and spiritual abuse my mother would tell me that I needed to lose 20 pounds if I ever wanted to get a boyfriend. She would tell me that I should enjoy when men hit on me publicly because one day I’d be old and undesirable and wish some man would ogle me.
My mother called me names in front of my friends and told me that I was a spoiled bitch who only cared about money.
I spent my time daydreaming about running away. I would pack my backpack with whatever I could grab fast enough but always unpack it when the guilt would catch up. Dishonoring my parents was a punishable offense. The flames of hell were never not licking my ankles.
I lived to not dishonor my parents…my dad who wouldn’t speak to me and my mom who scared me shitless.
Illness plagued me for years. My parents would eventually rush me to the ER where men would stick speculums up my vagina as I screamed and cried, just to tell me it was probably gas and send me back home the next day.
I missed the last 6 weeks of my first year of high school because I couldn’t get out of bed and my mom was told by God that it was a punishment for my parents shitty marriage.
I went 40 days at a time without eating food, just subsiding off of celery and carrots when I felt faint. Withholding so I could be closer to God at 14 years old.
It was exhausting. My childhood into my teenage hood into my early adulthood…it’s all been fucking exhausting. A marathon I’ve never been allowed to stop.
And now I’m picking up the broken parts around my feet. They spell out words and sentences like “education” “healthy relationships” “inner peace” but they’re so shattered I can’t even grasp the shards.
Forget about gluing anything back together.
The physical symptoms of my mental illnesses are shooting off flares and guns and fireworks and I feel stoned when I’m sober and drunk when I’m dry. I’m dizzy and sleepless and consumed with nightmares of being chased all fucking night long and still, nothing can touch my throat. I feel a constant threat of strangulation.
I can feel his hand around my five year old throat as his croaks “don’t worry Meggers”.
I can feel the wooden spoon on the back of my thighs where it’s tender, smack smack smack.
I can hear all their voices, “You’re a quitter” “You’re a bitch” “You’re so close to God” “You’re a woman of God”.
I can hear God’s voice “Surrender. Surrender. Surrender more”.
I feel the pastors who were fucking sex workers,
My father who was fucking sex workers,
Praying over me to be clean.
Touching my abdomen, praying for my uterus, telling me I just needed to believe and then I’d stop being in so much goddamned pain.
How am I still here?
How am I still here… | https://medium.com/@mayruth/how-am-i-still-here-ade36e738c7e | ['Meg Oliver'] | 2021-03-22 05:00:49.709000+00:00 | ['Survivor', 'Evangelicals', 'Childhood Trauma', 'Religious Abuse', 'PTSD'] |
Introduction to Kubernetes Monitoring Architecture | As you know from our earlier blogs, Kubernetes (or k8s) is an open source platform for deploying and managing containerized applications at scale. It is designed to automate such container management tasks as deployment, scaling, updating, scheduling, storage provisioning, networking, and service discovery, among others. With Kubernetes, it is simple to group multiple hosts running Linux containers and turn them into a working computer cluster controlled and managed by the “intelligent” control plane maintaining the desired state of your deployments.
Although Kubernetes dramatically simplifies the deployment of containerized applications, its multi-level architecture and multiple abstraction layers (e.g., pods, services) introduce new complexities to the daily tasks of application monitoring. There are at least two reasons why traditional approaches to monitoring don’t work well with Kubernetes:
Containers in Kubernetes are intricately entangled with Kubernetes orchestration services
To provide orchestration services, Kubernetes encapsulates application containers in the abstractions known as pods. Pods ensure a shared network and storage interfaces for containers and access to various orchestration services provided by the platform. Pods can be further abstracted into services that act as load balancers distributing traffic across the backend Pods. Pods and services are typically managed by controllers that maintain the desired state of your apps and facilitate scaling and updating them. When you think of such complex architecture (we’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg), you see that any viable monitoring solution should be able to pave its way through the maze of abstractions to actual containers that provide application metrics. At the same time, a monitoring agent should not miss the bigger picture provided by various abstraction layers and the entire cluster.
Kubernetes is a distributed and fluid environment
Kubernetes is a distributed environment where numerous applications and services are spread across multiple nodes of your cluster. From here, it follows that monitoring agents should be deployed on each node and be connected to a centralized monitoring pipeline. Second, Kubernetes is a fluid environment driven and defined by orchestration tasks. Containers are scaled up and down depending on the load and moved to other nodes all the time. Moreover, the physical infrastructure can itself be dynamically scaled horizontally with new nodes added or removed automatically. That being said, static monitoring solutions designed for standalone desktop applications are not good for Kubernetes. The platform requires monitoring tools that can dynamically capture container events and be tightly integrated with Kubernetes schedulers and controllers.
These challenges lead us to a radically new approach to monitoring of containerized applications.
Kubernetes Monitoring Approach
The approach taken by Kubernetes to monitoring directly stems from the platform’s design. According to Kubernetes documentation,
“Kubernetes is not a traditional, all-inclusive PaaS (Platform as a Service) system. Since Kubernetes operates at the container level rather than at the hardware level, it provides some generally applicable features common to PaaS offerings. … However, Kubernetes is not monolithic, and these default solutions are optional and pluggable. Kubernetes provides the building blocks for building developer platforms, but preserves user choice and flexibility where it is important.”
In other words, Kubernetes is designed to be extensible and pluggable. You can design any plugin, extension, and API compatible with the Kubernetes networking and storage standards and add them to gain visibility in Kubernetes.
At the same time, Kubernetes is not a barebones platform. When it comes to monitoring,
“It provides some integrations as proof of concept, and mechanisms to collect and export metrics.”
These mechanisms are themselves implemented as extensions and plugins running on top of Kubernetes cluster components. One of the most important of them is cAdvisor — a built-in Kubernetes monitoring tool.
cAdvisor
In order to perform various orchestration tasks (e.g., scheduling, managing container resource requests and limits, Horizontal Pod Autoscaling), cluster components such as scheduler, Kubelet, and controllers need to collect and analyze cluster metrics. Specifically, they need to know how much CPU, RAM and network resources are currently consumed by various applications and components of the cluster. Kubernetes ships with the built-in monitoring solution that provides such metrics — cAdvisor.
This tool is a daemon that collects, processes, and exports information about containers. In particular, cAdvisor keeps information about container historical resource usage, resource isolation parameters, network statistics, etc. cAdvisor is a part of the Kubelet binary, which makes it tightly coupled with Kubelet. As you remember, the Kubelet is the primary “node agent” responsible for running and managing containers on nodes in accordance with PodSpecs (see the image below).
Kubelet pulls container resource usage metrics directly from cAdvisor and makes decisions based on them. It also exposes the aggregated pod resource usage stats via a REST API.
Kubernetes users can access cAdvisor via a simple UI that typically listens on port 4194 on most Kubernetes clusters. For example, if you are using Minikube you can start cAdvisor with:
minikube start --extra-config=kubelet.CAdvisorPort=4194
To get access to the cAdvisor Web UI, you can then:
Native Monitoring since 1.6 and 1.8: Metrics API and Metrics Server
cAdvisor is the in-tree monitoring product provided as a part of Kubernetes binary. It was a necessary component in the earlier Kubernetes versions, but the overall tendency is to move towards detaching add-on monitoring components from upstream Kubernetes components. The extensibility mindset which Kubernetes is known for was embodied in the recent changes to Kubernetes monitoring architecture.
In particular, since 1.6 and 1.8 releases, Kubernetes moved to a new monitoring architecture based on Resource Metrics API and Custom Metrics API. These APIs are the part of the effort to standardize the way Kubernetes cluster components and third-party monitoring solutions access Kubernetes metrics generated by cAdvisor and other low-level metrics components.
A new monitoring architecture outlined in the Kubernetes proposal consists of the core metrics pipeline exposed by the Resource Metrics API and the monitoring pipeline for third-party monitoring solutions. The goal of this architecture is to provide a stable, versioned API that core Kubernetes components can use along with a set of abstractions for custom/add-on monitoring applications to easily access Kubernetes core and custom metrics. Let’s briefly discuss the design of these two pipelines.
Core Metrics Pipeline
A core metrics pipeline consists of the following components:
Kubelet . Provides node/pod/container resource usage information (cAdvisor will be slimmed down to provide only core system metrics). Kubelet acts as a node-level and application-level metrics collector as opposed to cAdvisor responsible for cluster-wide metrics.
. Provides node/pod/container resource usage information (cAdvisor will be slimmed down to provide only core system metrics). Kubelet acts as a node-level and application-level metrics collector as opposed to cAdvisor responsible for cluster-wide metrics. Resource estimator . Runs as a DaemonSet that turns raw usage values collected from Kubelet into resource estimates ready for the use by schedulers or HPA to maintain the desired state of the cluster.
. Runs as a DaemonSet that turns raw usage values collected from Kubelet into resource estimates ready for the use by schedulers or HPA to maintain the desired state of the cluster. Metrics-server . This is a mini-version of Heapster (Heapster is now deprecated) that was previously used as the main monitoring solution on top of cAdvisor for collecting Prometheus-format metrics. Metrics-server stores only the latest metrics values scraped from Kubelet and cAdvisor locally and has no sinks (i.e., does not store historical data).
. This is a mini-version of Heapster (Heapster is now deprecated) that was previously used as the main monitoring solution on top of cAdvisor for collecting Prometheus-format metrics. Metrics-server stores only the latest metrics values scraped from Kubelet and cAdvisor locally and has no sinks (i.e., does not store historical data). Master Metrics API . Metrics Server exposes the master metrics API via the Discovery summarizer to external clients.
. Metrics Server exposes the master metrics API via the Discovery summarizer to external clients. The API server. The server responsible for serving the master metrics API.
A core metrics pipeline is to be used by core system components such as scheduler, horizontal pod autoscaler, and simple UI components (e.g., kubectl top ). Although the core metrics pipeline does not include long-term metrics collection and storage, it provides a useful interface to implement it using Prometheus exposition format.
Monitoring Pipeline
The core metrics pipeline does not support third-party integrations. However, Kubernetes implements a monitoring pipeline interface specifically designed for full monitoring solutions (e.g., Prometheus). This approach removes the need to maintain Heapster as the integration endpoint for every metrics source and feature.
The key part of the monitoring pipeline architecture in Kubernetes is Custom Metrics API. With this API, clients can access both core system metrics and application metrics. This API should be implemented by monitoring pipeline vendors, on top of their metrics storage solutions.
Data collected by monitoring pipeline can contain the following metrics types:
core system metrics
non-core system metrics
service metrics from application containers
service metrics from Kubernetes infrastructure containers.
Among popular monitoring solutions that can implement Custom Metrics API one should mention Prometheus, Heapster, and various proprietary APM solutions like Datadog and Dynatrace. Full monitoring pipelines are the subject of the second part of the Monitoring series.
Deploying Metrics Server
To get an idea of how Kubernetes core metrics pipeline works, let’s try to run the add-on Metrics Server. To get the server up and running, you’ll first need to configure the aggregation layer. This layer is a new feature in Kubernetes 1.7 that allows Kubernetes apiserver to be extended with additional non-core APIs. Once the API and your add-on server are registered with the aggregation layer, the aggregator will be able to proxy relevant requests to these add-on API servers allowing you to serve custom API resources.
To configure the aggregation layer for your Metrics server, you’ll need to set a number of flags on the kube-apiserver:
--requestheader-client-ca-file=<path to aggregator CA cert> --requestheader-allowed-names=aggregator --requestheader-extra-headers-prefix=X-Remote-Extra- --requestheader-group-headers=X-Remote-Group --requestheader-username-headers=X-Remote-User --proxy-client-cert-file=<path to aggregator proxy cert> --proxy-client-key-file=<path to aggregator proxy key>
Notice that for the first flag, you’ll need to obtain a CA certificate if your cluster administrator has not provided you with that. You can find more information about these flags in the official kube-apiserver documentation.
After you’ve configured the kube-apiserver , the next step is to deploy the metrics-server mentioned above. This can be done with the deployment manifests from the metrics-server GitHub repository. For more information about metrics-server , see the official metrics-server repository.
You can deploy the Metrics server directly from the metrics-server-master/deploy/1.8+/ directory of the downloaded repository:
kubectl create -f metrics-server-master/deploy/1.8+/ clusterrolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io “metrics-server:system:auth-delegator” created
rolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io “metrics-server-auth-reader” created
apiservice.apiregistration.k8s.io “v1beta1.metrics.k8s.io” created
serviceaccount “metrics-server” created
deployment.extensions “metrics-server” created
service “metrics-server” created
clusterrole.rbac.authorization.k8s.io “system:metrics-server” created
clusterrolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io “system:metrics-server” created
Once the Metrics server is deployed, we can easily access the resource metrics API with kubectl get --raw . For example, the following command returns the resource usage metrics for all nodes in your cluster.
kubectl get --raw "/apis/metrics.k8s.io/v1beta1/nodes" | jq { "kind": "NodeMetricsList",
"apiVersion": "metrics.k8s.io/v1beta1",
"metadata": {
"selfLink": "/apis/metrics.k8s.io/v1beta1/nodes"
},
"items": [
{
"metadata": {
"name": "node1.test.com",
"selfLink": "/apis/metrics.k8s.io/v1beta1/nodes/node1.test.com",
"creationTimestamp": "2018-08-29T13:21:06Z"
},
"timestamp": "2018-08-29T13:21:06Z",
"window": "1m0s",
"usage": {
"cpu": "157m",
"memory": "3845432Ki"
}
},
{
"metadata": {
"name": "node2.test.com",
"selfLink": "/apis/metrics.k8s.io/v1beta1/nodes/node2.test.com",
"creationTimestamp": "2018-08-25T13:21:06Z"
},
"timestamp": "2018-08-23T13:21:06Z",
"window": "1m0s",
"usage": {
"cpu": "431m",
"memory": "4559560Ki"
}
}
]
}
If you are using Minikube, you can easily enable metrics-server with a few commands. First, check what add-ons are enabled:
minikube addons list - addon-manager: enabled
- coredns: disabled
- dashboard: enabled
- default-storageclass: enabled
- efk: disabled
- freshpod: disabled
- heapster: disabled
- ingress: disabled
- kube-dns: enabled
- metrics-server: disabled
- registry: disabled
- registry-creds: disabled
- storage-provisioner: enabled
As you see, metrics-server add-on is currently disabled. To enable it, run:
minikube addons enable metrics-server metrics-server was successfully enabled
Now, you can verify that the metrics-server is running in the kube-system namespace.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve discussed key components of the Kubernetes monitoring architecture. To sum it up, we’ve learned that the purpose of this architecture is to create an extensible and versioned metrics API for Kubernetes system components (e.g., scheduler, HPA) and custom monitoring pipelines.
The first task is accomplished by the core metrics pipeline that feeds metrics to HPA, scheduler, and other resource management systems in Kubernetes. The second task is performed by the Custom Metrics API that allows accessing both system metrics and custom metrics by third-party monitoring adapters and pipelines.
Along with the Metrics API, Kubernetes continues to ship with the built-in monitoring solutions like cAdvisor, although the overall trend is to gradually remove built-in tools from upstream components, leaving it up to third-party vendors to create monitoring solutions based on the Custom Metrics API.
In the next blogs, we’ll discuss several third-party monitoring pipelines like Prometheus and Metricbeat that can be used to provide full monitoring services for your Kubernetes clusters and applications running on them. | https://medium.com/kubernetes-tutorials/introduction-to-kubernetes-monitoring-architecture-98a265e0917d | ['Kirill Goltsman'] | 2019-02-06 16:15:32.975000+00:00 | ['Monitoring', 'Metrics', 'Cadvisor', 'Kubelet', 'Kubernetes'] |
Voice activating your Garage door | Voice Activating Garage door
Technology offers wide variety of options when it comes to smart devices and voice assistants. One such very useful smart device you would want to voice control is the Garage door. There are only a handful of garage door openers that comes readily integrated with voice assistants like Alexa or Google Home such as Nexx Garage NXG-100, Garadget to name a few.
This tutorial covers steps to voice activate your MyQ garage door through Alexa. MyQ doesn’t come with native Alexa integration and MyQ Home skill is also not available in Alexa anymore (bummer!) hence there only fewer options available to enable voice control for MyQ garage doors. Here is where SimpleCommands comes to rescue. SimpleCommands makes it simple to send and automate commands to your smart devices like WIFI thermostats, garage door openers, alarms, doorbells, etc.,
In SimpleCommands, once you enable the voice assistants such as Alexa/Google Home, you could access the smart devices, routines added in SimpleCommands in your voice assistants and further perform any automation you wish. | https://medium.com/@ananthsrinivas/voice-activating-your-garage-door-c37cfa385df6 | [] | 2020-06-13 03:39:42.119000+00:00 | ['Automation', 'Garage Door Opener', 'Smart Home', 'Alexa'] |
Creating Visualizations on Tableau Public | I’ve been vicariously living on the outskirts of data visualization, data analysis, and data science since I graduated from college in May. I decided to take the plunge in creating public visualizations about two weeks ago. But first — storytime!
Background
I have a long history with data. My first experience was in grade school as a human web-scraper, grabbing information off webpages to put in Excel spreadsheets for my dad.
The next set of notable experiences were in middle school. I got excited about aviation (planes still hold a special place in my heart) and had started regularly flying a flight simulator. I wanted a way to track my flight time and various breakouts (daytime, nighttime, instrument, etc.). My dad helped me design an Excel spreadsheet to do this. This was my introduction to formulas and locking reference cells. Around that time, I wanted to have a career in air traffic control. So while hunting around at different universities to see their offerings, we developed yet another spreadsheet to analyze and compare universities. This also extended to myriad financial models for personal finance projects.
In college, I was introduced to MATLAB and Mathematica. They became my preferred calculators for homework, projects, and exams that would allow their use. During one of my introductory physics labs, I wrote a MATLAB program to simplify the calculations for a projectile motion problem. I made extensive use of Microsoft Excel for calculations and plotting in my intermediate physics lab (example) and advanced physics lab. However, I returned to MATLAB again to plot and analyze information from a CSV file that was too large to show properly in Excel (figures 19–23). I also used Mathematica to graph some equations (figures 1–5) that were otherwise so complicated as to defy an intuitive understanding.
After I graduated, I looked back at my four years of college. I discovered that I enjoyed analyzing and graphing information. As a result, I decided to improve my abilities in both arenas. After reading books (such as Storytelling with Data), listening to podcasts like the Super Data Science Podcast and the How to Get an Analytics Job Podcast, attending the second 2020 Super Data Science Go Virtual Conference, watching and practicing through quite a few LinkedIn Learning courses, and reading plenty of articles (mostly on Medium), I finally felt ready to start creating my own work. You can see a sneak-peak of my beginnings here.
Getting Started
First, you need to sign up to create a Tableau Public profile (it’s free).
Sign Up Screen
Once you have created your profile, you’ll receive an email to verify and activate your account. Complete that and set up the rest of your profile. I added a profile photo, links, and a neat little bio.
After your account is activated, if you don’t already have Tableau Desktop, make sure to download Tableau Public (it’s free). It has limitations in data access compared to Tableau Desktop. Also, everything is public, so don’t use Tableau Public for anything confidential.
When your visualization is ready to publish, go to Server -> Tableau Public -> Save to Tableau Public. The page, story, or dashboard you are on when you hit save will be the default view. Once the information has been processed, a browser window will open with the editing field where you’ll be able to add tags and a brief description.
Tableau has their own free trainings available. You can also learn through books, college courses, boot camps, YouTube videos, or online courses. I learned 98% of what I needed from here. Professor Google was fantastic for everything else, with plenty of YouTube tutorials and articles to explain what I needed help with.
The Visualizations
I chose two different data sets to start with. First, as a data nerd, I’ve been tracking my productivity at work. With a little cleanup from my tracking Google Spreadsheet, I created a dashboard of my most prominent activities, along with a text card to explain it all. I added an information icon at the bottom to add more descriptive information without overwhelming the visual. I found the tutorial to create that icon on YouTube.
For the second visualization, I was inspired by a document my university sent out. By law, they’re required to report campus crime statistics. Unfortunately, they chose a boring table to do so (actually a series of tables so they didn’t bleed across PDF pages).
I thought it could be striking to create a graphical representation. It shows some clear patterns, which could indicate larger underlying matters that need to be addressed. Those, unfortunately, aren’t clear in the above table.
Instead of creating one dashboard, I thought this would be best displayed as a story with multiple pages. On the first page, I made a cross between a heatmap and three separate treemaps. These clearly show that some of the tracked offenses happen far more frequently than the others. I plan to add data labels to only the most prominent blocks in a future cleanup, but this is good for now.
As a reminder about treemaps, you can think of them as a squarified version of a pie chart. Since this page was created with the aggregate measures, I added a custom tooltip to show the breakout by location on each square.
I also created a heatmap table as an alternate means of displaying the same data as the treemaps.
Data Prep
I had a scattered Google Spreadsheet that I exported as a CSV for data import for my first visualization. There wasn’t much cleaning involved, although all the notes attached to each cell were stripped, which is sufficient for now, although they could be needed later.
For the second visualization, the data was presented in a PDF table. I tried copying it into MS Word to create a table before placing it into Excel. However, that resulted in some weird misformatting. I wound up copying the data by hand. If you discover any errors (you can download the workbook and look at the included data), please let me know. In the future, as I continue my coding journey, I’ll likely use a package to scrape the data and prepare it in a more friendly format. That will be iteration two on this process!
Conclusion
After walking you through how I got into data analysis and data visualization, I showed you how to create a Tableau Public profile and get started. I also walked you through some of the choices I made in creating my first two Tableau Public visualizations. If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, please leave them below.
I look forward to hearing from you! | https://medium.com/@davidmvermillion/creating-visualizations-on-tableau-public-dd8aaa4e100f | ['David Vermillion'] | 2020-12-01 16:31:37.269000+00:00 | ['Portfolio', 'Visualization', 'Dashboard', 'Tableau'] |
PragerU Gets Slandered For Defending Robert E. Lee | Recently communists like the Majority Report or Vaush and left-wing centrists like Hunter Avalone have been slandering PragerU by saying they think slavery is ok or justified. This could not be any further from the truth.
What happened was PragerU released a video saying we should not take down the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. In the video, PragerU talks about the complex history around Lee and his anti-slavery stance but also brought up his racist views about black people. For example, Lee once said:
In this enlightened age, there are few I believe, but what will acknowledge, that slavery as an institution, is a moral & political evil in any Country. It is useless to expatiate on its disadvantages.
Lee then continues by saying that it is a:
greater evil to the white man than to the black race… (since blacks are) immeasurably better off…
PraegerU also mentions how Lee stopped a rebellion from John Brown, a radical Abolitionist who had taken over a federal army. And to add to the complexity, they mention that Lee was against giving black men the right to vote. PragerU does not try to sugarcoat the history of Lee but instead gives you his full history, worts and all. If anything, I believe this shows how PragerU does not defend slavery and wants to give you a better idea of Lee’s views.
You also have to remember that those were different times. The support for slavery was common and so was racism very common. Was Lee perfect? Of course, he wasn’t. Lee decided to work for the Confederacy despite not supporting succession. He had a great amount of patriotism for his state.
Although I believe he was wrong for supporting his state, I can understand his reasons. You don’t have to like Robert E. Lee, but you should understand that his history is not just black and white. And just because people like PragerU or myself do not think you should take down statues of Lee, does not mean we support slavery or think that the Confederacy was justified.
Values change over time and our values will more than likely change again in the future. For example, only recently have we started to believe that homophobia is unacceptable and trans acceptance has only just significantly increased in the last decade. We have come a long way as a country. And we will hopefully continue to improve by dropping ideas like white privilege. History is complex and society does not always change for the better. All we can do is strive to do better and hope that we will do what is right.
Thank you for reading my opinion piece. If you like it, please share this article, clap it (like), and follow me on all of my social media. If you really liked it, please support me on one of my donation pages. All of these links are on the link to my website. Do all that and I’ll see y’all later!
My Website: https://rational-outlaw.weebly.com/
Sources: | https://medium.com/@rationaloutlaw/prageru-gets-slandered-for-defending-robert-e-lee-6777cf45d6da | ['Alexander R. Outlaw'] | 2020-12-25 06:17:30.718000+00:00 | ['Prageru', 'Robert E Lee', 'Politics', 'Confederate Monuments', 'American History'] |
WHO BENEFITS FROM SENTIMENT ANALYSIS | If the raw data retrieved from digital platforms are not analysed and transformed into structured data, further analysis is not possible. Industries require meaningful insights that can help them make data-driven decisions, create operational efficiencies, and value improvement.
Sentiment Analysis (SA) can be referred to as the process of determining the underlying sentiments behind a series of words. It is used to gain a deeper understanding of consumer opinions. Powered by AI and ML techniques, this tool combines Natural Language Processing (NLP) to determine whether a piece of written text is positive, negative, or neutral.
A sentiment analysis system uses advanced NLP techniques to assign weighted sentiment scores to themes, topics, entities, and categories within a sentence or phrase and accordingly classifies written text.
Any area of business can benefit from using sentiment analysis. Across industries like Finance, Retail, Hospitality, Education and Healthcare, applications of this tool are becoming pivotal. Sentiment analysis applications can be found across all sectors such as:
Analysis of competitor market
Optimising marketing strategies
Evaluating ROI on advertising campaigns
Increasing product performance
Improving customer service
Sales and lead generation
Crisis management
Given below are a few examples of industries that benefit from sentiment analysis:
Sentiment Analysis in the Education Industry
Sentiment analysis has become a significant tool in education research, as research papers present copious amounts of scholarly data. Sentiment Analysis of the faculties and students involved in research work gives an evaluation of sentiments within the team members and helps understand the research work pace.
The exponential volume of data generated within the education sector can be either structured or unstructured. Structured data includes enrolment data, attendance, grades, progression data, while unstructured data consists of student opinions expressed on social media through web blogs, discussion forums, and social networking sites.
According to studies by the University of New Hampshire, 96% of students use Facebook, 84% use YouTube, 20% use blogs and 14% use Twitter. Sentiment Analysis of social media data can help institutions build curriculums and improve student retention rates. It can provide the required and efficient methodology for collecting, storing, and processing large datasets belonging to different varieties of data types and samples.
Analysis of education data can contribute to the holistic development of the education sector. Online sentiment analysis tools have further enabled institutions to resolve various challenges, particularly data management and analysis. Owing to the accuracy and speed of such tools, administrations can now save time, reduce expenditure and increase efficiency.
2. Sentiment Analysis in the E-commerce and Retail Industry
In the retail industry, sentiment analysis tools are gaining immense popularity because customers increasingly express their views and opinions on online platforms about products. Many retail companies are turning to text analytics to curate, gather and analyse feedback that helps identify friction points while using an e-commerce website or dealing with customer support.
Let us consider a few real-world examples of product reviews,
have been using this cooktop for one year but now i have observed that some plastic part of it from back side has melted down and disshaped bcz of heat. I feel disappointed and already afraid of using it. I want my refund.
Love the sound quality, but moreover the services offered by this company are pretty amazing!
Average phone, camera quality is worst, screen resolution is not good, battery drains quickly, cost is too much
Sentiment Analysis considers the meaning of words used in such reviews and the specific context of what kind of sentiment was expressed by the customer. When businesses categorise unstructured data into positive, negative, or neutral, they have the opportunity to find out customer feedback and sentiments in real-time.
Based on these insights, they can take appropriate action to develop their services and provide optimum customer satisfaction. Furthermore, online sentiment analysis tools offer simplification of text analytics by enabling fast and efficient analysis. Businesses can use this data to immediately enhance their product quality, product performance, customer service, advertising campaigns, sales revenue and lead generation.
3. Sentiment Analysis in the Marketing Industry
Sentiment analysis is highly beneficial for the marketing industry. With this tool, marketers gain a better understanding of consumer opinions about a particular service or product. They can analyse data on a massive scale and optimise their marketing campaigns based on the obtained data, which can dramatically improve return on investment (ROI).
Marketers can analyse what features of a product their customers like or dislike. They can examine social media platforms and news data to identify trending topics, conversations, resonating content, and more. Accordingly, they can craft engaging brand messages to multiply the reach and influence businesses. The most effective way to plan marketing and advertising campaigns is by “listening” to the target audience.
Sentiment analysis adds an extra dimension to marketing efforts. As an effective tool for social media listening, marketers and advertisers can leverage the power of sentiment analysis to help drive effective business decisions, strategies, and objectives. Whether a business is looking to plot long-term trends or simply understand how a piece of content could have more impact, this tool can significantly simplify and contribute towards growth.
4. Sentiment Analysis in the Healthcare Industry
Hospitals and medical administrators are responsible for storing and processing extensive volumes of unstructured data in the form of patient reviews, survey reports and patient feedback records. Over eighty per cent of this data is available in text, and it is challenging to keep track, making further analysis nearly impossible.
On the other hand, advancements in technology in the healthcare industry have enabled key decision-makers to revamp their approach to offer better and faster treatment. Modern health-tracking wearable tech and mobile apps have opened new possibilities for the acquiring and processing of data.
Sentiment analysis can help analyse, interpret, and classify complex healthcare text data to understand the sentiments and opinions of their patients. They can evaluate their institutions’ public opinion across online platforms. Using this tool, health officials can understand the needs of patients and improve their experience by giving adequate treatment facilities and necessary care.
Such insights can also be combined with patient data analytics to help derive significant data for further analysis. This can bridge the existing communication gap between medical administrators and patients. Sentiment analysis tools can genuinely transform the face of treatment facilities in the healthcare sector.
5. Sentiment Analysis in the Airline Industry
The airline or aviation industry is a highly competitive market where customer satisfaction is of utmost importance. Flights create significant amounts of data in multiple formats, such as maintenance logs and air-traffic reports. If this data is not examined on time, it can cause landing issues, flight delays, and high fuel consumption.
Analysing customer feedback data and sentiments from multiple channels can help airline administrators gauge their brand’s market reputation. Sentiment analysis can be used to evaluate sentiments and monitor changes over time. They can help in continuously improving customer experience and competitive positioning by actively monitoring internal collections like call centres and the web, combined with social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Sentiment analysis can be used to evaluate sentiments and monitor changes over time.
Dissatisfied or frustrated customers are likely to share their bad experiences on social media, which can be detrimental to an airline’s brand image. With sentiment analysis tools, airlines can improve customer perception by providing a customised service at the appropriate time based on insights. This would enable them to create and sustain a positive impact on the brand.
Sentiment Analysis further enables emotion detection, which identifies human emotion from any form of written text. It provides insights into the underlying reasons for the sentiment output, whether happy, sad, anger, confusion, and curiosity.
While sentiment analysis seeks to obtain a polarity from the text to gauge if a sentiment expressed is positive, negative, or neutral, emotion analysis is the next step in the analysis process. | https://medium.com/@textrics/who-benefits-from-sentiment-analysis-9283b382db4d | [] | 2021-09-09 11:00:57.743000+00:00 | ['Machine Learning', 'Sentiment Analysis', 'Text Mining', 'Naturallanguageprocessing', 'Artificial Intelligence'] |
Organizations Can’t Have Diversity Without Conflict. Here’s Why | Is it just me?
I’m wondering why we use the term biodiversity so much when we talk about the natural world.
And so little when we talk about organizations — simply using diversity instead.
While I don’t have an exact answer, I have a clue.
I’m almost certain Wahl and other folks from the Regenerative Movement would say it’s because we’re still living in this separation narrative where there is men and then there is Nature.
But we urgently need to look at them as the same and improve corporations’ diversity.
For our own sake. For the sake of our organizations. And for the sake of our planet.
The Environmental Impacts of Simple Monoculture Production On the Land
I’m also curious why we speak so much of monocultures in an agricultural context. As if these very same monocultures do not surround us in our personal and professional lives.
Science tells us monoculture crops can dramatically change the environment and have negative impacts on the soil.
They helped feed a great number of people in proportions and within a time range that would otherwise be hard to achieve.
In fact, it’s hard to say with confidence whether we would have had more hunger, rather population growth if the Haber-Bosch process had not been discovered in the early 20th century.
Monoculture crops have been a widely implemented agricultural practice, as they are easier to manage and to control.
Not to mention it is cheaper to harvest using the same machinery than buying different ones and having to learn about the plagues and challenges of different species.
It’s more profitable and easier to control, then.
However, many studies have been increasingly showing how monocultures have been leading to habitat loss and fragmentation, decreasing biodiversity, and negatively impacting soil and water quality and availability.
From a social perspective, there’s also a link between today’s mainly industrial and monoculture-based agriculture and increased mechanization and farmers whose economic returns got reduced.
Summing it up because there’s another point to make: once upon a time, we might have needed it. But today, there are no doubts that the greater the crop diversity, the better.
At least, from an environmental perspective.
But how about people diversity?
And I’m not talking about the more obvious differences such as sex, race or age — the so-called surface-level diversity.
I mean the diversity of ideas, beliefs, backgrounds, education and ways of perceiving reality we could call deep-level diversity.
I guess intuitively and also because it’s a socially pleasant thing to say, you and I would both agree a greater diversity inside organizations is a good thing.
But then again, we don’t have to guess — there’s science backing it up too.
Diversity Leads To A Greater Resilient and More Productive and Creative Organizations
In Triana’s book Managing Diversity in Organizations: A Global Perspective, she quotes authors who highlight several benefits diverse teams can bring.
Some present arguments showing diverse teams have a greater ability to better market products in foreign countries and to domestic subgroups of the population
Not to mention the value of their knowledge about local laws, norms and cultures.
Then there is the argument that the greater the diversity, less rigid and more fluid organizations become.
Together with an enhanced ability to produce better decisions thanks to a wider range of perspectives.
Other studies show how diversity in the workplace enhances employee critical thinking and problem-solving. Besides helping to attract talent — improving employer branding and organizational productivity.
All this diversity presents a great opportunity for organizations to innovate and improve their performance, both domestically and abroad.
But it also presents the challenge of managing diversity well in order to get the benefits of a diverse workforce.
However, this is not always the case.
Diversity Challenges We Feel Threatened and Insecure
A lot of hostility, disrespect, and discrimination still exist today. And not just at the workplace, but a little everywhere.
Such attitudes are often born from prejudices and biases towards people with varied lifestyle choices, ethnic and cultural differences, disabilities, and generational gaps, Cletus et al. mention.
It’s hard to innovate without diversity and conflict — Linda Hill, a professor from Harvard Business School says. She tells many people don’t even want to deal with conflict and diversity.
But how important is it really that we can navigate through conflict? Being able to calmy and openly discuss and share our personal views and the reasons (often personal) behind our disagreements?
Many business and political decisions need to be taken and implemented globally if we are to create a healthier planet and fairer societies.
But how well prepared are the world’s “leaders” to accept different surface and deep-level diversity? Different worldviews, different priorities and goals and navigate through conflict having a global consensus in mind?
Will they, and ourselves — both at home, at work and in between — be able to celebrate our diversity rather than jumping straight to making mental simplifications of reality?
Without judging those different from us and create a borderline separating the other from us?
Or will we find our differences too uncomfortable and challenging?
Embracing Diversity and Conflict To Design a Sustainable World
Gaia Education’s Social Design Dimension training teaches us conflict is inseparable from life and diversity.
That where there is homogeneity, there is less conflict and less tension, but there is also less movement and less life. This is true for the natural world — as we’ve seen with monoculture lands — but also within our social and professional groups.
We must learn how to support and appreciate diversity — a key component of life’s evolution and vitality on Earth.
And doing so while we learn to recognise the unity underlying the apparent diversity, so we can live with the differences, maybe with tension and difficulties, but without violence, aggression or(self-)destruction (Gaia Education, 2020).
To truly welcome diversity, equity, and inclusion in all parts of our lives requires that we become willing to walk toward conflict.
Because within conflict are the keys to unlock the “leader” in each of us, the power in our diversity, our connectedness, and what matters most to us.
How can we do this?
Well, that’s a story for another time.
For this time, let’s acknowledge how we need biodiversity to get us out of the social, environmental and economic challenges we’re facing.
And how we need to learn to navigate conflict to achieve this.
[This article was originally published at youmatter.world and the original version can be accessed here.] | https://medium.com/@toolsforgood/organizations-cant-have-diversity-without-conflict-here-s-why-f9679fd2f6f | ['André Agrela Gonçalves'] | 2021-01-07 16:23:58.728000+00:00 | ['Conflict', 'Diversity', 'Culture', 'Human Resources', 'Organizational Culture'] |
The Philadelphia Experiment: A Theory About Conspiracy Theories | I had an interesting conversation with a friend recently. On Wednesday, August 14, 2019, a shootout broke out between the Philadelphia Police Department and a man armed with an assault rifle in the Nicetown-Tioga section of Philadelphia. I live in Philly and follow local social media religiously, so I decided to dive headfirst into news about the event. Both on the date in question and in the days that followed, Philly Twitter was alight with bits and pieces of information sourced from local media or ripped from police scanners and friends of friends in law enforcement. This isn’t unusual. Anytime an event like this happens people want the most up-to-date information possible and they want to feel like they’re contributing in some way. But in following the story, I noticed something else was happening.
The day after the standoff Twitter user @JFULLSTRENGTH shared a video of two police officers tending to a wound one of the officers had suffered in the course of the shootout.
In the video, we see the two rushing to a police car, one grabbing something out of the passenger side, and then the same officer dousing the second’s arm with a liquid. JFULLSTRENGTH surmised this was evidence of something nefarious: “Did he actually shoot six officers? Because, here is a video of a Philadelphia police officer, spraying himself with fake blood.”
The video is obviously not evidence of crisis actors or staged injuries. Other Twitter users were quick to point out that the first officer was tending to the second’s wound by pouring iodine on it, while others shared HD versions of the video which clearly showed the second officer bleeding before any liquid spilled. That didn’t stop JFULLSTRENGTH’s comment from going viral; it now has almost 40,000 retweets and 71,000 likes. I myself quote tweeted it to point out how bad information can spread across social networks. This set off an exchange about the nature of conspiracies and the popularity of conspiracy theories.
Before we begin, some background: Philadelphia is one of the oldest cities in the United States. Like all old cities, it has a history shaped as much by its longevity as by any individual event — on a long enough timeline, eventually, conspiracies (or events that appear as such) are bound to occur. But Philly’s conspiracies intersect at a unique point between politics and race. On August 31, 1970, Police Commissioner (and later Mayor) Frank Rizzo led a squadron of officers to the Columbia Avenue headquarters of the Black Panther Party and raided the building, forcing Black Panther members to strip and walk out into the street semi-nude. Rizzo, a product of a specific time and place, had a history of antagonizing the city’s communities of color, particularly its black residents. So the idea that the Philly PD might have been targeting a black liberation group based on its presence wasn’t entirely unfounded.
In 1974, investigators uncovered over 400 officers taking bribes and other kinds of kickbacks. Claims of corruption plagued the department again in 1981, 1995, and 2009. It seems that every decade has brought a new scandal. The latter two, though, involved groups of officers targeting black and immigrant communities for extortion. Again, it’s not hard to understand why, in light of the department’s history of a lack of accountability, some Philadelphia residents might look upon the motives of the department suspiciously.
And, of course, there was the 1985 MOVE bombing, wherein the Philadelphia Police Department engaged in an hours-long shootout with another black liberation group, MOVE, that culminated in the department dropping two one-pound bombs on MOVE’s compound. The bombing ignited a fire that burnt down 65 homes in the immediate area and killed 11 MOVE members. Mind you, the department had already been in a shootout with MOVE once before, in 1978, and some believed the bombing may have been payback.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
To be clear: the Philadelphia Police Department did not stage anything in the video. JFULLSTENGTH’s take is horribly misguided. I bring these events up not to attack the Philadelphia Police Department or imply any wrong-doing but to illustrate why many in the city harbor a strong distrust for the department and the institution of policing as a whole. The pervasiveness of corruption throughout the department’s history has helped to shape its image in local communities, and contributed to Philadelphia’s image more generally. Right or wrong, the city consistently ranks as one of the “most dangerous” big cities in the United States, and one of the reasons for that is an image of lawlessness among members of law enforcement. While things are getting better, there is still a divide between the department and the communities it serves.
I also mention this because it provides context for the exchange I had with my friend. His concerns were ones I’ve heard echoed in the past but were unable to connect to the city’s history until recently. They also reflect how conspiracy theories take shape, by whom they’re created, and the extent to which they may or may not be valid.
After I quote tweeted the video, my friend offered an interesting perspective on the theory: while it was not a “staged” event, it may have formed out of a rational distrust of the Philly PD. I responded with ambivalence because on a fundamental level he wasn’t wrong. Belief in conspiracies is not in and of itself illogical. They happen. It’s the individual beliefs that are suspect. So, distrust of institutions and groups, especially those with a history of corruption, is rational. Our government has engaged in conspiracies at every level. It’s just that the individual beliefs that form out of that milieu extend beyond the bounds of acceptability more often than not.
It’s the difference between believing actors within the government conspire and work together to maintain power to push specific policies out of self interest, which they do, and believing in a shapeless, vague deep-state which has no goals beyond opposing whoever challenges that power, a view held on both the left and the right. Or, for example, it’s within the realm of plausibility that a police department might juke its stats to make a city seem safer than it is (i.e. under-report violent crimes, overemphasize certain kinds of arrests, etc.). In fact, many do: in 1998, the Justice Department began looking into crime statistics reported by the Philly PD, and in 2000, their investigators concluded that the department intentionally under-reported crimes like homicide and rape. That’s a real conspiracy. But it’s not realistic to believe officers used stage blood to make a shooter appear to be a bigger threat. Beliefs like the latter examples in both of these scenarios reduce complex chains of interactions into surface level observations pitting good against evil. So why do these latter examples persist?
Eventually, our back-and-forth extended into a discussion of even wilder conspiracies, and I began to understand why, in certain circumstances, the irrational becomes rational. We touched on the role the CIA may have had in spreading crack cocaine into communities of color and FDR’s “advance knowledge” of Pearl Harbor. The common thread among these was that they contained some formal truth. The CIA supported the Contras both directly and indirectly during their conflict with the Sandinistas, and the Contras were responsible for trafficking cocaine from Nicaragua into the United States, but there are no concrete connections tying the CIA and the Contras to Southern California drug dealers. And while FDR may have been aware that Japan was planning an attack on a U.S. naval base, the specifics are unclear and historians are quick to state he believed the attack was slated for the Philippines and not Hawaii.
Conspiracy theories exist at the nexus between fact and fantasy. They build off real events to connect disconnected or unusual ideas to create simple, concise explanations. In this sense, they’re not irrational. Narcotics officers might actually conspire to target immigrant bodegas owners for cash payouts because those immigrants won’t report the crimes to other officers working for the same department. This has nothing to do with a shootout involving police officers in the same city a decade later, but if enough stories like it appear over time then it becomes easier for tenuous links between the police and conspiracies to pop up because distrust in the institution has become strong enough that disillusioned groups are willing to believe anything negative. Conspiracy theories are often ideas created by groups which hold no power or believe their connection to power is fading, as a way to make sense of why they lack agency over their lives.
In this case, a theory that Philly police staged an aspect of the shootout for some political goal seems entirely irrational at first glance, but it becomes more attractive when you place it in a much longer timeline of events involving the department and its interactions with marginalized groups. Discussions of conspiracy theories frequently lack insight into the groups that gave birth to the beliefs. Individual theorists are easy targets because they can be branded as crazy. Occasionally, this is true. However, belief in conspiracy theories isn’t uncommon. Most Americans now believe in at least one conspiracy theory. The dividing line is the beliefs themselves. The kinds of theories one subscribes are a result of their position in society; the middle class and white Americans are more likely to believe that immigration is a tool enacted by elites to replace them, while Americans of color tend to believe the government is attempting to commit genocide through specific diseases like AIDs or policies which seek to limit population growth. These ideas exist exclusive to their groups precisely because they evolved over time to account for historical events and social interactions: demographic shifts are taking place in the United States and white Americans are now a smaller percentage of the population proportionally, and the U.S. government has conducted unethical experiments on black Americans. That doesn’t mean the individual beliefs are valid or rational, just that belief itself can be a kind of defense mechanism.
It’s easy to write off a single observation from a stranger as either simple ignorance or bad faith. That allows for the social context behind conspiratorial thinking to evaporate. It becomes a problem of the individual. We don’t have to think over why others might latch onto the idea. They don’t know better! They’re trolls! But the conditions under which these ideas form are more complex. They’re sometimes born of real pain. When we account for this, it becomes harder to write every theory off. We’re forced to ask uncomfortable questions of ourselves. Why do people believe such obvious lies? Why are they scared? The Philadelphia Police Department did a commendable job in protecting the lives of hostages, officers, and even the shooter, but distrust still lingers. There are enough examples in the department’s recent history to fuel theories for years to come. Some will be ridiculous, others less so. Understanding the social context behind how they formed will be important in stopping them from spreading. | https://robert-skvarla.medium.com/philadelphia-experiment-conspiracies-638d91896 | ['Robert Skvarla'] | 2019-08-20 14:30:20.038000+00:00 | ['Philadelphia', 'Conspiracy Theories', 'Conspiracy'] |
Libyan National Army Says in ‘State of War’ with Turkey | Attendees watch as a paratrooper makes a landing during an event by LNA forces in the eastern city of Benghazi on Nov. 6, 2020.
Turkey’s heavy military activity in western Libya in recent hours has pushed the Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Khalifa Haftar, to declare that it was in “state of war” with Ankara.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry had threatened to attack the LNA forces and deem them legitimate targets after they seized a Turkish cargo vessel that was headed to the western city of Misrata earlier this week.
LNA military sources confirmed local media reports of heavy Turkish overflights above the regions of Abugrein and al-Wishka west of the city of Sirte. Witnesses described “unusual” flight activity at the air college in Misrata.
LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said Libya was in a “state of war with Turkey,” blaming its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for escalating tensions over his continued weapons shipments to the North African country.
He said the seized vessel was head to Misrata in violation of the arms embargo imposed on Libya.
Meanwhile, the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord vowed to continue to implement its military agreements with Ankara in what was seen as a direct threat to the UN-sponsored ceasefire reached in November.
GNA spokesman Mohammed Qanunu said: “We are committed today more than ever to the agreements, especially if the ceasefire is not respected and peace is not restored in Libya.”
GNA Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha met with Turkish Ambassador to Libya Sarhan Aksan to discuss security cooperation between their countries. | https://medium.com/@deserttalks/libyan-national-army-says-in-state-of-war-with-turkey-bf595468c80d | ['Desert Talks'] | 2020-12-15 07:43:35.783000+00:00 | ['Africa', 'Lna', 'Libya', 'Middle East', 'Turkey'] |
How ESOPs Works | If you are working in a start-up or want to work with one, the biggest attraction is ESOPs. Employee Stock Option Plan. There are so many conversations going on about ESOPs. Someone got lakhs or crores of ESOPs, some start-ups are going public, some are on an ESOPs buyback spree. I love the fact that in India, wealth creation as a start-up employee is possible. And that is fascinating because until now we heard stories of Google or Uber employees becoming millionaires. But now, things are changing in India, and through this blog, I want to tell you about everything important for ESOPs. Understanding the basics of ESOPs is immensely critical. ESOPs are not simple. Sometimes, employees do not bother to understand how their ‘options’ will work. Failure to understand the intricacies is likely to leave you disappointed later on.
What are ESOPs? Think about the stock market when you see Reliance, HDFC, or any other companies shares going up and down, what is that? That is a price for a single share or stock of the company, correct? There will be stocks or share in a company. And to buy them one has to pay the price. ESOPS are not stocks but are stock options. There is a huge difference. This means that if you are an employee, the company is giving you options that sometime in the future you can buy the stocks of this company at a predetermined price(exercise price), which is usually negligible or very low price. This is great because if the company is doing well, they are getting a lot of funding, a lot of valuation has been done, then each and every stock is immensely valuable, right. Simply based on these ESOPs, you can earn a lot of wealth over a period of time. However, there are a lot of nuances, which one must know.
Five basic things:
Value of ESOPs: how many ESOPS are you getting, and what is the worth. Vesting period: how long will it take you to get these ESOPs. Cliff: the minimum time you will have to be in the company to get these ESOPs. Exercise period: which is after leaving the company what will be the time you will get to exercise these options. Taxation: how tax is calculated on ESOPs.
Let’s understand each point in detail.
Value of ESOPs
The first one, most fundamental, right, and that is how many ESOPs am I getting? Usually, ESOPs will be determined in value. Suppose there is a company whose value is 1,00,000 rupees, for simplicity’s sake. And the company has 10,000 shares. This means that every share’s value is 10 rupees(valuation/no. of shares). Now, if the company tells you that they are giving you 1000 rupees worth of shares, then this means that they are giving you 100 ESOPs. That is how the value of ESOPs is determined. However, at the point when your ESOPs are granted to you, that is the value for those ESOPs at that point. And then your hope is this company will be doing well in the future, because of which the valuation will increase, the price per stock will increase, and because of that the stocks units or ESOPS that I have got their prices will increase as well. Now, what does that mean in the current example? You got 100 ESOPs and each ESOPs value is ₹ 10. Say, after 6 months, there is new funding and now the value of each stock is not ₹ 10 but is ₹ 15. So, now suddenly, you did get ₹1000 worth of ESOPs, but their notional value is now ₹1500. That is how your ESOPs value keeps increasing. However, this is just a fundamental basis, what are the other nuances?
Vesting period
At what point or by what time period will you get these ESOPs? One company will never want to a person who has recently joined, give 100 ESOPs, then after one month you say, it is not working out and you leave. You leave, and you take away these 100 EOSPs with you. The company doesn’t stand to benefit at all, right? So, what do they do? They put these ESOPs in a vesting period. This means that you will not get ESOPs right away, you will get them over a period of time. What does it do for the company? It ensures that, for that period of time, if these ESOPS are important for you, you will remain associated with the company. It also helps them spread the ESOPs over a period of time. It is interesting for you as well because per year as you spend time in the company, you will keep getting more ESOPs, which is great. How does it usually work? Mostly it is yearly vesting. This means that every year there will be equal vesting and typically in India, there are 4 years of vesting. Meaning, if you have received 100 ESOPS, then every year, you will get 25 ESOPs. There is one more approach to it where aggressive companies want you to stay with them for four years and don’t leave them before that, then they backload these ESOPs. So they over four years don’t give you 25% each, they over four years give you the first 10%, then 20%, then 30% and finally 40%. A lot of employee-friendly companies, reverse it completely. They say we won’t do 10, 20, 30, 40, we will do 40, 30, 20, 10. Not many companies do this, but if you are associated with them, you know that they care about you and its employee a lot. A lot of companies say that one year is kind of unfair. Why? Let say you have spent 18 months in the company, so suddenly it may happen oho! IF I leave the company now, then I will get only one year of ESOPs, because the second year is yet to get completed. And companies don’t what that if an employee is checked-out or not contributing and only there because of the ESOPs. So, what do they do? Instead of yearly vesting, they make it quarterly vesting. So, every three months, you will get ESOPs. So, if you get the same 100 ESOPs, you won’t get 25 ESOPs every year, instead, you will get 6 ESOPS after the third month, again 6 ESOPSs after the sixth month, again 6 ESOPs after the ninth month, and finally in the 12th month 7 ESOPs(6+6+6+7 = 25). There is nothing called 6.25 ESOPs, it will always be a round figure. That is called the vesting period. Following this is the third thing called the cliff — the same logic.
Cliff
The company doesn’t want you to work for just 6 months. And if there is quarterly vesting, then you take 2 quarters vesting and leave. They want you to at least spend a minimum of time in the company. And that is called the cliff. This means how much will you have to climb and only after will you start getting ESOPs. Cliff! Most companies have a cliff of one year. This means before one year, if you leave the company you will not get any ESOPs. Only after completing one year, you will get the first allotment. And that means if you have got 100 ESOPs, then for the first year, you don’t get anything. At the end of the first year, you will get 25 ESOPs. And if there is quarterly vesting, then after every 3 months, after the first year, you get “6,6,6,7”, “6,6,6,7” and it continues. The fourth point and this I think is the most misunderstood. I won’t even say it is misunderstood, instead, it is an unknown point.
Exercise period
This is called the exercise period. What does this mean? You haven’t received the company’s stocks yet. All you have is the company’s stock options. This means that you have the option to buy the company’s stocks. That doesn’t mean you still have it. To convert this stock option into stock, you will get a time, and that is called the exercise period. A lot of companies, in India, have allotted three months as an exercise period. This means, at any point in time if you leave the company, then in three months, you will have to convert your ESOPs into stocks. If you don’t do that, then ESOPs will vanish. They are not there anymore. A lot of companies are booming that is thankfully employee-friendly, and they are saying that three months is not fair, we want to give them more time. So, there are many companies which give 5 years, even 10 years as an exercise period. Now the question that arises is “how does it matter?” If I want to convert these ESOPs into stocks. I will do it quickly. It’s not that easy. As per the income tax laws, ESOP is one of your incomes. Because you haven’t spent any money on that. Then whatever you get is an income. So, when you convert your stock options into stocks, then you will generate an income for yourself. And that means you will have to pay Income Tax. And that is not a great feeling. Why? Because you haven’t received any money for these stocks. You have only become the owner of these stocks. But you still have to pay the money to the government. So, if you have, let’s assume received 100 ESOPs, and you have resigned and you want to convert these 100 ESOPs into 100 stocks, and each stock price is ₹ 10, then the government will tell you that you have received ₹ 1000 income. And on this ₹ 1000, you will have to pay tax, which is, let’s say you fall under 30% tax slab, then Rs. 300. Now you haven’t received ₹ 1000. The only thing you have got are stocks. But you will have to pay ₹ 300 to the government from your pocket. And that’s why most people don’t do that. What do they wait for? They wait for a point when they can convert these stocks into money. That can be new funding round, that can be an IPO, that can be sales, that can be a secondary purchase. The basic thing is to convert stock into money. There will be an event and at that event, people exercise their ESOPs. Because they say that if I convert 100 ESOPs into stocks, and I will get ₹ 1000 and even if I have to pay ₹ 300 to the Government, then also there won’t be an issue, at least I have received ₹ 700. And that is a better situation. Exercise period is a very, very important part, and as I said an unknown part of ESOPs. If you know about these four things, then you will have clarity about your ESOP grant.
Taxation
Interestingly, ESOPs are taxed at 2 instances. First, when you exercise your options, and second when you sell your stocks. Let’s understand both scenarios in brief. When the employee has exercised the option, the difference between the FMV(Fair Market Value, which is the value of the stock on the exercise date) and the exercise price is taxed as perquisite. So, if a stock value is ₹ 15 on the exercise date and let say the exercise amount was ₹ 1 and you have 100 options, then you will be taxed on ₹ 1400((FMV — exercise price) X number of stocks). And the tax will be according to your salary bracket. If the employee sells these shares, another tax event happens. The difference between the sale price and FMV on the exercise date is taxed as capital gains. So assume you sell your stocks for ₹ 30. Then capital gain tax will be deducted on ₹ 1500((sell price — FMV) X number of stocks). And this can be long-term or short-term capital gain tax according to the time you hold your stocks for after the exercise date. So, to summarize:
Exercise price < FMV < sell price ESOP will be taxed on (FMV — exercise price) at the time of exercise, as a prerequisite. And again on (Sell price — FMV) at the time of sale by the employee, as a capital gain.
One important fact I would like to stress here is that your income tax will usually be more than your capital gain tax. So, to optimize for tax, you can exercise your options immediately after the vesting(FMV will be low compare to the future), instead of waiting for liquidation(FMV will be high compared to the past) to happen. But in this case, you are paying from your pocket for something which may not value anything in the future. That is a call which you have to take. Here’s ClearTax’s complete blog on it if you want to nerd out.
To conclude companies are leveraging ESOPs as a retention tool and growth multiplier, at the same time employees also benefit in the overall process, since monetization of ESOPs (if the startup has a considerable valuation) will far exceed the employee’s standard remuneration. If you already have ESOPs, check out how good is your startup’s ESOP policy. | https://medium.com/@chandel_19/how-esops-works-e313b5779e28 | ['Rishabh Chandel'] | 2021-09-05 17:58:07.674000+00:00 | ['Esop', 'Taxes', 'Employees', 'Wealth', 'Startup'] |
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday | Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
No two days are the same
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Every day is a different feeling, a different mindset
Sometimes I take it a day at a time, sometimes I’m forging ahead
Sometimes it’s two steps forward, one step back
Seems like I’m in limbo, and have been for the longest time
Like my goals, desires and timelines keep moving away, every time I creep closer
I’m going somewhere, but end up going nowhere
Can I escape the cycle?
Just start by waking up each morning, being grateful for the day
Be the best version you can be TODAY | https://medium.com/wordsmith-library/monday-tuesday-wednesday-thursday-friday-saturday-sunday-6f656a4bfdfa | ['Chetna Jai'] | 2020-12-13 13:17:29.334000+00:00 | ['Gratefulness', 'Everyday Life', 'Life', 'Poetry', 'Creative Writing'] |
Lockdown Economy USA in a Tourism Business with Elie Sasson | The interview was transcribed and adapted into an article by Megha Shyamili Purushothaman
Lockdown Economy: Interviews by think tank AlterContacts.org with real entrepreneurs sharing insights, challenges and successes during the COVID19 global pandemic to inspire, motivate and encourage other entrepreneurs around the world.
In this interview, we meet Elie Sasson, the CEO of Green Dream Tours in San Fransico/Napa/Sonoma. Elie Sasson explained the challenges of tourism in the San Francisco/Napa/Sonoma county during the pandemic. At the beginning of the lockdown, his business virtually stopped from March until June when things reopened again. With people not willing to travel due to the coronavirus, his craft beer, wine and cannabis tours focused on locals rather than tourists. Unfortunately, with the new restrictions announced December 3rd, 2020 in the state of California, Green Dream Tours had many cancellations wiping down the precious bookings for the month of December. Elie hopes that with vaccination, people will be willing to travel and excited about tourism again.
Watch the video version of the interview.
What do you do as a business?
Elie: We are a tour business and we offer wine country tours, wine tasting tours up to Napa and Sonoma just outside of San Francisco and so we bring people up there for the day for wine tasting and bring them back at the end of the day to San Francisco.
We also offer recently beer tasting tours actually within the city, in San Francisco, so those are craft beer walking tours and also recently started offering cannabis tours in San Francisco where we take people to the dispensaries and give them education about cannabis.
Wow! That sounds pretty entertaining!
Elie: Yeah, for sure.
How did the lockdown and the pandemic affect your business?
Elie: So the original lockdown in the middle of March completely shut us down because we were not allowed or able to operate in San Francisco. Also, the wineries were closed and all the business establishments were closed as well for the most part. So it was a complete shut down all the way until the end of June which is when the wineries reopened so we were able to resume those tours. A few months after that, the bars in San Francisco were able to reopen for outdoor use and so we were able to restart that as well. The cannabis tours, we had to kind of- we were able to resume but kind of on a different itinerary than what we were used to.
So things have normalized a little bit. Do you know how your customers and competition are doing?
Elie: Everybody in the tour business in San Francisco for sure, I imagine elsewhere, definitely had the rough year of 2020 because even once people- even once some businesses were open again, a lot of people just didn’t feel comfortable flying through the summer so that was very slow going. We did see a little bit of an uptick in the fall as people were willing to fly a little bit more.
Yeah. So you’d say that it’s a lot of out-of-town business for you?
Elie: So, normally speaking we do mostly out-of-town business and not much business with locals but we did see an increase in local business during 2020, during the pandemic, because people, even just in the bay area, needed something to do. So we definitely had an increase in local business but overall speaking, the business was still slow during 2020.
I can imagine. So Gavin Newsom put new restrictions on the state of California and some of the restrictions were starting on Sunday. Do you know if those restrictions are going to affect your business?
Elie: Yes, so we have already received many cancellations in the last few days. Most of our December bookings have already cancelled because people don’t really want to fly to San Francisco and everything shut down. So yes, the recent announcement definitely has hurt us for sure.
Even hotels are not allowing people to stay for non-essential travel or non-essential work. How is your business going on now and what are you planning for the next coming months?
Elie: Normally, there is a slowdown during the winter months because that is historically the low season for tourism so you don’t really do a lot of business from December to March anyway. We will continue to remain open or we will be when the restrictions lift; we will definitely reopen for business, although I expect it to be slow through the winter. So really at this point, looking forward to 2021, really to the spring or summer for business to start picking up again and hopefully, people will start flying again and tourism will pick up. We don’t expect 2021 to be a normal year but at least better than in 2020.
Yes, I hope so too. But your company and the tours will continue even though there is not a lot of travel. Will locals be able to enjoy your services?
Elie: Yes, for sure. Once the restrictions lift we will be able to reopen and hopefully do business with both local and out-of-towners. We’ll see what happens.
I hope the wineries remain open.
Elie: Yeah, so far the wineries are still open because they are not affected by the restrictions right now.
Okay, that is good to hear! So could you tell me or name three things that you need help with?
Elie: Well, I would say financially I could use help. I did get a loan so actually, financially I am okay now but there was definitely a point where I needed to get a loan so I did, I got one through the SBA so that’s definitely going to get me through the winter until business picks up again. Other than that, I don’t think- I don’t really need help with anything except the- potentially once things reopen, to get people back flying and so I would say I could use help, not in my own marketing necessarily, but maybe with the State or maybe with San Francisco itself or the wine country reaching out in terms of marketing to people saying “Hey, we’re open for business”. So maybe on a bigger level in addition to my marketing, some kind of marketing on a bigger level.- to bring people back to the area and get people excited about tourism again. Then, of course, everybody’s waiting for the vaccines to be distributed and we believe once that happens, that people will definitely be willing to fly again and somewhat resume normal lives.
So you mentioned marketing and the vaccine. Do you have- did you change any of your strategies since the pandemic in terms of attracting customers?
Elie: We reached out- we kind of decided to increase the marketing in terms of marketing to locals especially in the beginning when people weren’t flying.
That was really the only kind of strategy shift that we made.
Do you feel like it worked?
Elie: Yeah, I feel like we did get a fair amount of local business, more so than normal.
About the Guest
Specializing in affordable, fun and educational Wine Country Tours to Napa and Sonoma. Cannabis and Craft Beer Tours in the San Francisco area. Sightseeing tours of San Francisco Bay Area, including Muir Woods, are also available. Options include private tours, custom tours, corporate outings, special events and private charters.
https://greendreamtours.com/
https://greendreamcannabistours.com/
https://sfontaptours.com/ | https://medium.com/@altercontacts/lockdown-economy-usa-in-a-tourism-business-with-elie-sasson-5fe07df2927 | ['Lockdown Economy'] | 2020-12-26 11:14:23.706000+00:00 | ['Small Business', 'Lockdown', 'Travel', 'Tourism', 'Coronavirus'] |
用諗嘅去學conditional sentences | 用諗嘅去學conditional sentences
Photo by Joe Pearson on Unsplash
Conditional sentences即係條件句，亦即係If…嘅句式。建議唔好一次過學哂啲句式，每次兩個兩個咁比較吓分別去學會易掌捱啲。
中文：如果你唔完成份功課，你就要留堂做咗佢。
English: If you do not finish the homework, you will need to stay behind to finish it.
只要知道兩隻字就可以快速掌握用法：HOW （點樣用）+ WHEN（幾時用）。基本上就係想講如果喺某啲情況/條件（condition)下，將會發生啲咩事？ | https://medium.com/@manhoksaang/%E7%94%A8%E8%AB%97%E5%98%85%E5%8E%BB%E5%AD%B8conditional-sentences-432a63f92826 | ['Man Hok Saang 文學生'] | 2020-12-26 13:19:36.998000+00:00 | ['廣東話', '英文', 'English'] |
Updates from Ubcoin Market development | 🔥 We continue to update you on how the Ubcoin Market looks like and how it will function.
❤️ Here are some screenshots from it: the main screen, an item screen, the top-up screen.
💎 UBC tokens are currently traded on three exchanges: COSS, LATOKEN and IDEX. There are more exchanges to come soon.
https://exchange.coss.io/exchange/ubc-eth
https://wallet.latoken.com/market/Crypto/ETH/UBC-ETH
https://idex.market/eth/ubc
🎉 The Ubcoin Marketplace app is planned to be available on stores in mid-September 2018. | https://medium.com/ubcoin-blog/updates-from-ubcoin-market-development-688796c164fa | ['Ubcoin. Cryptocurrency Reimagined'] | 2018-09-24 16:39:23.858000+00:00 | ['Ubcoin', 'Ubcoin Product', 'Ethereum', 'Ubc', 'Bitcoin'] |
An Antidote To The Tiger Mom? | Photo by Web Donut on Unsplash
There is something about the sting of asphalt on the palm of your hand when you fall off your bicycle that makes you never want to let it happen again. Of course it will happen again, but you learn, you get better and so on. That is the way millions of people learned to ride. At least they did. But not so much lately.
No Struggle, No Story
A couple of years ago I met a woman who had never fallen from a bicycle or seemingly had any major failure in her life. Unfortunately, she wanted me to write her life story. It was unfortunate because narratives with no struggle don’t work so well. Obstacles overcome, after all, make a better tale. The bigger the obstacle the better the story. A story without such tension is just lacking. And now we are learning that it doesn’t really work so well in life either.
That brings me to Jessica Lahey’s book, “The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed,” which addresses the issue of over protective parenting and how sometimes it’s just a better gift to let kids learn through trial and error. Lots of emphasis on the error, please!
It goes back to that love of learning that all children are endowed with. How do you best stack the wooden blocks so they don’t fall down? You do it wrong once or twice and then maybe get some help. My father showed me some tricks with Legos (but only after I failed a few times) and I still remember. Years later in chemistry class, how many times did my mates and I set the sink on fire accidentally? Enough to know that even flaming oil floats on water.
Success Comes from Failure
Maybe learning like that is too risky for some. But it is out of such experiences that we get competent, which is something Lahey writes about. She defines competence as confidence born out of experience. If you have misplaced confidence you might end up hurting yourself. She rightly desires to raise children who are competent and gives them plenty of opportunity to learn it. Note that it is the opportunity which she provides. She doesn’t hover over them.
Don’t think this is an easy parenting alternative. It actually sounds hard. Very hard. At one point Lahey describes the mental agony of realizing that her son left his homework on the kitchen table and then resolved not to chase after him. In some ways, her book is the antidote to the Tiger Mom movement. There is also much to learn from what she writes, whether or not you put it into practice.
Failing Puts You In Good Company
If you are starting to doubt this approach then look at how failure has shaped many of our business icons in ways that can only be seen as positive. Walt Disney , founder of Disney, wasn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea. One boss viewed him as uncreative. Star of 21st Century Fox’s American Idol, Simon Cowell, owed friend and music producer Peter Waterman almost a quarter of a million pounds ($370,000) when his company, Fanfare, went bust, according to the Daily Mail. Likewise, Thomas Edison wouldn’t have invented the light bulb without many setbacks. There are many other examples of people who overcame adversity. They knew how to get back on the bicycle after they had fallen off.
If that isn’t enough to convince you, then think of all the great stories your kids will be able to laugh about years later when they spin yarns for their grandchildren.
This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on Forbes.com on September 8, 2015. | https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/an-antidote-to-the-tiger-mom-ca37cff943c1 | ['Simon Constable'] | 2020-03-11 11:06:00.908000+00:00 | ['Learning And Development', 'Failing', 'Book Recommendations', 'Books And Authors', 'Career Development'] |
Influenzaville | Stuck at home. Not free.
Sippin’ on Airborne
Feeling so forlorn
Using up Kleenex like they are for free
Sore throat — I can’t sing — I so need a hot spring
It’s hell to be sick — I think you’ll agree.
Wastin’ away again in Influenzaville
Searchin’ for my warm blankie of wool
Some people claim that there’s a virus to blame
But I know I’m nobody’s fool.
Don’t know the reason
For flu in spring’s season
Nothing to show but some feelings of blue
That sneeze was a beauty —
Delivered a booty
How it got here I have to say ewww.
Wastin’ away again in Influenzaville
Searchin’ for my warm blankie of wool
Some people claim that there’s a virus to blame
But I know I’m nobody’s fool.
I blew out my nosey
Don’t feel so cozy
Really mad that I’m trapped here at home
But there’s juice in the blender
And soon it will render
The vitamin C that helps me hang on
Wastin’ away again in Influenzaville
Searchin’ for my warm blankie of wool
Some people claim that there’s a virus to blame
But I know it’s my own damn fault
Yes and some people claim that there’s a virus to blame
And I know it’s my own damn fault
Here is a rendition by the master himself, in Cuba, in a happy, healthy time: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BZPbC0JV7k
With fevered gratitude to songwriter Jimmy Buffett. “Margaritaville” lyrics © Coral Reefer Music, Kobalt. | https://medium.com/@marylholden/influenzaville-9d9ce587e7b4 | ['Mary Holden'] | 2019-03-24 16:37:38+00:00 | ['Influenza', 'Song', 'Coptedlyricssosorry', 'Tissues', 'Virus'] |
Creating a different kind of value for Singapore’s big data industry | We made our entry into the big data scene earlier this year in Singapore as a homegrown startup with a vision to build a valuable data platform from our extensive and ever-growing library of data products and resources. Choosing to be headquartered in Singapore was a logical and strategic move with us Singaporeans being on the core team, and the fact that Singapore is currently at the forefront of Southeast Asia in terms of big data. In fact, Singapore is also known as Southeast Asia’s big data hub according to Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), with the data analytics industry contributing at least S$1 billion to its economy each year. Being in based in Singapore also means we have ease of access to the broader Asia market.
In the big data industry, one of the key challenges is to fill the talent gap. For BRDA, this is one of the key issues in mind as we started building our team. The skills and expertise required for our product development and execution led us to seek out critical talents globally. With the rapid development of Internet giants such as Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent in China, we managed to bring onboard key talents that were readied with vast experience in the fintech arms of one of China’s largest online retailer. Possessing capabilities in areas of data integration, monetization and industry data analysis, coupled with extensive knowledge in commerce, trade and technology, the adept utilization and application of big data and AI lead to the birth of our core product, BRDA Legion.
Over the years, businesses have been embracing Big Data and AI to drive business growth in various ways, such as to improve operational efficiency, market optimization and more. However, few, or even none had gone beyond areas of data analytics and business intelligence in our existing tech space. BRDA Legion is a celebration of a disruptive innovation in that space.
One successful project that propelled us into recognition was our foray into one of Asia’s booming industry. BRDA Legion, in its end-development stage, was used to derive valuable insights from toll data on a national level. It was an incredible feat as billions of lines of past transactions and millions of daily transactions were collected from over 10,000 toll stations countrywide. From injection of data to the development and creation of commercially viable products for banks and insurance companies required merely six months. We let big data do the heavy lifting with the least amount of resources required. Currently, we are already in talks with a few banks and insurance companies on product usage to meet their business goals.
Involving novel approaches in AI, data mining, domain modelling, valuable pre-trained industry model repositories and more, BRDA Legion is a constantly evolving product that can meet different business needs and most importantly, unlock commercially viable insights across different industries. Our experience with a national toll data is testament to that.
With the synergistic integration of our key global talents into our founding team, it will be a breeze unlocking the true value of data, requiring minimal resources and mundane work done. It will then be up to businesses to proactively make use of our tech strategically to make their next disruptive, winning move. | https://medium.com/@brdadiscover/creating-a-different-kind-of-value-for-singapores-big-data-industry-4f97779e4805 | ['Brda Discover'] | 2020-12-08 09:11:45.477000+00:00 | ['Startup', 'AI', 'Singapore', 'Product Development', 'Big Data'] |
8 Things to know before you host an Online Experience | Last year, I became an online event host — a job that did not exist until last year. I was filled with sadness and disappointment seeing my offline events starting to get cancelled when the lockdown was announced last year in Berlin. I might have continued mourning about it but my tech-sophisticated husband pushed me to go online. I can not thank him enough for pushing me into this vast sea of possibilities.
When life gives you lemons, use the zest to style your food.
Napolean Hill has rightly said, “Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune or temporary defeat.”
I have been running online experience events on Airbnb and other platforms since 2020 focussing on Indian spices and food ingredients. Over the past year, I have hosted thousands of people from all parts of the world. I was able to host organisations like Facebook, MIT, Amazon, LinkedIn, Capital one, HP, Allbirds, Expedia, Lyft, Delivery Hero & many more.
Online events are here to stay. If you are considering online hosting or just wondering what it is like to be an online event host, my story of hosting will be helpful for you. Here is what I have learned in the past year hosting hundreds of events:
What works Offline may not apply to Online
The structure of the Online event needs to be different from the Offline. Online events can get tiring because of screen fatigue so it is ideal to keep them short.
I started out doing 90 minute long events, but now unless there is a specific demand, I have kept the events to 60 minutes. In an offline event, the host has more control over the ingredients required for a cooking class but in an online environment, it is all up to the participants and what they have. So, I tend to make the format of the event simple and with limited instructions for the participants to follow.
A click from our offline Event in Berlin
2. Take one step at a time
One can not develop a perfect experience from day one and I know that I need to refine my process with every event. I make sure I keep practising with my friends and families. I ask for their honest feedback and try to incorporate improvements on every single point. Bloopers do happen from time to time, but I have practised staying calm and incorporate a story or two while I let the blooper pass away.
3. Start with a simple setup for hosting Online events
The technical setup for hosting the online meeting is crucial for the success of the event. However, I realized that I cannot just copy someone else’s set-up and make it happen. I needed to start with a simple setup.
In my case, I or better say my partner did a lot of research on the pieces needed to make a flawless experience for the participants. Today, the set-up looks very different from the one I had at the start. It is all about trial and error.
4. Find and create your own league
Rolf Dobelli correctly said in his book “The Art of the Good Life” that if you find yourself in an arms race, get out of it.
Join my Ghee event to know more about Ghee, the Indian Superfood.
I make sure that my events are different from what others are offering. One of the ways I do that is by playing with my core strengths. I focus on simplifying complex things by storytelling and sharing my knowledge of spices. I share my profound interest in food styling, healthy cooking, and dancing. By living outside my home country for so long, I have been able to empathise with people from all over the world, which helps me to understand their perspective and constraints. Also, I have my own dressing style for the events, making sure that it should look professional.
Turmeric as a spice is quite popular in my experience
That’s Our Popular Butter Masala Curry, Do you appreciate the food presentation?
5. This work ain’t easy and burnout is real
It may look like an uncomplicated way of making money on the surface. In reality, it is not that easy. I went through a lot myself. My eyes stayed uncomfortable all winter because of the big studio lights that I have been using. My sleep pattern got disturbed on many days for late-night work.
Colouring helps me to meditate and keep a check on the Stress
Reviews are so crucial in this work and even if you do your best, you are still scared about the customer's feedback. One deducted star is so much of a disadvantage. Initially, I used to wake up in the middle of the nights to make sure that I got five stars.
I recently got a 4-star review on Airbnb and the surprising part of this is that feedback was very positive. Getting 5-star reviews is quite important on Airbnb to keep hosting.
I was hurt and sad for a day. All my loved ones said that in the long course, this would not matter.
6. Keep growing even after perfection.
I do not want to spend my entire life doing the same thing every day. I feel doing this would defeat my creativity and even my growth as a person. For me, no two events are alike. I tailor each event to the participants’ needs. I let them choose the spices they want to talk about in every spice event or the menu if it is a cooking event. They even decide the porcelain that I will serve my food in.
What Say?
I take a lot of time to answer their questions as well. That keeps me on my toes. I am always reading to know more about spices and constantly trying new ingredients and developing recipes, styling methods and dance moves.
My reviews are full of generous love from people.
7. You can only sustain doing this if you really love it
It can get very tiring if you are not passionate about hosting. Also, you require a bigger purpose to feel emotionally attached to it. I love every part of my work. It comprises communicating, educating, cooking, teaching, learning, designing and dancing. My bigger mission is to help and motivate people to cook simple, healthy and delicious meals for themselves and their families.
8. It gives you the courage to dream big
As online events suddenly connect you to the whole world, you can dare to dream big.
My big dream is to be featured in Vogue magazine as a modern spice master.
I have hosted groups of up to 1000 people. I want to host even a bigger group now.
I want to do an offline event in New York City.
Host my dream companies SpaceX, Tesla, Netflix, NASA, Apple, Zoom and Google. I narrowly missed out on Google twice. I hope to host them very soon.
I also would love to host some celebrities: Warren Buffet(the wisest person I know. I mostly listen to him when I am cooking. I hope he becomes curious about online events and spices too), Jeff Bezos( the other times, I listen to him), Tim Cook ( I appreciate his voice and calm attitude in his interviews), Elon Musk (My husband’s favourite person. He would go crazy if Elon Musk attended one of my events), Jim Parson (Oh, Sheldon), Sia (I listen to ‘Unstoppable’ for high vibes), Anna Wintour ( I took a lot of decisions after watching her Masterclass) and Obama ( my favourite orator).
The last person could be Susan Jeffers, whose book “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway” had urged me to remodel my craft into a real business.
So that is what I have learned so far, and I am sure I have more to discover in the future. If you are stuck, let me tell you it is easier and sexier than you think, to find and do the work you love.
If you want to join my online events, you can visit my website www.kittyparty.de. On Airbnb, you can find my experience here. | https://medium.com/@kitty-party/last-year-i-transformed-into-an-online-event-host-a-job-that-did-not-exist-until-last-year-ed21e881e15c | ['The Kittyparty'] | 2021-04-08 19:55:14.312000+00:00 | ['Airbnb', 'Mental Health', 'Online Event', 'Team Building Events', 'Zoom'] |
Is Mass Tourism Ruining Sa Pa, Vietnam? | Infinity & Abroad on WordPress.com | Is Mass Tourism Ruining Sa Pa, Vietnam? | Infinity & Abroad on WordPress.com
The night bus arrived in Sa Pa at 5am after hours of driving through a thick, dreamy fog. The driver loudly announced our arrival and, blearily, we all rubbed our eyes and exited the bus. We were immediately accosted by a small crowd of taxi and motorbike drivers who began yelling prices and asking where we were each going, blocking the way to the bags and luggage. Too early for this, I thought.
I tuned out the price shouting for a moment as I strapped on my backpack and looked around, trying to gather my thoughts. Blinking neon signs and shiny billboards advertising hostel vacancies, trekking tours and “western food” surrounded us. Dingy, slab-like concrete hotels that looked like they had been built overnight towered above us. The touts were awake early and ready to make a sale.
Was this the same Sa Pa I had read so much about? The serene landscape of rice paddies, mountains and villages?
Intro to Sapa
I didn’t know much about Sa Pa until I hit the road and started talking to other travelers, but Sa Pa was on just about everyone’s list. The photos alone were very alluring.
Yeah, like this one
I fantasized about bright green, towering rice paddy terraces, motorcycling on dirt roads along the deeply-sloped mountains completely alone, and spotting tiny villages from high viewpoints. Tranquility and clean air after dirty hustle-bustle of Hanoi.
And apparently so have over a million other travelers.
Over Development
This is what I found instead…
While villages outside of Sa Pa proper are still pastoral and traditional, Sa Pa is not the idyllic, sleepy hill town it’s still believed to be. Its remoteness may have protected it for a long time, but Sa Pa has exploded in popularity in recent years among travelers and that has led to a huge boom in development. Think towering 5-star hotels hogging the best views of Muong Hoa Valley, westerner-catering restaurants, tour agencies, souvenir shops, ticket fees to visit sites that were free a couple years ago, etc.
Taller and taller buildings are being constructed with no regard to the visual impact on the town. I saw construction sites everywhere and couldn’t ignore the noise pollution.
“You buy something from me?” are frequent words you’ll hear from touts. Hmong women will come in on trucks or buses from the hill villages to try make a sale in the town. While being constantly hassled and followed is no fun, I can’t help but be sympathetic since many are simply trying to make a living in Sa Pa’s growing market of tourism. Buy something from an adult if you like, but if you buy trinkets from local children, you’ll be doing them a disservice since many come from villages to sell goods to visitors instead of attending school. And they may not even see the benefit of that money. As you can see below, they’re really cute (and persistent), but hold your ground (and your wallet).
Sa Pa has become so popular among travelers, that, according to the Lao Cai province’s government, nearly a million people visited Sapa alone in 2016. Meanwhile, only 60,000 residents live there. Some travelers have returned to Sa Pa to find it’s changing dramatically.
Mass tourism can have negative effects on the quality of life of a place, especially when the local government isn’t equipped to deal with it. But I can’t bring myself to criticize the town for changing when we as travelers have driven the commercialization of the region.
So, Should You Still Go to Sa Pa?
You can still have an amazing time in Sa Pa, but if you are looking to go trekking or see the rice paddy terraces, your best bet is to find a homestay outside of town. The town of Sa Pa isn’t a bad place to crash for a night if you need to get your bearings, but after that, explore beyond and see what the north has to offer.
Forgo the tour agencies and go with local guides from the villages. Travelers are drawn from all over the world to Sa Pa’s verdant landscape and rural villages of ethnic minorities. I personally feel a little funny about traveling somewhere to observe people of different ethnic minority groups, but if you do go to Sa Pa for a village trek (or just a nature trek), put your money directly into the hands of those local, ethnic guides. They’re essentially showing you their backyard and will only see a tiny fraction of the money if you pay a trekking agency in Sa Pa town or Hanoi.
The treks and homestays are a good source of income for these villagers who may have less access to Vietnam’s larger economy. Paying a tour company directly may make things easier for your trip, but paying the local villagers directly can make a big difference in their lives.
The wave of tourism to Sa Pa doesn’t seem to be slowing down, and, unfortunately, the town of Sa Pa may have given up its rural, peaceful charm to become a tourist trap in the near future. Still, the nature of the Lào Cai region is breathtaking.
If you’re now looking for an alternative to Sa Pa, Mù Cang Chải and Lai Châu are both stunning, less-traveled options with rice paddy terraces. But if you’re set on Sa Pa, do a trek of Muong Hoa Valley and head out to nearby villages like Ta Van. Tourism or not, the north is still beautiful. | https://medium.com/@Infinity_Abroad/is-mass-tourism-ruining-sa-pa-vietnam-infinity-abroad-on-wordpress-com-fac9ebf413b1 | ['Infinity'] | 2017-11-29 01:49:05.433000+00:00 | ['Travel', 'Vietnam', 'Southeast Asia', 'Backpacking'] |
A Determined Mind: Phyllis Boyd | A Determined Mind
Phyllis Boyd
Phyllis Boyd describes herself as a mother, an artist, and a good member of the community. “My personality changes day to day,” Phyllis said, about her disposition. She describes her disposition as curious, open, and determined.
Boyd is the Executive Director of Groundwork Indy. Groundwork Indy engages youth in community-based projects to enhance environmental, economic, and social well being. She is Groundwork’s founding executive director.
Phyllis grew up in Indy and now lives in the Meridian and Kessler neighborhood. She grew up in a stable two-parent family. Her father worked for the post office, and her mother had different jobs, such as working at a nursing home and being a housekeeper. She has good memories of gardening with her mother and attending family gatherings.
According to Phyllis, “I vowed when I was eighteen to never come back. I was interested in a lot of things- science and nature and art, and I just did not feel like [Indianapolis] was a place where I needed to do the things that I wanted to become.” When she was young, she felt a sense of oppression and not being seen, which made her want to get out. Back then, the oppression of white supremacy, structural racism, and institutional racism were not a part of mainstream conversations. She didn’t have words to explain why she couldn’t develop and grow. She felt that she need to be someplace else to support her mental and intellectual growth.
She received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Indiana University in Bloomington, and later, a Master of Arts in Botany and a Master of Landscape Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin.
“It’s all related.”
She got involved in improving environmental, economic, and social well-being because she has always been passionate about nature and the relationship of people to their environments.
“I’ve always been interested in nature, and having an interest and love for it just encouraged me to learn about it and the environmental aspects,” said Phyllis. This passion would later lead her to a career centered around this issue. She elaborated, saying everything is connected and it is connected to our personal health. “It’s all related.” People are connected to nature.
Phyllis has a background in community planning and landscape architecture. She leaped on the opportunity to get involved with Groundwork Indy. She was excited to work with youth because it has been something she always wanted to do. She said that resistance to racism and oppression comes in different forms, and for her, she focuses on working with youths.
“For me, the outward focus is on working with youth and supporting them on their path to reaching their potential and on working with communities to address the structural racism that manifests as chronic disinvestment in the built environment of communities of color.” She is passionate about this issue and works to better the community in this way. Phyllis adds that the inward focus of resistance is on self-care and doing what brings her joy.
Groundwork Indy started up after a steering committee was formed, consisting of local community members. They tried to get a diverse collection of stakeholders to decide if a new nonprofit can be sustained and what they would actually do. They made it through that process, and later Phyllis became the first executive director.
When asked about her regrets, she said, “I regret… thinking that I had to prove anything. I spent a lot of my life being an overachiever, but I learned what I learned, and I got the degrees that I got.” Later, she explained that there might have been an easier road to doing the work she does now that didn’t involve getting as many degrees.
One thing that gets her excited is the ways that people can be free. “We could make decisions and changes in our lives that reflect who we are and not who society wants us to be,” Phyllis said. She said that people could be free by being attentive to how they act as consumers and really thinking about influencing their decisions on how they spend their time, energy, and money. People can be free by using their talent in this world to make a positive difference they want to see.
When discussing how she shapes the community and how the community shapes her, she spoke about the interconnectedness of the community. Phyllis said that everyone shapes the community, and everyone is a part of it. She used a metaphor of putting a drop of ink in a bucket of water, saying, “we are a part of each other.” When you put a drop of ink in a bucket of water, it dilutes throughout, affecting every particle. In this way, members of a community are each impacted by one another.
“I want to live in a world where people are free…”
When discussing what gets her out of bed, she said, “I want to live in a world where people are free, where you don’t have to live in a world where… there are people that live in terror where people want to kill them.” Phyllis has a passion for freedom. She added that she wants to live in a world where that behavior does not exist.
In her life, she has experienced racism. She added that the majority of African Americans have. Examples include having the N-word yelled at her from a car of white people. Phyllis said that this has happened multiple times. One time, a parent at her child's school said their children could not play together because of their skin color. Another instance is when a white woman said, “look at all those n*****s,” while Phyllis was on a service-learning trip with Groundwork youth at the Indiana Dunes several years ago.
In addition, she talked about experiencing micro and macro aggressions. One time, after Phyllis gave a presentation, a white woman commented on how well-spoken she was. In response, she thought, “Of course I am. I am a grown woman, the CEO of a non-profit, and have two master's degrees.” This was not the first time she has been underestimated.
Another example was when she was attending IU in Bloomington. To get to her school, she had to drive through Martinsville, a place her family had warned her about due to the 1968 racially motivated murder of Carol Jenkins, a cousin of Phyllis’s father. “I grew up understanding that there were people in this world who would hate and kill me just because of the color of my skin and their delusion that I was less than human, less than them,” Phyllis said.
“This is resistance.”
These experiences have had a lasting impact on her life. When talking about why these instances of racism are so painful and traumatic, she said, “They are at the core dehumanizing and associated with the very real threat of harm, violence, and death.” She brought up the history of racism: lynchings and slavery.
As a parent of Black children, she stated when her loved ones leave the house, “I know that one of the reasons they might not make it back is that someone decided that, due to the color of their skin, they did not have the right to exist.” She elaborated on this, saying that this is not hyperbole. Phyllis said that this is the terror that Black people live with daily. She continues, saying that she still sends her children into the world every day. “This is resistance.”
When asked about how she challenges what is expected of her, she said simply, “I am living my life.”
She answered a question about her life goal by saying, simply: “To be happy,” and later, “To be free and stay free.” When asked why freedom was important to her, she said, “it’s about being the human being that you want to be. It’s about removing delusions society has placed on me, on who I can be and what I can be.”
She believes her biggest challenge is giving herself time to be still and take care of herself.
Phyllis said that if she were to advise someone who wanted to help end racism, it would be to become educated about themselves and this country's history. She elaborated, saying to look up resources and organizations working to dismantle racism. Finally, she added, “the source of racism is white people, so it is the job of white people to stop it.” | https://medium.com/northwest-learning-journey/voices-article-995f3516be65 | [] | 2020-12-09 03:46:40.072000+00:00 | ['Community Development', 'Racial Justice', 'Indianapolis', 'Resistance', 'Youth Development'] |
Maximize Your Minutes | Photo by Daniele Franchi on Unsplash
In professional sports, the phrase “maximize your minutes’’ comes up frequently. The idea is that athletes should make the most of their time on the field, the ice, whatever. It’s a good practice, but it doesn’t mean the same thing to every athlete.
For example, for one athlete maximizing their minutes might mean that they concern themselves with every facet of the game instead of padding their own stats. They spend some (or most) of their time learning so that they can execute better over the long haul.
Another athlete might consider maximizing their minutes to mean that they want to be a big part of every play, no matter how. They go-all out on each and every instant, because that’s what maximizing their minutes means to them.
A third athlete may very well think a hybrid of the two aforementioned approaches is the way to go.
In professional wrestling, maximizing minutes means that when the spotlight is shining on you that you make sure you do a whole lot of shining as well. The spotlight moves around pretty frequently in that industry, so maximizing minutes isn’t something that happens in an “ebb and flow” sort of way. For many pro wrestlers, they only get one shot at the spotlight. They need to do whatever it takes –no matter what– to make that shot count.
I don’t always maximize my minutes. I need to be better at that. But before that happens, I need to decide what that means. Otherwise I could very well be squandering my time instead of making the most of it.
And you need to do the same. | https://medium.com/about-time/maximize-your-minutes-856d3cdbe31c | ['Mike Vardy'] | 2020-12-22 12:22:23.858000+00:00 | ['Attention', 'Prioritization', 'Intentions', 'Time Management', 'Productivity'] |
The Balance of Opposites | The Balance of Opposites
A study of a ‘Way’
“It is said the warrior’s is the twofold Way of pen and sword, and he should have a taste for both Ways. Even if a man has no natural ability he can be a warrior by sticking assiduously to both divisions of the Way.”
“When you appreciate the power of nature, knowing rhythm of any situation, you will be able to hit the enemy naturally and strike naturally. All this is the Way of the Void.”
“I studied morning and evening searching for the principle, and came to realize the Way of Strategy when I was fifty. Since then I have lived without following any particular Way.”
— Miyamoto Musashi, Book of the Five Rings
Miyamoto Musashi was a ronin (an unattached Samurai), fighting duels as physical philosophy. His unique fighting style, with sword in each hand, was known as the “Ni Ten Ichi Ryu” school, and Musashi remained an undefeated warrior, artist, philosopher and teacher. He wrote his classic Book of the Five Rings around 1643. His life exemplified balance in all things at all times.
Probably Musashi’s most famous duel was against Ganryu (Sasaki Kojiro) in 1612. This Long Sword expert was beaten by Musashi using only a wooden pole, and great balance between mental and physical strength and agility, and therefore psychological outmaneuvering — Musashi’s ‘lateness,’ moving at deliberately slow speed, then quickening rhythm, made Ganryu lose his self control and therefore the dual. The combination of skill and psychology became Musashi’s trademark.
Sculpture commemorating the duel of Ganryujima between Musashi Miyamoto and Sasaki Kojiro. Hosokawa Sansai Governed Buzen prefecture at the time this dual took place and gave Musahi permission to fight the duel.
Many believe that he fought and survived against numerous Tokugawa forces during the early 1600’s until the Edo era, when he increasingly spent his time seeking the wider truths of his “Way,” and continued his study of Zen Buddhism. “To move the shade,” “Holding down a shadow,” and “Time can be passed on,” are three of his fighting philosophies.
Two further quotes from Musashi’s Book of the Five Rings give further meditative value — on the balance of opposites.
“When you have come to grips and are striving together with the enemy, and you realize that you cannot advance, you ‘soak in’ and become one with the enemy. You can win by applying a suitable technique while you are mutually entangled.”
“If the enemy thinks of the mountains, attack like the sea; and if he thinks of the sea, attack like the mountains. You must research this deeply.”
A ronin, perhaps, by nature, Miyamoto Musashi was also a Shokunin, who believed a true Samurai learnt many crafts, and learnt them well. Tasio Odate defines Shokunin as the following: “The Japanese word shokunin is defined by both Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries as ‘craftsman’ or ‘artisan,’ (…) both spiritual and material, in that no matter what it is, the shokunin’s responsibility is to fulfill the requirement.” | https://medium.com/beautiful-haibun/the-balance-of-opposites-795c107ade0d | [] | 2019-03-09 11:01:06.103000+00:00 | ['Japan', 'Haiku'] |
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Have you written something useful within what we publish? Mail us, do not hesitate. | https://medium.com/the-bullish/how-to-get-published-on-the-bullish-publication-336f5eac91ba | ['Mark Sheppard'] | 2020-12-26 06:34:18.228000+00:00 | ['Publishing', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Ｍedium', 'Writing', 'Bitcoin'] |
Worth your While — 1. Starting this wonderful series to talk… | Starting this self-reflecting nostalgic series to talk about everything that moves me and gets me thinking.
Tread with me as we together rumble through the rambles.
Internet, My Kind Friend
Ever saw a post that claimed, otherwise? I hope not. This is an attention game, and this girl on the internet wants it as well. This girl, in addition to, the hokum that is social media when it ain’t giving meaning to the influenza’s life. More filling the voids of your own. Like a mindless activity, you did as you commuted in the days of yore or in the middle of an office call where you say Hi and Thank you and that’d be all. The internet is now my friend. It remembers what I ever said, cookies like the brain’s hippocampus, I’d rather say. It remembers all the times even the ones I nonchalantly forgot. Just the other day, I looked up a book I’d want to read and left it in my shopping cart. And then, when I went to YouTube, my dear friend, reminded me of the book that I forgot to buy.
Sweet.
It’s only been a while since we have known each other and yet we are so chummy. It finishes my sentences mid-sentence as I type this out, almost as if we have known each other forever, an intimacy, hitherto unknown. I oft wonder where this is going. Will it hurt me, and will it then be the end? But how could this possible caring for one go wrong? It offers me advice, offers me knowledge, entertainment, solace, and knows just how to make me feel alright. Why would I ever want to keep that away? | https://medium.com/@shreyaishani7/worth-your-while-1-c2ab9788ffc | ['Shreya Ishani'] | 2020-12-25 14:52:11.655000+00:00 | ['Programmatic Advertising', 'Marketing Online', 'Mybestfriend', 'Social Media', 'Internet'] |
Running C# code in the browser: pt 2 | Running C# code in the browser: pt 2
Let us take a deeper look at what it means to run C# in the browser using Blazor. Picture a scenario where we have a number of factories producing cars around the world and every day they each report the number of cars that have left the assembly line during the last 24 hour. The company wants a web page to get a quick glance of the current numbers and the possibility to download the data in an excel file (because everyone loves excel) for further analysis. The data is aggregated and available through an api call.
If it wasn’t for the excel requirement it would have been a very simple app to develop with some html and javascript. But with excel support you probably need a slightly more experienced developer, if you want to finish in a reasonable amount of time. If your developer is most comfortable writing C# then it probably makes more sense to develop and maintain a .NET application. Let’s see if Blazor is the right tool for the job.
Using the dotnet cli we generate a sample Blazor WebAssembly application by running the command:
>dotnet new blazorwasm
We continue by adding the dotnet library EPPlus for creating and working with excel documents with the following command:
>dotnet add package EPPlus
If we look into the standard entry point of a .NET application, the Program.cs file we see a mix of both familiar and some new stuff. We have a service provider where we register services for dependency injection, nothing special there but instead of the common host builder we have a WebAssemblyHostBuilder.
The builder is instructed which component will make up the root component, in this case App and where in the html it should be placed, here a tag named app. Comparing to React.js it is pretty similar, where you would do something like this
ReactDOM.render(<App />, document.getElementById(‘app’));
Another similarity with modern javascript frameworks is that Blazor is also component-based. Let us have a look at the index component:
The page directive at the top instructs the router when to render this component, we inject the registered HttpClient and we specify in html how the component should look. It is also possible to change the rendered html using logic expressed in C#. Those familiar with ASP.NET MVC and the Razor syntax will recognize the concepts.
But the most interesting part is in the code directive where we write pure C#. The components have lifecycle hooks that we can override and in this case, we fetch the report data and parse the json into a list of POCO:s. When this is done the result table is rendered and the List is passed into our custom component, the ExcelDownload-component.
In the ExcelDownload-component we find a more tangible example of what is really possible with Blazor:
Here we have annotated the Results list with a Parameter attribute to allow parent components to pass in a list of results. In the html we add a button with a click handler that will call the OnClickDownloadButton-method in our code section. Since Blazor is still a bit rough around the edges and lacks some functionality that we are used to when working with the web, we have to use some javascript to download the actual file that we generate. Thankfully there is built-in support for making interops between the .NET runtime and the javascript engine.
The final application looks like below and please note that the data in the table is completely made up by me.
Pressing download gives us an excel file and when we open it using google sheets it looks like this:
The full code example can be found here. | https://medium.com/tretton37/running-c-code-in-the-browser-pt-2-e0cca6dcecdd | ['Magnus Altgard'] | 2020-12-08 15:13:30.877000+00:00 | ['Blazor', 'C Sharp Programming'] |
Amal Totkay | Amal Academy has taught us five life-changing totkays that are essentially home-made solutions to our everyday problems. By following them, we will make amazing things happen in life.
Self Talk:
Self-talk is something that we do spontaneously during our waking hours. People are becoming more conscious that positive self-talk is a powerful tool to improve self-confidence and minimize negative emotions.
Get out of Comfort Zone:
It’s really important to have clarity about stuff to talk to yourself. It helps us to see our week and the power of our points. It makes us accountable and frees us from any kind of judgment.
Create New Habits:
Identify something you’re already doing and make a small, easily palatable change you can commit to that pushes you toward your target. When you’re happy with the switch, make another minor change before you actually get to the routine you want to make.
Adopting new habits every day that help us follow our aim is a vital part of a healthy life. Shift is only possible if we adopt these new behaviors.
Ask People for Help:
It’s hard for us to start something new, but if we’re going to make a team, or if we need support from others, we can ask for it. We should make things happen in that way.
Fake it till you Make it:
It’s like a rule of attraction, if I have a dream of being somebody, then I have to act like that. By adopting the day-to-day behaviors of people I like, it will help me to become like that person.
Reflections:
How did they find the 5 tips?
Well, I found these tips incredibly helpful, and if I look at them closely, these are some of the points that the fellowship has been presenting from the outset. In addition, I think that a number of people have implicitly or specifically discussed these points to me during my education.
Takeaways?
Stepping out of our comfort zone is important because it will let us live life at its fullest. It will help you mature and grow as an individual.
Favorite tips:
The favorite tip that allows me to make it appreciable is to get out of my comfort zone. At the same time, it’s the toughest thing for me.
Growth mindset
The journey of cultivating a growth mentality is a daunting one with a few patches of rugged landscape, but the only way to get through is through hard work.
Started implementing already:
By adopting all of these, I can build my Growth Mind Set. By having a development attitude, thinking out of the box and doing something creative. | https://medium.com/@aqsa-mukhtar186/amal-totkay-b1f65cd57c80 | ['Aqsa Mukhtar'] | 2021-04-09 07:31:12.193000+00:00 | ['Amal Fellowship', 'Amalkindness', 'Amal Academy', 'Lifechanging', 'Amal Totkay'] |
Stripped Back | Taking just four years to dismantle
more than a few lifetimes worth of work
with belligerent pride claiming benefit
for a nation held in complete disregard.
Yet there are those convinced,
rallying to the call of a most unpatriotic caustic voice.
Veneers carefully crafted over millennia
pulled apart, sanctioned by their leader
gift wrapping freedom of vitriolic words,
repeated, spewed out by those whose hearts
allowed themselves to be blackened waiting in the wings
to finally be set free. | https://medium.com/resistance-poetry/stripped-back-2a1689ff749e | ['James G Brennan'] | 2020-12-12 13:06:58.832000+00:00 | ['James G Brennan', 'Politics', 'Poetry On Medium', 'Poetry', 'Resistance Poetry'] |
Five Signs of a Highly Intelligent Person | Five Signs of a Highly Intelligent Person
Accurately sizing up someone’s mental acuity is a valuable life skill.
There are significant reasons to size up a person’s mental acuity. For example, if you are taking advice, interviewing, or communicating, it helps to know what you are working with. Many of the best managers are excellent at reading their audience.
If you are looking for a one-shot way to determine brilliance, stop reading now. If you are looking for exceptions to the following points, you’ll be able to find them. The following are correlative, not causal. This is an exercise in nuance. Because within nuance, you find most answers.
They Practice Intellectual Humility
I worked in finance and mostly hated it. However, one of the few perks was the people. The industry attracts and needs intelligent people. Consequently, hiring successful candidates mandated we get a quick read on them. Interviewing is tricky because everyone is putting their best foot forward and trying to sound smart, as perhaps they should.
A manager taught us a trick: ask a question the candidate won’t know the answer to. Then, observe how they act. A very good sign was when they could simply admit they didn’t know, rather than fake it and force-feed an answer.
This admission is a sign of intellectual humility, which is correlated to better decision-making. This is particularly useful in an industry plagued by arrogance. Intellectually humble people challenge their conclusions based on evidence and feedback from others. As a simplistic example, you’ll see this when people say, “From what I’ve seen, it could be true.” Rather than, “It’s definitely true.” They frame their observations as open to critique. They prize truth over ego.
Obvious Signs are Often a Valid Data Point
For example, people who refuse to social distance tend to be less intelligent. People who read in their free time skew smarter than those who don’t. Things that smart people tend to do, tend to be done by smarter people.
Many years ago, I was working retail at a used sports equipment store. A 10-year-old kid came in to buy a baseball helmet. I gave him the price. He held the helmet up, looked it over, then looked back at me, “Can you knock a few bucks off? I mean, look at these dents.” He pointed at the dents. I smiled and gave him a discount.
When he left, I thought, “That kid is going to do just fine.” Being crafty, demonstrating street smarts, and quick thinking is correlated to intelligence. In fact, Yale scientists found that street smarts are just as important for employees as their academic smarts. More plainly, you can be a mediocre student, with great street smarts, and go on to be very successful.
They are Meta, Literally
There is a newly popular phrase, “That is so meta.” Meta means something is self-referential. For example, a Medium article that is about Medium articles is meta. A video game where you play a character playing a video game is meta. The Onion famously did this with “World of World of Warcraft.”
Related to this, intelligent people often demonstrate metacognition. They talk about and analyze their own thought process. They are objective and critique their nature. They know when and how they perform best. A simple example of meta behavior is when someone says, “I need to put this on my calendar or I won’t hold myself accountable.” Unsurprisingly, people with high metacognition are often great students and employees. They leverage their self-awareness to their advantage.
thinks they’re smarter than they really are. But even more common are people who don’t realize they’re actually smarter than they think.
Is that you? Here are nine science-backed signs that you’re not giving yourself enough IQ credit.
1. Their thinking is creative
Dr. Katie Davis, a clinical neuropsychologist, told Business Insider that creativity is a definitive sign of intelligence because it requires thinking flexibly/outside the box and necessitates the ability to shift and change your patterns of thinking from one way to another.
I’ve worked with many ad agency creatives — they’re some of the smartest people I’ve ever met. Their ability to take an insight and translate it into a message that illuminated my brand’s benefits in a compelling, memorable way is a task few merely “book smart” people could do. I often walked away after a brilliant ad campaign presentation thinking, “Their brain just works differently.” Creativity is its own brand of smart.
The Strongest Indicator of Intelligence
Researchers have looked into the many different traits highly intelligent people have in common. For instance, a 2016 study published in the British Journal of Psychology, found that highly intelligent people actually prefer to be alone. It was found that smarter people tend to experience lower life satisfaction the more often they socialize with friends. According to evolutionary psychology, people evolved to be intelligent in order to solve problems. So those who are happier being alone were seen as highly intelligent because they have the ability to solve problems on their own without needing any help.
Rest assured, if you’re a social butterfly, it doesn’t mean that you’re not smart. You may possess other qualities that show off your intelligence, like having the ability to easily connect with others.
Conclusion and Takeaway
Society has placed a massive priority on intelligence. We often feel pressure to be smart and value those who are. Never forget the value of kindness and respect. Each person has their own combination of skills and gifts and should be respected as such.
Remember, outside of a psychologist-provided test, there’s no real way to gauge intelligence in one data-point. But if they do these five things, there is a very good chance they are quite smart.
They demonstrate a curiosity to learn more information.They can openly admit when they don’t know something. They know and operate within their limits.They can break down complex problems and cut straight to a solution.They have an acute awareness of their own thought process. They critique and understand it. They use that knowledge to their advantage.They display obvious signs of intelligence. They think quickly on their feet and have situational awareness. They wear a mask during a pandemic. | https://medium.com/@malikmalikwasi-48407/five-signs-of-a-highly-intelligent-person-122a55e99cb8 | ['Wasim Akram'] | 2021-04-25 19:30:04.748000+00:00 | ['Articles', 'Personality', 'Intelligent', 'Content Writing'] |
An Indefinite Waterfall | She opens the body of
the rain;
An invisible jungle resides
inside;
She opens the body of jungle
seen a mystical torrent;
She tried to open the body
of the cascade
but fails;
Her body twirls into
a rain
a jungle
and an indefinite waterfall.
© Rajesh Vairapandian ⭐ 2019 | https://writerrajeshvairapandian.medium.com/an-indefinite-waterfall-40006801d091 | ['Rajesh Vairapandian'] | 2019-09-25 08:34:51.797000+00:00 | ['Literature', 'Fiction', 'Poem', 'Art', 'Poetry'] |
How to Benchmark ANN Algorithms | How to Benchmark ANN Algorithms
An investigation into the performance of various approximate nearest-neighbor algorithms.
By Braden Riggs and George Williams ([email protected])
Approximate Nearest-Neighbors for new voter party affiliation. Credit: http://scott.fortmann-roe.com/docs/BiasVariance.html
Introduction:
The field of data science is rapidly changing as new and exciting software and hardware breakthroughs are made every single day. Given the rapidly changing landscape, it is important to take the appropriate time to understand and investigate some of the underlying technology that has shaped and will shape, the data science world. As an undergraduate data scientist, I often wish more time was spent understanding the tools at our disposal, and when they should appropriately be used. One prime example is the variety of options to choose from when picking an implementation of a Nearest-Neighbor algorithm; a type of algorithm prevalent in pattern recognition. Whilst there are a range of different types of Nearest-Neighbor algorithms I specifically want to focus on Approximate Nearest Neighbor (ANN) and the overwhelming variety of implementations available in python.
My first project with my internship at GSI Technology explored the idea of benchmarking ANN algorithms to help understand how the choice of implementation can change depending on the type and size of the dataset. This task proved challenging yet rewarding, as to thoroughly benchmark a range of ANN algorithms we would have to use a variety of datasets and a lot of computation. This would all prove to provide some valuable results (as you will see further down) in addition to a few insights and clues as to which implementations and implementation strategies might become industry standard in the future.
What Is ANN?:
Before we continue its important to lay out the foundations of what ANN is and why is it used. New students to the data science field might already be familiar with ANN’s brother, kNN (k-Nearest Neighbors) as it is a standard entry point in many early machine learning classes.
Red points are grouped with the five (K) closest points.
kNN works by classifying unclassified points based on “k” number of nearby points where distance is evaluated based on a range of different formulas such as Euclidean distance, Manhattan distance (Taxicab distance), Angular distance, and many more. ANN essentially functions as a faster classifier with a slight trade-off in accuracy, utilizing techniques such as locality sensitive hashing to better balance speed and precision. This trade-off becomes especially important with datasets in higher dimensions where algorithms like kNN can slow to a grueling pace.
Within the field of ANN algorithms, there are five different types of implementations with various advantages and disadvantages. For people unfamiliar with the field here is a quick crash course on each type of implementation:
Brute Force; whilst not technically an ANN algorithm it provides the most intuitive solution and a baseline to evaluate all other models. It calculates the distance between all points in the datasets before sorting to find the nearest neighbor for each point. Incredibly inefficient.
Hashing Based, sometimes referred to as LSH (locality sensitive hashing), involves a preprocessing stage where the data is filtered into a range of hash-tables in preparation for the querying process. Upon querying the algorithm iterates back over the hash-tables retrieving all points similarly hashed and then evaluates proximity to return a list of nearest neighbors.
Graph-Based, which also includes tree-based implementations, starts from a group of “seeds” (randomly picked points from the dataset) and generates a series of graphs before traversing the graphs using best-first search. Through using a visited vertex parameter from each neighbor the implementation is able to narrow down the “true” nearest neighbor.
Partition Based, similar to hashing, the implementation partitions the dataset into more and more identifiable subsets until eventually landing on the nearest neighbor.
Hybrid, as the name suggests, is some form of a combination of the above implementations.
Because of the limitations of kNN such as dataset size and dimensionality, algorithms such as ANN become vital to solving classification problems with these kinds of constraints. Examples of these problems include feature extraction in computer vision, machine learning, and many more. Because of the prominence of ANN, and the range of applications for the technique, it is important to gauge how different implementations of ANN compare under different conditions. This process is called “Benchmarking”. Much like a traditional experiment we keep all variables constant besides the ANN algorithms, then compare outcomes to evaluate the performance of each implementation. Furthermore, we can take this experiment and repeat it for a variety of datasets to help understand how these algorithms perform depending on the type and size of the input datasets. The results can often be valuable in helping developers and researchers decide which implementations are ideal for their conditions, it also clues the creators of the algorithms into possible directions for improvement.
Open Source to the Rescue:
Utilizing the power of online collaboration we are able to pool many great ideas into effective solutions
Beginning the benchmarking task can seem daunting at first given the scope and variability of the task. Luckily for us, we are able to utilize work already done in the field of benchmarking ANN algorithms. Aumüller, Bernhardsson, and Faithfull’s paper ANN-Benchmarks: A Benchmarking Tool for Approximate Nearest Neighbor Algorithms and corresponding GitHub repository provides an excellent starting point for the project.
Bernhardsson, who built the code with help from Aumüller and Faithfull, designed a python framework that downloads a selection of datasets with varying dimensionality (25 to nearly 28,000 dimensions) and size (few hundred megabytes to a few gigabytes). Then, using some of the most common ANN algorithms from libraries such as scikit-learn or the Non-Metric Space Library, they evaluated the relationship between queries-per-second and accuracy. Specifically, the accuracy was a measure of “recall”, which measures the ratio of the number of result points that are true nearest neighbors to the number of true nearest neighbors, or formulaically:
Intuitively recall is simply the correct predictions made by the algorithm, over the total number of correct predictions it could have made. So a recall of “1” means that the algorithm was correct in its predictions 100% of the time.
Using the project, which is available for replication and modification, I went about setting up the benchmark experiment. Given the range of different ANN implementations to test (24 to be exact), there are many packages that will need to be installed as well as a substantial amount of time required to build the docker environments. Assuming everything installs and builds as intended the environment should be ready for testing.
Results:
After three days of run time for the GloVe-25-angular dataset, we finally achieved presentable results. Three days of runtime was quite substantial for this primary dataset, however as we soon learned this process can be sped up considerably. The implementation of the benchmark experiment defaults to running benchmarks twice and averaging the results to better account for system interruptions or other anomalies that might impact the results. If this isn’t an issue, computation time could be halved by only performing the benchmark tests once each. In our case we wanted to match Bernhardsson’s results so we computed the benchmark with the default setting of two runs per algorithm which produced the following:
Our results (left) and Bernhardsson’s results (right): | https://medium.com/gsi-technology/how-to-benchmark-ann-algorithms-a9f1cef6be08 | ['Braden Riggs'] | 2020-07-24 18:31:30.021000+00:00 | ['Data Science', 'Data Science Training', 'Nearest Neighbor Search', 'Benchmarking', 'K Nearest Neighbors'] |
Viruses, Zombie Computers and Those Who Take Over You … | A computer virus is a malicious program that can spread and infect other computers by modifying or corrupting data, changing the way the computer’s hardware or software operates, or booting from a floppy disk. They are called “computer viruses” because they replicate to other computers like real biological viruses spread from one person to another.
Computer viruses generally come in five different types: macro viruses, file infectors, system infectioners, boot sector infections and web application infections. The first four types of computer virus are initiated by programs with an .exe extension. Web-based applications are not executable programs but rather scripts written in script languages such as JavaScript that run on a web browser.
The first Computer Virus:
The first computer virus was Elk Cloner, written in 1981 by Richard Skrenta while he was a high school student. In 1983 Fred Cohen wrote a paper about self-reproducing computer programs and later coined the term “virus”. The first IBM PC compatible virus, Chess, appeared in 1986. A year later, Brain was detected in the Indian subcontinent but failed to spread further due to its limited payload. Another IBM compatible called Cascade was recovered from an Iranian nuclear facility in 1987.
File Viruses:
File viruses infect files on a computer’s hard disk drive or other storage media such as floppy disks, CDs or DVDs. Macro viruses infect application software such as Microsoft Office documents or HTML documents. System viruses infect operating systems with security vulnerabilities. Boot sector viruses infect the boot sector of a hard disk drive and spread from one computer to another when programs on the target computer execute from an infected floppy disk or similar medium. The first known virus affecting the PC was “Whack a mole”, written in 1986 by Gary Schwartz. They are named “mole” because they can simulate many instances of the virus.
Zombie Computers:
A zombie computer is a computer infected by a virus without being physically accessed by a user or networked remote control. Once infected, the virus compiles and executes instructions within its own memory space, thereby allowing it to perform actions that would not normally be possible for it in its normal state. A compromised computer can be commanded by the virus to transmit information to a remote location. This is the primary means of infection for viruses such as Conficker that do not utilize an existing network, but rather depend on computers spread throughout the world for infection.
There are three common methods of detecting if a computer is infected with malware. The first and most effective way is running an anti-virus program, which uses signatures and heuristics to detect and remove malicious code. The second method is using a file scanner or online scanner, which scans a computer’s hard drive or network for any suspicious content, especially files that have been downloaded from the Internet. The third method is using a live Linux CD with virus scanners, such as Ubuntu, or bootable antivirus CDs like the Live CD Companion or the Ultimate Boot CD.
Other Viruses:
Viruses are circulated via e-mail and other files. They can also be transmitted from person to person on removable media, such as floppy disks, CDs, USB flash drives and e-books. Even if the files are deleted from the computer it is not always possible to completely remove the virus or other malware. Viruses can also infect files that are downloaded automatically by browsers and file sharing programs such as peer-to-peer file sharing software. Another method of infection is by visiting websites harboring viruses.
Other viruses now act covertly, and perform a number of other functions that do not directly cause harm to computers. These viruses are referred to as “Trojan Horses”, “worms” or “spyware”. Microsoft’s operating system is no stranger to malware. However, Microsoft does take action against spyware, such as the recent removal of the Windows Registry Editor FakeAV. The vast majority of computer viruses are created by illicit software vendors.
Botnet:
A botnet (also known as a zombie network or botnet) is a computer network of infected machines usually used in denial-of-service attacks and distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS). A botnet can be created by using a virus to infect other computers on the Internet and then used in order to overwhelm an Internet server with traffic. The bot is a form of malware that takes over a large number of computer servers by recording keystrokes, passwords, and other data from infected computers. The infected servers are then used in sending network-based spamming messages, flooding email addresses with junk email, or initiating DDoS attacks against websites.
Botnets can be created by using a worm to alter the operating system’s Boot sector, which keeps track of running processes. When a computer loads the new operating system, the worm automatically creates another botnet for each computer that is infected. It is estimated that there are 300 million computers globally that are infected with viruses from malicious software distributors. Today a computer can be infected with a virus by visiting 20 different websites, being bitten by 15 different spiders and scared to death by 25 animated bugs.
Computer Viruses and Intimidation:
Computer viruses may also be used for other purposes such as political activism or terrorism. Viruses have been used to trigger social and political change. The virus can be programmed to stop spreading at a certain date or after a certain number of infections.
The first computer virus was created by Richard Skrenta, who used it as a weapon in his search for computer security loopholes.
Computer viruses have also been used to initiate cyberattacks for political or ideological reasons. An example of this would be the DDoS attack on Estonian electronic infrastructure conducted by Russian sympathizers as an act of protest against the removal of the Soviet war monument “The Bronze Soldier” on April 27, 2007. This was known as the “Troll War”. Another example of such an attack would be the Stuxnet worm, which infiltrated industrial computer systems and destroyed 1,000 centrifuges in Iran, as described by the New York Times. The worm was allegedly a joint effort of American and Israeli cyberwarfare units.
“Dot bomb”:
An “Internet dot-com” or “dot-bomb” is a colloquial term for one or more companies whose share price and market value were dramatically affected by the late 1990s internet craze. These companies received large amounts of venture capital funding and became highly valued on stock markets based primarily upon expectations of high growth potential for Internet services. The term was coined by combining the “Internet” with the “dot-com” boom, itself a reference to the .com top level domain.[
During the late 1990s, fueled by innovations and advancements within the World Wide Web, Internet service providers (ISPs) began to upgrade their networks from dial-up to broadband in anticipation of a great increase in Internet use. During that time, international venture capital firms invested heavily in new Internet-related companies. Investors were attempting to jump into what they thought would be a lucrative market as early as possible. In May 1997 alone, $22 billion was invested worldwide into companies such as Cisco and Yahoo!, compared to $12 billion raised during 1995 and 1996. By 1999, $60 billion was invested worldwide:
“In the early years of Internet trading, the easiest way to make a fast buck was to start a dot-com company. Venture capitalists cooked up a phenomenal number of them in the late ’90s. Virtually anyone with some technical awareness and some office space could become an overvalued dot-com.”
As the use of the Web exploded in 1997, companies began going public (IPOs — initial public offerings of stock) at extraordinary valuations. Known as “hot issues” or “hot IPO”s, these stocks were valued based on expectations that they would grow significantly. It was a speculative bubble, but the companies were relatively few in number and not all of them or their stock prices failed. In point of fact, in 1997 there were only 35 Internet IPOs.
Some people used “hot IPO”s as a short-term investment. It became possible to buy a stock at extremely high valuation based on past performance of the company, and sell it quickly at a loss before the company’s value declined. A paper by Doug Stumpf and Justin Wolfers found that “high-tech bubble finance” was highly correlated with negative social outcomes for other forms of long-term investing including retirement plans, houses, mutual funds, and individual portfolios. Stumpf and Wolfers found that, when the Internet bubble burst, funds and retirement accounts whose returns were in businesses related to the Internet such as consulting, hardware production and software sales declined by 2.6%, compared to an overall market return of 3.2%. When the market for high-tech stocks burst, even retirement plans for public sector employees declined in value by 5%.
File sharing:
File sharing is a method of distributing digital media such as videos or digital images over a networked environment. File sharing involves transferring digital files from one computer to another via the Internet. The practice has been controversial, with most rightsholders (who produce the material, such as music and film) and some network operators (who operate the Internet infrastructure) objecting to the distribution of copyrighted content without their permission.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which represents record labels, is engaged in several high-profile lawsuits against individuals suspected of making music available illegally. These include cases of file sharing networks and individual users.
The RIAA’s anti-piracy campaigns have been heavily criticized by some public interest groups, such as Free Press and Public Knowledge, that question its legal basis and funding sources. They argue that the RIAA’s tactics may be illegal under U.S. law and accuse the association of using misleading statistics to exaggerate the scope of copyright infringement, deliberately scaring music customers away from Internet music stores such as iTunes and AmazonMP3 with threats of lawsuits, and attempting to obtain new legislation like the Inducing Infringement of Copyrights Act.
In 2001, Napster was sued by several record labels for allowing users to share files containing copyrighted material. The litigation was settled in 2002, with Napster agreeing to pay users who used the service for the prior two years and Judge Marilyn Hall Patel forbidding either party from discussing details of the settlement.
In 2003 Kazaa was sued by several record labels represented by the RIAA. The case was settled in 2004, with the parties agreeing to a monetary settlement. The details were not disclosed.
File sharing contains many risks for the people sharing the files: they can get sued by copyright owners, or by their Internet service provider for breaching copyright laws; they can get their network hacked, or lose access to the files they share when their network is hacked. However, file-sharing advocates say that online piracy from peer-to-peer networks is a serious problem that needs to be addressed via legal means rather than other methods. These advocates also believe that parents who restrict access to content on peer-to-peer networks may deprive children of the opportunity to learn about and enjoy different cultures.
In September 2002, Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Judge Denny Chin, who was appointed by President Clinton, found that Internet providers can be held liable for copyright infringement related to file-sharing networks. The lawsuit was dismissed on the grounds that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) only protects copyrighted works that are owned or authorized by the copyright holder. That ruling was appealed to a higher court and affirmed in 2004; in 2005, Congress passed the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which would have allowed courts to shut down any website accused of piracy.[30] Although SOPA was not implemented, other bills such as PIPA and CISPA have since tried to address issues similar to those of SOPA.
Other novel types of malware:
Rootkits: Malicious software that is able to subvert the operating system, or kernel, or other software application (such as a database management system) to hide itself from detection. Rootkits are often installed by trojan horses; they are also a common way for a computer worm to gain administrative privileges.
Trojan Horses: A trojan horse is malware that installs itself on a host computer by pretending to be something useful or benign. These programs include many viruses and worms, but not all.
These programs include many viruses and worms, but not all. Rootkit: A type of Trojan Horse that hides itself from detection by the operating system and is able to subvert the operating system to hide itself from detection.
Worms: Software that propagates without human intervention (automatically) through a computer network. At least some worms can affect other hosts on the Internet as well as local area networks (LANs) or wide area networks (WANs), using port numbers. They may be spread by email, use file transfer protocols such as FTP , connect to an IRC chat room or peer-to-peer file sharing program, etc.
Visitor Input Manipulation: Malware that is placed into a web page by an attacker to trap the user into performing malicious actions, such as entering their password while in a session-hijacking phishing attack.
Malicious Mobile Code: Malicious programs capable of propagating themselves from computer to computer in computer networks and may even propagate from devices whose computers have been breached. These programs are capable of being spread using removable media, like USB thumb drives or floppy disks.
Rootkit: A type of backdoor which hides itself very well and at the same time does not allow any kind of detection. It is installed by rootkits or trojan horses.
Zero-Day Exploits: Zero-day exploits are computer security vulnerabilities that are exploited before the software developer or vendor know about them. Zero-day exploits can be used to attack any software applications, such as antivirus programs or web browsers.
Viruses (not technically a worm): A virus is a type of malicious software which may infect a system and then replicate itself, potentially causing damage to the system, files stored on it, or related systems. The term “virus” is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware such as spyware, adware, and other types of malicious software.
Spam: A form of mass email in which the message is sent to many recipients with the goal of raising the recipient’s annoyance level. Common examples are commercial offers for products or services, and unsolicited advertisements. Some spam is malicious; it is typically transmitted by viruses or other types of malware or by an attacker looking for a way to acquire and spread other malware.
Some spam is malicious; it is typically transmitted by viruses or other types of malware or by an attacker looking for a way to acquire and spread other malware. Phishing: An attack where an attacker attempts to fraudulently acquire sensitive information such as a user’s bank account number, credit card number, Social Security number or password from the user.
Fraud: A malicious act which deceives a person or entity into believing that the act is real while it is in fact a deception.
Spamming: Sending unsolicited mass emails using commercial email lists for profit. The term spamming has come to have negative connotations because of the “spam” word that has been used in numerous other contexts.
phishing: A form of email fraud. It is used by attackers to attempt to acquire sensitive information such as bank account numbers, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers or passwords from the user.
Adware: Software installed on a computer that displays advertisements when it is running, typically in the form of pop-up windows or via push notifications. [47] Adware may be installed without the user’s knowledge, often bundled with another program (such as a game) or included by an employee in order to show advertising revenue for the employer.
Adware may be installed without the user’s knowledge, often bundled with another program (such as a game) or included by an employee in order to show advertising revenue for the employer. Spyware: Malicious software that gathers information about a computer user, often by covertly sending out data over the Internet. Programs designed to steal data from users are called keyloggers.
Programs designed to steal data from users are called keyloggers. Security Misconfiguration: An attack on a computer system due to a failure in the security features of that system.
Privacy:
Privacy, or more correctly secrecy, is the ability to keep private and control information. A person’s “private space” normally correlates directly to what that person knows about themself and what others know about that person; this concept is generally accepted as a universal human right.
In some cases, information can be shared between people without the consent or knowledge of the individual(s), such as in social media such as Facebook. Sharing private information with another or authorizing sharing violates an individual’s right to privacy.
There are many instances where privacy is violated by hacking into computer systems, both for criminal and non-criminal purposes. For example, hacking into a computer system may give an attacker access to information that had been hidden from the public, including personal information about a person (such as their Social Security Number) or other private data. However, hackers are often not criminals but rather computer security professionals who have been hired by criminals or companies to perform cyber-attacks on existing and potential targets. In some cases, hackers do not even know who they are working for or where their attacks may be targeted.
In the past, most electronic information is not usually very sensitive and is easy to uncover. However, with the increasing popularity of online banking and more people using the Internet for day-to-day activities such as shopping and using social networking sites, the security, safety and privacy of this information becomes important to keep it from being accessed by criminals.
Cyber terrorism: Cyberterrorism is a form of terrorism utilizing computer networks that are connected to the Internet. It involves a criminal act which has a result of disrupting or influencing services on a computer network in furtherance of political or social objectives. The term was coined by US President George W. Bush in his 2002 State of the Union address after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Malware: Malware, or malicious software, is a broad category of computer programs intended to do harm.[53] Malware is typically designed to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems. The term “malware” can apply to software that deliberately causes harm to a user’s machine and software that harms users unintentionally through security errors or other bugs. The term is also often used as a synonym for viruses, trojans, etc.
Hackers: A hacker is a person who is skilled in the use of computers and computer networks. The term refers to a person who has a deep understanding of computers and enjoys modifying or designing software or hardware. It may be applied as a verb to mean browsing around computer systems without authorization. The term may also be applied as an adjective, such as “hacker attack”, “hacker crime”, “hacker-related”.
A computer hacker is one who is experienced with the technical aspects of computers, such as computer systems, software, and programming. A computer hacker can be employed by a governmental organization, individual or other entity. According to this definition, a hacker may also be referred to as a “hacker” or “cracker”. In the entertainment world, a hacker may refer to someone who delights in exploring the inner workings of an operating system or another piece of software and then publishing their findings (or findings regarding how to exploit another program) for others to learn from for personal gain.
A computer criminal is an individual who uses computers for criminal activity. It is a very broad, generic term. A criminal who uses a computer may also be known as a computer criminal, although computer crimes involving only computers and not people are not always considered “true crimes”.
Computer security: Computer security refers to the practice of defending computer systems from potential attacks or faults. Security is possible through different types of defense mechanisms, such as monitoring, risk analysis and encryption. It is the protection provided by a computing system in accordance with the security policy of the system. This is usually implemented using access control systems that restrict unauthorized access to both hardware and software. In general, secure computer systems are not vulnerable to some types of attacks. A computer security breach is any adverse event that occurs against a system or network due to the violation of a security policy, an attack on the system or its users, or a flaw in the system.
Cleartext: Cleartext refers to text data that can be seen, deciphered and understood by any observer who may get access to it while being transmitted over a network such as the Internet. Contrast with ciphertext.
Encryption: Encryption refers to the process of encoding/scrambling data into a form only intended for valid recipients to understand, without loss of information in transmission. Encryption is a process for encoding data using an algorithm such as the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). The encryption of data or its transfer over networks can be accomplished through various mechanisms. Commonly, encryption utilizes algorithms such as Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES), Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) or Data Encryption Standard (DES); however, digital signature schemes can also be used in conjunction with encryption mechanisms. Depending on the encryption algorithms used and other factors such as length of data to be encrypted and type of network, the same size of ciphertext may result from several different key lengths.
Ciphertext: Ciphertext refers to the encrypted data. The ciphertext should not be readable by anyone while being transmitted over a network such as the Internet.
Key management: Key management is the process of storing and controlling cryptographic keys. Keys are used to turn plaintext into ciphertext, and vice versa. This is commonly achieved with public-key encryption schemes such as RSA or Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC). Key storage can be in a physically secure location or an electronic database accessible by authorized personnel only. However, if access control is implemented, unauthorized access can be detected by comparing encrypted processes and key lengths with known authorized key lengths. Key management can be accomplished by either maintaining keys on a computer’s hard drive or in a hardware device. For example, proving key generation and distribution in the context of the Common Criteria (CC) setting is not technically challenging, but achieving the same operating within IT systems is difficult. Proper key storage can mitigate these issues.
Cryptography: Cryptography is a collection of techniques for securing information and/or communication that occurs via the use of secret codes (ciphertext). It is widely used for ensuring confidentiality, integrity, authentication or non-repudiation. In many cases, cryptography aids in securing information from unauthorised access by both cyber criminals and nation states.
Encryption is the process of encoding data using an algorithm, in such a way that only authorised parties can see the content of the message. The information that is encrypted (the plaintext) cannot be understood by others unless they have access to a key that enables them to decrypt the message and read it. Encryption is used in many cryptographic protocols, including transport layer security (TLS), secure sockets layer (SSL), and secure HTTP (HTTPS). Conversely, decryption is the process of turning encrypted data back into plaintext.
Encrypt: To convert something into ciphertext or code through a mathematical transformation. The reverse operation is called decryption. Both terms are widely used when referring to cryptography. | https://medium.com/@internote/viruses-zombie-computers-and-what-you-dont-know-d264ab8bf21c | [] | 2021-03-22 18:03:02.684000+00:00 | ['Privacy', 'Computers', 'Security'] |
The Age of Invisibility | Invisibility has always been an intriguing concept — invariably one of the superpowers we all wanted growing up. Popular literature and science-fiction franchises like J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ and H.G. Well’s ‘The Invisible Man’ have done a lot in helping us imagine what it would be like to be invisible.
Well, Guess What? Today, Invisibility is no more a matter of science fiction.
To make an object invisible, a perfectly invisible device should exhibit the same scattering properties as that of vacuum. In other words, the device together with the object to be camouflaged should reflect no light and cast no shadow.
A company called Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp. seems to have cracked the code on how to do that. Their new product ‘Quantum Stealth’ is a plastic sheet material which bends light around a subject, obscuring it from view.
Mr. Guy Cramer, CEO of Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp., calls it practical invisibility technology and notes that the name ‘quantum’ was selected for the name of the product in reference to the light interference patterns generated by diffraction gratings like in the double-slit experiment, which Cramer believes is a phenomenon closely related to the function of his product. The real power behind this new cloak isn’t quantum — it’s classical physics.
Quantum Stealth works via lenticular lenses, the technology commonly seen in plastic-coated 3D-effect trading cards or movie posters. In a lenticular lens, rows of cylindrical lenses refract light according to the viewing angle. Cramer found a way to arrange layers of these lenticular lenses such that ‘dead spots’ are created at certain standoff distances behind the material. When viewed from the front, the object behind the material is not visible, but the background is. This creates the illusion of invisibility.
Quantum Stealth material can bend ultraviolet, infrared light, and even shadows too, meaning hidden objects would not show up when viewed through night-vision goggles. The company says that its ultrathin, light and mobile form makes it ideal for military action. The light-weight material can be bent and folded and is designed to be carried in a soldier’s backpack, and it can also be used to make parachutes. The great advantage to Quantum Stealth is that it provides camouflage for all environments all year round. It doesn’t require a power source and inexpensive in comparison to other stealth equipment.
Soldiers could use this to hide their approach as they approach hostile forces. This could therefore enable them to complete missions during daylight instead of hiding their approach at night. It could be used for those on foot, operating military vehicles, aircraft, ships and even submarines. This amazing piece of technology could be a huge benefit to the military and the technology will completely revolutionise the camouflage industry.
In addition to ‘invisibility,’ the material’s light-bending properties have other applications, developed and patent-pending by Cramer. These include uses as a holographic image display, as a solar reflector, and as a laser-scattering device that works via diffraction. However, its only advantage is that it works up to a certain distance. That can be improved by putting some oil on it. | https://medium.com/the-treatise/the-age-of-invisibility-87e4469f6f02 | ['Asme Iiest Shibpur Student Section'] | 2020-11-11 15:20:57.870000+00:00 | ['Defense', 'Military', 'Science', 'STEM', 'Technology'] |
UX Designers, are you happy? | UX Designers, are you happy?
Have you ever paused and asked yourself, “Why did I become a UX designer? Why did I choose this profession specifically?” I certainly have; sometimes in moments of genuine reflection, sometimes in moments of work-related frustration. Days offer clear skies and smooth sailing, while others serve to test your resolve and ability to navigate choppy waters.
I imagine those of us with UX nestled in our job title share similar reasoning for entering the industry.
You’re curious about human idiosyncrasies and behaviour.
You believe that good design solves problems.
You care about people, and are genuinely empathic.
You relish the challenge that being a UX Designer brings.
When the water is choppy, when I have to orientate my state of mind and answer the why, I refer to the above points. Four statements, like four lights off the coast that guide me through uncertain times. Ultimately, the entirety of my career can be distilled down to wanting to help people through consciousness, inclusive design. I want to help people solve problems in their lives.
Not everyone feels this way, however.
If you’re of a cynical disposition, you might suggest it naive to think we have this level of social responsibility. The company culture doesn’t allow for it, we don’t weld enough power within the company hierarchy, that we clock in, shift pixels and clock out at the end of the day. I disagree with that take, and I do believe it to be our responsibility to fight the good fight. To persist. But I empathise with those that feel defeated, as I have felt that way too at times.
From experience, a defeatist sentiment is often the bubbling up of frustration caused by weak communication. It’s at this peak of frustration that the question often arises, “Why did I become a UX Designer?”.
You’re only as good as your ability to communicate
I’ve worked as a UX Designer for nearly 10 years. Either as a “UX team of one”, or as part of a large talented UX team. Regardless of situation, one theme consistently runs deep — the feeling that you need to justify your position. Not just your position, but the very concept of User Experience. To say that UX Design is a misunderstood craft is an understatement, but thankfully, times are changing.
Our job titles can still feel fluid at this point, in 2021 as I write this. But just as our titles are still fluid, I think we have to accept some fluidity on our part. That means seeking opportunity in the least expected of places. I have often found success in treating everyone just like I would a user. If a developer doesn’t understand, I take the time to educate. If a stakeholder doesn’t agree with my hypothesis, I help them understand my reasoning, and by extension, the reasoning of our users. When it’s time to listen, I listen.
Quite frankly, I’ve only ever felt my position at risk when I couldn’t communicate effectively. So through repetition and hard work, I’ve become a better communicator, and much more confident in my ability to articulate when it matters most. Not always, but more often — and I’m happy with that.
“To make our communications more effective, we need to shift our thinking from “What information do I need to convey?” to “What questions do I want my audience to ask?”― Chip Heath, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
I have fond memories of being brought into a boardroom full of executives. They had no idea what I did on a day-to-day basis, but by the end of the meeting, I made sure that they did — and that I sold the concept of UX as best as I could. The result? They were bowled over watching a supercut of a usability session we carried out on our product. It clicked for them, they seen the value, and my confidence grew further in presenting research.
This doesn’t always happen, and that’s okay too. The important thing is that we persist in whatever way we can.
We need to be the raconteurs of our craft. We need to convince, to persuade, and educate those that aren’t sure what a UX Designer does. Only then will we be “asked the right questions”. This is as much our job as crafting UI, or conducting user interviews. Communication is just as important as our ability to carry out our normal day-to-day UX activities. More so perhaps.
Manage your expectations
We’ve all been there. You receive the design brief, you ask what you think are the right questions, you get to work. If you’re lucky, you might even usability test some prototypes. By the end of the week, it’s time to present your work to the rest of the team. It gets annihilated, and you sheepishly return to your desk wondering what went wrong.
When I was a young designer, every criticism was an affront to my existence. I was never taught how to deal with criticism, and so I did the only thing I could do — I took it personally. The criticism morphed into a hideous beast that wasn’t about my work anymore but about me.
I probably spent more time worrying about how my work would be perceived, rather than simply doing what I thought best. If this is you, stop. This is destructive and only stifles your ability as a designer.
“Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” — Aristotle
It’s only now, after nearly 10 years worth of design critiques, that I know this isn’t about me and that my ideas aren’t an extension of myself either. An idea is just an idea, regardless of who produced that idea.
The simple fact is, is that designers produce work which is often subjective, even if backed up with empirical evidence. It’s unavoidable, and if it’s unavoidable, there’s simply no reason you should expend your mental capacity worrying. It’s easier said than done, I know, but unless you work with a grade-A asshole, teams work together and design critiques will make you a better designer.
This is another area for opportunity, for personal growth. Just as I would take time to educate those that don’t understand UX Design, I temper my expectations for the dreaded design review, and thank those that have taken the time to offer me feedback.
Being a UX Designer has at times been difficult, and made me question whether it’s the right role for me. I now know that it is, and the difficulties I’ve faced have made me much more resilient. Yes, I still have my bad days, but the good days make the trip all the more worthwhile. Communication and accepting criticism from the right people has been key to my growth.
But I’m curious. UX Designers, are you happy? If you are, what’s your secret? If you aren’t, why not? Let me know in the comments section below. | https://uxdesign.cc/ux-designers-are-you-happy-fbde1c1e4ad1 | ['Chris Kernaghan'] | 2021-04-12 11:21:14.600000+00:00 | ['Careers', 'Design', 'Organizational Culture', 'UX Design', 'User Experience'] |
Educación en la era digital | in In Fitness And In Health | https://medium.com/entel-ocean/educaci%C3%B3n-en-la-era-digital-25647392a17a | ['Entel Ocean'] | 2020-02-27 16:47:46.519000+00:00 | ['Educación En Chile', 'Educación', 'Tecnología', 'Futuro De La Educación'] |
Brexit isn’t the issue. A hostile and convoluted culture war in Britain prevails | With the catastrophe of Brexit comes a cacophony of opinions and assaults on people’s differing views on a British way of life. The referendum on exiting the European Union was a stark reminder of the colossal cultural war that pervades the British political landscape. The result and the subsequent negotiations of Brexit have engineered fear and hatred within a simmering boiling pot.
Whilst parliament battles internally with whether the UK should remain a member of the customs union and whether they should avoid a hard border with Ireland seems futile to what the referendum really conveyed. The Leave result was a rallying crying from the far right. The likes of migrant-bashing Nigel Farage and his staunchly conservative chum in Boris Johnson evoked hostility towards migrants through a vast and coordinated national campaign. What followed was the Leave voters’ desires for Britain to become almost completely intolerant on immigrants by ending freedom of movement. This view, with the blame put mostly on Farage and Johnson, was an abject critique of a multicultural Britain that had been formed under its imperial past.
Now, the Britain that was once thought to be inclusive has now demonised nationals from foreign backgrounds, specifically targeting the Muslim and Jewish communities. Their excuses are terrorism, a crippling infrastructure and an insurgent white nationalist subculture. The mainstream centre-left and centre-right parties have shifted further afield to appease a forever changing political trajectory. Whilst our prime minister becomes a sympathiser to the hard-right conservatives within her ranks, the passionately socialist and current Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has angered many of his moderate colleagues in the centre.
It isn’t only the entitled white man that has condemned the country and its politics for vilifying them. The ethnic minorities of the country have pushed back and are incensed at the marginalisation of their religions and cultures. In Birmingham, a protest against teaching young primary school pupils about LGBT relationships has seen the national curriculum receive harsh repudiation from the Muslim community. Many staunch Islam followers believe their children are being forced to adhere to the encouragement of LGBT relationships, which is in contrast to their religion that has always perceived homosexuality as a sin. Meanwhile, numerous Jewish groups have publicly discredited the Labour party for failing to tackle the incessant antisemitism that has put pressure on the party’s anti-racist reputation. In a nine-month timespan, approximately 250 Labour members were removed, suspended or had received formal warnings for their antisemitic language. The Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East and its association with antisemitism has crept its way into British politics too. A lot of people are offended with anti-Zionist views, an opinion the hard-left figures of the Labour cause have upheld in their foreign policy ideology for some time. There is a succinct blurred line between condemning the hard-line Israel government and blatant hate-fuelled and barbarous antisemitism.
The culture war also has a geographical tone and is not just affiliated with someone’s race or identity. The North/South divide in the U.K and its connotations has left a sour taste for decades. London and the South East has always been a region that has been the focal point for the country’s marketplace and economy. Therefore, incumbent governments are prone to disproportionately fund the south compared to the north, penetrating frustration in northern communities who have seen their industrial communities disappear. Although this still has a significant impact in cultural differences that has posed a threat to British values, the youth of inner London are facing danger with a surge in violent knife crime. Since the beginning of 2019, there has been 20 fatalities due to knife crime in and around London. The sheer underfunding of youth services, education and social care has been an effect of harsh austerity measures that have ravaged a country for almost ten years. The epidemic of violent crime in London also highlights the racial disparities, as more black and Asian teenagers are the perpetrators. This is an emphatic expression of racist undertones that has perpetuated throughout British culture. With young BAME teenagers not being heard brings a sense of worthlessness where the streets and gang culture seems the only viable option.
To understand Brexit and why Britain is in this mess, the widespread culture war that has waged war on British multiculturalism is a signal to the increasing polarisation the country faces. If facts were presented and riled-up theories about immigration and government were banned, maybe the U.K could have seen a different and more approachable EU exit. Once Theresa May has delivered Brexit or revokes on the negotiations, it will still not address the underbelly of intolerance in Britain that has slowly become more mainstream. Brexit is just a catalyst of a years-long culture war that the British government have been in denial about for far too long. | https://liambarrett1996.medium.com/brexit-isnt-the-issue-a-hostile-and-convoluted-culture-war-in-britain-prevails-d3e93695726b | ['Liam Barrett'] | 2019-04-05 15:24:38.241000+00:00 | ['UK Politics', 'Opinion', 'Parliament', 'Culture War', 'Brexit'] |
Meow. This Is Your Cat Speaking | Cats have a truly imposing vocabulary.
By
Oliver T. Spedding
A blind human being once stated that he could detect a hundred different sounds that we cats make and using recordings, human scientists claim that our repertoire is second only to that of the human being.
This may seem strange as our ancestors were not very sociable animals.
In nature, only the highly sociable animals require complicated communication systems and we cats most definitely aren’t a very sociable species.
So what makes us so odd?
Domestic cats have two vocabularies; a vocabulary that we use in the wild and a vocabulary that we use in our relationship with human beings.
In the wild we are the adults and behave as such, but when we are domesticated we are the children and our behavior reflects this.
However, even when we are domesticated we still retain our wild adult behaviour.
This makes for a truly imposing vocabulary.
What makes our glossary so complex is the degree of variation that we can apply to each sound that we make.
When alarmed, birds will make a certain sound and when they become agitated they can only repeat that sound more often and sometimes faster.
When we cats are upset we can produce a wide variety of sounds that are different enough to be classified as specific sounds.
To simplify the range of sounds we make, it is necessary to rather list the signals or messages that we are trying to convey.
I WANT ATTENTION
Our owners are familiar with this sound as it says many things in many ways but always contains the same message; we want attention immediately.
In the wild this mewing begins when we are kittens and tells our mothers that we are in trouble and need help but it disappears as we grow older
In the domestic environment though, this mewing remains throughout our lives as we talk to our owners like kittens talking to their mothers.
What we have also done is we have refined this mewing to specify particular needs such as begging, demanding, complaining and the need for comfort.
When we need to be let out of the house we create a pitiful drawn-out meow which we also use when it begins to rain and we need to come into the house.
We can also create expectant meows when we hear tin-opener noises and when we have been neglected.
Our owners soon come to know what we are saying and why we are saying it.
I AM ANGRY
We are almost always angry when we are confronted with another cat outside the house and where no humans are involved.
When we fight we make a great deal of noise that humans call caterwauling and think it has something to do with sex.
This is not so.
It has more to do with the disputing of territories.
Caterwauling is our message to an intruder to “Go away or I will attack you” and its vocalization increases and decreases in volume and length.
Humans also describe our belligerent sound production as growling, gurgling, snarling, wailing and howling but they are the same basic sound at varying intensities.
I AM IN PAIN
When we are seriously injured or terrorized, us cats can scream with the best of them.
Many human beings describe it as a “screech” while the scream of a kitten is a “squeal”.
When we older cats scream in pain we don’t expect our fellow cats to respond but we do expect our pseudo-parents to come rushing to our rescue and make soothing and sometimes apologetic sounds.
I AM FRIGHTENED
When us cats are frightened we usually run away silently and hide as there is no point in making a noise.
If we are cornered and can’t run away, we make a strange yowling sound that indicates that we are fearful but can still fight back if necessary.
If you continue to push us we will lash out at you and spit and hiss.
These may appear to be unusual sounds for us cats to make but they stem from most animal’s inborn fear of poisonous snakes that spit and hiss when trapped.
So, what we are doing is attempting to elicit the deep-seated fear of a venomous bite in our adversaries.
I WANT TO BITE YOU
Although we seldom make this clicking sound it is very noticeable when we see a prey such as a bird.
Some human beings mistakenly believe that we make this sound to alert other cats to the presence of the prey but this is incorrect as us cats are solitary hunters and definitely don’t want other cats stalking and sharing our prey.
What we are actually doing is imitating our action of sinking our teeth into the neck of the prey which is the specialized bite that we use to kill our prey.
COME WITH ME
When female cats want their kittens to follow them they emit a soft chirruping sound.
They also use this sound as a greeting when they return to their brood after a lengthy absence.
Us adult cats also us a lengthier and rising version of chirruping when we greet our human owners.
Some humans believe that when we use this sound we are reversing our usual relationship with them and treating them as kittens rather than as mothers.
We also use this sound when we bring a gift to our owners such as a bird that we have caught.
We mostly use this greeting trill when we enter the house or when we are about to move to where we expect food to be waiting. In this case our chirruping means “come with me” and is probably directed at any kittens that we may have.
I AM INOFFENSIVE
This is our famous purring sound which tells others that we are inoffensive.
Most of our owners mistakenly believe that it means that we are content.
Essentially our purring tells others that we are in a non-hostile frame of mind; friendly, submissive, appeasing and sometimes contented.
Purring is especially noticeable when mothers are lying with their kittens, as a signal that there is nothing to fear from her when she approaches their nest, when we approach other adult cats to play, when we approach younger cats with non-hostile intentions and when an inferior cat approaches a more dominant enemy and wants to imply non-hostility.
Basically, all purrs are a message of friendliness.
The above are the seven most important sound messages that we domestic cats make.
Human beings have made many attempts to put in writing what we cats are saying but the human alphabet is simply not capable of this.
The only time the sounds we make jar on our owner’s nerves is when we overdo our demands for food.
But then, most animals do that.
OUR TAILS
As you probably know, we cats also do a great deal of talking with our tails. As our moods change we exhibit them by movement or posture. Here are some examples:
We are relaxed and at peace with the world when our tails curve gently down and then up again at the tip.
We are becoming interested in something when our tails are raised slightly and gently curved.
We are very interested in something and in a friendly mood when our tails are erect with the tip tilted.
We are showing an intense need to greet when our tails are fully upright including the tip.
We feel defeated and are completely submissive when our tails are fully lowered and even tucked between our hind legs.
When our tails are fully lowered and fluffed out we are actively fearful.
When our tails are swishing from side to side we are very angry.
When our tails are held still with the tip twitching we are only mildly irritated.
After we have greeted our human owners our tails will stand upright with the whole length quivering.
When our tails are arched and bristled we are in a defensive mode but if provoked we might still attack.
Beware. When our tails are held straight and fully bristled we are feeling very aggressive.
We bristle our fur to make ourselves appear to be bigger and so deter our enemies.
OUR EYES
On top of all this we also send out mood-changing signals with our eyes.
Although it is well known that the pupils of our eyes change according to variations in light intensity, our pupils also dilate noticeably at the prospect of food, when we see something pleasant and when we are confronted by a large aggressive rival whose pupils will become narrow vertical slits.
Our eyes are fully opened when we are in the presence of strange humans that we do not trust but if our eyes become half-closed it means that we are trusting in the friendship of our owners and the strangers.
Finally, when we stare for a long time with our eyes wide open it signals aggression, so if you stare at us for a long time we are very likely to feel threatened.
If you must stare at us, try to do it while we are not staring back at you.
This will avoid intimidating us and make us feel comfortable and relaxed in your presence.
So, there you have it. Don’t say you haven’t been warned. Ignore our messages at your peril.
Photographs
Photo 1 — Photo by Lloyd Henneman on Unsplash
Line illustrations — Oliver T. Spedding
Source of information — CATLORE by Desmond Morris ISBN 0–224–02520–1 Published by Jonathan Cape Ltd, London. | https://medium.com/@ohteecreative/meow-this-is-your-cat-speaking-3e4722defedf | ['Oliver Thomas Spedding'] | 2020-12-19 07:55:21.984000+00:00 | ['Cats', 'Wild Animals', 'Language', 'Animals'] |
The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over. | Hey guys, About two months later huh… I have no good reasons. Maybe because I have no one waiting for my posts. So didn’t have the motivation. Whatever but here I am back again. So today’s post would be a short summary of this amazing book “The Like Switch” by Jack Schafer
So I divided the topics into a few parts, hope you would like it. So let’s start with The F.P.D.I Formula (also known as Friendship Formula). So first of all what does stands for? FPDI means:
Frequency: How frequently you meet with a person?
Proximity: How physically close you are to a person?
Intensity: How emotionally close you are to a person? (How much good time you spend together)?
Duration: How long interactions between you and a person last?
FPDI can be measured on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the least and 10 being the best. Let me give you some examples if it’s not making sense.
Frequency:
If you have met someone once in your lifetime the frequency between you and him/her is 1. If you meet someone once a month your frequency is 3. If you meet with someone 1–2 times a week your frequency is 5. If you meet with someone 3–4 times a week your frequency is 7. If you meet with someone every day your frequency is 10.
Proximity:
If you live in a different city or country from a person then your proximity is 1. If you and a person go to the same gym then the proximity is 3. If you’re in the same class with a person then the proximity is 5. If you have food with a person on the same table the proximity is 7. And if you sleep on the same bed then the proximity is 10.
If your meeting with someone lasts a few seconds a day the duration is 1. If your meeting with someone lasts a few minutes the duration is 3. If it lasts 30–60 minutes duration is 5. If it lasts a few hours duration is 7. And if you spend most of your day with someone your duration would be 10.
Intensity tells how much emotional connection you have with someone. If you have no emotions while having a conversation with someone your intensity is 1. If you have a serious conversation with a few jokes then the intensity is 3. If you spending a good and happy time with a friend then the intensity is 5. During a conversation, if someone compliments you from the heart and it keeps smiling for a few days then the intensity is 7. If you feel a strong emotional connection with someone, you’re laughing with them, complementing each other, sharing deep feelings, etc then the intensity is 10.
Now since you have a basic idea of The FPDI Formula. Now let’s dive into the levels of friendship:
5 levels of Friendship
Stranger
You see them almost every day. You might also know their name but you never interact with them. They can be in your class or workplace or maybe a passer-by. So most of the people around us are strangers to us. For obvious reasons, you don’t need any points to become a stranger to someone.
Acquaintance
They’re similar to strangers the only difference is that you have interacted with them once or twice. But mostly Hi, Hello. You have acquaintance almost everywhere you go. They’re mostly friends of your friend. To become someone’s acquaintance you need in total 10 points.
Friend
Now the list narrows we have very few friends (Not Facebook friends). You spend a great time with them. You feel comfortable around them. You invite each other to parties. To be a friend with someone in total you need 15 points.
Close Friend
We have a handful of close friends. We are very comfortable with them. They are there when you need them. You know them for at least one year or so. You share your secrets with each other. To become a close friend of someone you need at least 25 points.
Significant Other
Besides family members most people have only one significant other, their life partner they are the most valuable people in our life. You spend most of your time with them. You have the deepest conversation. You share everything with them. You will be needing a total of 35 points to become someone’s significant other.
If you have the required points but you still can’t connect with the opposite person. It may be because of 3 mistakes:-
Self-boasting — When you meet someone if you just talk about yourself. You won’t make any connection. You should be interested in the opposite person. Negative Body-Language — Our subconscious mind can understand what other people’s body language is saying, But we can’t express that in words. But still, we can feel whether the other person is interested in us or not. So try to keep positive body language. I’ll talk about some gestures you can show. Negative Talk — When we hear something negative our mood gets worse. And it can ruin our whole day. So we tend to avoid the people who are negative.
Friendly Gestures
Out of these four Intesity is the hardest to achieve. So there are some non-verbal gestures you can use to increase the intensity.
Flash your eyebrows — Flashing your eyebrows sends a signal that you are a non-threatening person. Head Tilt — Tilting your head right or left while talking exposes your neck and there are some important arteries that transport oxygen to your brain. That’s why exposing your neck indicates you trust the opposite person, which will make them trust you. Smile — A genuine smile can make the opposite person’s day. And smile releases endorphin in our brain which makes us like ourselves. Expressive Gestures — Simply when you meet someone, try to be open with your gestures. Move your hands while talking. Your openness will encourage the opposite person to open up. Mirroring — Mirroring simply means copying the opposite person’s body language. Mirroring makes the other person feel that he/she knows you and can trust you. Don’t copy everything otherwise you’ll appear disrespectful.
Gestures to look for
So now I’ll talk about some of the gestures you should look for to understand if the other person is interested. Before I start I want to state clearly that non-verbal is dependent on context. If someone is crossing their hand it doesn’t mean the person doesn’t wanna talk with you. Maybe they’re just feeling cold. So keep this in mind “Context is the key!”
Tone & Speed: Speaking fast: Excited or not comfortable with the conversation. Speaking slow or low voice or Saying everything in one tone: Shy or Not interested in the conversation. Forming Barriers: When we don’t feel comfortable in front of anyone, subconsciously we tend to form barriers between the person and us. For example; crossing arms, crossing legs, covering torso with something, etc. Hair Flipping & Touching: When you’re talking with a girl if she flips or touches her hair without breaking the eye contact it means she is interested in you. But if she does the same without eye contact, it means she isn’t comfortable with you. Eye Movement: If someone rolls their eyes up, it means they don’t agree with what you’ve said or they think you are stupid. If someone keeps their eyes closed for more than a second or two it means they’re feeling uneasy or anxious while talking to you. During a conversation, if a person is frequently checking the watch or looking to the exit it means the person needs an escape. Eyebrows: Furrowing eyebrows means disapproval or anger. Lip Gestures: Pursing lips means disagreement. Pressing lips means hesitating to say something or hiding something. Lean: Leaning forward — Comfortable, Leaning backward — Uncomfortable.
So this is for today, I shared these from this awesome book “The Like Switch” by Jack Schafer. You can check out the book here. | https://medium.com/@shabikdesign/the-like-switch-an-ex-fbi-agents-guide-to-influencing-attracting-and-winning-people-over-f3b2e4c39fd2 | [] | 2020-12-24 16:07:51.507000+00:00 | ['Self Improvement', 'Books', 'Self Development', 'Book Summary', 'Social Communication'] |
Celebrating Success | I constantly felt as a child and young adult the need to be told how great I am. When I was little, I asked my mother if she loved me every single day, multiple times a day.
I don’t know where this lack of confidence in myself came from at such a young age. There is no trauma that I know of that would lead me to need such reassurance.
I had good grades in school, but I was not praised for them publicly.
Maybe it was because the teachers felt the need to praise the kids who were struggling to give them the encouragement they needed to improve.
Maybe they thought my grades would be reassuring enough.
Maybe they felt if they praised me it would go to my head and I would become obnoxious and boastful.
Maybe, they just didn’t think about me at all.
Maybe I built up a tendency to victimise myself and focus solely on the negativity in my life.
This put me off competing because I couldn’t bear the thought of losing, much less the thought of winning and being ignored. Nuts, right?
I have carried this pain of neglect, this feeling of invisibility, into adulthood. At this point, I’m not sure it matters why, but how I get through it. | https://medium.com/change-becomes-you/celebrating-success-ef614f07996 | ['Sylvia Emokpae'] | 2020-12-14 06:12:17.321000+00:00 | ['Self-awareness', 'Success', 'Self Love', 'Self Development', 'Advice'] |
[Project Spotlight] — Cherr.io | What Is Cherr.io About ?
An exciting and highly sought after ICO has been making a valiant effort in recent headlines progressing to share their ambitions with the ever so changing, and fast paced cryptocurrency market. Cherr.io, winner of the Futurehack Hackathon 2018 in Davos, aims to rebuild donor trust by removing the personal agendas amongst today’s centralized charitable organizations. Cherr.io is a B2B (business-to-business) platform entirely built on the Ethereum network. Along with a built-in voting mechanism, the platform ensures full auditability and traceability of all transactions. The platform is also promised to reduce and potentially eliminate administrative and marketing overhead costs for the charitable organizations. To achieve this, Cherr.io deploys the Cherr.io community to essentially do the advertising job via their social networks, who in return will be rewarded with tokens for their effort. The idea is to give the rewards back to the community in order to open up more funds for the actual beneficiaries.
Why A Token?
The CHR token will be mainly used for activating inactive charitable campaigns on the Cherr.io platform.
Activation of each campaign requires activators or charities to pay a fee in CHR tokens. By doing so, the platform will be able to identify the participants as well as determine reward eligibility. These tokens will be returned to the activators after the campaign ends, rather than going to the beneficiaries.
Token Model
The CHR token utilizes a “Utility and Payable Hybrid” model. Its use cases for each participant role can be described as followings:
Charitable organizations
– Getting campaign listed on the Cherr.io platform
– Advertising
– Whitelisting
Donors
– Organization rating
– Fund allocation from the emergency pools
– Confirming the legitimacy of funds spent
Token holders (Cherrions)
– Participating in the activation process
– Staking for additional rewards
– Participating in the reward system
CHR token holders aka Cherrions, are the main players on the Cherr.io platform alongside with the charitable organizations. Cherrions are responsible for charity promotion, raising funds and providing community feedback/verification. Cherrions also have the option to lock in their CHR tokens on the platform (lock in duration determined by smart contracts) to participate in the reward distribution stage at the end of each successful campaign.
Additional details on token sale and distribution can be found in Cherr.io whitepaper here.
Highlights
Proof of Charity
The basis of all mechanisms built on the Cherr.io platform. Its implementation tasks the community with the advertising job so that the the marketing overhead cost can be reduced by a significant margin.
Scoring
A points system for rewarding certain activities done for the Cherr.io community. The points will be accumulated in both Status accounts and Reward accounts of the Cherrions. Both accounts will be awarded with the same amount of points, and have their own purposes. Status points show the level of a Cherrion while Reward points are used as a way to earn CHR tokens (e.g. exchange 1000 points for 1 CHR token).
Token Locking
All Cherrions will be able to lock in their CHR tokens with smart contracts deployed on the platform. A main benefit of doing so is to participate in the reward distribution at the end of a successful campaign. The max amount of tokens a Cherrion can lock will be determined by his/her Cherrion level.
Emergency Pool
The emergency pool, consisting of a common emergency pool and other sub-pools, is a wallet to be used in situations where a timely response is required. The Cherro.io community plays an important role in how the funds from the emergency pools are handled. Funds can only be transferred out from an emergency pool when the community determines the proposed campaign is for a good cause.
Fraud Protection
Two mechanisms will be implemented to prevent fraudulent activities, Community Ratings and Milestones. Community Ratings, ranging from 1 to 5, determine if the raised funds will be released to the receiving party’s wallet all at once. Receiving parties with ratings lower than 4 will receive funds in three milestones. When a milestone release is rejected by the community, funds will either be returned to the donors or go to an emergency pool.
Remarks
Cherr.io aims for a beyond greater cause than a vast majority of projects within the blockchain space. The project is tackling some of the biggest issues in today’s charitable organizations: 1) centralized decision power, 2) high advertising overhead cost and 3) slow, limited outreach. With the Cherr.io platform, the community gains back the decision power and takes the responsibility to provide legitimacy and vetting. Cherr.io, as its name would suggest, strikes to be a platform as versatile as cherries in the forms of aid and support.
Author: Jay Jie
Co-author: Ken Trube, Liam Hodash | https://medium.com/cypher-core/project-spotlight-cherr-io-e2fb6542c213 | ['Cypher Core'] | 2020-08-12 03:39:23.581000+00:00 | ['Project Spotlight', 'Crypto', 'Cryptocurrency', 'Blockchain', 'Bitcoin'] |
PULP It Like It’s Hot: My Elementary School Crush Popped My Cherry | I was practically invisible until I got my braces off then poof, instant B.D.E. (big dick energy). Boys who I’d known my entire life, but had never shown romantic interest, were lining up to have steamy, awkward, teenage sex with me. None of them were quite right — but that was about to change.
One night over the summer before my senior year in high school I was at my friend Kate’s house, which was a typical hang out spot because Kate’s mom was usually out partying or tanning on some guy’s yacht in Miami ever since they caught her dad cheating with a real estate broker. Kate did whatever she wanted because mommy did too. We were watching shitty rom-coms we’d already seen when she told me people were coming over.
I was not expecting to see my fifth-grade crush, Harry. I would have taken a fucking bullet for him. A little about Harry —
We sat next to each other on the bus to and from school for an entire year when I was 11 years old, slumped down with our knees against the seat in front of us playing rock, paper, scissors which would occasionally turn into hand holding. I saved him a seat in the morning when I got on the bus before him and he’d save me a seat in the afternoon if he made it to the bus before me, placing his backpack down next to him and only moving it when he saw my head peer around the aisle. He’d whisper secrets in my ear, which wouldn’t actually be anything juicy, just an excuse to get close. We’d meet up on the playground at recess and hug, sparking rumors of our fling and making girls in his grade jealous (he was a year older). His bus stop was before mine so I’d wave from the window when he got off the bus, then expect an IM from him by the time I got home since he had a headstart to send one. He played guitar and told me once he wrote a song about me. He was it: my soulmate, my end game, the only boy for me. I was convinced!
When he went to middle school, I was numb. The one person I looked forward to seeing each day was gone. Boys my age just weren’t the same. They couldn’t carry on witty banter like he could. I felt him slipping away over the summer, so I IM’d him that I really liked him. While he reciprocated, he wanted to remain unattached to meet girls his own age. One year later he kissed me on the cheek ice skating under pulsating strobe lights to Cascada’s “Everytime We Touch” blaring around us. That led to heartbreak yet again because he still wasn’t ready to commit.
Such a roller coaster! And I hadn’t seen him since. He went to a different middle school and high school, so there was never really a chance for a casual run-in in the halls or rekindling on the bus anymore. Star-crossed lovers. But that night was my chance, fate was finally taking its hand, that slow son of a bitch.
He came over with some friends who went to my high school and liked to smoke weed at strangers’ houses, wherever they could without getting caught. As soon as he walked into Kate’s living room we made eye contact. I’m sure I was the last person he expected to see when he set out to cruise around our small town with his best friends that night. An hour later I was sitting on his lap, talking and making up for lost time.
He made up an excuse to go outside and I played along. “I, uh, need something from the car.” “Yeah, me too,” I mumbled.
No one even noticed us slip out. We made out leaning against the side of Kate’s house until his friends were ready to leave and before I knew it, he was gone. Snatched away all too quickly. The next day I was working at the daycare I had for the past three summers when I snuck a look at my phone. He texted me, “Hi.”
Swoon. We still had each other’s phone numbers from middle school. How romantic that he never forgot me, right?
He asked if I wanted to hang out that night, so being the hopeless romantic I am, I agreed. At 10 p.m.he told me to come outside. I walked out my parents’ front door without either one of them noticing. I shuffled down the long driveway in the pitch black to find him idling in his car with the headlights dimmed. We drove half a mile further into my neighborhood before he pulled over, then turned off the car.
It wasn’t sharing a milkshake with one straw in a diner professing our love to each other as I’d envisioned, but I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. This is what I had been waiting for my whole life.We awkwardly made out for a while, leaning against the console between us, which led to doing it doggy style in his backseat.
As soon as he finished he got out of the car to pull up his pants and I rose from my knees to see my hands soaked in blood. Pools of blood gathered below me, seeping into the cracks of his leather seats. I was so embarrassed because I thought I’d had sex before, but dry-humping boys naked and drunk at parties did not feel like that, like a monstrous swell water bottle was moving through my body, taking my breath away, and about to come out of my throat. It was too much blood for me to blame on a cut, so I had to tell him. “
So, uh, something kinda happened to your back seat.”
“Are you on your period? You could have told me.”
“I’m not.”
His eyes widened. “Are you a virgin?”
I said no because I genuinely thought I wasn’t. Then he said, “sorry my dick’s so big.”
And that was it. My night ended with me crying over the embarrassment of ruining the interior of a lifelong crush’s car — his night probably ended with him scrubbing blood out of the crevices of the seats, the leather stitching most likely stained forever. | https://medium.com/pulpmag/my-elementary-school-crush-popped-my-cherry-40d5a66aaf9b | ['Callie Chute'] | 2020-05-13 12:01:00.910000+00:00 | ['Embarrassing Stories', 'Sexuality', 'Virginity', 'Pulp It Like Its Hot', 'Bodies'] |
The Keto Snacks Cookbook | Most “Keto” Snack Recipes Still Contain a Bunch of Terrible Ingredients
Just because a food is low in carbs does not mean that it’s automatically good for you…
Plenty of Keto snack recipes still contain ingredients that I would never choose to eat.
Many common “keto” ingredients (like cheese, dairy, and seed oils) are highly inflammatory or sometimes very high in carbs.
And if you really want to feel great, you’ve got to pay attention to more than just how much sugar is in your food.
100% of the recipes in this cookbook are ALSO gluten-free, Paleo, low-inflammatory, and dairy-free. All recipes contain:
ZERO grains
ZERO artificial sweeteners
ZERO processed foods
ZERO legumes
ZERO dairy
ZERO nut or seed oils
So you’re not just losing weight and eating tasty food, you’re also healing your body.
Delicious 100% Keto Baked Snacks That Taste Just Like the “Real Thing”
My friends and family thought I was crazy to cut out all carbs and sugar.
So whenever they’d come over, I wanted to have snacks for them that seemed just like the non-keto versions. It wasn’t easy, though…
I worked for months to create incredible “sweet” keto snacks that taste as good as or better than the original.
Sweet, baked treats like:
Almond Flour Cookies with Lemon Zest
Chocolate Brownies
Cinnamon Donut Balls
“Cornbread” Muffins
Mini Pecan Pies
Blueberry muffins
and more!
Claim Your FREE Physical Copy of The Essential Keto Snacks Cookbook Today! << CLICK HERE | https://medium.com/@TWK999/the-keto-snacks-cookbook-3315352b6b20 | [] | 2021-12-16 09:58:24.497000+00:00 | ['Diet', 'Books', 'Fitness', 'Keto', 'Cook'] |
Best LGBTQ & Lesbian Holiday Greeting Cards to Gift This Season | This crazy year is finally almost coming to an end and while Christmas and the holidays might not be the way you were hoping or planning for, there are still many little ways that you can make this holiday season special with your family, friends, and loved ones.
Each holiday, I love thinking of cute, unique, and romantic gifts for Chia. Often it’ll include planning a memorable date night or experience for us and a cute, punny Christmas card. But finding a sweet, LGBTQ or lesbian-themed holiday greeting card can be challenging-there just aren’t that many options out there! It’s why we decided to launch some of our own holiday card designs this year.
We also put together this list of the best LGBTQ & lesbian holiday cards to gift to your favorite person this year. Hopefully, you’ll find these just as adorable and heartwarming as we did!
Lesbian Themed Holiday Cards:
1. Have a Perfectly Splendid Christmas (Jamie & Dani) Card
Let’s admit that the silver lining of this year was Jamie and Dani (one of the best lesbianships of all time) from Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor series.
Purchase the card here.
2. You’re the Best Present I Could’ve Asked for Card
Inspired by the lesbian slice-of-life comic, Sesame But Different, this sweet and heartwarming lesbian holiday card that’ll make your partner go “Aww” when you tell her that she’s the best present you could’ve asked for.
Purchase the card here.
3. Gay Gals Holding Hands Christmas Card
A heartwarming card of a lesbian couple holding hands. Sometimes you just don’t need any words to express how much you love someone.
Purchase the card here.
4. Carol Christmas Greeting Card
One of our favorite lesbian movies of all time. This Carol inspired Christmas card is perfect for the holidays.
Purchase the card here.
5. To My Amazing Wife At Christmas Time Card
An adorable card of two female grizzly bears holding hands in the winter. Bonus: you can customize the card to say “girlfriend, partner, fiancee, or other” as well.
Purchase the card here.
6. Kiss Me Lesbian Christmas Card
A cute, romantic comic featuring a loving lesbian relationship based greeting card inspired by the slice-of-life webcomic, Sesame But Different.
Purchase the card here.
7. Merry Christmas to My Fave Lesbian Card
Whether you have one or many lesbians in your life, you can gift this cute rainbow stripes card to all of your favorites.
Purchase the card here.
8. Sending You a Christmas Carol Card
You can’t have too many Carol Christmas puns or Carol greeting cards. This one features Therese and Carol together.
Purchase the card here.
LGBTQ Themed Holiday Cards:
9. “I’m So Gay for You” Rainbow LGBTQ Card
A cute minimalist card with a simple, sweet message to tell that special person how much they make you happy.
Purchase the card here.
10. Jingle all the Gay Card
You can’t go wrong with rainbows, gays and puns. Plus this card gives me an empowering superhero vibe.
Purchase the card here.
11. Merry Christmas & Happy Holigays Card
We love the holigays. This is a modern, minimalist style card that can be gifted to all of your LGBTQ friends and allies.
Purchase the card here.
12. Merry Christmas to the Gays!
A simple, yet elegant design. Perfect to send this card to your favorite gay couple.
Purchase the card here.
13. Ho Ho Homo! Card
Add some gay to and light up someone’s day with this punny rainbow Christmas lights card.
Purchase the card here.
14. Happy Holigays Christmas Wreath Card
Just a simple Happy Holigays card that lets you write your own personal message inside. Perfect for those looking to order a pack of simple LGBTQ holiday cards.
Purchase the card here.
15. Merry Queersmas Card
Can we start saying Merry Queersmas now? I love this pun and the colorful block letters.
Purchase the card here. | https://medium.com/sesame-but-different/best-lgbtq-lesbian-holiday-greeting-cards-to-gift-this-season-f8509dcab5f | ['Sesame But Different'] | 2020-12-03 00:17:54.621000+00:00 | ['LGBTQ', 'Christmas Gifts', 'Holiday Gift Guide', 'LGBT', 'Lesbian'] |
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